Hi Meg...since you asked...I don't like it. I think with your neutrals and the shape of the fireplace this one would work better: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/decorating-and-accessories/area-rugs/aldo-natural-rug/f43959

Hello all,

Have I told you lately how awesome you are. I think I dropped the ball on that. You guys are all so awesome!!

I have been considering the rug recommendations that you all provided. @feeny and @Charmean, you both suggested warm colors. I have to admit I will never, ever use red. I must have been a bull in a past life, because it's not at all relaxing to me. And, I'm not usually a fan of orange - I'm just usually a blues and greens, earth tone, calming environment kind of gal. And, usually my favorite color combinations are a sunny beige, grass green, and purple.

However, that pumpkin rug has been growing on me!! I think my wood floors are so warm they are almost pumpkin orange anyway. What do you guys think of a cream color on the walls (far right swatch on the wall with the couch) but with an accent wall of a turquoise, like "Mad for Galapagos" in this picture: http://www.houzz.com/projects/12777/High-Point-Terrace

And then the pumpkin rug would really pop against that blue-green wall? http://www.rugstudio.com/jaipurrugspoemerodezpm57pumpkin-pumpkinarearug.aspx

I included shots of the dining room table in the view we have to the living room. I think our couch and table are transition/rustic looking. So, I want the space to be fresh and fun, since we're a young couple who likes to entertain, but I need to make sure our brand new furniture works. Is turquoise too funky for a mantel that traditional?

Thanks!! I really appreciate all of your help!

Also, sorry that we still don't have a real coffee table, or side tables... or curtains. Those will inevitably be my next questions. :p

Hi Meg. I tried, but I can't wrap my head around that turquoise. If you really like that color, consider a small dose in a textile or art. I love the pumpkin rug with your furniture and a creamy color on the walls. I can't really see those samples, but I just used a color for the first time that I love...Gentle Cream OC-96 by Benjamin Moore. Looks just like it sounds. I used it on a house that had a lot of wood trim like yours, it was so bright and elegant. Isay go for the pumpkin rug and pull out the greens and creams from the rug.
You're doing great! Charmean

Hi Meg,

I love the rug with the teal flowers that you displayed. You can do so much with a rug sporting other colours. I would take your favourite colour out of that rug, and put it into lined Roman Blinds. I would use a round glass or marble coffee & side tables so that it's easier to manoeuvre, and tone the hue of the wall colour down a couple of notches from the dark teal blue (one of my personal favourites), so that the room doesn't feel cave like.

You can easily incorporate your favourite blues & greens, by choosing the same colour family. Such as mellower tones like Georgian Green HC-115 & Stratton Blue HC-142 they're chosen from Heritage Collection, or brighter hues such as Surf Blue 2056-30 & Napa Vineyards 427 all four colours are Benjamin Moore USA. It's really a personal choice and depends on what saturation of colours you like. If you absolutely love the dark teal blue, the fireplace would "pop" with that colour around it!
Have fun with the colours and your new home!

Re: wall color. I like the two lightest ones to the right, farthest from the window. It appears they go best with your upholstery. Then simple white or off white sheers over the windows to soften the blinds, at least until after you have your paint on the walls, and the rug (I still like your first rug choice with the teal and purple and rust). I'm overwhelmed by the idea of a bold accent wall, but go with what you love. In this case, it really is only paint. If you dont like it, a coat of primer and 2 coats of another color is all you'll need.

It looks like you have limited floor space between the chairs and the couch. I'd consider using nesting end tables on one side of the couch, then when you entertain you can pull one out to use for the person sitting center of the couch. I like ymcs' suggestion for round tables in something other then wood. Id look for a metal to work with the nailheads on your couch and chair.

By the by, your couch looks great.

What a gorgeous room this will be! I do like the pumpkin rug,The teal one is ok but not as exciting to look at. I'd reserve teal colors for flowers or porcelain for a hint of color, The teal wall idea would diminish that lovely fireplace instead of enhancing, I like the wall color to the farthest right of the couch, Here's an interesting teal piece:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95645345/green-tan-orange-hand-built-and-carved

Exactly Mary, love that teapot. Would be great as a centerpiece.

I think your idea of painting all the rooms in one color is a good one for this home. It will open the rooms visually and bring out the beautiful wood trim. BM has some wonderful warm creamy whites. Oatmeal is another color which would look wonderful throughout and especially with your sofa. BM and SW can also match colors of other companies quite well. I would carry the cream color throughout and use bold colors for your draperies, pillows, dining seats, etc. I always incorporate the tv over the fireplace when they are in the same room and have never encountered a problem. You really want only one focal point in a room. I do cover them with a mirror or art that is easily moved to one side so the tv is easily viewed by everyone in the room. I would use a round glass or mirrored coffee table or a round ottoman with a large silver tray. With the ottoman, you have the option of using is as an ottoman, a coffee table, or additional seating if needed. I love you mantel just as it is; it is so in keeping with the style and age of your home. I am attaching some photos: a cream living room with a turquoise ottoman, a cream kitchen with yellow accents, a cream dining room with green draperies, and an oatmeal living room with coral. These are to give you an idea of how you can incorporate bold color in a cream colored home. How they give you some ideas! :)

btw I love that you are posint photos as you progress! I am attaching one of my favorite ways to incorporate color in an neutral home...the ceiling is the largest and most neglected wall in the room...try it; it is only paint and can be cahnged if you do not like it...Paint your kitchen ceiling yellow and keep the same ceam in the walls and cabinets as the rest of the home. Here are some photos to give you an idea....one is actually fauxed wood. Hope these help! Keep up the great work! :)

Hi Meg,

I had to chime in again when you posted a picture of my work! I love Benjamin Moore's Galapagos Turquoise, but I think it is too dark for your walls considering the available light in your house (or at least how it looks in your pictures), and it is such a strong color that the pumpkin rug and your wood trim may dull in comparison.That particular shade of teal really sings with clearer, brighter colors such as hot pink, yellow, red and brighter oranges. I love your idea of incorporating some turquoise, but I suggest a more faded version in accessories or draperies.

Your house is really looking good. Best of luck!

We painted! And we took down the mirror! And we found old wiring for sconces! The color is called Woodrow Wilson Blush by Valspar. I guess it wasn't my favorite paint to work with, but we had a lot of coupons for Lowe's. Most of the time it looks right - sometimes it looks pink, sometimes it looks too yellow, but... I think I'm happy with it. It makes the room look so much lighter, and I love how the wood looks. All of a sudden the fireplace looks very yellow, but for the most part I think it's working.

I know, the furniture still doesn't make sense. I think we're going to hang art over the fireplace, so the TV will sit on a console, actually where the couch is now, and hopefully we can get rid of the radiator and replace it with a smaller baseboard unit, so that we can center the couch across from the TV, putting it under the windows. I want an oval glass coffee table. C&B makes a metal one with a second shelf that I love, and I think it would match my nailhead trimmed couch - but it's a little pricey for us at the moment.

Also, I'm still considering the pumpkin rug, but I have been thinking about a turquoise/teal rug as well, since all of a sudden that color caught my interest...

What do you think would look good for sconces? And do you like any of these teal rugs? I just took a snapshot of my Pinterest living room board... I like the persian style teal rug with gold/cream/sage in it, as well as the pumpkin colored rug. `There's a persian style rug with a narrower border as well which I enjoy. The teal and beige rug called "Arabesque" is very nice, too, I think. Also, in the top right corner there's a picture of a mirrored sconce I thought might look nice.

Thanks for your input guys! Can't wait to show you the finished product!

Hooray! The color is lovely and the sconce wiring is a homerun....not just for sconces, but an electrician can pull power from one for your tv so you will not need to see its electrical cord! I suggest swing arm sconces to keep them from being too close to the tv and I would mount the tv on an articulating arm to raise it off the mantel and be able to angle and turn it. Since you now have your neutrals I would go really bold with the accents: turquoise rug and pillows; perhaps contrast them with some coral or the pumpkin? Keep the photos coming; they are great! Here are some photos of swing arm sconces that may give you some ideas. :)

Great home! New wall color is perfect.
I think Feeny had it right with area rug. It really speaks to the style of the home.

I found a turquoise wall - wall paper. Lovely texture.

Great posts! Any updates?

I just wanted to say I am in LOVE with your fireplace.

Love the idea of the scones. I have them in my living room. But you have to remember this is your house if you want to paint the moldings go for it. I think it would make it brighter. I just painted my beams in my living room white and its beautiful. They were stained. I wish I would of done it sooner.
I was also thinking about your tv maybe should go on the other wall opposite the couch.
Try to see where the sun comes in your living room so the tv won't get a glare from the sun before you decide where to put it. I love curtains for a living room. and celluler shades.
Glad you took that mirror away. It was too big for the fireplace.
My philosphy is go with your gut. If you like it make it work. I hope I helped you.

love, love, love your home. Delinitely take down the mirror. It takes the focus off the beautiful details in the room. Cream color on the walls and add some color accents in orange, blue and brown

Hey folks! I was so happy to see your latest comments, because I have just taken some photos of my progress! I ended up getting the pumpkin rug that Charmean recommended, because it went on sale. I do love the rug - the teal is more of a green/grey/blue and the pumpkin is really more like rust. There is also cream, brown, tan, and burgundy so there are a lot of colors to work with.

I went to homegoods and bought some purple throw pillows which I think really give the room some spunk that it was missing. the curtains are too short (84"), from my last home. I put them up to soften the windows and see what I thought of the color. What do you folks think? I'm usually a white sheer kind of person, but with my light wall color - I'm not sure.

I also bought the painting of the woman which I think ties in the rust and blue green from the carpet very nicely. I wish it had a brown frame instead of a black one, but for the price I was happy with it and I think I could get it reframed later. I intend to put it above the fireplace, but for now we don't have the configuration we need to put the fireplace back on a media stand.

Behind the loveseat is a big old radiator, and the couch is too deep to put on that wall against the radiator - it would stick out in front of the fireplace. We have central and forced heat installed, as well as a boiler system for the radiator, so I am considering taking out the radiator in the living room - I just home it doesn't get too chilly. Then we could put the couch on the opposite wall and put the TV where the couch is now - nice and centered and more comfortable to watch. But for now we still have that radiator in place and no media console.

Anyway - I'm also attaching a picture of a very blank wall behind the armchair that I would love some suggestions on. And - also if you don't mind weighing in on the curtain color and oh yes!! I almost forgot - sconces!!

More pictures... the carpet, the blank wall, the view into the dining room and a sconce I'm leaning toward... Thanks!

The pumpkin rug is a winner! I also love your upholstered pieces. To my mind, the sconce you have pictured is a little too similar to all of the diamond pane window grids you have.

You have done the room justice, I think. It is warm and inviting.

Painting of woman is way too small for over the couch. Until you free up your fireplace I'd move it to left of settee and lamp.

On a different note. I would move the loves seat to another room, but the chair in front of the radiator and place a small media stand with swivel for tv where your chair is now. Paint the black frame around picture of lady with a brown craft paint, a dry brush effect might be nice, and hang the picture over the fireplace.

Thank you for showing your progress.

Love the color choices and the pumpkin rug is so spectacular with the woodwork and the color scheme. That looks so inviting when you come into the room. Dining room furniture is pretty and I love the painting but it looks a bit lonesome by itself. Maybe relocate or add some more styling to that wall. Lovely home!
I went back and looked at your before pictures and you have brought out so much of the beauty of this lovely home by the things you have done.

Thank you so much for the update! Absolutely love what you have done.

Hi Meg! Thanks for updating. You have done a wonderful job of decorating. You already have a plan in place for improvements and that is a plus as well.

Remove that radiator! The fireplace will provide extra warmth on chilly nights. If the weather is particularly cold you might bring in a space heater if necessary. In your area it shouldn't be needed very often though.

I agree with whomever said to dry brush over the frame with brown craft paint. It should soften the color just enough.

One thing you should try is lowering the picture. Most people hang them about 5 inches to high...so dropping it that much should make a tremendous difference. A couple of scones on either side of it will fill in the space nicely. I love the ones you have picked. They reflect the diamond pattern without being exactly the same.

Thanks again for the update.

I love it! It looks so warm and inviting!

Fantastic! Thanks for the update!!

Just in case anybody might still be interested, haha. 8 months after we bought the house and the living room is sort of shaping up... The pumpkin rug and I have a love hate relationship. I think it works so well with the wood work, and yet it is sooo warm, I have a hard time coordinating things with it. I am digging the metalic accent trend that is popular right now - think it works with my warm arts and crafts style house. Anyway, moved the painting, got a different frame, got a mirror, moved the furniture a bit.... still shopping for a coffee table. I put a brown, faux whicker coffee table from the patio in the living room a month ago and was horrified to see the dark brown and the pumpkin rug looked soooo 1960-70s to me. I am now terrified to use dark wood. I would still like to find a nice glass one. Anyway, coming along.

I love how you're pulling this room together.

Something similar to this coffee table would be worth considering. Abbington Coffee Table. Glass and pewter.

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Hello Meg. Your living room is coming along nicely. Why bother with a coffee table? It looks like your ottoman is functioning in that capacity just fine.

A couple of little tweaks could make a big difference though.

Your mirror and your picture are hung too high. They look unconnected to anything; like they are floating away. Art should only be hung 5 - 9 inches above whatever it is hanging over to look connect to the piece. 5 - 6 inches seems to be the perfect height. If art is on a wall by itself it should be about 54"- 56" on center.

And all the dark colored pillows on the sofa being at the fireplace end makes that end of the room appear heavy; almost as though it is tilting in that direction.

Glad you are still having fun and are enjoying your new home. Thanks for the update!

Hi Meg, The colors are coming along great. I do I have suggestion though, your picture and mirror are to high. Two much stuff on the fireplace. Sometimes just a little makes a statement. Bring your pic from the fireplace in between sconses. Or place on fireplace. Mirror above the couch looks great but must be lower. Congrats on your decorating.

I didnt read the whole discussion ( which is very long already ) but just wanted to say that not everyone wants to look up to watch t.v. and not everyone has to have the t.v. in the same room as the fireplace. I for one mounted my t.v. very low on the wall and like to be able to have it at eye level when sitting on the couch. I also like to lay down on the couch and watch. So anyway I dont like the advice to put the t.v. over the fireplace. It really depends on the person and what height is good for them.

Hi Meg, I learnt a lot with your progress and your place looks amazing already, and I wish for the same cohesive outcome when I move into my own home in feb. Keep us posted on any other advances.

About a center table if you would go for round and glass, you can find and enjoy something like this

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Yes remove the mirror, no don't paint the trim. That wall unit is too dark and heavy for the room. Lucky you! Awesome house!

Whoops! I am way behind! Ok. The half naked lady above the firemantel is tacky. Put her in the bathroom or bedroom where she belongs, just as she is in the work. Also I know everyone is pushing color coordinating the drapes, the artwork, the rug. Personally I am looking forward to evolving from that soothing, kindergarten styled approach. Your rugs, artwork, and tchotchkies should be a reflection of you and your life's experiences and travels. They should not soothe a la Disney by matching. It's immature and phoney. I know I know it's mandated everwhere! People choose a painting if it matches their sofa! Not if it's actually a decent piece of art that elicits feeling. Sorry if I'm too opinionated, but this house is super and the orange/blue palate is detracting from it. Uh oh, I'm going into hiding from the interior design mob!

Whoah! I don't mind if you call it how you see it, but you have to give some suggestions/examples in order to teach people to do better! You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. I often worry things are too coordinated, and decorating is harder than I thought it would be. It takes a lot of time and money! To everyone who has commented, thanks so much for all your advice, I really appreciate all the help!

Your home is beautiful!! Your style is lovely and you've done a terrific job making it "you"! The comment above...all I can say is "wow."

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Meg12953 - you are awesome! I felt so guilty and thought, why on earth am I venting so? You can buy things over time. You don't have to do it all at once the way designers do.

Meg12953. Nicely stated, and very diplomatic. Being in the Houzz community seems to require a good sense of humor and discernment.

This journey has been amazing to follow. So many diverse and creative suggestions. Thank you for the updates.

Oh if only I owned a Tudor. Long sigh........I think it it evolving beautifully. It really does take time and money. I so love the rug, it is perfect. I like it with the blue. The dark wood is fabulous. I only wish I had that quality of trim in my house. For myself I would change the items on the mantel, but then I love the English cottage clutter look. I would like to see a bigger piece of Arts & Crafts pottery (or something that suggests that) probably in a deep green. I would need a little more color, adding a bit of red, blue and green to balance it out for myself using accents like pillows, glassware or dishes.
But then I go in for that Tudor look big time.

Room looks great. Don't put the tv back on the mantel. Its looks much better with a picture not a TV.

Love, love, love the pumpkin rug, the ethereal blue-gray drapes, the accents of that blue-gray in both the painting and the rug, the creamy walls, and the great new ivory (stone? what do we call that color?) sofa and chair with darker throw pillows. It is all looking absolutely beautiful!

I know you said you are having a bit of a love-hate relationship with that pumpkin color in the rug, but I really think it warms up the room and looks so good with your wood trim. Bravo!

Didn't read your post but LOVE your house. Besides, others seem to be helping big time. Seems your husband is a keeper.

Funny I was just looking at the style of your house and wondering the definition of a tutor and when I checked my email there was a link to this tutor makeover . So I thought I would send it to you. I hate to say it but that looks like a tv over the fireplace...lol


http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/remodeling/before-and-after/house-tour-traditional-renovation/?sssdmh=dm17.639924&esrc=nwhi122712#page=1

Love your tutor style home!