Decorating a room is very personal. Everyone should have their own personal style. How could I decorate a room so blindly?

Please post photos, everyone here is really good at using their imaginations.

It's hard to dream up an entire room with any accuracy.

If it was my room to decorate, it would take months maybe years to decorate. I would have my old furniture to use now and buy new later.

You must have some inspiration room photos that you can share.

Aw man... I was really hoping for ideas based just on the description! See, I didn't want the current colors/style of our stuff to influence you.

Obviously, I'd apply my own tastes, but I'm looking for your opinions about things like:

* couch? loveseat? both? neither?
* how many chairs?
* what about the required-but-flexible television?
* tables? how many? where?

But here - I found three photos of the room. I took these when we were house-hunting, so this is the previous owner's stuff. I hope this helps some!

Looking from the front door:
{{!gwi}}

And from the opposite direction:
{{!gwi}}

From the top of the stairway, looking down:
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to the album with larger photos

Oops... the link doesn't give you any more info than if you click on the pictures. Sorry 'bout that.

Do you need a TV somewhere in your room?
My first thoughts, needs more furniture than what is in the pics (realizing that was prior owners stuff).

Do you want a baby grand piano by any chance? This reminds me of a friends room...

How many people need to sit in/use the room at one time?

Hi whenicit,

Yes, there does need to be a TV, but it can be any size and incorporated in any way... hidden or out in plain view, whatever. As long as a cable can reach the jack (which in these photos would be behind the middle of the couch).

Neither of us play the piano, so it probably won't be in the cards to buy a baby grand (although it would look pretty in the bay, wouldn't it?).

There are just two of us living in the house, but we like to entertain -- a typical dinner party would be 6-10 guests. Those 6-10 guests probably wouldn't all try to sit in that room at once, but multi-purpose furniture for occasional seating might be a good idea.

Thanks for asking!

What sort of style do you like? Traditional, more modern? Rustic, refined?

Obviously you could lighten up the room a lot with different window treatments.

What do *you* see in there? Or at least are there some things you're already attracted to? Furniture, art, fabrics, colors? Do you have a favorite decor color?

Is money an object? I'd love to play this game but need to know where my budget ends (can I buy a $1000 sofa or $10,000 or $100,000). And I also would like to know if you're into any paticular style at all. Do you absolutely HATE ultra modern or is that the style you MUST have???

igloochic, feel free to spend that money! Go nuts! Inspiration shouldn't be hampered by a budget! :)

And, honestly, we're not locked into any one particular style. I guess we're more city-people than country, so we wouldn't want to go too rustic or homespun; and cutesy-foo is definitely out.

Oh, also, hubby prefers darker-toned woods to whitewashed or blond tones. But we'd be open to many styles, whether traditional or modern or something in between. No kids or pets, so we're not restricted

We both love "nature colors" -- browns, taupes, greens -- but wouldn't be adverse to shaking things up with different colors.

How do you want this room to make you feel? Write down a couple of words like tranquil, dramatic, homey etc. What colors will hellp you achieve this feeling? Do the colors need to work with adjacent areas of the house? Then write down all the functions that room has to encompass such as TV viewing, seating for visitors, area for computer, need to write bills etc. This helps you focus on what kind of furniture you need in the room. Then think about the lines or style of the furniture - how will that accomplish what you want the room to feel? For example if you want a homey, old time feel in a room you'll want soft cushy furniture, but if you want a modern urban loft feel you'll be more interested in sleek, sculptural lines in the furniture. also do you want to add any architectural elements to the room such as a fireplace (doesn't have to be real, could just be a mantel) or beef up moldings or crown molding? This can help support the feel and style of the room.

Lots to think about - I think it's always hardest to start from scratch in a room.

And don't think having an endless limit of money helps, it's even worse because you have more choices and probably have an even larger space to decorate LOL.

Sky

If money's no object -- I'd find a professional whose work you love :)

Great point squirrelheaven. And that professional is going to ask you a million questions if she/he is any good, and that is why everyone here is doing just that. They would also want to know is this going to be your primary place for relaxing and/or entertaining or do you have another say family room or finished basement area? If this is your "living" room and not just in name only, I would place much more emphasis on comfort. Do you want to be able to lounge on the couch with a good book, or even take a nap there some rainy afternoon? Or is it more important that it look good? Obviously we want both but there is a difference in degrees. We just went through this with our family room and I realized that although I was drawn to certain looks ascetically, they weren't how I wanted the room to feel and how I wanted to feel in it. You are going to have to provide a lot more information for people to get started.

I agree 100% with Squirrel.

I think you should do a little more homework as well to try to determine what it is you like.

Saying you're open to lots of different styles and colors leaves a lot to the imagination. Can you at least go "shop" around the internet and find a piece of artwork, pottery, anything that really speaks to you?

Can you find *one* inspiration room?

Ok before I start purchasing items :) I need to get a feel for the layout and if this is somewhat correct (or close enough to work).

Please correct me before your VISA starts burning a hole in my pocket?

{{!gwi}}

By the way, company is coming soon and may not leave all night so I may shop tomorrow...you really can't stop me...I love this stuff, but let's at least get the room right so my vision can become complete (carpets etc are all needed still).

I might do some blue!!

I'm too lazy to do the work for your room but I would do 2 couches and 2-3 chairs with 1 ottoman. If room, a rug and a coffee table.

Consider lighting - at least 2 lamps, maybe a floor lamp in addition.

A chair nested in the bay for reading by the window.

A rug under the coffee table.

A black accent - hutch for the TV.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hickory Chair furniture

Igloo -- you might be doing someone's homework ;) (Kinda wondering if this is a class assignment or something :)

LOL well I expect a good grade :oP

You know how excited I get when I hear "money's no object" heh heh I'm already burning up the pages at 1st dibs :)

Just make the mink throw faux :)

LOL Faux throw it is! (And here I was skinning minks as we talk) :oP

THANK YOU, Igloochic, for actually answering my question! No, it's not a homework assignment; and yes, I want to know what YOU'D do in this room.

I love y'all for trying to help me find my style and all, but that's not the problem. I chose what we currently have with no style dilemmas at all. I read magazines. I visit furniture stores for fun. And I know that I'd be able to find new things I loved, too.

What I want is someone ELSE's perspective. I want to be exposed to other people's ideas, to see if perhaps there's something wonderful that just isn't coming to my mind. So, please, don't worry about what *I* like, or what I currently have for furniture.

Granted, if you had an unlimited budget, you might well live in a totally different space (heck, so would I!). But, given this particular room and the handful of things that are non-negotiable, what would YOU do with it?

Igloochic, you're pretty close with your floor plan -- considering you had to work with some not-so-hot photos and my description, it's fabulous! A couple things have to be tweaked, though...

There's no room for your tv armoire in that spot, as the hardwood walkway takes up the first few feet off that wall, and the doorway starts literally at the corner rather than a foot or two in. I grabbed your floorplan and added shading where the wood - and traffic pattern - runs.

{{!gwi}}

Furniture, for the most part, would have to start on the other side of the doorway, roughly aligned to where you put the globe on the stand. Plus, the tv jack is on the opposite wall (behind where you put the 7' sofa).

But already, I see a couple of things I wouldn't have thought of... I'd love to see more ideas, if you have 'em!

Oops, one other thing, if you really *do* love playing with the floorplan, igloochic (I love that you're getting into the spirit of this!) -- the bay should be wider. You know how you left that area open "south" of the windows? That bottom edge of the bay should come nearly to the part I shaded to represent the wood floor.

If you click on the second of my photos, you can just barely make out the beginnings of that hardwood. There's that funky angled landing at the door, and then you step down onto the walkway, and you can see how the bay starts pretty much where the carpeting does (behind the chair). So there's lots of room in that window!

Ok that's easy enough. I thought we had a bit more room on that facing wall but I can work with that.

I don't like a tv jack that requires submission in decor. Since money isn't an object, (and frankly it's not expensive to do) how about we string cable under the carpet to a different location? Are you totally opposed to that? If you don't do that, you are going to be greeting your guests as they walk into the house with the backs of your furniture, which is both unapealing and heck I think it's also not fungi swayed either (I don't do fung but they do have some good principals). There's also wireless cable...do you have that in your area?

I know it's realistic to have TV in your home, so I'm not trying to take that out of the room, but I also think you need to consider that this is the room your guests see first. It sets a tone for the house and should be a primary focus for you, given that you don't have a large entry hall (most homes don't now a days).

I didn't draw it in here, but one thing I think is a must is that you should have a small table (round) on the entry landing in front of that long window. Or a globe on a stand, something to break the space from living room and entry mentally and physically.

You'll be excited to know that you are now going to become a world class globe collector. I've decided that you either travel, or have always wanted to travel and thus...globes are your passion :) You don't have millions, but you do have some wonderful ones scattered throughout the room you exotic little fool you!

Your new style is classy and traditional...if you should choose to accept my design :oP But also incorporates influences from around the world :)

rofl, Igloo!! (not that I like that sort of thing :)

deeje~You're blowing my mind! Not least because I am currently living in a house with a very similar floor plan...I'll walk you through it.

We don't have a bay window. OUR French doors are on that side of the room, opening onto our front porch, which has a western exposure. (BTW what direction does YOUR bay face?) The opening into our DR is a wide casing, sans doors.

We also have a FP where your PO had their sofa, with a long window on either side. We have three windows going up the stairs, and possibly, lots more light. But even less wall space.

I want to free your mind to what is and isn't non-negotiable, the cable jack can be moved. Well, technically, you'll just want to add ANOTHER jack, on the wall that igloochic put the secretary. Trust me, it can be done. (We even drilled into a chimney to put one in the DR, for the computer, where yours truly is now sitting).

That wall is the sweet spot for our TV armoire. You, my lucky friend, will have two choices for your viewing pleasure. But if you put the TV armoire in the same spot we have ours, and the sofa in the same spot as the PO, you'll actually be able to SEE the TV. igloochic was spot on with the rest of her choices and furniture placement IMO.

Hey igloochic, can you do mine next? :0)

Hi prairiegirlz5,

Our bay faces west, too! But we don't have identical houses; our garage is on the other side of the stairs, so no windows, and our fireplace is in the dining room.

We've re-located jacks before, so I know it *can* be done, and we do have power run in that wall, but I just don't see putting any furniture right there. I think it would make the traffic flow sort of wonky. See, that little hardwood "hallway" is the path everyone takes from the front door to the other rooms on the first floor (kitchen and bathroom being my main concerns).

If a tv armoire were to go against that wall, people would need to walk into the middle of the living room and then cut back to the doorway. Conversely, they could walk through the middle of the living room, through the french doors, around the dining room table, a buffet, and a wine rack to get to that doorway.

Here's a photo I just took of the straight shot from the breakfast area to the front door. Given that there's carpeting in the living room (carpeting that, unfortunately, I can't replace right now), would you steer traffic off the wood and then back onto it?

{{!gwi}}

This'll be a moot point once we're able to afford hardwood for the entire first floor, which is my eventual goal... but until then, I can't picture an effective furniture arrangement that places large furniture along that wall. Do you agree, now that you see this photo? Or am I being blind about something?

(see, THIS is why I so badly want other people's opinions of what they'd do!)

I actually meant the TV armoire would go on the short wall where the secretary was in igloochic's drawing.

You're lucky, I have all hardwood floors, but hideous turquoise carpet. You know, I might just tear it out today. (uh oh)

Our houses aren't identical, true, yours is much newer (mine was built in 1904). The stairs in my LR are set further back, they start behind what was probably a closet, now a bathroom, to the left of the door, creating a little nook to the side of the "hallway", I have lots of nooks and crannies, hehe. They go up three steps, and then turn, go up 8 steps, turn again, go up 2 more steps, whew.

We've resorted to blocking the French doors with the sofa for now. Originally, when the house was built, that was a window, and the front porch was not enclosed as it is now.
At least you have WALLS, LOL.

I would not block the "hallway", where else would you slide in your socks? :0)

Do you have to keep that narrow wood strip? Can't you go hardwood or carpet all the way through to keep the continuity?

TV should be a plasma/LCD wall mount so you don't worry about furniture for it.

Well, if money was really no object, I'd blow out the palladium window and put in rectangular windows on top of the bays.

...and do wood floors.

Hehe chicoryflower~I am no fan of those palladium windows either, can't really account for their popularity.

I agree the wood floors would make a huge difference, but I love prairiegirlz recommendation as to where to put your tv. I agree a modest flat panel would be best. And since money is no object why not add a ventIess fireplace on that wall? If you are one of those who would never put a tv over a fireplace you can choose another place for the tv, although unless you do the hardwoods throughout to loose the "strip" I don't know where that would be. I think the bay would be a great place for reading so I love the chairs in the bay window maybe add some ottomans since the bay is bigger than shown in iglooz rendering. I like the armless bench idea, I have seen some cool leather daybed type things that would work nicely there.

Here is a link that might be useful: leather daybed