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flymom65

911 on tiny room decor . . .

14 years ago

I need help with this tiny "keeping" room. I cannot for the life of me decide on throw pillows. The couch has blue and yellow stripes, while the Audobon prints have a good deal of pink/fuchsia in them. This is the hardest room for me. I just cannot get it together. Any suggestions for pillows or anything else would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for looking!

Forgot to mention, I plan on putting floating shelves on the empty wall above the loveseat. (?)

Comments (10)

  • 14 years ago

    I would use solid blue that is on the mats.

  • 14 years ago

    Yes, blue for the pillows. Another suggestion....I would not put floating shelves on your wall above the love seat. You already have a "busy" wall with all the pictures. I would put one thing...maybe a wrought iron piece or a clock or even a mirror..but just one thing.

  • 14 years ago

    I'd probably look for some fairly neutral fabrics with different textures, letting the bird pillow be the star of the show.

  • 14 years ago

    I'm seeing a number of things that I would toss out for you to think about.

    The first thing I see is that that's a lot of stuff for a little room. I feel like there's no space to breath. I think some paring back might help.

    While the bird/nature motif is very nice, it's almost too much with all the prints, the lamps, the tchotchkes and all the small family photos thrown in....it looks like there is no space to put even a drink down on the side tables, even the birdhouse on the floor. The lamps with the birds on them take up a lot of horizontal space which you don't have. Then the furniture just fits the space with no breathing room. The lamps are low to the tables, so it feels very low and crowded. While the colors are lovely, the furniture is very matchy matchy. The mats on the pics are very blue...almost too blue, again too much matchy matchy.

    Here's what I would do with the space. I would get a slip cover for one of the pieces in a solid...blue or yellow or white. Then I would use your matching striped pillows on it. I would use solid color pillows on the other chairs, or a coordinating print...the pillow with the bird on it is pretty. I would eliminate most of the family photos and frames...choose only one or two and use the rest to make a photo grouping on a hallway wall or someplace else. It looks like the 2 farthest side tables are the same height...I'd put them on either side of the loveseat on the back wall. I would look for taller, simpler lamps for either side of the love seat against that back wall...ones without animals...you really can't see them as they are now. Then move the other loveseat down some and put in a floor lamp with no side table to give it a little breathing room. I would get an area rug to add softness to the floor. I would get new mats for the audubon pictures....probably with the deep green as I like the mats to work with the art more than the room, and that green color seems to be in all of them. The green can then be repeated elsewhere in the room ...maybe in a rug with the yellow and blue. I agree with grandmaof3 to put one large thing over that loveseat. I would play with angling the single chair more at a 45 degree angle to make the conversational cluster a little softer and more inviting.

    Of course you are free to ignore any/all of my thoughts, but perhaps some will be of help.

  • 14 years ago

    Taller lamps was my first thought, but my second was the opposite of paring back. My third is that the choices might come down to either keep filling or start lightening up. I wish I knew how to do it successfully, myself, but if you're going for a mood or function, go for it. So far it's looking sort of like furniture was moved from an unused living room into a very small room and then...that's it. It's not yet comfy and inviting enough to make the best of the intimacy of a small space--to offer what a large room cannot--and seems to lack a defined purpose.

    So, just to throw something out, is that the kitchen right there? How about a bookcase filled with cookbooks? Maybe a large upholstered central ottoman table that everyone can put their feet up on? Adding in magazines and other books? Someone in that chair would dislocate a shoulder trying to set the coffee cup on the chest, and you won't want it balanced on the arm; maybe do something else that'll make everyone head for it first? How about a little TV or radio for when you're waiting for the potatoes to get done? A tray on the couch to set a cup of coffee on?

    The pix on the wall seem out of balance, heavy and concentrated on one wall, empty on others. Maybe spread around or get lighter matts for more delicacy or add more depending on what you like. Birds? I like them a lot myself, but maybe either fewer or go right over the top; it seems like you're in the middle right now, too much for subtlety, too weak for a real statement.

    I was actually hoping to see Magnaverde's input. He does know how to really fill up a room to good effect. Maybe you need a parrot in there. :)

  • 14 years ago

    Pillows in any colors of the Audubon prints.

  • 14 years ago

    Take a look at this site, there are lots of pillows that would look great.

    Here is a link that might be useful: pillows

  • 14 years ago

    Do you really need all that furniture in there? Do you often have six or seven people sitting in the space?

    If not, I would start by paring back on the furniture. Keep the couch, get rid of either the chair or the loveseat (I would vote for the loveseat). Perhaps you could use the loveseat in another part of the house, as is or with a slipcover? If you do that, move the chair to the wall where the loveseat is now, angled a bit into the right corner, so it is facing the couch a bit. One of the end tables beside it, angled as well, with either the taller lamp on that table, or floor lamp beside it.

    If you keep the loveseat, get rid of the end table and lamp that are on the right end of the loveseat as you look at it. Move the cute little ivory chest in front of the window, with the end table lamp that you just moved away from the loveseat.

    I agree that you could use taller lamps on either end of the couch. But if that is not possible, how about putting the lamps on a stack of books, or each one on a cool wood or woven box or basket to add height?

    I would not add the shelves on the end wall - you have enough multi pieces with the art. As was suggested, a single clock or interesting mirror or sculptural piece would work nicely. Or, a wreath of some kind would add some more texture and a natural feel.

    And speaking of the art, I wonder if you would consider a different arrangement? The pieces go up so high that they overwhelm the height of the couch and the lamps. I wonder if you might try stacking the four tall pieces two over two in the center of the wall. Then stack the horizontal pieces three over three on either side of the four center pieces. Keep them lower, so that people can really enjoy them and they feel connected to the seating.

    As for pillows, I think you need something a bit larger, with some texture. Maybe some of these from Land's End would work:

    land's end pillows

  • 14 years ago

    I love Audobon prints, but I feel that your large grouping, with the blue mats, overwhelms your smaller space. The three rows of prints fill that entire wall space, and I think you should break up the grouping.

    Could you group the six horizontal prints above the couch, and then put the four vertical prints in a square arrangement above the loveseat?

    About the mats - from your pic, it looks to me that the blue mat color dominates the room (may not appear that was in real life). I think I would change the mat color to something more neutral - maybe a natural linen mat. If you don't want to invest in new mats, I have had success with just painting mats -- both using spray paint and rolling with a small trim roller.

    I agree with the suggestion of either taller lamps, or raise them up on stacked books or boxes. I probably would not use the matching striped pillows. I would choose some neutral textured pillows, or neutral linen pillows paired with the blue textured land's end pillow linked above.

    Cute room, and very cute dog!

  • 14 years ago

    I think Annie has hit the nail squarely on the head - I'd follow her advice, and even though it's a big job, I'd reframe all those Audubon birds with creamy white mats, about 1" wider on all four sides than the current ones (adding 2" to each dimension) and the thinnest possible black frames - just enough to create an outline. Then I'd hang the group of six over the loveseat, and the four vertical ones over the sofa, so close they are almost touching, so that each group reads almost like one thing.

    Then add solid pillows in two shades of green, taken from the prints.