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mhairid

Help needed in Scotland...

13 years ago
Hi houzzers,

I would really appreciate some thoughts on how to inject a little bit of 'pop' into my living/kitchen/dining room. The room is more or less north facing and, being in Scotland, most days are grey! So I intend on painting all the walls in the room pale gold/gold (Laura Ashley), which is is the colour on the far wall. I love blue and yellow colour schemes but I wondered whether I should steer clear of blue entirely because of the light. I did have a beige striped rug in here but it looked a bit blah so I took it out and will be replacing it with something else. The sofas are a bit tatty but they take a bit of a beating from the kids so we're not going to be replacing them in the immediate future. I'm also thinking about taking out the corner unit and putting the chair in there instead, and perhaps adding a black side table or console behind one of the sofas. Any advice or thoughts on this room would be gratefully received!

Comments (52)

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    Like the rug michi suggested. Why remove the corner piece? Just pull the chair in front of it, on an angle.
    HIstoric Tudor · More Info
  • 13 years ago
    Your room is very inviting and tasteful. All you need now is some warm and thick area rug I think. Preferably plain because there are enough patterns already. Kids will enjoy sitting on it!
  • 13 years ago
    Thankyou Judit for your kind comment. On the back of your advice I've put back a plain beige shaggy rug that was there, that I had removed because I felt it was too plain, but actually I think once I get some blue cushions it will be perfect. And it's always nice to use what you already have!
  • 13 years ago
    Thanks JudyG, I've moved the chair where you suggested - I had thought it might look a bit cramped but actually it looks good and having the chair at an angle makes the space look a bit more informal, which I like. So thankyou!
  • 13 years ago
    Picture all wrong- put a cushion on that thing below the picture - in aqua- change the chair to match the cushion- add similar cushions to sofa and lovseat.. Put a print up with Aqua, a little brown, lime green up... Add a Rug with same colors but not to wild- stripe would be nice- hope the drapes have aqua in them... If not match with those BRIGT colors.
  • 13 years ago
    I love gold with blue....especially old blue patterned dishes and porcelain pieces....lots of that can be picked up in antique store and at flea markets at dirt cheap prices. You're off to a good start.
  • 13 years ago
    I love the gold color paint. The contrast in the current color leads me to consider painting the wall with the window a blue that will compliment the gold. This would bring out the white and gold in the curtains adding more contrast and depth. Find some throw pillows for the sofas and chair with a blue, gold and white theme and use those colors for the blue paint. Just a thought. Definitely need some throw pillows with blue in them.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I agree with the idea of adding a rug...it can be your inspiration piece and it will ground the room. No worries about adding more patterns. Persian/Oriental rugs are many different styles and patterns...just find the colors and pattern that you are most drawn to and let that be your focal point and inspiration for the rest of the decor.
  • 13 years ago
    I agree to remove the small corner cupboard. I would look for a large wall unit in a warm color that would hold the TV and colorful accessories. I'd look for a rug that would go under the sofas (8x10?) in the colors of your drapes. A geometric if the drapes are floral. Then you could paint the TV wall one of the colors in the rug.
  • 13 years ago
    The colours are rather sedate and very similar in tone. Why not throw some coloured texture into the mix - solid coloured cushions. Also, you have a large plant on the floor - why not raise it up to the side cupboard, or buy another with large lush leaves to add a touch of green rather than blue. Green is bright and works well with the gold.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I believe this company will ship to the UK https://www.capeltn.com/store-policies/
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    What about something like this?
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    to create a pop look you need more intense colours you could paint the light blue wall with more intense blue or cyan and leave the gold wall white to add light. also you could change the curtains in a colour simiral to blue intense wall and add some cushions in green, red, orange intense colours. And also you could remove the corner furniture and put there a floor lamb do add light....And yes the rug in neutral colour is a very good idea!

    for exmple look here https://www.houzz.com/magazine/color-guide-how-to-work-with-turquoise-stsetivw-vs~3793212
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Your space reminds us of a room styled by Surya. They incorporate their Harlequin Rug and we think something like this would benefit your room, as well. Patterns are in, have some fun with it. Here are some ideas, good luck!
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    The blue in the pottery piece on your corner cupboard would look great on the TV wall. Lose the corner cupboard, buy a rug & some pillows that have that same blue with some gold & grey in a mid-scale print. If it is in your budget, get a new storage piece for the TV, and have your TV lower. It looks too high in the photo. Also, replace the uncomfortable chair with something more plush, set at an angle, and place an ottoman in front or your sofa & chair for comfort. I always use ottomans rather than coffee tables.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Mary, I like your room a lot already! I think painting the inside of the corner cabinet is a good idea, and mixing up what you have displayed with some much bigger pieces. Styling bookcases etc. is always a bit tricky; here is an example:
    http://1c6162ac207f6525cfd8-84665c880233094a565668f32cb79f8e.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/2011/11/bookcase-styling-centsational-girl.jpg
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    Hi, I think the addition of a nice carpet that goes under the legs of each piece of furniture will be lovely. Also, the addition of some nice cushions on the chairs and sofa in golden and blue hues will do wonders as well. I would also add a nice draping plant to the top of the corner unit would rearrange the pottery so that its not all 2 per shelf - a nice big piece alone on one shelf in blue or gold pottery would be nice. For me, the tv is a bit high, so to mask that I would put books or pottery below. :)
  • 13 years ago
    I would remove the corner unit and the one underneath the TV, they're not working well together, instead i'd make a feature out of the TV wall with cut stone and just keep the TV, use the chest behind the sofa as a coffee table, a nice rug underneath and plain curtains inst of floral ones and some nice earthy coloured cushions...i think it will make a dramatic change, a contemporary look without breaking your bank.
  • 13 years ago
    Hi Mary, nice wood floor. And congrats on the little baby! :)
  • 13 years ago
    Add accent pieces in deep saturated colors like tangerines, orange, deep gold, sienna to warm up a north facing room.
  • 13 years ago
    After reading the post by Clare Curmi I agree that the 2 pieces don't really work together - one is moder the other more country - You could keep the tv stand but the corner unit should be replaced (us it somewhere else) with a nice plain, tall bookcase or a tall indoor plant in a nice pot or basket.
  • 13 years ago
    Wow thanks everyone for the suggestions, this is the first time I've posted a question and I never imagined I'd get so many responses! So nice to get some fresh ideas. Azpeggylee and Highlandlass - I SO agree that the tv is a bit high... could you please tell that to my husband!!!
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    For Your Adorable Kids. This is Sticker type Mural. Green and nature theme is good for Kids' EQ
  • 13 years ago
    Husband, the tv is mounted a bit too high - hahahaha! Fix it please.
  • 13 years ago
    P.S. Will you post some more recent photos with the carpet please.
  • 13 years ago
    Will do highlandlass - tomorrow when there's some nice light!
  • 13 years ago
    Our sunshine here in Toronto will make it there tomorrow!!! Would love to see what you've done. :) Thanks
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    The TV would be better on the stand (we tried the TV on the wall, as well). I am posting images for rugs, wall stencils and pillows, since you didn't state a style preference they are both modern and traditional.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    throw pillows
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    It is hard to select products from a different country.... My suggestion is to stay with either modern or traditional as far as styles go then look for items you love, in the colors you want!
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    If I were you I would take these photos into Laura Ashley and spend some time with their in store designer. They know their stock and can advise on what will work well. They have so many beautiful fabrics, cushions, throws and rugs - set yourself a budget BEFORE you go ! Otherwise you will be tempted to overspend ( although they do have an interest free option you old look into)
  • 13 years ago
    An area rug will take care of the problem, and pick on that you can buy pillows to play off the rug. You could also find a larger scaled picture for the wall facing your couch. Pictures can bring a lot of color to the wall. Also, are the drapes new? and if they are not, I would either get a solid drape to play off the area or find one with more color and get a area rug with less colors in it. I had the same problem when I bought my couches, and I also painted the walls a different color and made one wall where our tv is, different color from the other walls.
  • 13 years ago
    Update! Here are a couple of pics of the changes I've made so far. I've put back a rug that was originally there anyway, put the chair at an angle in front of the corner unit. and put a print up between the tv cabinet and the tv (haven't got round to fixing it on the wall but will do eventually). A couple of people suggested changing the drapes, but they are very large and good quality so I don't really want to do that. Plus I really like 'em. I haven't tried taking the corner unit out yet (definitely a two man job and husband away at work), but I will do soon, and try something like in the picture below, perhaps with a floor lamp behind.
    Interior Designer - interior designs - Living Rooms - Boston, Newton, Wayland, W · More Info
    Another idea I've had is to make the TV wall a picture wall - we have loads of pictures getting dusty under the bed - it's such a big featureless wall, it needs something. By the way the colour on the TV wall is a pale stony colour (Just Walnut by Dulux), which just looks cold and grey in this room, so I'm planning on painting it the same colour as the window wall - LA's Pale Gold, or the darker shade, Gold. Am looking for some blue cushions too! So tell me, how am I doing so far? I really appreciate your suggestions!
  • 13 years ago
    I'm really liking the changes you are making - and hope you do too!!! I like the drapes - to change them out would be a big expense. That huge mape of the world is wonderful and will pop even more if you use the darker gold you talked about. I think the yellow tones make for a happy room, but then I'm partial to yellow - I have it all over my house and I don't get tired of it. You have yellow in the furniture as well so it will nicely blend. With the addition of some colourful cushions and moving the corner unit I think you've got it!!!! :)
  • 13 years ago
    If you want something light check out BM's Lemon Sorbet - color of the year for them. I'm thinking about it for a bedroom.
    Lemon Sorbet Paint · More Info
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    yay !! it looks so cosey !!! and the rug is not too big to be picked up and shaken outside to remove any bits of toast the wee one hides in it !!! glad for you !!!
  • 13 years ago
    Your original room was very nice, and these last photos make it even more inviting. I'm a stylist and home stager with some display tips. Your corner cabinet is a wonderful unit in a very prime location, but the black box on top breaks your eye's flow around the room, and the sparce, spread out "two piece" displays are a bit cold. Is it possible to put the box on a lower shelf or on the floor? Often you can set these on their side on a shelf if there isn't enough height. And yes, you can work it into a disply and it won't be nearly as obnoxious as it is up top :) Question, is it possible to close up the corner where the couches meet? Put a bigger table surface there and have access only on the ends of the couches? That would pull that together a bit also, if you can afford to give up that open space.

    You have some nice treasures. Try grouping three pieces together, rather than two. Vary the heights and textures - tall-medium-lower, gloss, matte and possibly wood or metals pieces. Pull them together, touching. It joins the group, tells more of a story. Think of your displays as you do a seating group. You want things closer together, pieces to communicate.

    Great room and cute baby! NIce to have all the windows for light, especially on those grey days I bet. The map is a wonderful way to fill big spaces econmically; it adds color, interest and appeals to both guys and gals. Hope I've helped.
  • 13 years ago
    P.S. Do you have a bit chunkier chair that you could use in the corner? The weight and a tad more height would help balance your room . IIf not, it's good the way it is too. Was just wondering. It's always fun to shop your house for other pieces to play with :)
  • 13 years ago
    I think once you move the corner unit out the chair with a colourful cushion, with the floor lamp, in that corner, will look more to scale - Great Work!!! :)
  • 13 years ago
    Thanks Over60 - the black box is actually a speaker attached to the wall, and I agree it does look a bit obnoxious up there - you know how it is with boys and their toys..... Any ideas on how to disguise it? Would have to be something with didn't affect the quality of the sound. The chair, I think, we will be replacing. There is something I like about it - it has lovely 70s retro lines - but I agree that larger chair would suit the space better.
  • 13 years ago
    Wow very nice improvements! It looks really nice i love the painting near the chair and the map!!! congrats girl you nailed it!!
  • 13 years ago
    Yep, boys need those electronic toys; but we like them too right? Don't stress out but would it be possible to VERY CAREFULLY paint the speaker box the same color as the lovely gold you're using. This CAN be done. You would use a very dry brush technique with many light coats and a very light, dry stencil sponge on the screen so as not to push paint into the workings. Or you can use a cloth, dipped in just a touch of the paint; dab it on a paper first, then onto the screening very lightly. It does work, but your guy may not be too happy about trying it..
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    you can stretch a piece of Muslin fabric in a paler colour over a speaker to help it blend in better !
  • 13 years ago
    I really like the print sitting on the floor but I'm not sure it matches the curtains. ??? Maybe others should weight in....
  • 13 years ago
    I would get rid of the map on the wall and the frame picture sitting below the TV, also either move the chair in the corner to another location in the room, or get rid of the corner unit. It just looks cluttered in that corner. And the chair looks like you had no where else to put it so you put it in the corner. I don't know if the plant next to the tv is real, but if it is, you might want ot find a taller plant that would look nice and fill the wall better too.
  • 13 years ago
    I forgot to add the rest of the room looks nice.
  • 13 years ago
    I think what would look really nice, is to somehow frame your tv, to hide it when not in use. the tv is not that big for the area it's hanging and a frame would hide it and be a nice feature when not watching it. depends on how handy you are with wood and tools.
  • 13 years ago
    Thanks for your ideas Bonnie
  • 13 years ago
    A bit of greenery in front of off to the right side of the speaker would soften it. Use a live plant that spills over the edge, or stuff some fake greenery up there. That should still allow the sound to come from the speaker. If you move the corner shelf unit out of the room, the speaker might be even more obvious? I agree that you should try to find a more plush chair for that corner if it is in your budget. I also think moving the two love seats together and placing a big table or storage piece at the corner would anchor them nicely. And...HUBBY...the TV IS too high! lol