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How to make these two rooms work together

6 years ago

I need your help in making these two rooms which open up to one another work together. The rooms are separated by a kitchen table. The first room is a sitting area off of the kitchen. I am flexible in changing colors as I'm not entirely sold on the green walls! I used it in that room to try to brighten the area up since its darker due to the way the sun faces the house. Some of my furniture is dark as well. I will have to work with the off white color on the walls though, since it is painted throughout the house. The ceiling is very tall (two story) in the room with leather couch. Also, I just found these two lanterns which I like but unsure of where to place inside the home. I put them in front of the fireplace for now. Picture ideas needed also! Looking forward to your ideas/suggestions.





Comments (35)

  • 6 years ago

    It will help if people could see more pictures of that area with the kitchen table and perhaps the kitchen. Is the room with the black furniture your living room or family room? Do you have a formal dining room? Depending what other rooms you have, my initial response is to use that sitting room as a dining area and part of the kitchen. Is that the main room you use to watch TV? The sofa looks nice there, but it doesn't seem to have a connection with the TV if you know what I mean.

    User thanked chickadee2_gw
  • 6 years ago

    Without even thinking about anything else, I will be completely honest. I would immediately remove those brown blinds. You mention that the room is dark.....brown blinds. When we bought a second home there were brown blinds in the master bedroom. I had a screwdriver in my hand as soon as I walked in after closing. GONE . What a difference.

    Your home has many beautiful features. Let them shine in some nice natural light. The other thing is that you need lamps. Lamplight makes everything look better. Overhead lights are very harsh.

    User thanked grapefruit1_ar
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Unleash your drapes. Both your rugs are too small. Move the rug under the sectional to the sitting room and get a larger rug for the sectional. Add complementary art over the sectional. Paint the sitting room the same color as the rest of the space. Get complementary throw pillows for both spaces.


    The blue and white pillows on the sectional look good. Use those colors to start your color palette for both rooms.

  • 6 years ago

    Agree - more pictures so we can get a sense of the layout..Definitely missing lamps, art, another coffee table etc.

  • 6 years ago

    The room with the dark leather furniture is the main living room. There is another dining area (room) so I won't need another one. Yes, this is the main room where tv is watched but the other wall facing the tv is too short for a couch, maybe a single chair. I completely understand what you are saying about the blinds! Thank you so much for your honesty! They were in the house when I moved in and I have tried to work around them. I guess it really is time to replace them. : ) Would you recommend just doing white or off white blinds on these windows? They go all the way down on the same wall into the main living room too.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I agree with many comments so far. I have several questions. Could we see a pic of the area in between? Would the area with tv be better suited as a dining room? I would try moving the table there to see what you think? If not, can the small couch and rug be turned to face the tv? (Floating, not against the wall). Repaint green wall to match the rest. Do you have any other large art that will work in these areas? I like your blinds, but don't pull the curtains back. Or replace with white blinds.I like the lanterns but they are lost in the black of the fireplace. Perhaps it you put a console table between the sectional and the wall, you could use the lanterns there. I will stop here to wait for your responses. Overall, you have a very nice area to work with.

    User thanked phuninthesun
  • 6 years ago

    I like groveraxle's. Here a different option. Two accent chairs facing sofa. Add a console table beneath your art on the right wall. Lower art over couch.

    User thanked phuninthesun
  • 6 years ago

    I am standing in the main living room to take this photo. It is right across from the other room with the table in between the two. I changed out the rug and let the curtains go free! No, I don't have a large print that I could swap this one out with...but I have been looking. Kitchen area is on right side of photo.


  • 6 years ago

    I see a sectional facing a fireplace with a painting above it. Then I see a TV with no couch facing it at all. My thought is that the TV is in the wrong side of the room. How do you watch TV?

    I think I'd get rid of the beige sofa and make that side the dining room.

    User thanked auntthelma
  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I agree the T.V is just not in a good position at all it needs to be on a wll with either the sofa or the sectional facing it at the proper height.

    User thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • 6 years ago

    Sorry it took me so long. I got interrupted. Here are some rugs for your consideration:





    User thanked groveraxle
  • 6 years ago

    groveraxle Love the first one!

  • 6 years ago

    Are there 2 fireplaces? I'm super confused by your photos. You say the table is in between the two "rooms" and yet in the beige sofa pic the table is to the left of the fireplace and in the sectional photo, the table is to the right of the fireplace. It looks like one big room. Does not compute! :- )

    User thanked ck_squared
  • 6 years ago

    Could your sectional be turned to face the wall that groveraxel photoshopped the artwork on. The tv (or an even bigger one) could be hung on that wall at a more comfortable viewing height. You could put a console under the tv. Maybe your lanterns could be used on the console or on the white mantle. Artwork could be placed on each side of the tv.

    You could leave your dining table where you have it and the other room could be used for just a sitting area, a reading area, a game room or whatever.

    All rugs that groveraxel photoshopped are nice but I love the first one too just.




    User thanked badgergal
  • 6 years ago

    ck_squared You can do it! You are standing at the dining table facing outside. To your right is fireplace with tv and single sofa. To your left is fireplace with art and sectional.

    User thanked phuninthesun
  • 6 years ago

    There are two fireplaces. I think I see part of a wall (pic 3) dividing the dining area from the sectional area (wide opening, though). It looks like the dining table and beige sofa are in the same room.

    User thanked cawaps
  • 6 years ago

    You are lucky to have such a terrific liveable space. Have you thought to try the sectional, where the TV is? Then you can have the more formal sofa facing the other fireplace. Colour will bring cohesiveness, by using rugs, pillows, etc. in similar colouring.

    User thanked lauriegp18
  • 6 years ago

    Thank you for your suggestions! These are two separate rooms with an opening near the table with walls on either side. Yes, there are fireplaces in both rooms. The sectional will not fit in the space where the beige couch is. It is much too large for that space. I am searching for a table to go on the rug for the room with the beige couch.

  • 6 years ago

    I would definitely get rid of one of the fireplaces.

  • User thanked groveraxle
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Get rid of a fireplace? Move the sectional to a room where it won't fit? Geez. Maybe Ruth should just buy a new house?

    Ruth, your original question was how to make the rooms work together. Nothing drastic is required here. Just bring some more blue into each of the rooms--art and (larger) rug in the living area, pillows in the TV room--and you're done. The rooms are already lovely; that will just tie them together.

    The rug everyone loves is from Target:

    Safavieh Deorwine Area Rug - Ivory/Blue (8'x10') : Target · More Info
    Largest size is 8 x 10 though. You might need 9 x 12.

    User thanked groveraxle
  • 6 years ago

    I think the suggestion was to move the TV to the larger room with the brown sectional in it. Use the second smaller room with the beige couch as a true sitting room. Maybe replace the couch with two comfy chairs facing the fireplace?


    User thanked mihelene
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    ?Above sectional

    Wheat Field with Cypresses Wall Tapestry · More Info

    User thanked everdebz
  • 6 years ago

    "Starry Night Over the Rhone, c.1888", Framed Art Print by Vincent van Gogh · More Info

    User thanked everdebz
  • 6 years ago

    I think Grover gave you excellent advice. Pick a couple common colors and repeat them in both rooms in rug, art, pillows, etc. If the walls in the TV room stay green, pick up that color green in the living room through accessories, for example.

    User thanked cawaps
  • 6 years ago

    Is the living room fireplace in the center of the room with a window on both sides or just on the left?

    How large is the opening into the kitchen from there? Can we see that wall from inside the living room?

    You have wonderful space to work with, and maybe it's just the camera distorting things, but the size of your dining table seems to cramp that transition area. And more chairs in the sitting area, might do the same there. I guess I just want to move the sectional out from the wall and the table into the sitting room. It feels like it belongs there to me. I don't see why you couldn't keep a tv in that room as well the other room.


  • 6 years ago

    I started the above post before dinner and then added a couple of lines later and hit send before reading the additional posts. Anyway, you have the best advantage being in the rooms to know what will work best for you and your lifestyle.

    User thanked chickadee2_gw
  • 6 years ago

    There's no lighting except central ceiling lighting and that's not adequate for any room.

  • 6 years ago

    Another great way to unify the two rooms is painting them the same color. See if you can match the off white paint. Lower your art to 5" above the mantel and flank it with your two lanterns on one side and the tall candlestick (painted to match the lanterns) on the other. Then take your color cues from the art and start sprinkling it around the 2 rooms and the kitchen. Try matching sisal rugs in both rooms. They should easily slip under the front 1/3 of the sofas (under all of the chaise) and then extend past the two ends by at least a foot or more. Add big art over the sectional as grover shows. Remove the stick arrangement and get new end tables that arrive 1" above or below the arms of your beige sofa. Top with a pair of lamps that bring the overall height of tables with lamps to 58-64" above the floor. The bistro height table and chairs is blocking the two rooms from each other; a standard height long trestle table and chairs, with a bench at the wall side, will open things up for a more unified feeling. I would exchange the fan and dining light for something more up-to-date. I'd especially want the dining light to cast its light upward toward the ceiling. Downward shining lights wash out the food and cast ugly nose and hair shadows on the diners' faces.

    Trestle table with chairs and bench

    Eclectic Dining Room · More Info

    User thanked decoenthusiaste
  • 6 years ago

    Could I do a white fluffy rug in the main living room under the ottoman? I may have one available that I can use if it would work.

  • 6 years ago

    That would be fine as long as it is larger than the last rug

    User thanked phuninthesun
  • 6 years ago
    HELP ME PLEASE WINDOW DRIVING ME NUTS

    i really, really need help peeps. At a stand still here. Please
    Tell my what I should do to make this large front window look
    Complete. To me It just doesn't. It looks bare...maybe it needs some beefing up but I just don't know in what way.
    I have taken shutters off...can you all give me some ideas.

    Having nightmares about this front window!!!!!
  • 6 years ago

    I think Harley's lost.

    i didn't realize that was a bistro table.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Harley, please don't hijack Ruth's thread. Start your own dilemma, or haven't we seen you and your home before? Comment on that original thread for more input.

    Chickadee - looks to be a counter height table to me I call anything that height or higher a bistro table - did I confuse things? I'm pretty sure it is serving as a visual block between the two rooms.

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