I would watch out when buying fabric things 2nd hand. Pet stains, fleas, worse bed bugs.

Check out 2nd hand stores, thrift stores, consignment, Home Goods, Marshalls, Ross, & TJMaxx to find some economical decor. Get more bang for your buck there.

Art work, mirrors, a new rug.

1. Remove the window treatment (free!) 2. Hire an electrician or find another way to hide the wires 3. Turn your loveseat to sit straight under the window, with your largest end table in the corner of the room. Look at consignment shops or Craigslist/Next Door for a long sofa to use on the wall across from the tv, with a narrow rectangular coffee table. Float your two gray chairs together on the other end of the sofa, facing the loveseat, with the small end table between them. All that is all doable for under your budget. If you have money left over, add a roman shade or drapery panels to the window. Sell the too large ottoman.

Your room is lovely. You have a nice space to work with. The floors look really nice and the fireplace area is lovely.

Window: First of all, you need a new window treatment. It doesn't have to be expensive. You could put a treatment that fits inside the window frame, like a fabric or bamboo roman shade, a cellular shade or plantation shutters (I have used Budget Blinds for these; and you can also sew your own roman shades if you're handy that way). Or you could install a curtain rod and buy or sew new window panels. You can also do both for a layered look: a shade and then fabric panels. If you install a rod and window panels, I'm thinking you should put the rod all the way up to the ceiling.

Electrical: Can you take care of that wire that is criss-crossing the walls, and going up over the door? If that's for the TV, maybe a couple hundred should go towards getting an electrician to install a plug where you need it to be.

Furniture: As far as furniture placement goes, make the fireplace/TV area the focal point of the room. Buy a rug, the larger the better IMO. I think 6 x 9 will be too small. Buy it large enough so that your future sofa and any side chairs can get their 2 front legs onto it. Rugs can be expensive in large sizes, so I'd look for a second-hand one on Craig's List, at Habitat Restore, neighborhood estate sales, etc. You can take it to be professionally cleaned before bringing it home. A lot of people will give you their rugs for free (because they are so heavy and actually hard to sell) when they are downsizing if you will come pick it up. Then you're only cost is the cleaning (which can be a few hundred for a large rug). An oriental style rug pretty much goes with anything, and they are easy to snag for a deal when people are downsizing. Even if your style is transitional, an oriental style rug will go. I've seen them in ultra-modern homes, MCM homes, traditional homes, beach houses, etc, etc. They blend with everything.

Furniture: As far as furniture purchases go, if you have a Habitat Restore near you, you might be surprised what you'll find there. Also check out local estate sales. We have an online "garage sale" site in our city because actual garage sales are not allowed. Lots and lots of people put their entire house contents on that site and advertise the sale as an "open house" for people to come over for the sale, especially if they are downsizing, moving overseas, or having an estate sale.

I recently helped my Dad clean out his large family home and downsize into a small townhouse. I had never done that before, and I was surprised at how hard it is to sell, or even give away very valuable things. He gave some things to us adult kids, especially sentimental things, china, some silver, a few favorite items, etc. And he gave one adult grandkid who recently bought his first home some really nice furniture. But all the rest of his grandchildren (12) are too young to actually need anything yet (aren't old enough to be going off to college yet, or getting their first apartments, needing furniture, etc). So, he sold, donated and threw away a lot of stuff. It was sad, but there really wasn't a good alternative. I was taking a load of things to Habitat Restore, and when I was there I decided to walk around. I actually saw my Dad's bar stools in the store! While I was walking around, I was pretty impressed. The inventory changes all the time, but I was impressed with the quality of furniture in the store.

I didn't mean to go on and on..., but I was realy surprised and impressed that you really can buy good quality items from places like Habitat. And I was also impressed with things that you can buy at estate sales, especially if they are held inside the house. My DB and SIL did this when they relocated overseas, and sold 90% of their furniture which was in pristine condition. A good thing for them, and great snags for the buyers.

Thank you all so much for the comments! I hate the wire by the tv and the drapes too. I would really love a nice big sectional with a 90 degree corner piece but my $2,000 won’t cover that, unless it is used and then I worry about allergies, fleas etc. Drapes would be the easiest to fix but if I do get a sectional sofa, the drapes will be covered up on the bottom half. I was thinking of floor to ceiling drapes with three matching square mirrors hung above the windows to mimic small windows. It would help take up some of the space, since they are lower and have a lot of space above them. Eventually, I would like to convert the fireplace to gas since it can’t be used in its due to chimney issues. Thank you again for all your input...I so appreciate it!

Is this what you were thinking above window?

Yes, only I would frame them in white frames to match the trim.

For the sectional, if you buy a used one, you can have it reupholstered. My upholstery guy does a full sized sofa for about $550 labor. For a sectional he would probably charge about $825 labor. I buy the fabric. Look for deeply discounted fabric or sales on special order fabric. The fabric and upholstery labor would eat up over half your budget, but would still be way less than buying new.

Not a pro, but I wouldn't put a trio of mirrors above the window area. Your room's focal point is the fireplace wall and not the window. Mirrors are also meant to reflect something and that high they would just reflect the opposite wall. A rug will do wonders along with hiding the wires.

Do you have photos of the other two walls?

Don't put mirrors over the window. Consignment shops check furniture carefully so it's a good place to save some money on the coffee table or sofa. Reupholstering is just as expensive as buying new, and sometimes much more. Don't buy something used thinking you can reupholster it. You can get a good new sofa for $2000. Just watch for sales, and buy it in person to see the quality and feel.

it depends on how long you think you'll have the couch, but honestly, we were happy with our Ikea Ektorp couch for over 10 years. the cover faded, but it seems like all upholstery fades anyway and they make that really affordable to replace. Macys has really cute furniture too and really great sales, but I'm not as sure about the quality.

All good ideas...thank you so much!

How many people do you need to seat?

what's at the other end of the room, to the left of the fireplace? I feel like we're missing part of the equation...

I would toss the curtain. Zero Cost. And spend the 2K on moving the windows up or replacing them with taller units.

I would arrange your furniture so that the traffic path goes around the room, not through it. That will give you an inviting U shaped conversation area. Put the shorter side of the U by the door so the room does not feel cramped when you come in. I show it with a sofa about 90" long. You could use your existing furniture for some of the seating.

New drapes, and nothing over the windows. The windows look perfectly fine and proportional. Don't put anything over them.

Your fireplace mantel would look better proportioned if it went the whole width of the fireplace, and was smaller overall. Consider removing it, or removing some of it, and covering what remains with a stained wood mantle. If that's outside the budget or your do-it-yourself abilities, paint it the same color as the grout. It is too bright. Remove all the decor items from the hearth and fireplace boxes.

https://www.fwmadebycarli.com/2011/01/making-of-slip-covered-mantel.html

As far as your cables, you no longer need them. You can buy a device that is a pair of tiny units that communicate with one another, where one attaches to the TV, and the other attached to your cable box, Blue Ray etc. Your local electronics store can advise you which ones work with your devices. There is no longer any need for cords since the 2 devices communicate wirelessly. My son has his on a high shelf out of the way (and out of view) near the spot where the cable comes in.

Is tv in the room? Usually couch & fp across from each other. Remove the curtain & get something that covers the window. Rug big enough for couch front legs & chair on it.

I would like to renovate my window and have some luxury applainces in the home.

I have a very sad family room and only $2000 to spend on it right now. I would like to get a full sized couch or a sectional (on deep sale sale or used)...If you were me, what would you do with only $2,000???

Well, let’s see...

I’d forget all the other stuff like curtains, art, a rug, entertainment equipment and focus on what I realIy need, which is a sofa—the best damn sofa I could get my hands on—but probably not a used used one. The exception would be if it was from a show house or a floor model/sample (or even a scratch ‘n’ dent from that room in the back!) from a HIGH-END furniture store. I’d probably be willing to buy second-hand from an individual provided the sofa was never used. You might be surprised at all the good-quality, like-new items people will let go for a bargain because it wasn’t the right color or they mis-measured and they can’t return it because it was a custom order or it was final sale.

Just make sure it’s:

• well-made
• comfortable
• a timeless style
• fits your space
• fits your lifestyle (i.e., if you’ll be lying down on it most of the time watching tv or napping, then you need a sectional with a chaise longue on an end, or even a (wince) recliner, not a traditional sofa.)

And don’t rule something out because the fabric is ugly or the cushions are too soft (or too firm). That’s why God invented custom slipcovers and replacement cushions! ;)

P.S. If you live near a store that sells good furniture AND you have a not-so-busy schedule, you could always try to get a job at that store and use your employee discount (which can sometimes be as much as 50% off retail!) to make your purchase. If this is something that appeals to you, you should hop to it because this is the time of year stores are hiring seasonal help.

I needed a new sofa to get me through until we did a whole new home build in a couple of years.

I was looking into 2nd hand, but the concerns of bugs or hidden problems on fabric made me hesitant. I also found trying to find something I wanted 2nd hand had very limited selection. I was not getting no where for 2 months looking.

So, my friend who has bought many furniture pieces online successfully, told me to check out Wayfair. I was quite nervous of buying a sofa online, but since it was only $369 I ordered it.

I got a blue sofa off Wayfair & for the savings, I am quite happy. Shipped to my front door. Easy set up by husband by himself. It's not the perfect color Teal, it's more aqua. I wish I got the darker navy or slate grey. Learned lesson. I will request color fabric samples before ordering or look at more actual photos in reviews, then order your favorite color.

It's not perfect, but for the money, it works. There's a slight dip in middle where cushions come together, so laying on it I fill in with comforter blanket. I have been able to watch tv comfortably & admit to falling asleep on it a few nights. 8 months, still looking new. It's overall fine & for the price, no complaints justified. It will work for now, until I build my home & get custom, designer furniture then. After such savings, I may squeeze in a few online orders as well :)

There's a lot of sofas to choose from online. I am suggesting ordering a sofa online you like that fits your style. Wayfair or Houzz or Overstock to start searching. An economical online sofa due to low budget is a great option these days.

I am glad I went this route rather than buying a 2nd hand sofa.

Before buying anything, measure room & existing furniture. Draw to scale & work on a more functional, balanced furniture placement. You can do it digitally or can draw it on paper make & cut pieces out take photos of ideas & post here for more feedback.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Arrange-Furniture-More-Easily-Create-a-scale-draw/

Tips on arranging furniture

https://fredgonsowskigardenhome.com/2012/09/07/arranging-living-room-furniture-so-sofas-talk-to-chairs-like-the-pros-do/

Personally, I’ve found sofa shopping to be a futile pia. Which is one reason we don’t really have one, that and our living room is too small. I would be terrified of ordering online, but that is just me. I think people here are ordering stuff from some place called article, as I have seen the packages being thrown out. I checked out our department stores sofas when they were having a sale and the quality was so terrible I gave up on that idea. The brick or Leon’s were equally terrifyingly horrible. The best value sofa I got new was from structube, and it wasn’t even a proper sofa, it was one of those click ones that fold down. I had a look at it in person first. I have heard IKEA is ok for the money, but again, looking at some of the options in person made me hesitate. You do see them on the curb here all the time, and they look worn, so it would seem they got used. Because we live in a big city with universities, I have found there is a constant flow of people and home possessions, furniture that only got used lightly for a very short time, if I was on a severe budget with a blank slate and no restricted design direction I could furnish a home almost all from the curb, yard sales and stuff like craigslist and thrift stores. In the budget range I am in, it is a mystery to me where people are getting new ok furniture from.

Come up with a general color mood for the living room as well.

https://m.wikihow.com/Choose-Living-Room-Colors

Choose an overall color pallete to bring harmony into the space,

https://colorpalettes.net/color-palette-2890/

This is an example of many on the link above. Choose your favorite while considering the mood you hope to gain in your space.

I spent $$$ on a custom sofa from my designer . It weighed a ton and the frame was apparently designed to last forever. The cushions were uncomfortable, the seating depth was too short and fortunately, the fabric showed wear so fast that I didn't have it very long. A home in my neighborhood was having an estate sale and I bought a pair of matching sofas that had barely been sat on, cheaply. I love them.

Ikea is a great option. The longer 97" Ektorp would be a good value and people have long said it is comfortable and lasts.

In the meantime, try putting the love seat facing the TV where I have shown it in my diagram above. You don't want to buy a sofa and find that you don't like it in the only location it fits in the room.

Update: I so appreciate all the helpful comments!!!! We ended up buying a sectional couch this weekend at a local furniture store that was having a 25% off sale. I also may have found a rug on FB marketplace. It is 9’ x 11’ and it is only $55. I will go look at it on Tuesday. I am including pictures of both. I still need to save some money for the window treatments and I haven’t figured out what to do there yet. I definitely need something but I just don’t know what it will be yet. I am definitely checking into that person’s suggestion about a device that will enable me not to have a cable running over the door...it drives me crazy! I am keeping the grey slipper chairs in the room and now I just need window treatments and artwork. Hopefully I will post an updated room next weekend. There is much to do between now and then!

One other thing that I have been considering that I would like opinions on is painting the wall behind the couch a charcoal grey, similar to the pillow that is shown on the couch. (Opposite of fireplace wall). I have heard of paint that has a suede finish, which sounds intriguing to me. Any opinions?

Here is that suedes/texture wall finish that I am thinking about...I haven’t learned how to do it yet. I thought it had to be done with wall paper paste. Has anyone done this type of wall finish before?

I just saw your post for the first time. Gosh, i fear that sectional is not going to fit and it will consume the room. Hard to read your dimensions in your sketch of room. I sure hope you measured sectional plus allowed at least 4’ from the door to furniture. For a pass through room that is less than 12’ deep could be big problem. Hope you can cancel order on sectional.

As to wall treatments, that style went out of fashion a long time ago. You need color in this room.

I don't think that gray wall color will look good in your room. There really isn't any design reason to emphasize that wall. Random painting of accent walls used to be "in" but that has gone out of style.

If you are interested in more feedback from us, your next step would be to give us a "blank slate" of photos to work with. We can photoshop different things in to see how you like them.

First, remove the curtains and all decor items including the those in and around the fireplace. Put the sofa across from the fireplace, leaving a 3 to 4 foot walkway behind it. Take pictures of all 4 complete walls of the room, including the wall with the doorway to the kitchen. Let us know the size of your sectional too.

No dark gray walls. You already have light gray walls, gray chairs, and now a gray rug. Don't add more gray to the space. Wait to get your sectional, rug, and chairs set up to do anything else other than removing the window treatment.

Be frugal with your limited budget. I personally loathe sectionals in no small part because that is a huge investment ruined if only one part of it is ruined by a tear or spill. Also, sectionals limit furniture placement.

While even I'd hesitate to buy fabric upholstered furnishings used -- especially without seeing where it came from and doing both a serious look and thorough sniff test, just FYI: You can often find used furnishing at Habitat For Humanity Restore Stores that are price bargains and sometimes obviously in good shape -- especially if they're an estate donation. (When I look at furniture, I'm usually focusing on checking out wood items or even wood chairs but with separate replaceable or washable cushions.)

Unless the two seat sofa is in bad shape and needs to be replaced, consider investing in more seating that will go with it rather than replace it.

As to the drapes: Personally, I really don't like seeing that exposed bare wall between the top of the window and a curtain rod that is hung high above the window. I also loathe that sloppy drapes dragging on the floor fad and hope it's gone for good.

If you need the dark full drapes for light control, don't hesitate to keep them but at least consider straightening out the top of the valance -- something which will likely enable you to widen the area covered by it.

If you use a wider-than-the-window double rod, you could put that valance on the outer rod to keep that bar wall above the window hidden and you could hang your dark panels where they cover only the side of the window frame and the wall beside the window, leaving the entire glass window exposed between them visible only thru sheers hung between them.

That valance could easily hide the top of light blocking blinds hung within the window frame when you don't need them pulled down and closed over the window glass for light control and/or privacy.

You could use your ottoman as a "coffee table" if you add a large decorative tray -- something that could hold your tv remote, a book you're not through reading, a pen and note tablet, a small scented candle -- something that smells good without even lighting it, etc.

Kelly, this is a good idea:

"partim

I would arrange your furniture so that the traffic path goes around the room, not through it. That will give you an inviting U shaped conversation area. "

Yes. That.

Also, IF you go all out for holiday decorating -- and, of course, unless you need more seating for holiday entertaining, you might wait until after the holidays -- you might want to wait until after the holidays for adding furnishings.

With a $2,000 budget, I'd begin by investing in matching end table cabinets (preferably with plenty of the kind of storage you most want, and add a pair of matching tall thin lamps with medium to large white shades.

If you find lamps you truly like, consider getting three -- one for each end table and one for between where your current sofa and your new sofa meet at a right angle -- or, if you do get a sectional, then for a darker corner of the room on your glass end table.

You have a really nice space with which to work. Let us know how your project turns out.

I just did some calculations on an approximate size of this sectional and if you leave 3' behind longest side of sectional and the other side is a total of 80" you will only have approximately 20" of space to the fireplace wall. Very tight. We can do a specific scale layout when you post the actual dimensions of the sectional. You should have at least 3 days to cancel that order if you feel the sectional is too big for your room.

UPDATE: We have 2 devices on order so the awful cable will be gone in a week or so when they arrive. (Please pretend you don’t see it when you look at the update photos.) The next big issue that I need help with is the window treatments and what to do with them and what color should they be? Should they match other drapes in the room next to it, which is floor to ceiling white drapes with big silver grommets? Or, creamy beige to match the fireplace with a blind underneath? Or some other option? I said in an earlier post, my style is transitional, so please keep that in mind. Artwork and an area rug will come when I save up more money, but the higher priority has to be window treatments because everyone can see in as we watch tv. I look forward to hearing more suggestions...I loved the last batch.

That better but need different lamps. & blinds or shades.

Hmm... the sectional looks a bit large for the space. Is it returnable? By the way, your little dog is so cute! He/she looks like a little fox.

I would go with a white and gray pattern. Your color scheme is monochromatic and I wouldn't add another color just on the curtain unless you are planning to repeat it in some more fairly substantial items e.g. a rug and a chair in the same color.

Is it my monitor or is your door color not the same as the trim? It should be white.

Thank you for the comments, right now my plan is to go with oatmeal colored drapes and if it had a grey accent or grey tassels, that would be great. They will be floor to ceiling. Not sure about adding Roman shades/blinds.

Mixing beige colors can be tricky. Be sure that you can return them if they don't look good in your room.

I think woven wood roman shades would look better in your space than payment colored drapes. They would provide some texture and relate well with your hardwood floors. You can get them with our without a lining depending on your privacy and light needs.

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I really like this idea too. Would you hang them just inside the window or go up to the ceiling to cover all the extra space? Could I still do drapes or would the blinds at that high restrict a curtain rod?

I would mount the blinds over the window, about halfway between the ceiling and the top of the window, so the bottom of the blind just covers the top window molding when they are all the way up. That gives you full light when you want it. Keep it simple without drapes. Your current window molding doesn't have enough depth to use any kind of interior mounted shade.

I LOVE how it looks so far! I think you're headed in a great direction. But I'm no professional interior decorator btw. :o)

Thanks for all the help...I will post revised pictures soon. I am thinking of getting interlocking carpet tiles to make an 8x10 rug. I need to be able to wash them frequently because of the high traffic coming from garage. Has anyone had any success with this?

I didn't know they were washable only spot clean I would get a dark color why you might need a dark Gray or charcoal

I'll try to keep my input short and to the point: add some warmth and texture with treated timber in an unused fireplace; to keep it open atmosphere stick with furniture with legs; hire an electrician to hide the wiring; update the mantel (could remove but I wouldn't if you're keeping the TV mounted there); agree with everyone on the curtains on the window and rugs; 1 or 3 large piece(s) of artwork on the wall across from the fireplace. Soften up with the grays and neutrals fabrics but add pops of color with your pillows and decor.

Kamora Renovation · More Info