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Why doesn’t my living room look “right”?

Holly H
4 years ago

Hello, really need your help and advice please as I have nearly finished repainting my living room for the second time and I still don’t think it looks right!


I was going for a theme of sage, berry and gold but it still looks “off”... I think it’s the curtains but it’s very hard/expensive for us to replace them due to the height and width of the bay.


We’re getting some bespoke white wooden furniture (TV cabinet and bookcase) to go into the alcoves.


For context, this is our first ever home. We got a really good price for it but it needs a lot doing to it - every room needs completely redecorating to bring it up to date. I’ve included a “before” pic to show the starting point.


I think where we’ve fallen down is going for cheap “quick fixes” to just cover the ugly stuff without properly planning things and thinking about how everything will go together.


Please help?!




before



Comments (27)

  • decoenthusiaste
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    What purpose are the drapes serving? You don' t appear to need privacy. Loveseats are the bane of good seating arrangements. Put that in a large bedroom or office. Or sell it and get a pair of upholstered armchairs. Your coffee table is serving no purpose except to block the flow of the room and it really isn't the right style for your chesterfield. With the love gone, I would pull the sofa forward so it is perpendicular to the patio door and you have a traffic path to the door. All seats should be 12-18" from a new coffee table so it can be useful. Hang the two pieces of art on the rad wall, centered 5' above the floor with one hand's breadth between them. In their place flanking the FP, try a pair of chests or tables with lamps. Wall mount the TV on the wall where the love is now., or put it on one of the chests and just one lamp on the other chest.


    Holly H thanked decoenthusiaste
  • Christian Decor
    4 years ago

    It is too cluttered and busy. Fill the space with minimum number of pieces. This includes the walls.
    Paint color and finish is meh.
    Pick your anchor. You have good taste with stuff, it the pineapple all meat pizza blend is clashing.

    Holly H thanked Christian Decor
  • pricklypearcactus
    4 years ago

    This is just my opinion, so feel free to disregard. It seems like you have a lot of different colors going on in the room that aren't connecting to one another. Your room is dominantly green (wall color), charcoal (couches), and white (trim). But then you have a mixture of blue, gray, gold/beige, and maroon with the assortment of pillows and blanket. Additionally, do you need the drapes? They seem to be crowding the bay window and may not be serving much purpose.


    Bring the seating area together with an area rug. I think a white background would help connect with the white trim. I would keep the rug fairly simple.



    I would recommend sticking with a single repeating color palette for throw pillows. Sounds like you want berry, so stick with that. Maybe berry and white (to connect with the room trim).


    Continue art behind the sofa and stick with the gold frames.


    You might consider gold/brass accent tables and lamps. The coffee table you have now is very clunky and rustic and isn't really going well with the refined sofas and fireplace.





    Holly H thanked pricklypearcactus
  • PRO
    Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Ohh boy! OP painted ALREADY. I would get a right size TV stand, rug.

  • User
    4 years ago

    Definitely ditch the drapes.

  • Holly H thanked katinparadise
  • Nelly Bluth
    4 years ago

    Why is there wainscoting on one wall and not the others?

  • PRO
    CDR Design, LLC
    4 years ago

    Hi. There is a lot of potential here, but as you pointed out, you are trying for quick fixes without an overall plan. I can list everything that is wrong, but suffice it to say, I would simply start over.


    That does not mean that you cannot keep some things.


    Design needs to happen in steps and the correct steps need to be made in order. Decorating is one of the last steps.


    First step is to post some photos here that you like and also place them in your ideabook.


    The next step is to create a floor plan.


    Finally, choose large items and then small. Paint comes last.


    Which of these do you like best ? Or is there a little you like about each? Or, what would you like?

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    Holly H thanked CDR Design, LLC
  • jck910
    4 years ago

    On my monitor the green looks springy/minty not sage. I'm not sure what bespoke furniture is and googling it didn't help. But I'm not sure white furniture is the way to go with this room. You have dark gray velvet chesterfield sofas and white isn't going to complement them. I would ditch the idea of using berry, Yes I see that your changed the FP tile to berry. Using the bottom rectangular pillow in the above comment as inspiration will help. I would switch the TV stand and bookcase to black. Ditch the drapes. Lower the art. Get a rug.

    Holly H thanked jck910
  • Jennifer Hogan
    4 years ago

    I know you just finished painting, but, in my humble opinion it is the wrong color.


    Taupes (drapes, artwork) don't like yellows or more yellow greens. They can work with your charcoal furniture.


    Walls also tend to show more color than we really want - something about painting hundreds of square feet in even a subdued color and we suddenly see so much color.


    Your green is too saturated to work in most homes.


    So you are a bit too yellow green and a bit too brilliant.


    I like the colors of the blue green pillows and would try to get a grayed down version of that color


    Probably a bit grayer and a hair greener than what I have below, but something in this color family.

    Used SW color snap with the color Marine.






    Dumped the gold pillows as well.

    Holly H thanked Jennifer Hogan
  • tsjmjh
    4 years ago

    "Bespoke" means tailor or custom made. In the current furniture/design industry, perhaps it means "made to order" which would be pick out the chair and then the fabric and it will show up in 8-10 weeks.


    I'm assuming, in OP's case, her bespoke cabinets/bookcases are being hand made to specifically fit her space(s).

  • Theresa Janssen
    4 years ago

    I think you have a nice base to work with, I like the new tile you put on your fireplace and I think there just needs to be a little more cohesive feeling with some of the furniture pieces. it seems like you are wanting to move into a little more modern feel to your room with the gold and art. a few ideas.

    1. the curtains seem odd because of the bump out. is it possible to remove them and see how you like it without them? I think a better application would be blinds vs curtains
    2. the coffee table and the stand you have your tv on makes the feeling of the room disjointed. I would pick a new coffee table and new console for your tv. I am attaching below a thought on a new tv stand that brings in a more modern feeling with some warmth.
    3. I think a rug is in order. a rug does wonders in bringing the seating grouping together. I would get a flokati and am attaching a link to one. the ivory color if a flokati will help bring in lightness to contrast the grey couches and some more texture.
    4. I like where you are going with the art on the fireplace wall. I just think they are positioned wrong. I would stack them vertically on the left hand side of the fireplace. keep them on the sage part of the wall with one lower, like knee level so there becomes some verticality. I would then get some more art for the other walls.
    5. I would get smaller size tables to use as coffee tables. they can be moveable and flexible for the room. to set in front of one of the couches i am attaching ideas for those too. idea is they can be offcentered. a couple ideas below.
    6. I would also clear the mantle off and maybe just keep it empty for now.

    https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-greek-flokati/Natural/200UFSR-P.html

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    Holly H thanked Theresa Janssen
  • tangerinedoor
    4 years ago

    What I noticed right off the bat:


    1. That loooong sofa is HUGE for that room. Use the short one and get two single chairs.


    2. Too many bits and pieces, and they're all fighting for attention. This is emphasized by the pattern in the wood floor. Solve that by getting a rug.


    3. That wall color is really hard to work with. If you like it, take all the "distractions" out of the room momentarily, and dig colored items out of your closet and/or linen closet. Try one item at a time draped on the sofa, and see which colors work for you.


    4. The cushions you have right now seem to be a glossy fabric. This adds extra busyness to the room because it shimmers. The grey velvet shimmers, too; this is enough for the room.


    5. Burgundy is too "muddy" for those walls. It has no life.


    6. I like the cushions someone else has posted upthread that have greens in them. They also have texture and depth and add interest. I think this is what the room needs.


    7. I think this room will look way better with art on the walls.

    Holly H thanked tangerinedoor
  • Holly H
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Thanks everyone who has commented. Really appreciate your advice and have saved it to an idea book to refer back to. Lots to think about now but I can see some recurring themes in the feedback:


    - Drapes need to go

    - new coffee table that suits the style of the room better @pricklypearcactus where are the ones you suggested from?

    - New units in the alcoves (they have already been made to order and are traditional looking to match the FP). Put TV on one and a lamp on another.

    - Art on the walls

    - Clear the mantel for now


    I think I will probably also re paint as I agree that the colour just isn’t working with the sofas. I am thinking a dark grey on the FP wall and white everywhere else, or a light-ish grey all over. Would welcome your thoughts on this please. Another thought was to paint all the walls white but have the woodwork (skirting, picture rail and mantelpiece) dark grey.


    Will then ditch the green and gold cushions and keep the grey/white/gold ones.

  • Jennifer Hogan
    4 years ago

    More is not always better. Keep all the walls one color. I would go with a light blue green gray.

    SW Silver strand or BM Gray Cashmere or Artic Gray or C2 Esoteric

  • Theresa Janssen
    4 years ago

    if you decide to change the wall color, I would suggest something very light and neutral so that your eye doesnt stop at the molding. darker colors will make the room shorter because your eye will stop at the piece of molding while a lighter color will help your eye go up and add verticality to the room.

  • Karl Bush1
    4 years ago

    Looks nice. Do not repaint. Just add a neutral rug, a newer coffee table (like the marble) and something to hang above the couch - maybe a mirror. Curtains not necessary. Move on to another room.

  • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
    4 years ago

    When you repaint, keep all the same color, no accent wall. And why is there wainscoting only on that one wall? And not even going to the end of the wall?

  • PRO
    Sabrina Alfin Interiors
    4 years ago

    I think I would lose the sofa that faces the patio door and add either one lounge chair or two accent armchairs instead. Having both roll-arm sofas in there is making the room feel cramped. I'd also think about getting a glass or acrylic coffee table so it keeps the space airier and less visually heavy. Here are a couple of inspo photos. Look at these more for layout and scale vs. specific style:



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    Holly H thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiors
  • Holly H
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    For everyone asking about the “panelling“ behind the sofa, it’s actually a radiator! No wonder it looks odd.


    @Design Interior South yes that’s the main door into the room. In the summer the patio doors are left open so this room is our main route in and out of the garden at the moment. Thank you for the design ideas, as much as I’m reluctant to paint again I think I’m going to go for white and incorporate some accent colours you suggested.


    @Sabrina Alfin Interiors thank you for the inspiration. I am looking at some glass / gold coffee tables to replace the one we have. It was a hand me down that I upcycled but I didn’t quite realise how much it clashed with the rest of the room. Can’t afford to get rid of the other sofas so will have to make do!


  • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
    4 years ago

    Wow! I grew up with radiators in our apartments in NYC but I've never seen one so big!

  • IdaClaire
    4 years ago

    That style radiator is very common in the UK. Maybe that's where this home resides. It looks like a nice, comfortable place to me, that just needs a bit of tweaking to make the color scheme more cohesive.

    Holly H thanked IdaClaire
  • Jilly
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I agree with Ida.

    Love your fp re-do and the color scheme you were originally going for. It’s very charming, pretty, and cozy ... but best of all, individual.

    I think a fun and unique rug would make a big difference, as well as pulling the furniture into a tighter seating area. And I like the idea of a brass table.

    Just one example of a fun, certainly not mundane, rug. :) Great colors in it.


    https://www.rugsdoneright.com/products/kas-oriental-catalina-732-sage-rug





    Holly H thanked Jilly
  • Holly H
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    That rug is gorgeous! Love the peacocks.


    Yes I do live in the UK, it’s cold here so the bigger the rads, the better! What do radiators one NYC look like?!

  • tangerinedoor
    4 years ago

    I'm not sure the radiator will radiate very well with the sofa in front of it. Do you have room to move the sofa away from the radiator? Once the curtains are out of the way, I think it will be possible; they're taking up unnecessary space.


    I love the peacocks for your space. your room has old-fashioned "bones" because of the ceiling height and fireplace, but a new "take". Exactly what the peacocks and the cabbage roses convey. And it pulls together the green. I think I would still lighten up the green, though.

  • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Radiators in NYC are much smaller, the ones in the older buildings are usually very ornamental (my favorite). Along these lines:



    Have you ever seen “Elf” with Will Farrell? That’s the same kind my mother has now.

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