Jan- The mock up your provided is more like the direction I would like to go.

Wellllll

If you look at your inspo, you see right away that you want more texture.

You can't turn a dim room to bright, a cool northern room to warm without some warm color, and your first decision is the sectional : ) and you can make it work.

You won't get a tropically inspired global, but a chunky jute or sisal rug can work, a SOFT white linen on a chair.....

You can't fight what the room is. It's sort of right there? ( Right here ) Unless you want to lose that sectional?

What makes THIS ( sort of ) work down here?

The white walls.......the floor...and too much PALM art lol. Yawn city : )

To complicate things even more, the room is off of my foyer and I have not painted it in over a year, because I have no idea how to connect the spaces. I am also dealing with fixed elements that I may not have chosen, but I cannot change. I need colors that will compliment each other. I would love to have the elephant room be a deeper color vs the foyer. The foyer has busy granite floors that compliment the background in the elephant photo, but things start to look a bit busy when rugs have too much pattern, which is why I love the one in your mood board.

Yes, that palm art is super uninspiring for sure.

I dont mind the fan, it looks fine. Its nice to have a fan if you live in a climate where they are needed. However, when I look at your room, it does feel cold, and unwelcome. The rug and the pillows are what stand out, when glancing at your picture, its the very first things I see, and they look like they do not belong there. Look for a rug with a bit more color in it, that has some of the navy from your couch. Same with your pillows, so that things look like they belong together. It almost looks like no one ever sits in there, nothing looks cozy and welcoming.

Oh wow:(

Hurts to hear, but this is how I feel too

There is no law that states the foyer be a different color than the living room! It already has different flooring!

Rugs define spaces as much as wall color. Calm the busy granite floor with a PLAIN rug in sisal , go back to the feeling I gave you, and don't try to make Bali ho ho ho : ) in a home not meant for it!

Get a designer, one capable of telling you the "no" word. Inspo pics live in the context of a whole! When you begin do animal crackers of one of this, one of that, you will be so far from the cohesion of a beautiful room that DOES consider the whole, you will be miserable.

That is why you looked at a mood board....yes, mine.and typed "spot on"

You find YOUR spot on the same way.

so................???

You paint......put plain texture on the busy floor

Thanks Jan. Good words of wisdom.

I think the fan fits the look. The blades anyway. I would replace the light fixture or just remove it. There are many places in the world where a fan is much appreciated--especially where's there's funiture! Your tables are where things go wrong. Get rid of the hard surface sharp edges for something more organic like your inspo picture. If your stand alone lamp is a wood turned spindle? Can you strip it and bring back the organic with a new shade it would be a great addition. I think you are closer to the feel you want than you think!

Thanks arcy_gw! Can anyone suggest some artwork that will work with this room? I have a very awkward wall that you see when you enter the house and I have not been able to get it right.

Or??? Bite a couch bullet!!! Add chairs- and yes, I loathe sectional that paint you into a room arrangement corner of zero flexibility.

Same paint, same rug

You are in too big a hurry! Get a designer on board - whatever she costs you will spare you the mistakes. Hurry is the worst. Or?Decorate in HASTE and repent and rue ...at your leisure.!

I am already over extending by hiring a designer, so I think I have no wiggle room on the couch. Things start adding up quickly. The mood board is paramount and gives me a great direction, but I see tremendous value in hiring someone local that can help me get the tones right and can really see how the natural light or lack thereof is affecting my space. It's something that I just can't get right after years of trying. I have also tried countless rugs on the granite floors, but again the tones look completely off.

Jan- I couldn't agree more. I posted the above before I saw your comment. I am saving this year for a designer. In the meantime, I spending time trying to figure out some achievable looks with the fixed elements that I have, since I know the main things have to stay. My foyer has about 3 different colors on the wall and has for a year. Not in any rush per say, but would like things to feel like home.

Please clarify: is the elephant painting the inspiration piece for the room or is it something you want to replace?

The elephant photo is staying. I want to warm up the wall color and was asking for some tweaks that would pull it all together.

So...........you have a paint color in the S.W ? Try it! Nobody can give you "perfect" without seeing it on your walls. Neither can you: ) Test....and roll. S.W Sand beach, and include the foyer. Or begin with a new rug. : ) and tweak your paint. You have to decide the "dictators", in the room. Paint can be mixed to a fraction of a shade.....

With S.W "wool Skein"....

I'm going to start with sand beach. I have a SW fan deck and the wool skein looks beautiful on my monitor but is too green for the foyer floors that have a pink undertone

It’s important to first consider your color preference in room overall which includes accessories. The hall is an easy decision, just duplicate the wall color, or go one shade lighter or darker than living room. Hold off painting though until all the rest is decided on and a rug should be your jumping off point.

The palm art will suit more warmth/texture so suggest changing your coffee table to wood. Accessories will have a big impact in achieving a global feel (consider wood bowls, clay pottery, books and create a layered look).

Now you’re ready to paint and test a number of shades in large swatches in LR and hall to compare the effects at different times of the day and at night. Undertone is especially important and I’ve always had really helpful advice from BM consultants (and prefer their paint as well).

Maureen this is all very helpful information. Thank you so much on your thoughtful response.

"Don’t put as much emphasis on working with elephant photo; focus on warmth, textures, wood (suggest changing your coffee table) and accessories especially will have the greatest impact in achieving a global feel (consider baskets, and lots of clay)."

Yes all above, Maureen and I are saying SAME things: )......rug first!!!

Love that rug Maureen posted!

@Maureen is spot on. Find a rug you love that incorporates navy. Navy is not at odds with your vision - it just isn't the same as your inspiration pic, and as you can see from Jan's first mood board, it certainly can work.

So find that rug and put it in place. And get incandescent bulbs while you are at it. And get a new side lamp - the white one is doing nothing. The lamps in Jan's mood board are really working. You could even paint your tall skinny lamp if you are looking to save money.

The elephant picture *really* does not do it for me. Throwing grey into a room that isn't warm enough just doesn't cut it. BUT, you seem to love it. Can you use it in a different room in your house?

I love the rug that Maureen just posted too. Its beautiful and would look great in your room. I also love your couch, so I dont think thats a mistake.

Working with the north light, have you considered lilac?

Pottery Barn

https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/birch-lane-devoris-purplerustblack-indooroutdoor-area-rug-w003612263.html?piid=698833079

Jan- I did a reverse image look up on your suggested pillows and I cannot find the one that looks black/gold one.

I feel like these are spot on with connecting the elephant photo to the couch,

The Elephant photo is staying. It has family significance. It is pulling cooler due to the colors around it. I don't think the Edgecomb is doing it any favors!

Playing around with throw pillows. I see that this could be a simple fix.

"has made me feel like I can pull this together without having to completely start from scratch., which makes me hopeful."

Which is the point we are all making!

That is why, universally everyone is saying begin with a rug.

Nothe feel you want is not yet there. But....you're making it ALL about a wall color! You can't select one without the rug. There are mixers in a a paint store for a REASON. I can count the number of times I haven't "tweaked" a color from a paint chip.....on less than my fingers and toes in 33 years.!

Order the Pottery Barn Rug, get it in the space. See how that alone changes the feel.....

The rug everyone above loves from Maureen? it does not exist any more.

But even a warm natural fiber rug could do it......

And then you decide ..what is the dictator.

Elephant, sofas , rug.....

Comes 8 x 10 and 10 x 14

https://www.horchow.com/p/safavieh-oaklynn-hand-woven-rug-10-x-14-cprod170610079

The pillows you added...most? Still too "chilly" : ) unless the warmth you want, isn't the warmth you want.

as to the pillow Q?

https://www.rejuvenation.com/products/plaid-handspun-raw-silk-pillow-cover/?catalogId=84&sku=3126063&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=&cm_ite=3126063_14334675725_aud-944520937335:pla-296303633664&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiOa9BhBqEiwABCdG8_vHEraGOrZCIS0QUWSQmZMj_1_owICGMUwG2zyoW1f4lnJFQxP-lBoC6YAQAvD_BwE

Thanks Jan. I do like that pottery barn rug the best, but it is pricey. I may hold out if it is the "one".

Which is why I am saying.........you can change the feel with a jute.....a sisal......natural feeling and WARM in tone.

When you cling to the white in the pillows on the couch? You UP the cooooool contrast. You lessen the mellow and the warmth.

Nobody knows the rug size you have, nor the size you need.

Haley, stop, and look around and find a similar rug, that is in your price range. Dont keep messing with it all, until you find that rug. Even if you have to order one, and return it, because it isnt right. There are a lot of affordable rugs out there, and sometimes, it takes a bit to find the exact one you are looking for. Just keep the patterns of the two rugs in the upper posts in mind and look for something very similar, making sure you have some blue the shade of your couch in it. Once you find the rug, then you can deal with paint, and pillows, and other accessories. It will all turn out the way you want it, but, I feel you are rushing in trying to change things, that shouldnt be changed until you get the rug right, since thats the real elephant in the room. Its not always easy to find a rug. I have been looking for one for several months now, for a dining room. Nothing like the type you are looking for, since my style is much more colorful. I do have one rolled up, that I have always liked. It needs to be cleaned, so, I am thinking if I cant find a rug by spring, I will get it cleaned and remove the one I have now, that I dont like, and put the old one back down. A rug sets the tone for the entire room, and the one you have is just not the right one for your room. If its still new, can it be returned?

Look........

yours........

Colors are never looked at in isolation, they take on attributes based on the colors in the surrounding area. Although Edgecomb Gray is generally considered a fairly neutral color, next to cream it will look pink.

You need to pick the wall color based on how it looks next to your cream carpet and pillows.

You can see in the next two pictures how much pinker the Edgecomb Gray is compared to the carpet and pillow.

Natural Cream is close in color but much less likely to pull pink/purple

White Sand has a bit more yellow than natural cream, but still gives a neutral backdrop that should work well with your carpet.

The best way I have found to pick the right paint color is to look at the samples with the other elements in natural daylight. Preferably outside, on a clear day, around 2:00 in the afternoon.

The undertones seem to really come to life in natural daylight.

colors · More Info

Wall she has and wall she wants.............

Read the whole thread....: )

"Global......not Boho"

what she realllllllllly wants lol and more $$$

Can I ask who helped you choose Edgecomb Gray as your wall color or how you picked the color?

Can I ask why the Elephant art must stay where it is? It's just that it's so dark.

Try it in the foyer- it would be dramatic to be admired up close.

There is no space for the elephant picture anywhere else in the house and the art is loved by everyone in the family. I could add an art lamp to shine down on it. I picked the Edgecomb gray after ruling out a lot of others at the time. It is overwhelming trying different colors and trying to narrow down what works and what doesn’t. I’ve had quite a few professionals in my space and many like the color and suggest pulling it into the foyer, but it is very drab in that space. I’ve spent quite a bit on paint consultations already and have since realized I need a whole cohesive plan with paint only being a part of that plan.

Jennifer, Thank you for the recommendations and guidance. I’m very sensitive to color and know when something is off, but I find it hard to articulate why it is off a d how to correct it.

Just DO the beach sand S WILIAMS

save for the rug, or keep AGONIZING.?

I might add.

You can't tell a darn thing until you've rolled paint on all the walls. I mean the foyer as well. Scary? Yes. But there isn't going to be another way , for you.

A room is a sum of all its parts., You save for the rug. If you still need a designer after that? My bet is you won't.

You will end here with a 20,000 comment thread.....and be where you are right now. Hold your nose and jump.

Jan- Thank you for additional mock up's that turn up the warmth factor. I love the wood toned lamp. You have absolutely nailed down the look I am going for. This is all very good and extremely helpful input!

Welll lllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!

Then dammit, hold your nose / paint /cut something from your budget that is "luxury" for six months, and then get the P.B rug. Reality is if 1800.00 - 2500.00 gives you panic and palpitations? You will spend more on a designer..........who will then tell you to get similar, or that one, or get a sisal, and you already got that advice , FREE.

Good grief......!!

You're going to pay a designer to NAIL it more? Really? Not within the givens of must remain in the room. Including a northern exposure! Change what you can change. Paint, light bulbs, lamps rug, etc You won't die in six months, Giddy up!! lol

How long do you want to love the room? Because that PB RUG, OVER TWO YEARS..in 9 x 12 is 24.00 a week of "enjoyment" , and in five years? less by a whole lot......or keep doing things over, until you hit your happy? You tried that : )

Jan- Now you are starting to sound like my husband. :)

Hubby is right........at least this time!!