Post # 1
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
Hey Ladies! As most of you know, and are probably sick of hearing about, we are getting a condo! YAY
Now, it is a very nice place (in my eyes) but kinda dark and I really need to lighten things up but still be homy and natural and pet friendly! 😀 I would love to hear your suggestions. I have a lot of rooms but my main concern right now is the living room. So, here are some photos. How would you recommend I decorate this room. Lets say I have no furniture or window treatments of my own right now:
Post # 3
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
OH, living room is: Size: 16X22
Post # 4
Member
2782 posts
Sugar bee
one thing I would 100% do is paint the fireplace! i love a white fireplace…that would def brighten things up a bit.
The room also has so many windows, so personally i would do either sheer drapery or nothing to let in lots of natural light 🙂
Post # 5
Member
3774 posts
Honey bee
I would do some roman shades on the windowns so that they could be pulled up anytime privacy isn’t required. I would also repaint that red wall a lighter and brighter color like this
http://www.olympic.com/Home/Color-Page/A67-4
Post # 6
Member
4673 posts
Honey bee
First, lighten the walls! A lighter wall color will go a long way! (please don’t do anything to the wood-work, you can’t bring the nautural wood back after it’s been painted!) I while sheer blind would be great for the windows, and some light rugs and furniture.
Post # 7
Member
47430 posts
Honey Beekeeper
Do you have a plasma TV? Are you planning on placing it above the fireplace? Because your room is so large, you have the room to do this without the seating being so close that it gives you a sore neck. If that is your plan I would either do built ins or get ready made cabinets/bookshelves and place them on either side of the fireplace. You can beef up the ready mades with some trim. You can hide the TV under a mirror or picture if you like.
Alternatively, you can use two matching low dressers or sideboards.
I would center a large area rug on the fireplace. Pick either a neutral rug or one with colors that you love so that you can pick colors for the room from the rug.
You could place your sofa facing the fireplace with chairs on either side,
or place the sofa perpendicular to the fireplace with two chairs opposite. Have a nice large coffe table or upholstered ottoman in the center to use as a coffee table.
Do a separate seating/conversation area in front of the windows with two chairs, a small table and a lamp.
I would do top down/bottom up shades so that you can control light and privacy but still give a clean look.
http://www.selectblindscanada.ca/Top-Down-Bottom-Up-Blinds.aspx
Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once. Decorating is a piece by piece affair for most people.
Post # 8
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
Thank you everyone for your suggestions!!
@julies1949: amazing! YOUR ROCK. Very impressive. My friend also suggested the built in area around the fireplace which DH adn I LOVE. We have tons of nice books (relgious books) and would love to showcase them around the fireplace. We do not have a TV that we can mount but a new TV is in the near future. In the meantime, I love the idea of a mirror above it! LOVE! I seriously love all of your ideas. My friend suggested a window bench for our window area? what do you think? I like the idea of a few chairs and table there too!! What do you think for wall colors? Or couch colors? How do you feel about that accent wall?
@auggiefrog: do you mean woodwork around the fireplace or the floors. The floors are amazing, they jsut need to be professionally cleaned and buffed…which we will do before we move in.
Post # 9
Member
47430 posts
Honey Beekeeper
@bestbuddies: Do you have furniture pieces that you are going to incorporate into this room? If so, then you would want your color choices to work with them. You should choose colors that the two of you love, not us.
Normally, it is easier to make your first choice something that you love like an area rug, then pull the wall and accent colors from that. I am a big fan of choosing neutral colored furniture so you can use it for years. Prints may catch your eye but you get sick of them and it’s hard to change your color scheme. An oatmeal, grey or light brown can be accented with many different colors.
As far as the bookshelves are concerned, you can add trim to ready mades and make them look fabulous. Build a box shape out of plywood to act as the base for the bookshelves.Set the bookshelves on top of the box. Screw the bookshelves to the wall and to each other. Add crown moulding to the top and attach wider trim to the front of the shelves and down the vertical pieces. Countersink the nails, fill the holes with wood putty, sand and paint it all out the same color. It will look amazing.
Whatever color you paint the bookshelves, I would paint the fireplace the same color. It is the only wood that color in the room . If that whole wall of woodwork was all one color the fireplace will look built in too.
You could do a bench or chairs in the window area. A bench would give more seating if you think you will need it for entertaining. It can also include built in storage. If you build a bench, make sure it is the right height for seating, nice and deep and well padded. If it’s not comfortable, no one will sit there including you. If you do a bench add wall sconces for reading light.
Post # 10
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
@julies1949: awesome thanks. We have furniture but we are ready to update it all. right now, we have an oversized forest green chair and a matching plaid forest green adn khaki couch. Then we have random cherry wood tables and a lot of light wood book shelves. I would like to refurnish our current coffee table (we got it from a neighbor that was going to toss it) and our end tables. But we are in need of new couch and chairs for sure! They are fine but old and not really attractive. They served the purpose for us while we were moving around every year but now that we are FINALLY going to be in one place for a while I would really like to upgrade 😀 I am thinking a light tan colored couch, neutral for sure and two oversized chairs (very similar to your picture of the couch and chairs facing each other). I really like that stuff in that picure minus the black mirror. I only ask about colors, like what you might invison or think of when looking at my pics. I am not looking for answers, just ideas to toss around and think about. I honestly dont have any sense of style 🙁
Post # 11
Member
47430 posts
Honey Beekeeper
@bestbuddies: Some people think it’s boring, but I prefer neutral colors on the wall- think art gallery. That way your paintings, cushions ,flowers, throws etc are the hits of color. Don’t use a stark white on the bookcases- it’s too harsh. If you don’t want to repaint the wood trim that’s already there use the same color.
We have a milk chocolate color sofa. In the summer I use turquosie and bright green cushions, vases etc and in the winter we use burgundy for a cozier, warmer look.
What are your favorite colors?
Post # 12
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
@julies1949: I dont think that is boring at all. I am a very plain person and think less is more. I would love to see my house with soft colors of pink, cream, green and brown. DH really likes greens and browns
Post # 13
Member
902 posts
Busy bee
Take the curtains off for sure, allow that natural sunlight to shine through. I would do a softer color on the wall of the fireplace, and resurface the fireplace according to your style.
I love black and reds and greens, so I have that with my beige colored washed paneled walls. (It’s a very old wooden house that we’re remodeling slowly).
I can’t wait to see what you do!!
Post # 14
Member
47430 posts
Honey Beekeeper
@bestbuddies: There you go! You and DH share a liking for green and brown. Do the walls and bookshelves cream, or the walls pale green and the bookshelves and all trim cream.
Bring in the pink and brown in a print that includes all your colors in toss cushions.
Post # 15
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
@julies1949: thanks! may I ask where you are getting these pictures? 😀
Post # 16
Member
5982 posts
Bee Keeper
What do you ladies think of this inspiration photo’s? Which colors do you like best?
