My friend Bev needs a little help redecorating her living room. I took a stab at it without knowing her color choices and just threw a neutral warm palette together. Her first priority is storage and organization. She is a busy working mom with 2 young children. Clutter adds up quickly and she needs a place to store things while maintaining a formal living room for adults and entertaining. It has to budget-friendly with maybe some key splurge items.
Here's a sketch of the new floor plan layout.
Beyond color and style, here's what I would like for this room:
- Define the entry way space from the intimate seating area by rearranging the furniture.
- Double duty - her storage furniture must be versatile. Ottomans for both storage and comfort.
- Creating a focal point by highlighting key items instead of adding more decorative tchotckes.
Things that must stay:
- The micro suede sage sofa.
- The bar that looks like a antique globe.
- The upright piano.
- The gold frame on the fireplace.
Let's get started shall we: [Assuming the fireplace is North]
1. The Sofa - New sofa cover in twill. So that she's not bound to a particular color scheme. By going neutral on the sofa cover, we have a neutral palette for a bold rug, throw pillows or ottoman that won't compete with the sofa. Twill is more durable especially for sticker fingered kids. The corded edge on this cover will give it structure unlike other sofa covers. Throw pillows can be picked up at discount places like Marshall's, Home Goods or TJ Max.
2. Two club chairs - Instead of the love seat, 2 club chairs will add both style and intimacy in the room. I love this chair that I picked out and the price can't be beat.
3. Ottoman - This ottoman is hinged and opens up for storage within it. Besides being extra storage, the family can prop their feet up while sitting by the fire. It's also extra seating if needed. Throw a tray on top of it and it's a coffee table for drinks and snacks. I would keep my eye out for a tufted ottoman because they keep their shape. Ottomans like the one in the photo tend to sag in the center.
4. Tufted Storage Bench - I love this piece! By the west window where people can sit down to put their shoes on. It's really purty, stylish and more storage!
5. Kid's Cubby Locker Unit - For coats and shoes by the entrance. Kids can come home and hang up their own coat and put away their shoes within reach.
6. Lidded Woven Baskets - These are great for the "spillage" for misc items, toys, blankets, and whatever you want to hide ;) in there before company comes. I like that you can flip these up real quick without losing the lid which is really important in my opinion if you're in a rush to tidy up the room.
7. Rugs -
I picked 2 rug options. One modern, one traditional. I prefer the traditional one because it has warm tones with touches of green, blue and red which makes it very transitional. She can alter the decor of the room down the road without being bounded to the blue-grey rug. Rugs are an expensive item, so I prefer the one that is more versatile. Because it's warm, I think it will really tie the room together and create that intimacy where they can enjoy the fire. She can always go contemporary with the throw pillows.
I picked 2 rug options. One modern, one traditional. I prefer the traditional one because it has warm tones with touches of green, blue and red which makes it very transitional. She can alter the decor of the room down the road without being bounded to the blue-grey rug. Rugs are an expensive item, so I prefer the one that is more versatile. Because it's warm, I think it will really tie the room together and create that intimacy where they can enjoy the fire. She can always go contemporary with the throw pillows.
8. Patterned Curtain Panels -
For the large East and West window, I would like to balance out the room using a pattern curtain panel. For the large East window behind the sofa, I'd like to see patterned curtain panel on the outer sides and a white sheer on the inner side for a romantic look [in other words - pattern, white sheer, white sheer, pattern] For the other 2 windows on both sides of the fireplace, I'd like to use airy solid or white curtain panels and sheers. This keeps the room from looking too heavy and matchy matchy. She has such great natural lighting that it will looks so pretty in the daylight hours. 9. Over the mantel, I would like to see an oval mirror. The frame is really flexible depending on the style of the room. I like the oval shape to smooth out the lines of the very rectangular pieces we already have like the mantel itself, the ottomans and sofa. Some new candle holders can be clustered together or moved around. A trio of bud vases with silk flowers will look pretty as light hits them. By using silk flowers, she can also change up the theme in her room.
10. Green plants - Plants are good. They take in CO2 and produce O2 for you. It's a win win. It gives you something to look at it and something to take care of which forces you to go into a normally unused room. Plants keep us on our toes.
Last, but not least my favorite part:
11. Wrought Iron Balusters - 
This was a total splurge and wasn't requested by Bev, but I really liked it. Changing out the wooden spindles for wrought iron balusters will really update the house and make it twinkle. There are beautiful options these days in bronze or antique copper/bronze/gold that don't look like the dated stuff from the 50's. We can highlight the metal again in the room by adding a metal fire place screen.
This was a total splurge and wasn't requested by Bev, but I really liked it. Changing out the wooden spindles for wrought iron balusters will really update the house and make it twinkle. There are beautiful options these days in bronze or antique copper/bronze/gold that don't look like the dated stuff from the 50's. We can highlight the metal again in the room by adding a metal fire place screen. 
1 comment:
nicely done! did i miss where you mention where the club chairs came from? we're in the need of a new chair and i want a stylish one like this.
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