Need help for my living room.

9 years ago

I went to a well known store and bought brown couch and chocolate recliner and a multicolored chair. The rug is tan and green. I had the help of interior designer in this store and I have a mess now, No one likes the outcome of the room and there is too much going on in the room I already had a cream colored wall unit , end tables and coffee table. We really don't want to get rid of these as we spent alot of money on it. I don't know what color to paint walls. Please help me with this room. I cannot return items and feel that I am stuck with this mess. What tips can you give me?

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PRO

Patricia Colwell Consulting

9 years ago

Move recliner so it does not visually block off part of the sofa, get some pillows for the sofa with the green from the rug, take the multi colored chair and put it in another space, move the end table to beside the recliner with a new lamp with no blue get a better floor lamp and gchange the matting on the pictures to the green from the rug and hang the pictures in a row with the center of them at eyelevel even better would be one larger horizontal painting Then phone the store complain loudly about this so called decorator, she should give up her day job, these choices are dreadful

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Comments (14)

dendenwoo
Original Author
9 years ago
I will be adding a chair on the side that you don't see. I plan to have an recliner I had recovered and will be picking out a fabric soon. We would like to add some color (my husband want some red or orange). The blue picture and lamp will go. The walls presently are pale yellow and need to be painted. I have a vaulted ceiling with 3 windows over the wall unit. There is one window on the right. This room is difficult as there is 5 doors and ,a fireplace to arrange furniture around.
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Hi Emmeline. Have measured as best I could. The room is 9ft wide and 18ft long going right up to the bay window sill.Imagine you are standing in the doorway. The door opens inwards and to the left. The space between the open door frame and the wall perpendicular i.e. facing the bay window is approx 2ft. On that perpendicular wall are cubes for art work, a tv and a flat chrome edged gas fire. The fire is 1ft of the ground.. The cube unit is 2ft off the ground as is the tv. So not much space to play around with there. Still standing in the doorway on the wall to your right is a longish radiator. At a slight diaganonal opposite you is a window. Height from floor is 2ft6in. Length of window is 3ft Distance ofrom fire place wall to window is 8ft4in. . Distance from end of window to alcove wall of bay window is 3ft2in. There are two small alcove wall each 2ft6in in length. The bay window is a square shape rather than curved. The length is 4ft. Depth 3ft. Height 2ft.6in.from floor. We moved house recently so the furniture does not really fit the space. I would like to keep the sofa if possible. It is a standard shape with rounded arms and very comfortable. It is a 2 and 1/2 seater approx 5ft 8in long and 3ft high. In an ideal world I'd like 1920s 30s or mid century scandanavian. But would also like to keep the sofa. The only thing I can think of doing is put the sofa facing the fire and take it from there. What about a window seat which would also provide storage? If the sofa faces the fire what do I do with the rest of the room? Chair angled at small window... ottoman??? As for colours the room is painted chalk white. When you come in the front door ( 1930s with coloured glass) there is a curved polished plaster wall in burnt umber. So am thinking moss green, mustard i.e autumn colours a la Orla Kiely??? Many thanks
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
9 years ago
I would get another recliner to match the chocolate recliner not a different one, this not a huge space so keep the large pieces simple, you can certainly add some orange into the color mix with accessories, I would stay away from real reds with any thing large.You will find the reupholstery will cost almost as much as buying a new chair so just get a matching one if you really have the space.
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Where in your room right now is the multi colored chair?

Thinking out loud....are you sure you have room for one more chair?
dendenwoo
Original Author
9 years ago
It is in another room. It is a small room and my husband likes his chair in front of tv. I have used another chair in the room over to the side. That chair does not get direct view if tv use it more for reading and seating when guest are here
dendenwoo
Original Author
9 years ago
Does anyone have any ideas for paint colors? I am thinking about moving rug to another room as it does not seem to be holding up well with pets and traffic in room. What do you think of adding solid color rug? If so what color?
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I understand hubby wanting his chair in front of the tv.....where it is now, it hides the fireplace and just looks out of place, like the whole room was designed around it. Sorry to be so harsh!

Soooooo what if the couch and the chair were to switch places and the chair sit that same way, but on the other side of the fireplace where there is actually room for his chair and a window is there for the chair, too. The couch would face the wall it is on now and you would determine placement by how much room you need to walk behind it. This would also create a small foyer as you come in the door.
PRO
Debbie Krukowski, Ethan Allen
9 years ago
I suggest you paint the sofa wall with a darker accent color and the rest of the room a neutral. The darker color will make better use of the ceiling volume and breadth of that wall. The Fireplace wall needs connection to the rest of the room, so it's best to remain the same as the other two walls across and adjacent to it. (If it's dark you bring attention to the low ceiling line on that side. I'm not sure of your exact color scheme with that chair, but a good warm red is Benjamin Moore #2005-20 Hot Apple Spice. It can bring in the red-orange concept you're thinking of. Definitely add a pop of color in pillows on your sofa. Perhaps choose your paint colors off the other reupholstering work and pillow fabric. The paint colors should tie it all together as a final thought. (Too soon to choose for now.)
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I like a pattern in a rug, especially here with all the other solids, unless you went with a sisal or a seagrass, but not sure about that with a dog, either. The nice thing about the current one is the lightness of it and how it does break up the darks for you.
blindkim
9 years ago
Flip Flop the TV and armoire with the sofa. Put the chair and a side table opposite it, to create a walk way behind the chair. That way the fireplace will be exposed.
zweiback
9 years ago
I like the green in the rug - perhaps you'd consider a lighter green in the same family for your walls? Lose the little pictures over the sofa in favor of something larger - maybe a mirror if whatever it reflects would be pleasing. Can you put end tables at either side of the sofa, with 2 matching lamps? The one floor lamp and one table lamp aren't working for me.
blindkim
9 years ago
I think all of the color solutions are fine but the real problem with the room is the furniture arrangement. No changes to colors or adding pillows, mirrors or pictures is going to fix the room unless you arrange it more sensibly.
dendenwoo
Original Author
9 years ago
This room is so difficult due to 5 doorways, fireplace and small size. The room is probably 17ft x12 ft . When couch and tv is switched it leaves no room to walk thru doorway to bedrooms. I had to use floor lamp at one end of sofa to provide enough light. There was not enough room for two end tables at sofa. I do have end table in another corner to have light on that side of the room. I really hate this room. It has been a struggle to arrange. I really would like chairs in corner near window but it leaves no place for sofa.
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It just seems like the couch would fit, facing the wall where it is now, but I have no idea how dep it is, either. I know it would put the coffee table right in front of the fireplace, centered maybe, but I think that would look great! I hate to keep harping on this, but also feel your frustration. Would you want to measure the depth of the couch and put a yardstick even on the carpet where the couch would stop if you place it back far enough to leave plenty of room to walk. Then we can either play some more, or scratch our heads and keep thinking.