Need help finishing new room! Don't want make another mistake!!

6 years ago

We ordered two sofas, a leather swivel chair and rug through Ethan Allen for new house. Not loving the rug that I ordered from Ethan Allen which I paid a decent amount of money for. The decorator I worked with felt that a 9 x 12 would be a good size based on dimensions of the floor plan. I am not sure if it is too small. Now I am thinking that i should have gone with something more plush- looking kind of cold to me. It is very flat- almost a sisal look. Also originally she thought two swivel chairs would work in room, but then felt 2 of the chairs wouldn't work so we went with one. Another mistake i think! One chair by itself looks lost to me. I still have to order coffee table and end tables for the room but am at a stand still!! Don't want to make any other costly mistakes! :(. The coffee table, and round table between the couches are only temporary. We brought them from our other house just so we have something to put things on. I also brought our bedroom end table out this morning to just get an idea of how it would look with in a table only half on the rug. As you can see it looks horrible!!!
Desperately need advice on how to make this room work. One option is to start fresh and use the rug in our bedroom. However, really would not have spent this price for a bedroom rug. The house is near the beach- want a casual look and relaxing feel to it. I am NOT at all contemporary – looking for a more transitional stye. Would like to do blues and greens in the room, which is open to kitchen and dining area. Once I figure out the layout and rug then i will work on window treatments and possibly painting the walls. Right now I just have the temporary "paper" blinds up from Home Depot.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Featured Answer

Tanya H

6 years ago

Just throwing this out there: would it work to have the sofas facing each other? Leave one against the wall or window and pull the other out to face it with a coffee table in the center and the chair to one side. Could be a cute little conversation area.

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Comments (45)

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BeverlyFLADeziner
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Where is the TV?

Your sofa should be centered on the large window

Slide the sofa on the wall down to accommodate the sofa at the window or flip the sofa to the open area and place the TV on the wall instead.

Rug is right size, but boring......can you exchange it?

I would like to post floor plans or pics, but for some reason, the images will not load.
lhutch13
6 years ago
What is on the 4th wall?
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indomom
6 years ago
I agree with centering the sofa on the window for starters. You could consider plantation shutters for a clean, beach-y feel. I think if you tweak the sofas and move the rug under the other sofa more, you will have room for your end table. Some more interesting pillows and art will make a huge difference. I like the idea of blues and greens.
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
@ Beverly. I know the sofa is not centered with the window. :) we tried sliding that sofa down to center with window but it looked terrible because it ends up in front of arms over other sofa if that makes sense. The sofas are 87 inches long and very heavy so hard for just my husband and I to move them. (They are the Ethan Allen Arcata sofas)
Also, I was hoping we could do something with window treatments to disguise the sofa not being centered on that window.
I agree that the rug looks boring!! Cannot return to Ethan Allen- they claim everything is custom ordered so i am stuck with it. Spent spent about $8,000 on everything working with designer and was excited to have furniture delivered after we closed in August. A month and 1/2 has gone by and just not happy- total stand still on what to do next with either changing furniture layout, rug, tables, window treatments.... this is a summer home until we retire - then will become our permanent residence. Right now we are only down here on weekends but anxious to finish this room. I know you always give good advice on Houzz so Ill take any suggestions you can give me.
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
This is the 4th wall in the room. Temporary table with table cloth thrown over it for now. We were thinking of wall mounting TV with a console underneath or possible an entertainment wall unit.
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
Not sure how to center the sofa to make it work because it ends up to close to the wall and in front of other sofa. Cannot move sofa to opposite side because it is too close to kitchen island and there is also no walkway!
loudon1
6 years ago
I think it will look beautiful once you add color and character with your throws,pillows,and wall art. I agree the rug is on the boring side, but it could be a lot worse. At least it is in style and neutral... You can definitely work with it. I would just focus on beautiful colorful wall art that you love, and then buy fun pillows and throws that match. Congratulations on your house. It's beautiful!
Peggy Hicks
6 years ago
I like Beverly's idea of putting TV on wall, having large sofa on other side and centering other sofa on window. Rug is a bit boring, but I think you are off to a good start! Lots more color, your green and blues, in throws, art, pillows, etc. I think it will be very soothing.
Lizzie Borden
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
amhers104 following. I agree with loudon1 and Peggy. With color from throws, art, and pillows this room come together beautifully. I will be following your progress, as I too need to add color to bring my rooms to life.
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
The big problem with centering the sofa with the window is that the window is not centered on the wall inside- but centered on outside of house. There is 50 inches of wall on one side and only 29 inches of wall on the other side. Making it very difficult to have an 87 inch so far centered on that wall! :(
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
@lizzie, Loudin1 and Peggy. I am open for any and all suggestions on bringing more color in woth pillows , art work, throws, lamps..... These are the pillows that i ordered with the sofas. Picture is of pillow on the sofa so you can see the colors of both.
K Laurence
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I love the rug, but I don't like my rugs to be a focal point, I prefer to showcase my artwork & accessories rather than a rug ... i prefer to use them as a more neutral blank canvas.
let1950
6 years ago
Not a professional, by any means, but here's some thoughts. Could you put your tv on the opposite wall? I think you need to get the other chair to go with the lonely one. Place them on the window wall. Place one sofa where you now have your tv or move it away from the wall to create a traffic pattern.
rcarterworld
6 years ago
I think you can make it work colorwise -- its a pretty blank slate. I just feel like ordering two couches of that size was too much for the space. I am assuming this is a permanent purchase, whereby you cannot exchange the window couch for chairs?
Maria Privat
6 years ago
Indeed, it seems not possible to center the sofa under the window. How about this: put that sofa where the chair is now and put the chair under the window. In that case you also have room there for the pet's bed. Only measure things out before you start rearraging, because I'm not sure if the walkway to the dining room area will stay large enough this way.

It might provide a cozy room within a room and a lovely view outside as well.

If you decide on another rug, maybe even one with some accent color in it, perhaps this one would serve well in the dining room area?

It always looks a bit weird without all the furniture. But once the right coffee table is there and the right media furniture too, you can hang up art and bring in some plants.

The pillows you have right now seem nice enough. But somehow they do not provide the accent color either.

Maybe some rich wood in your other furnishings would already bring out the best in the room. Still, I find pillows and art a very easy way of livening things up, as to be seen in the picture below. I think the liver color of your chair might go well with it.

Otherwise one could use a non-intrusive color on just one wall, or even part of the wall, to bring in some color.

You have a very nice floor.
rcarterworld
6 years ago
She mentioned she couldn't move the couch to the other side unfortunately......
Mary de Jesus
6 years ago
Your room will come along you have a great starting point. Lesson learned from Ethan Allen! Are they certified designers? Or store decorators selling furniture? Curious.
You have a good eye and with your addition of art and colour you’ll have a beautiful room. Especially with the help of talented Houzzers!
jpp221
6 years ago
Centre sofa under window. Move second sofa so it’s parallel and facing. Put the tv on the opposite wall—right now it’s like the tv is in the hallway.

Then, watch Frankie and grace, and model after that home. You need some blue, and some texture (baskets or more). A calm, but beautifully coloured throw on the sofa, a big pillow or two, again, coloured. And of course window coverings—not shutters, as you’d be losing the opportunity to get colour up the wall that way.

Soon, you won’t notice the overly-beige rug/sofa combo.

Final note: if you’re not willing to rearrange the sofas, then drapery panels can trick everyone. Let the left panel hang over the wall, but the right panel over the glazing, giving the appearance that the window is further left than it is.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
OK, so having the sofas face one another seems reasonable.

I think this layout will work for your room. Also do not lift those sofas. Use the plastic sliders everyone else uses to move furnishings safely around a home. You can purchase them at Walmart, Walgreens etc.
Drapery panels will help the room, but not disguise the problem of the window.
kulrn
6 years ago
With coffee table and art, accessories, It will come together! All these rooms have plain rugs.
kcooz07
6 years ago
If it were my room, I would move everything out of the area except the 2 couches and rug to start. I would get the sliders Beverly mentioned and try the ideas suggested. Try the rug closer to the wall. Move the 4th barstool out for now. After you see what other sofa configurations may work, then you can think about the chair, TV etc. The furniture is very nice-you will get there.
jck910
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Is this the layout from the designer? Get her over there to offer solutions. The TV is in a walk way so it definitely needs to be on the other wall. Line up the right arm of the sofa with the right side of the window to see if that makes it "feel" better
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
We rearranged the furniture a few different ways to try to have the sofa centered with the window. We both did not like them across from each other- it did not give enough room for walkway near the island and both sofas were too close to the wall. (24 inches). This is the main room room with TV and husband, who loves his TV, Felt it was awkward to watch the TV in the seat closest to the wall will have a very difficult time seeing the TV with such a tight angle. That configuration is in the first two pictures. We both do like the way room is set up in the last two pictures- and the sofa is centered with the window!! Also gives us plenty of room for walkway near the island even with the 4th stool. My husband is happy because now only one seat in this configuration will be tough to watch the TV. The only thing I'm not sure about is the swivel chair. We centered it with the sofa's center cushion. Even though I think it looks better with that chair more in the corner it would be extremely difficult for anyone to watch TV while sitting there. For now we put the TV on a small, narrow glass table that I had in the house. If we keep the room set up this way then I will have to have to figure out what to do with the TV – wall mount or TV console table. The deepest I can go for a console would be 24 inches. Please let me know what people think- is this better (the last
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
Whoops- for some reason the order of the pictures got messed up. The arrangement that we like right now are photos #1 and #3. Here are two more pictures with that arrangement. I was playing around with the small glass table to see if i may need to get a sofa table for behind the couch. What do people think - do I need to also get a sofa table or no table there.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
6 years ago
Some suggestions to fine tune.
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
@ Beverly. Yes!! We definitely would need to get a larger TV and different table. We only put that table an TV there just so we could get an idea of what the room would look like. It is the new house so really the only table that we could use. We have been using that smaller TV that we brought from finished basement in our other house until we figured out what size TV we needed in the room. What size TV do you think would work?
Any suggestions on cocktail tables, end tables, and TV console table?
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
Also, when we go back to the house this weekend we will try moving the chair and angling it more. When we did it today it seemed too obstruct the walkway near the island.
PRO
Mr Home Guy
6 years ago
Paint the two walls. Rhonda the Sofa as accent wall that flow with the decor of the house. Be brace and bold with color. The rug will work once you paint the walls.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Use a wall hung media cabinet below the TV

You can use at least 59" and maybe larger. Refer to the TV size charts and distance sitting away
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
Never really considered a wall hung media cabinet-- something for me to think about it. Not sure if this may be too "contemporary" looking for me. As I mentioned in my initial post , i am looking for more of a coastal/casual look. I do really like the frame around the TV in the first picture. Do you know where they sell those or are they custom made?
DH
6 years ago
Following...
Harper
6 years ago
Going to look for some tables
Harper
6 years ago
Coffee and end table ideas
dannirose
6 years ago
I love what you have! It's the start of a beautiful room, as the above pictures from Maria and Kurln show.
amhers104
Original Author
6 years ago
@kurln. I really like the coffee table in the 1st picture you posted. Do you have any idea who the manufacturer/dimensions are of that table?
schnable1
6 years ago
Back to Home Depot after you measure sofa leg diameter wherew it touches the floor. Ask them to help you find Glide discs so your sofa will slide. Even if you don't move furniture often, your cleaning person will love you.
kulrn
6 years ago
It was on this site http://www.ecstasycoffee.com/45-beautiful-coastal-decorating-ideas-inspiration/ Sorry, don't know, but I will keep an eye out for some similar.
kulrn
6 years ago
https://gonautical.com/home/2325-coastal-living-resort-windward-dune-cocktail-coffee-table-.html
21.25" H x 52" W x 28" D
happyleg
6 years ago
Form couch in L from wall & kitchen 2 chairs at window with table between. I also like the last couch post with sofa table.
PRO
SJS Interiors
6 years ago
I agree with moving the couch so it is centered under the window and move the other couch down a little. Once you add drapes, pillows and art work it will make a big difference. I really don't think you need the chair or you might consider a rattan chair or two since you say it is a beach house. The rattan wouldn't seem as bulky.
Bruce Musser
6 years ago
Treat that window wall to off white linen sheers floor to ceiling all way across. It's a great trick for pesky off centered windows. I like the couches! Try a round ottoman in a print to liven up the rug. Good luck!
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Here is mocking up.
PRO
Crespo Design Group
6 years ago
We like celerygirls mock up. It seems to suit your issue well. You need a TV console, though. Here is what we used in a design of ours.
shwshw
6 years ago
I like this arrangement. Allows you to center the couch on window and let's you keep the walkway by the counter more open. Looking forward to seeing how this evolves. Love what you have so far.