Please help me decorate my living room.

10 years ago

Hello everyone.
My name is Amanda and I live just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
I have lived in my home for over 3 years and haven't been able to decorate it. I have no decorating confidence whatsoever.
So far, all I've done is paint my walls with Behr Butter Yellow and I bought my sofa and love seat. Their colour is called steel blue. I also bought my rug.
The sofa, love seat, rug and TV will stay, the rest is garbage. Also, the pillows are garbage. It opens to the kitchen.
Dimensions are:
Opening into kitchen 10'4"
Wall with sofa 8'10"
Alcove 6'5"
Walls on each side of alcove 3'7"
Wall with alcove to wall with sofa 12'8"
Window to wall 3'4"
Window to door 5'4"
Window 5'x5', 2' off floor
Sofa 7'x3', love seat 5'x3'
Carpet 10'x 7'8"

Please help me with furniture placement, any additional items and decor, window treatment, lamps, tables. As for style, I really don't know. I look at pictures and like a lot of them. Budget is modest. I have a 5 year old and a dog.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Amanda

Featured Answer

User
Original Author

10 years ago

I moved the love seat away from the window. Both the sofa and love seat are sitting with all 4 legs just on the rug. That leaves 4'5" between them and 3'5" from the sofa to the wall that it used to be on. What do you think? My son says hello in the 3rd pic haha

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Comments (81)

User
10 years ago
I like the original one, I think the second arrangement, with the couches facing each other, makes the room look crowded.
Jayme H.
10 years ago
I am thinking the old way looked better also.
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User
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok. If I leave it the original way, then a coffee table in front of the sofa and an end table on the TV side of the love seat?
PRO
A Crew of Two
10 years ago
I checked out your ideabook....what about doing a wallpaper behind your sofa?
Graham & Brown - Diva Wallpaper · More Info
maxdc
10 years ago
Try:
1. center longer sofa on the wall it is on in orginal layout
2. add round small end table to that sofa under the thermostat with table lamp
3. art above long sofa, centered
4. move loveseat out from the window just a bit so it doesn't look pressed against the windows
5. move end table that is currently between door/loveseat to the other side of the loveseat and relocate dog bed
6. add coffee table or round ottoman
7. art on either side of the tv niche in similar scale (doesn't have to be matching)
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I have rounded corners to all my walls. I'm not sure how that would look with wallpaper?
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi maxdc. The sofa is centred on that wall in the original pic. I think it's the angle of the shot that makes it not look like it is. With that wall being 8'10" and the sofa being 7'3", that doesn't leave me much space for a table on the side.
The table between the window and the door is 30" tall and 15" wide. It was a matching table that came with my dining table. Thank you for your ideas.
PRO
A Crew of Two
10 years ago
shoooot! Maybe someone else can weigh in on that....
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Kelly, the rounded corners are a bit of a pain. There are so many of them that I couldn't figure out how to use more than one paint colour on the main floor! How do you switch colours on a curve? So, I painted the entire 1st floor one colour (minus the bathroom). I figured I'd eventually add more colour another way, like backsplash in the kitchen or whatever...but that's for another day :)
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
mandy, you switch colors on an inside corner. I have had the bullnose corners before, and that is what I did.
PRO
Stamps Design Services
10 years ago
I am posting a glass coffee table, throw pillows and curtains....(the drapes are shown in brown but come in Ivory)
PRO
Stamps Design Services
10 years ago
Also I did a quick mock up of a possible furniture arrangement for you....
PRO
Signature Home Services
10 years ago
Wonderful ideas and the room looks great. Go with what works for your family though. With a large dog and children I know space matters a lot.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I think I'd prefer wood over glass for my coffee table. Would that be wrong for this room? Something sleek, but not modern, sort of vintage if that makes any sense.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I always wondered if I could put a sofa in front of the alcove. Only thing is I think that there isn't enough room for the sofa to be centred on the alcove. Not with the other couch there anyway (if that makes any sense)
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Just measured and my love seat would take up 3' of the wall toward my alcove leaving only 7". I think that would put my sofa well over a foot off centre in front of the alcove.
PRO
Stamps Design Services
10 years ago
Make a conversation area, don't worry about lining things up... add art work of different sizes, it is a good way to "even" things out :-)
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I will try it in the morning and see how it looks. Thanks Stamps :)
PRO
Stamps Design Services
10 years ago
I saw a piece at Sears....but when I went back I couldn't find it! They do have some nice tables under Paula Deen's name
PRO
Art of Silk
10 years ago
If you're looking to spruce up the walls but aren't sure about wallpaper - how about some artwork?
Two Magpies - Hand Designed Silk Art, Silk Embroidery · More Info
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I've decided that I'm going to keep my couch and love seat in the original photo. What kind of coffee table do you think would be best? White? Brown wood? Glass? Leather ottoman? I think that I would like to have green accents as well. What do you think? These are some ideas I like. Could I make something like this work in my room? Thanks!
Jayme H.
10 years ago
I think u could definitely add in green... As for pattern in drapery...it can get tricky mixing, but it certainly can be done well!! Maybe a pattern with your blues, white and also some green?
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
I think you should put the larger couch centered on the window and the love seat on the wall where the couch used to be. By having the two couches facing each other, it closes off the room too much and makes it look smaller. Then turn the table on the window wall 90 degrees and have it run the length of the sofa arm. When you find draperies, have them extend beyond the window the width of the sofaand get a larger, more substantial rod. You can either have one stationary panel at each end of the rod, or drapes to cover the window, but it will make your window appear larger=more spacious. On each side of the love seat you could put a square table and a round table with the mercury glass lamps. You would then have room for an accent chair on the TV wall, angled in toward the seating group. This chair would be used for conversation, not tV watching, so it doesn't have to be too big, nor too comfy. I would suggest using a striped fabric for your drapes, with the colors of your rug in it. If you find one with all your colors--slate blue, brown?, yellow-beige, and grey, you could also have a green stripe in it, which would incorporate any green accents you might want to use in the room. The chair could be a textured solid in any of the other colors, even green. I am attaching a few fabric and drapery samples which illustrate what I mean:
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
Ignore that last drapery sample, attached it by mistake. A large piece of art over the love seat would be good and some chairs:
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you Nancy for all of your ideas. I really like that idea of extending my curtains. I was also thinking about an accent chair in that corner of the room and was wondering if green would be too much. I found one yesterday that I thought might work. I also thought of maybe some green lamps? Not sure about those though. I really like the art and chair that you attached. What type of tables would you suggest? White? Light or dark wood? Glass? And what shape coffee table? Thanks again for your help.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Here it is with the furniture switched. There's about 20" on either side of the love seat.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
I wouldn't go with such a lime green as you're showing here. The lamps don'r really play nicely with your rug. If you do use green, maybe a soft spearmint color might work better, but use it sparingly--throw pillows, etc.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
I would go with a neutral lamp
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok. So maybe a different green and only in some pillows. Maybe a bit in the curtains and art?
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Something like this maybe?
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
Yes, but there again, that is too yellow a green. Look at the art I posted earlier
User
Original Author
10 years ago
And what type of table would you suggest? Thanks again for your info.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
Either one of those chairs I posted would work with the rug and everything.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I see what you mean. Sort of a pale green.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
Oops, I forgot to post the tables! Stay in the same wood tone, you can use different styles than the one by the sofa
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Is that chair sort of a cream colour? Sorry, the pic is coming up blurry when I touch it.
User
10 years ago
For the coffee table, I would consider going with a glass top to keep the area more visually open. Some coffee table choices:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Tanner-Espresso-Coffee-Table-with-Shelf/5230235/product.html

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Boomerang-Espresso-Antique-Silver-Rectangular-Coffee-Table/7685138/product.html

An option for drapes:

http://www.countrycurtains.com/product/010150792+french+ticking+rod+pocket+curtains.do?sortby=ourPicks

I would add lighter color accent pillows to the sofas as shown in your inspiration pic to lighten them up.
I think a green as another accent color could work - a light, soft green.
I like your first furniture arrangement the best, with the shorter sofa under the window.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
But if she puts the longer sofa on the other wall she has no room for end tables...
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I think it looks better the way you had it earlier. Perhaps you could use the coffee table for in front of the longer sofa and a floor lamp there? Were you going to use a coffee table in front of the loveseat? Or in front of the sofa? Or not have one and leave it open? I guess I was going on your earlier idea of what you were going to have - do think the first arrangement looks better if you can make it work.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I was going to put a coffee table in front of the long sofa. If the love seat is in front of the window, I would have room for 1 end table at the TV wall. I think if i put an end table at the other end of the love seat, people would be bumping their knees on it. Then I'd have to put a floor lamp next to the sofa I guess? And a lamp on the end table. There would be room for a floor lamp on the other end of the love seat too, by the door end.
I think I like it the original way if I could make it work. I've been trying it with the long couch against the window, but then when then love seat is centred on that wall, it just seems a bit off when watching the TV. Like I'm forced to sit too far to the right, if that makes any sense.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I was also thinking about people having to walk around the coffee table going through the living room. Maybe that's not a good idea? I don't know. Maybe the coffee table should go in front of whatever ends up on the window wall? Honestly, I just thought that the coffee table always goes in front of the sofa. But then I again, I don't know much about this stuff.
User
10 years ago
I don't think the coffee table being in front of the sofa if it is facing the television would be as big a problem since you would walk into the room and around it, not right next to the sofa. Perhaps the bigger issue would be if you need lighting there, not sure if you do, given the other lighting in the area with the kitchen and other lamps, and if a possibly a floor lamp would work if you do need more lighting. The proportions look off with the long sofa against the window, it kind of crowds the entry and entry table and is larger than the smaller window above. The other wall looks more bare with the smaller loveseat. I would consider getting a coffee table that you like first, seeing where it would best work in terms of how it works and looks, and going from there. A glass top coffee table would help keep it more visually open. Lots of good advice above to choose from!
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks collettec. I've been doing some window shopping this week online, this weekend I'm going to get out there and see if I can find anything I like.
I think I'm going to keep the original arrangement and probably use a floor lamp next to the sofa.
My next questions are...could I mix a glass top coffee table with a wood end table? Or should I get the same for both. And should table lamps and floor lamps match each other? Or how do I make sure they work together in the space? Thanks
PRO
Stamps Design Services
10 years ago
Are either of these close to what you had in mind? Both are from Ashley Furniture ...
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
You can mix a glass-top table with wood if it's framed in wood. No, table lamps and floor lamp don't have to match. I have two very distinct lamps in my living room, and they don't match.
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
For more cohesion; for the tables, if you have tables to either side of either the sofa or loveseat, it helps to have them both be of a similar shape, eg, round or square and a similar wood shade, even if wood and glass on one and wood on the other. For the lamps, it helps to have the shades be of a similar shape, even if different types and styles of lamps.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks collettec. Great information. Really helps me understand.
curlycook
10 years ago
http://houzz.com/photos/3680085
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
Mandy, the chairs I posted earlier were from Tommy Bahama--believe it or not, the chair style is "Walton!" Anyway, the first one had a blue trellis, and the second was a textured chenille, I think, with cream and beige.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
I have no idea what price we're looking at, you'd need to talk to a dealer.