Can someone help me tone down too formal living room with poor layout?
lolainlasvegas
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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lolainlasvegas
11 days agoRelated Discussions
Please help me layout my living room
Comments (15)Thanks for all of the ideas!!! I knew I'd find some good advice on GW. Let me address the tv issue. We like its present spot (but can move it down) because you don't see it when you walk into the room. The cable box and DVD player are stashed in the closet directly behind it so no media console nor visible cables (the tv will be moved over the ones in the photo) neither. In our last apartment, the tv took center stage and we definitely watch tv less now. If it were smaller, I think it could go elsewhere and not be such a focal point, but a 46" tv is not so easy to work with. Here are extra photos give you a sense of the rest of the space. That is not a clear table, we haven't gotten our tabletop yet! LOL In the corner, we've put stacked chairs and a media console temporarily. We are planning to put an upright piano here. Tibbrix - interestingly, the glare hasn't bothered us. Maybe because it's winter and often overcast and snowing? But once we get our window treatments, we'll just close them to watch tv. That particular window is quite small and doesn't have a great view. The view's actually great from the kitchen and dining area! I think we're okay with losing the view from the living area. Aside from the glare and loss of view, do you see anything wrong with having the sofa with its back to the window? Olychick - thanks for "validating" my sofa and its placement! I've been back and forth about it, sometimes I think it looks great in the space, other times I think it's too big. I think your idea for tv placement is interesting and could work if our tv were smaller. Ours is such a behemoth... Celticmoon & Camlan - I saw in another apartment something along the lines of what you both suggest. They utilized the back 2/3 by the window as their living area (two sofas facing each other) and the remaining front 1/3 as a kids' play area. There was no tv to contend with. I thought this looked great, but couldn't think of what we'd do with that extra space. Your suggestions are definitely giving me some ideas though... Teacats - you said to float the chair under the mirror. Where would you put the mirror? I thought about a sectional, too. The only thing is we would want it to be flexible in that it can be rearranged to a different configuration for a different space. We may live here for as little as 5 years. Everyone's ideas have been really helpful! I'm planning to move the sofa with DH this weekend so that it faces the tv. I'll try it out both 2/3 of the way back and all the way back and let you know what we think. I have a couple questions for now - 1. Mirror being too high. Our sofa back is only 31" high and if the mirror is hung much lower, you could see the reflection of the back of our heads when we're sitting there. This is weird to me. Another reason I hung the mirror high is because I read that with low ceilings, you want to hang mirrors/art on the high side because your eye gets drawn upward, which makes the ceilings appear higher. What do you all feel about that? 2. One thought I'm having is to put a different kind of seating where the chair is where DH and I could sit together to watch tv in its current position. It'd have to be big enough to accommodate both of us, but not a full-on loveseat, which would not look right in the space. Something sized between a loveseat and a lounger. Should have a back and arms for comfort. Does what I'm picturing exist outside my mind?...See MoreCan someone help me decorate my formal living room?
Comments (32)Nosoccermom, I'm actually sitting in the room now and had to move one of the chairs to the other side of the sofa because I couldn't see the tv from either one. I am not at all comfortable. However, I didn't buy these chairs to be comfortable and sat on for hours at a time. They are just for our office and are rarely used. I don't know how much time we'd spend in here if I had to sit on this chair. (Yes, I could sit on the couch with my husband but like oakleyok said, we like having our own space). My husband also was concerned that it's not really set up for interaction with the chairs there since everyone seems to be looking at the tv, not at eachother. He's still hoping for a sofa and loveseat or the sectional. I feel like the room has definitely opened up like this but if we're not comfortable watching tv, we will rarely sit in here - sad but true. I am at a stand still. I like the look but not for tv or talking. Maybe it can just look pretty. :) To answer your question, we do use it for watching tv. I'd say DH spends about 25% of his tv watching time in here and my oldest spends an hour or two after school in here reading or watching tv. I don't come in here on my own. I prefer the family room because it's off the kitchen and I can see everything that's going on if I am cooking/getting a snack for the kids or any of the other million things I have to do in there. I also hate looking at the old furniture in here and that will hopefully be solved soon. To answer the question about the sectional size, it was 120 inches long and 84 inches on the chaise side. So 10 feet by 7. The room is 19 x 12. The sectional would actually give me a little bit more room than the couch and loveseat that is presently in the room. It would take up much more room than a couch and 2 chairs....See MoreBlank Slate - Help me decorate my formal Living/Dining Room (pics
Comments (6)Now I understand where you are headed. My suggestions will not be matchy matchy and are pretty eclectic in nature. So, hopefully you will get some ideas you may not have thought about. Let's start with the DR. Drapes: I like dramatic so, if the rug has bronze that would be my first choice though there is nothing wrong with gold. I like plain simple drapes. I think drapes like blacksplashes should not be a focal point of a room when you have other beautiful things going. They should help frame the room like the color on the walls do. You may not need pinch pleated drapes. It would save you money not to have the pinch pleats. You need to decide if you want to run them from ceiling to floor or with a rod (I saw some beautiful rods at Calico Corner's. I think JCP carries Kirsch hardware also) above the window not from the ceiling. Dining table: I notice most people select wood to use with oriental rugs. I am working with a designer for my family room and breakfast nook and he just taught me a good lesson: Print rug-glass table, solid rug-wood table. He said you want to show off the beauty of the rug at all times from every direction. They do make some very large glass tables that you can use with 2 wooden pedestals for support or a great square base. If you are having a lot of guests for dinner like Christmas than you can add a folding table and use the same table cloth. This is just a suggestion. You can use wood but I always like to share new knowledge when I learn something. I still like crystal for chandeliers in dining rooms. In this case I would use crystal with some funky lamp shades to add a little fun into the room. You may find these at Home Goods or on line. I would try leopard for shades. It's hard to visualize if this will work without actually seeing it in person. Maybe someone will photoshop. Do you know the size of the table you want to use? I also think you may be able to find dining room chairs on ebay or a used furniture store that might be in decent condition or you can buy them new. Remember the chair wood does not need to match the wood of the table. There is more interest created when they don't. Here is another idea for chairs: you can used entirely different ones for the head of the table. Actually, I am pretty good at decorating eclectically. My friends are always looking for my eye. The designer I am working with always says to me "what do you need me for". Well, he is a great buffer between me and my BF whom I share my new home with. He has made my life so much more easier and is worth every penny. I am also learning alot about decorating from him....See MoreArt Help - Formal Living Room
Comments (72)Hi I just found this while searching white goods, I could not resist taking a peek AND I don't have time :) I am a past interior decorator and Artist. I know there is a lot of deco Art but I was just wondering if you can not do a search on local artists through FB. Amazingly you can get some wonderful Art from local emerging artists that is very inexpensive. I am a terrible Art snob as far as I just so dislike Deco Art. I believe rooms can come alive with a real work that is of your taste and has substance and character. Art can work with a room and not be similar. Buying Art for your room may take you some time but it is such a fun experience where you go to showings or visit studios and chat to the Artist. only my point of view :) now back to searching Tappanyaki's . By the way the other advice has been very good just not my opinion....See Morelolainlasvegas
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