Welcome to my week four pity party. In the last few days, all of my work time has been gobbled up by unexpected and inane tasks as well as computer troubles. As I write this, I am “banned” from my own website unless I log in over and over–a problem for another day.
If there were such a thing as a personal hell, mine would include spending days attempting to fix website issues on a slow computer with a poor internet connection while my dog barks to go out but won’t actually go out the 250 times per day that I stop what I am doing to open the door for her.
In short, nothing I expected to get done is done. Join me in feeling defeated, won’t you?
Normally, I am Miss Merry Sunshine, so I’m not sure why this silly living room is getting the best of me, but I’m going to feel my feelings so I can move on.
Week Four
Over the weekend, my oldest son re-painted the bookshelves, and that was a huge help. He did all the main parts, and I’ll follow-up with the details. The color change is subtle. In fact, as expected, Andy did not even notice, so I finally fessed up. He couldn’t remember preferring this paint color, so there’s that.
Here’s an up-close shot that shows the difference.
I also started to paint the window sashes, but I did not get very far. Right now, they look very messy but don’t worry. I still need to do a second coat and clean the glass.
One thing that is still stumping me is the furniture arrangement. I asked for some advice on Instagram, and arranging the room as pictured below was the most popular suggestion:
Please ignore all of the furniture at the edges of the room. For now, I’m only focusing on what’s on the rug. Also, I only had one chair with legs downstairs, but I have a similar one upstairs. That side would look better with two chairs.
Honestly, I don’t love looking at the back of the couch. Based on the suggestions from Instagram, I should or could put a console table there. However, unless I love this arrangement, I don’t want to go to the trouble of making one or searching for one secondhand. Why is this so hard?
I also put a wool throw over the seat cushions just for fun, and it’s just kind of meh. Those blue walls need to go immediately. They are ruining the vibe.
That’s all I have to report this week. Hopefully, there will be a shift soon, so this project can move forward.
For more projects and information about the One Room Challenge, please check out their website. It’s week two for the group of featured designers and the rest of the guest participants too.
14 Comments
Melissa
I hope you find a way to keep the symmetry of the couches and fireplace. With the rug to ground the space and possibly fewer smaller pieces to distract from those lines, I think it could be really welcoming and play to the original features. I am so glad you made the switch to a softer black for the accents!
Stacy
Thanks, Melissa. Talking it out and admitting that it was still a giant mess helped, and your comment did too. I already feel a lot better about the softer black.
Elizabeth
This room has always perplexed me. Not a fan of the current furniture placement. It blocks the view of that gorgeous fireplace.
Do you need 2 couches? What about moving a couch to its previous spot to left of fireplace, replace other couch with 2 low profile chairs (spindle?). I know that could get $$$ though. Or place a larger chair to right of fireplace? I didnt realize until now that you have a tv in this room. I was going to suggest a sideboard to help balance the room and to bring the eye away from the the left. Does this make sense? It makes sense in my head, but that’s not always a sensible place to be.
Good call on repainting the bookcases and the walls. I was going to suggest SW Peppercorn for bookcases, but I think it looks really good.
Stacy
Thanks for the help, Elizabeth. The furniture definitely can’t stay this way. I agree. We need two couches, but I’m going to let your ideas swirl around a bit, and a solution may present itself. 😀 My brain works in mysterious ways.
Jenny
Hm, definitely agree with you that the couches can’t stay like that–you can’t appreciate the fireplace at all! I rather like examples that I’ve seen where two couches face each other in front of a fireplace, but that does make it challenging if you want to have a tv visible from both couches.
Stacy
It’s a puzzle! 🙂
Barbara
Hmmm. It’s tricky because you’re needing to accommodate the fireplace and tv. Seems like you can either have the couches parallel as you did before (and try to balance out the window seat on the other side) or in an L shape as you have now (but having one couch with its back to the tv doesn’t seem optimal). I can’t tell from pictures if it would be possible to angle the couches somehow. If you go back to the parallel arrangement, I’d keep everything on the window seat in a tone to blend in with the walls and let the black painted window be the highlight. I would also put two chairs facing the fireplace (where the couch with the blanket is now) so the furniture is arranged in more of a square than a rectangle. That seems cozier to me. It’s such a pretty room. I’m excited to see what you do with it.
Peggy
Could you post a drawing that shows the dimensions and layout of this room? Looking at the pictures it seems that this is a large, rectangular space with lots of windows, and three focal points on three different walls. The fireplace is opposite the entry to the room, the TV is on the same wall as the entry (?), and the reading nook/window seat is on the left side of the room (as you enter). IMO the beautiful reading nook, the fireplace and the gorgeous windows are the features that elevate this room. Placing large, overstuffed furniture, arranged like a fortress in the center of the room, distracts from the highlights. Your inspiration photo has many similarities to your room, and furniture is placed to allow open space where the beauty of the fireplace and window seat can be included. In a room where the family gathers for entertainment, TV placement is critical. It seems that having the TV on the wall near the entry (I am guessing here) may be part of the furniture arrangement struggle. Is TV position negotiable? Can it be placed where it doesn’t compete with other focal points?
Southern gal
Could it be the different colors of the sofas also. I think if you are going to watch tv in that room you need to put the sofa in front of the tv back to the other side.
Treat the window seat as a separate area. I actually would add color of it. Maybe a colorful seat cushion all across with Some gorgeous fabric. Then set your other furniture as you want ignoring thar window, with some color it will stand on its own. Also get covers the same color for the sofas. A dark red or blue or green – something to tie them together
I think the other problem is too many bland colors. You need lots of color in this room it’s very bright it can take it. Me I would paint the walls a really deep lush color. With all that light you could have fun. I would do a dark red. But then I love a red living room. Dark blue would be great.
And of colorful cushions This room needs color in my opinion.
Chris
What’s your use case for this room? Does the fireplace work, and are y’all sit and stare into the fire people? I see the tv, so I assume this is your primary tv room? Does it need to double as a guest gathering place, or are you more hermits who meet people outside your haven? Is your hubby’s desk looking to be a long term addition to the room?
Based on *me* and what I personally like, I would put 2 comfy chairs that either swivel or move easily by the fire and create a “staring into the flames with a cozy blanket, footstool, book, reading light, and place for a mug of tea” vignette that isn’t part of the main grouping, but that could be easily turned if the occasion warrants more seating. I’d use the TV as the focal point for the sofas, because tv watching happens more often than groups of guests, and frankly my family doesn’t sit around and “converse” except over the dinner table. And I’d experiment with big gorgeous velvet drapes that can close off the window seat on desire because sitting and reading in my private hideaway window seat has been one of my joys since I read too many victorian kids novels where they hid behind the curtains. (it’s the adult version of reading closets and kiddy tents in the bedroom lol) So how would you/do you use this room?
All of which adds up to: try treating the room as a series of smaller spaces and work them into a harmonious whole instead of trying to make it one big space.
Yarrow
I am sorry to be saying this, but the dark paint on the built ins, just dramatically jumps out at me and draws the eye that way, making it even more lopsided. If it was white, I think the couch in front of the window would really help pull the eye there. Stand behind the couch, and just squint your eyes to see what I mean.
Nancy
Been following your blog almost from your beginning, and have been cheering on your progress room by room. It’s great that you take your time to find inspiration photos and love to incorporate vintage and found items. I know I’ve mentioned Maria Killam before when there was a discussion here of the best way to select paint/tile/floor colors. I love to read about her design process as she explains just why a homeowner is dissatisfied about any or all aspects of attempts to decorate that fail to please them. You may want to check out some of her posts about clean vs dirty, and warm vs cool colors and how they can be made to work together. What I see is that you have some of these factors going on in this room and it might help you to determine what is what before investing in more paint or accessories. She also does a really good job of doing several seating arrangements, and explains why they may, or may not work.
Personally, I am not a fan of the back of a sofa with its visual halt from the opening of the room. It works in an open concept floorplan, but your room cries out for the fabulous fireplace to take center stage. Plus, that beautiful rug needs to be seen! Ignore the window seats when arranging the sofas. Face the sofas to each other and have two comfortable chairs (or one chair and a large ottoman) either at the fireplace end, or the entrance end. Don’t look at the window seats as part of the main seating area as they can be treated as their own areas. Whether you pile them w/ cushions and throws, or use them for a grouping of large plants in pots – treat them as quirky, fun extras. To me, your room is needing layers and repetition of colors.
The point is to have fun with this project and not agonize over making the entire room conform. The room is quirky, and needs to glory in that. Thank you for letting me add my 2 cents. I know that in the end, you’ll get the room you want – I just wish you didn’t tie yourself to a determined timeline that does nothing but frustrate you when there’s a hiccup.
Enjoy the beauty of November.
Sasha
Is the built-in book shelf closest to the fireplace big enough that your tv would fit in it? I know you don’t want to do it, but I think the current location of your tv is going to make it impossible to lay out the room while keeping the two sofas. You really need to move the tv to consolidate the focal points. Or you need to give up on having the fireplace as the focal point and just arrange the furniture completely around the tv. Is the room long enough that you could create a back to back sofa moment, having one sofa facing the fireplace and the other facing the entrance to the room and focused join the tv?
Stacy
Thanks, Sasha. It’s not big enough, unfortunately. I’m just going to turn the TV wall into a gallery wall and call it a day. We have plenty of seating that faces the television.