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Help me decorate (again)
I suck at decorating my own house. I have good taste but hard time putting everything together.
My living room and foyer are kind of together- like, a very small thin metal railing is all that separates them in a 1.5 story space. This is the current layout:
We rent, so I can't paint, walls are all Sherwin Williams Interactive Cream with white trim. We have beige carpeting.
One of the walls of our living room (the back wall) is actually full sliding glass doors with vertical blinds. Our new sofa, being delivered tomorrow, is this:
Existing furniture includes an entertainment center (also a dark cherry, sorry can't find a bigger picture):
and a beautiful cherry and ebony open shelving unit.
The rest of the stuff (end tables, 2 poang chair in ivory and an ivory coffee table) is just Ikea and can stay or go.
In our foyer, we the same color paint, ivory stone tile, and I have this console table (it looks darker IRL, a reddish espresso):
This weekend I bought this mirror to hang over the console table:
So, basically, my issue is that the house is boring, but hard to decorate. I need the spaces to coordinate, and I definitely need some color.
Suggestions? Help?
Stand up for something you believe in.
Re: Help me decorate (again)
<a href="http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h205/adia83/?action=view
You can truly do anything! I think rust, gold and red will look really nice with all of the stuff you've shown but I also tend to lean more towards darker colors vs whites. I think you should find a piece of art or some sort of picture you like and go from there with deciding pillows, throws etc.
Since you see you can prob make your own roman shades or curtains in coordinating fabrics once you decide.
:Blog:
My first inclination is to choose a statement decorative piece with some bright colors in it. My initial thought are large throw pillows, an area rug or something for the wall that is on the far left in your diagram.
My personal idea for a color palette with the furniture and wall colors would be shades of teal (a dark and a bright), a light blue, maybe some accents that are metal in the same color tone as the railing divider and maybe a bright kelly or lime green. This, of course, all comes from the girl who had a bright red living room in our last place and loves bright colors pretty much everywhere.
Any ability to take down the verticals and put up curtains? Bff's did this at there place and the landlord said it was fine as long as they either left them there when they moved out or put the verticals back up. Just a though; I hate vertical blinds and think curtains are much nicer and would be a way of incorporating more color.
Also, I like what you did in your bedroom with multiple patterns in the same color (or close enough to it). It's something you might think about doing throughout your home to give the rooms continuity. In our old place every mainstay piece of furniture was a shade of mahogany or cocoa brown and then the walls were all painted in a two tone fashion (later shade of the color on in walls darker shade on outer) in the specific colors chosen for each individual room and then all accent pieces were either the color of the walls or white. It worked really well and despite the rooms all being very different color schemes they flowed well.
Any colors that you were thinking?
I was thinking maybe lighter shades- light blue and sage and maybe even some ivory- but I think you and Tonia are right about the darker stuff.
The big challenge for me is that there isn't anywhere to put wall art on our living room- the back wall is windows, one side wall has a doorway to the kitchen right in the middle of it and the other is taken up in its entirety by the shelving unit. You can't hang art on the foyer wall behind the TV because it is a door and a closet- the only place is really above the console table (which is fully visible anywhere in the living room).
So, other ways to incorporate color? Throw pillows of course, and smaller stuff on the shelving unit along with the photos we have up... That's all I can think of.
Do you think a rug over carpeting would be weird?
Stand up for something you believe in.
I don't prefer that look but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do lol. The rug would definitely bring in a lot of color. You could find skinny art to go on either side of the door maybe? I may have read that wrong though.
I totally understand what you mean about wall space though. Since you can't paint, I'd do the rug, pillows and other little knick knacks. You can also frame scrap book paper in colors you like and create your own collage in various sizes.
As for the verticals blinds, you can still put up panels that will cover them if they're open without taking them down. When we took ours down they started coming off and I can only imagine trying to put them back up lol. Plus where on earth will you store them?! They don't fold up or anything!
:Blog:
I think light blue and sage would be a little too bland in an already all "beige" living space.
Bold #1: you could find two complimenting pieces of art? This is just as a for instance, but I know that BB&B often sells pieces that are complimentary to one another or are a set. I don't know what the wall is like other than the kitchen door being in the middle of it.
Bold #2: we did in the old place and no one ever said anything about it. To us it helped to break up the space of the large living area we had. We had area rugs under our dining room table, under our coffee table and a runner down the hallway from the door leading into the living room. It's a personal preference though. It keeps your regular light carpet from getting super dirty as well.
Other ways to ring in color: again I don't know about the verticals/curtain thing but if it would be ok it's an option; what about an art piece that you hang from the ceiling (I have a visual of colored paper lanterns grouped together but I'm not suggesting you use paper lanterns...if that makes any sense); maybe a fabric runner for your foyer table or even on your tv stand or coffee table, blankets or you could make yourself one of your beautiful quilts in your desired color palette...that's all I've got
Since you can't do much with art, I'd find a rug, and let that be your inspiration piece. When we lived in our apartment, we hung curtains on the sides of the vertical blinds. I think that between a rug, curtains, throw pillows, and a little art you could add a lot of color and pattern to the room. You might even want a new patterned chair. I'd start with one piece you love though (whether it's a rug or curtains) and just go from there.
I think blues and sages could work if you add in a darker/warmer color, like a lot of chocolate brown. If not, I think it's all going to look very beige. Other color combo ideas: navy and green or lilac, cranberry and browns, eggplant and turquoise. You could do anything.
I think a rug over carpet is fine. It will add a lot to the room.
What about deeper/brighter shades of blue and green for throw pillows? Obviously, get the rug first as that will be harder to find than pillows. Once you have the rug you can match other accessories to it.
Other ways to bring in color that might work are vases, trays, throw blankets and picture frames....maybe even a small ottoman if you have room. You could tuck it under an end table when not in use.
<a href="http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h205/adia83/?action=view
I was bored and went on overstock and found some rugs that may not be your taste but could give you some ideas. My favorites are the big ones with the big flowers (oranges, reds and hints of bright green) and the teal damask one.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ivory-Floral-Rug-5-x-76/5543431/product.html
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-tufted-Metro-Flower-Beige-Wool-Rug-8-x-10/4579340/product.html
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-hooked-Charlotte-Blue-Green-Rug-76-x-96/6131426/product.html
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Flitwick-Brown-Floral-Rug-710-x-10/6345731/product.html
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Flamboyant-Orange-Multicolor-Rug-5-x-7/6440655/product.html
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-tufted-Fenway-Aqua-Wool-Rug-5-x-8/5795429/product.html
I LOVE that paisley rug, but Kirk is not so fond.
Does anyone like this one?
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Handmade-Alexa-Pino-Floral-Blue-Grey-Rug-5-x-8/5199451/product.html
Reviews say true colors are more teal and taupe.
I'm worried about the bright white on some of the rugs against our ivory carpeting...
Stand up for something you believe in.
Or this one? I love the colors of this one- but it says it is an outdoor rug- does that mean it is a different loop height or something?
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Caprina-Blue-Ivory-Outdoor-Area-Rug-710-x-10/6233170/product.html
Stand up for something you believe in.
Or this one? Could be pretty with some blue accessories.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-tufted-Espresso-Wool-Rug-5-x-76/4870275/product.html
Stand up for something you believe in.
I can't see the ones Vanessa posted bc I'm on my phone but I like the last one a lot Mary. I think the first one even though the reviews say they're darker I think it's a little too bland personally. The second, I don't own any so I can't be 100% but I do believe indoor/outdoor material is different. It's rougher bc it's more durable. Im not sure how it will lay on an existing carpet.
I think the 3rd gives you a start but still gives you the opportunity to add a lot of other colors without competing with it.
:Blog:
I like this one too-
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-tufted-Spirit-New-Zealand-Wool-Rug-5-x-8/4382686/product.html?rcmndsrc=2
Thoughts?
Stand up for something you believe in.
:Blog:
I do like this one, and also the last one you posted. I feel like the color scheme is very similar, so when it comes down to these two, it's more a question of design. I think the rug on rug is a good call!