Design Dilemma: An Awesome Living Room

I love a house with good bones. And today’s Design Dilemma is all about a living room that has them in spades. Kimberley’s 1920’s living room is blessed with beautiful architectural details. Large crown molding, wainscoting, substantial baseboards, and wide trim around the doors create wonderful structure (or bones) from which to plan a decorating scheme. The marble fireplace is a dream!

Kimberley has lived in her home long enough to finish decorating most of her house. She’s saved the living room for last. While rich in detail, it has a few complications. First, the room is a bit out of proportion, being long and thin. Second, the room is laid out in an atypical way. Usually, you find the fireplace centered in a room. Here, it’s at one end, across from the front door. Finally, space planning requires leaving room for traffic to pass through the main living space, which leads through the pocket doors into the dining room.

The dilemma here is how to arrange the furniture to allow for that traffic, and create a unified look. Also, we need to create some usable space near the fireplace, and provide for more seating. I have to say, this was a fun room to work on.

Inspiration
I wanted to create a youthful space with a light, colorful feel to it. Something that would be fun for a young couple. My first idea was to make the beautiful windows the focal point of the room. That got me thinking about a particular dress Kirsten Dunst wore in Marie Antoinette. It was blue with a burgundy ribbon. Then, I thought about the curtains, which got me thinking about Designer’s Guild. So, I tipped out to their site and found my inspiration.

I could just say to Kimberley, “go copy this.” But that would be wrong. And lazy. So, I came up plan that creates the same feeling and meets the needs of the room. The bad news is that I changed out most of the furniture. The good news is that I think the end result is worth it. Let’s see what I’ve come up with.

Space Plan
Let’s take a look at the floor plan I’ve created.

The room arrangement has two seating areas. The first is centered in front of the windows, my focal point. The upholstered bench provides extra seating for parties, as well as a perfect spot to recline, read a book, and enjoy the fire on a cozy winter night. I kept the existing bookcase to the left of the fireplace (it’s hard to see in the photos, but it’s there), as well as the pretty table to the left of the entry door.

The main seating area is centered on the large TV. (Hey – someone who’ll actually use the living room!) I moved the sofa to the opposite wall to allow space for end tables. Due to the traffic needs, there’s no coffee table. That means end tables are important. Across from the sofa I’ve added two chairs with a table and lamp. This becomes a perfect spot to watch TV and have a conversation with friends. Then the room, as a whole, becomes perfect for parties.

Now let’s look at the particulars:

The Focal Point
The tall windows make a dramatic statement. Especially when they’re dressed with this silk Fuscari fabric from The Silk Trading Company. I suggest one full, pleated panel per window, hung above the molding, and held to the side – in opposite directions – to create the look of one, large window treatment. Add some trim along the long edge for even more drama.

I’ve placed a bench in front of the windows and covered it in bold, pink cotton velvet from Robert Allen. The bench, pictured here, is Simone from Crate & Barrel. It’s the right idea, but in reality, it’s actually too large. Here’s a good tip. You can create the perfect thing by taking a picture of what’s almost right to an upholsterer. Ask her to turn almost right into just right and add the perfect fabric of your choice. This is often less expensive and you’ll get just what you want. (In case you didn’t know, a good upholsterer will be able to make furniture, not just cover existing goods.)

Colorful pillows from Designer’s Guild ($90) tie in the colors from the curtains, and around the room. By the way, isn’t that awesome mirror over the fireplace coolest thing ever? Combined, this focal point, with its rich, blue drapery panels and bright pink bench yields a WOW factor of ten.

Continued after the jump!

The Sofa Section
As I said, the sofa should be moved to the opposite wall. Kimberley can keep the one she has, but to create a light, bright look, I prefer a sofa like Crate & Barrel’s Miramar ($1,899). It comes in a wide variety of fabric choices. I’ve added some pillows from Designer’s Guild ($90) to tie in the pink from the bench. I like the combination of the sofa’s rectilinear shape with the softness of those cushions. If you’ve got lots of cash, spring for Moooi’s Diva sofa. It’s rectilinear perfection.

Kimberley should shop around for unique side tables. One round, the other perhaps a little tray table. Junk shops are perfect for this. I found the Clairemont ($279) at Crate & Barrel to give you an idea of what I’m talking about. Paint the tables, or clean up the wood with lemon oil. Vintage pieces will create a more unique look.

The TV Section
I kept the TV stand and TV and centered them on the wall. We need additional seating, so I chose Anthropologie’s Astrid chair ($1,498). I love the shape of this chair. Love it! The fabric, and the pattern tie in perfectly with the rest of the room. Add an occasional armchair from a vintage shop, add a toss pillow to complete the seating area. The mix of luxurious fabrics with vintage pieces will look young and cheerful.

Again, some occasional tables with a little lamp will complete the arrangement in a way that provides table space without impeding traffic.

Lighting
I absolutely love that ceiling fixture. But we need more light. I’d take one of the table lamps from the photo and change out the lampshade to a drum-shaped version. Check Anthropologie for this. Be sure to take the lamp with you.

The perfect special shade.

Next, I’ve chosen a funky, yet beautiful table lamp for the side table. (see the image with the sofa). This lamp is from Swank. I love their lamps. You’ll have a hard time choosing just one. Finally, a Sibley floor lamp (Anthroplogie $298) on the other side of the sofa should be simple to find.

Paint
You know my number one rule: Choose the paint last! I’d love to select the exact paint color, but no can do. The fabrics here will look different in real life than on the computer screen. So here is an example, and some guidelines for choosing the perfect color.

Paint the walls and wainscot a blue hue – just a touch lighter than the curtain fabric. Use an eggshell finish. Paint the chair rail a raspberry/burgundy color. The trim is a warm white, in a semi-gloss. The ceiling and crown molding should be a warm white (never ceiling white!) in a matte finish.

Where’s the Carpet?
I don’t think this room needs a carpet. I think a plain, polished floor will look younger and fresher. But, if a carpet is a must acoustically, I suggest creating your own area rug using FLOR’s Botanicals carpet squares ($31.99 for a 3 tile rug).

Did I leave anything out? I haven’t done the artwork. But time is running out! The easiest thing to do is to buy a series of prints and hang them in a grid over the sofa. If you’re more adventurous, a mix of mirrors and paintings hung in a more eclectic fashion would fit the style of this luxurious yet casual living room.

Here are some tips for this room.

• Choose the paint last. The blue and burgundy chair rail tie the colors together without matching them perfectly. Too much matchiness is not a good thing. My way adds depth.
• Keep the youthful feel by mixing vintage pieces with new. Keep the floors bare.
• The Silk Trading Company sells ready-made curtains as well as fabric by the yard that they then will make into curtains. One stop shopping.
• If you can’t find just the upholstered piece you need in the shops, take a photo to an upholsterer and have her create something similar, but to your exact specifications.

That’s it. Phew! This involved some work. But I love the result. I wish I’d had time to do some elevation drawings. A trip to Baltimore forced me to say no to that. If you would like me to, leave a comment and if I get a lot of encouragement, I’ll draw the elevations for next week.

Questions? Comments? Have your own great idea you want to share? The comment section is the place to go.

• Posted by Jennifer at 3:38 pm
• Tagged: Design Dilemma