Design Dilemma Part Two: Sprucing Up A Family Home

Okay, here we go with part two of Troy and Sheila’s design dilemma. In part one I tackled how to spruce up their living and dining rooms. We dealt with the floors, walls and trim. I also discussed window treatments. Now, we need to address the furnishings.

There are two design elements I’m always stressing – scale and choosing paint colors last. Let’s discuss the first. The furniture in Troy’s living room is too large. It overwhelms the space. In any small room it’s important to keep things simple and in proportion. Since the furniture has seen better days, maybe it’s time to replace it with something smaller.

I’ve drawn a simple furniture arrangement. These simple elements leave plenty of room for traffic (which is the room’s principle function). The sofa needs to be on the long wall to allow people to enter the home without banging into furniture.

The room is small enough that you could get away with a love seat. My favorite, inexpensive sofa/loveseat is IKEA’s Ektorp. The kids can spill things without worry because the replaceable slip covers are machine washable. Add an armchair, side table and coffee table and you’re set for furniture. Add a floor and table lamp and you’ve got your lighting squared away as well. Troy lives in New Jersey, which is relatively close to several IKEA stores. Rent a U-Haul to save on delivery charges.

Is IKEA too boring? You can find lots of things at estate sales and thrift shops. Just keep the scale in mind – smaller is better. Keep frills to a minimum.

Now for accessories. Again, keep things simple. Get rid of all the extra clutter. Arrange artwork, in the same finish, such as silver or black, in groupings (see my post on how to hang artwork). Add a room-sized rug (see my post on rugs). Clear the mantle – photographs look better on a table.

Finally, a comment on paint. Choose the paint color last. I chose a couple of nice paint palettes for Troy and Sheila’s rooms in my previous post. It’s important that they make all their other design decisions before buying the paint. Why? Because paint can be matched to anything under the sun. Fabrics come in a limited variety. Use the paint colors as a guide and be prepared to alter them slightly once other decisions are made.

Phew! Troy and Sheila have their work cut out for them. As long as they’re patient, and take things one step and a time, their living and dining rooms will become welcoming environments they’ll be thinking of excuses to use.