Ideas for my sad looking living room.
This is my living room. Been like this for the last 4 yrs. I hate it now and would like to re-decorate it. I want to keep my curtains, but need to dispose the sofas, coffee table and happy to change the colour of the walls as well. I would be grateful for your advice on the matching colours of sofa, wall, decorations etc that will go with my curtains, which could have calming effect as well give warm homely feeling.
Please note that I am not from a home designing field but from a medical field, so if u do use any technical terms I would be grateful if u can kindly provide some explanation as well. Many thanks.
Comments (32)
Olukemi Adekunbi
8 years agoNita Dreamdesigns
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Please help with tips and ideas to create some character to my living room!?
Comments (10)HI -- I like the red wall but I think the whole room in that would be too much. So right now you need to cut down the contrast of the red wall . Paint a light cream tan on the other walls and also on the ceiling but leave the crown the same color. This will tone down the red and accent the crown molding. You could also use a blueish grey in the same way. Or you could also use a grey with a hint of lavender . Get some color sample cards or pots (benjamin moore paints). Get an idea of the color before you paint the whole area....See MoreIdeas to redesign my living room
Comments (13)omygoodness this room is delightful looking; i sense great feng shui at least from the photo; ok first, decide which feature (if any - u may have a revelation and need to go modern, within 'ignored' features - u like best: is it the fireplace? or is it the windows? The feature that wins this 'contest' can be what you start with, and the rest can follow from that. this is apart from logical things like: does the fireplace surround need to go darker? to chime with log thing u mentioned etc. if there is any downside to this room's DECOR and STYLE/ARCHITECTURE it may be a certain lack of energy, lack of buzz, lack of 'hope', BUT because of the feng shui it is NOT a room without hope, it just needs, for that, say a colour thing eg some PINK (any favourite shade); now something u may like the sound of is to go what i call American Classic, just check out the D.Housewives series and it's the - well u'll work out which houses, any really; OR be more rooted and look into decorating according to the era of the house; sit quietly in the room, can u afford to make space for a hobby, or for body/floor/yoga type activities? what is room for? soz u've probably already dealtt with that sort of question. also check out Made In Chelsea, for what to do with this type of room. book recommendations: terence conran (of course) but also Wabi Sabi, (conran is good for 'flow' floor plans, which is very VERY simple and enjoyable to do, ; here's my personal tip: RESPECT ALL FITMENTS AND INCLUDING WINDOWS, DOOR OPENING 'ARCS' (OF MOVEMENT) plus the activity walk-track-flow thing, as if you were planning for it to pass a health and safety test; i say this because this will prevent the room getting 'stuffed full' and it will keep the lovely CALM it has by retaining SPACES . (PS THE calm is the hapy side of the 'lack of hope' feel, which by teh way was the colour scheme and the tallness together providing that.). enjoy your room. it looks friendly like a cat and will i am sure enjoy you (and yours etc.)...See MoreNew apartment living room design ideas (w/ my Sketchup drawings)
Comments (7)I think your ideas are spot on for the space. There is a bit of empty space, but you can sort that by tweaking your plan just a little. In the dining area, you could try moving the table further from the kitchen and putting a freestanding island in between, to give you more food prep space. Or, if it's more storage you need, you could add a sideboard where the wall cabinets are, to store dishes, glasses, drinks etc. another possibility is to go for a large round table rather than rectangular. This would fill the space nicely. In the living area, I think you have space for a corner sofa rather than the two seater you have shown, with the sofa and the armchair forming a u shape. The use of a rug to zone the space is perfect. Maybe add a narrow console table behind the sofa? Also, remember that, once you have placed all your large furniture in the room for real, it will be easier to think of little extras to add, like lamps, end tables, plants, etc. That's the fun part! And by accessorising with art, cushions, throws, and all your personal belongings, the space won't feel empty at all. Congrats on a lovely apartment and good luck with it!...See MoreLooking to revamp lounge/living room. Dark blue and yellow/gold ideas?
Comments (5)I had colours like these in 2 of my homes for years. Blues and yellows work really well, they're beautiful and striking together, but we found that some things don't work well with them. Golds and browns work very well (gilt mirrors, leather armchairs, etc.) but -- surprisingly -- black is really out of place. I had a pair of enormous tower speakers with my sound system that could blow the windows out on half volume and were a really striking statement, but they were black and they looked weird. So I wrapped them in muslin sleeves that I was able to paint to match the walls. They were sunflower yellow for a couple of years! I stretched muslin over the removable fronts too, and spray painted them different colours. Fast forward to the future and I had to get rid of the colours to rent the house out when working overseas. And suddenly, when back to whites / magnolias / etc., the rooms looked twice the size! And they felt twice the size too! Today my company builds garden rooms, which are typically fairly small, and the use of striking colours inside really shrinks the spaces down. Most of our customers keep things fairly neutral as a result and get the striking statements from the furniture, rugs and fittings....See MoreNita Dreamdesigns
8 years ago
PROVictoria Soloviev Interior Designer
8 years agoDear Nit,
I think your idea to have very light grey paint on the walls should work. I would pick only slightly darker shade of grey for the sofa. My advice would be to paint the fire surround with the shade of grey matching the sofa. You might consider decluttering your space. Buy smaller pieces of furniture and only the ones you actually need/use. One sofa for this room size should be enough. Your curtains are very strong. Keep this in mind and have the rest very light.
I am attaching few photos that might guide you in terms of picking the shades of grey, keeping it light and also getting the furniture pieces in proportion to the room you have.
Shade of grey for the sofa. Low level sofa that is in proportion to the room with the relatively low ceiling. Strong greens and fuchsia are used only as accents in accessories.
Luxury Penthouse with Outside Spaces, Westminster, London, UK · More InfoLight shades of grey. Very simple lines in furniture.
Luxury Penthouse with Outside Spaces, Westminster, London, UK · More InfoGood luck with your project.
Victoria
minnie101
8 years ago
PRODirect Trade Supplies
8 years agoSome strip lights or effect wall lights have the potential to contribute to the 'calming' feeling you're trying to achieve.
PROFirst Floors
8 years agoWhy not go for white walls, neutral curtains and a quirky floor covering or rug? I also think that such a dark large sofa is quite imposing for the size of room. Something lighter would give more of an impression of space.
Ash McGregor
8 years agoNita Dreamdesigns
8 years agoNita Dreamdesigns
8 years agoNita Dreamdesigns
8 years agohortonhearsawho2013
8 years ago- PRO
MaisieMoodesign
8 years ago 
Jeanne Banks
8 years agohillary59
8 years agohillary59
8 years agosoozmacrae
8 years agoJackie Hales
8 years ago- PRO
source style design
8 years ago 
Sarah McColm
8 years agoI'm going to go against the grain and disagree with everyone here. I love your curtains, I love all your beautiful things. I think you are absolutely on the right track with dark brown sofas and furniture.The main thing that is letting down your room is the magnolia on the walls.
This is what I would do with them:
I'd get a joiner to quote for some dark wood wainscoting (a simple design should not cost too much.) Get a picture rail at the top of the wainscot to keep all your art and photos at the same level. I'd paper the remainder of the wall in a green or dark red wallpaper (this one is Zari by Sanderson).
I think your big couch looks lovely and comfy, just perfect for relaxing on, but I wouldn't have 2 so similar that do not match. I'd replace one with a pair of brightly coloured armchairs.
I think you need to lose quite a bit of the smaller pieces of furniture and buy some more substantial dark wood shelving to display your things on. (IKEA Kallax is always a trusty and bank friendly option for display shelves.)
The rug you have now is just too small for the space (a rule of thumb is that it should rest under the feet of the seating that surrounds it). I don't think you need to include a rug with wall-to-wall carpet, but if you want one it should be much larger.
I think your room looks comfy and inviting already, but a few changes, and primarily changing your wall colour would make it look more polished and intentional.
PROPat Oliver Interior Design
8 years ago
Vanadis Ward
8 years agohortonhearsawho2013
8 years agoMary D
8 years ago- PRO
Victoria Soloviev Interior Designer
8 years ago caas
8 years ago
PROStyle Our Home
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHow about adding the green into this red sort of colour scheme or the red into the green and black colour scheme?
We think browns, light greys, reds and greens would all look lovely! Take a look on our website also at www.styleourhome.com and we think you will find a large range of dark walnut coffee tables to replace your old one.
Asha Abubakar
6 years ago
Carolina
6 years agoAsha Abubakar
6 years ago
Curtains & Interiors by Rae