Hard to detect colour on the screen is that a dark pewter grey or a dark grey blue wall? Are they hoping to have a T.V in the sofa area? The feature wall needs a focal point, be that a T.V unit, Artwork,or either an electric or flue less ( gas ) fire.

Presuming that the Wall is Grey you could either go for a darker grey of a lighter grey sofa selection. Maybe 'L' shaped with a separate armchair in a nice bold contrasting colour. Or you would go for the bold colour sofa with armchairs to match the wall colour. White sofa's also look great against wooden floors with dark feature walls.

A large rug for furniture to sit on.

You do need to get rid of the wooden furniture as it clashes with the floor. So again, you could go for a pale grey and keep it neutral or white as a back drop against the dark wall.

Something that will act as storage too is always good. You can then get all the books away maybe?

Hello. The immediate problems I can see - that are probably what makes it feel a little uncomfortable to them is the lack of 'soft' furnishings. There are a lot of cold or hard surface which reflect light and sound but nothing to absorb it and give that relaxing and calming feel I am sure they are after.

Adding rug, some art work, a few plants (one floor standing) and a few cushions will work wonders. You could always purchase them a design. I, and I am sure many other designers offer single room re-designs or smaller consultation packages that make perfect gifts for these situations. I hope that helps. All the best, Gina

Hello, I see that your parents have created a beautiful open plan space so I would avoid boxing it in with the seating arrangements. Keep the space open and uncluttered using good storage and consider more flexible open seating arrangements such as a sofa and some accent chairs. Colour schemes are very personal and it would be good to understand more about your parent's vision when they set out building their new home. If you would like to share an ideas book with me of images they like I would be happy to give some complimentary advice.

Christine

Hello, who chose the dark grey/ blue wall? I wonder if it is creating a problem. The suite and floor are pale. The suite looks very comfortable. Replacing it will not be easy. I find that contemporary style and comfort do not mix. If this was my room, I would lighten that wall and buy a rug first, then think about pictures on the walls. Good luck! Remember your parent's colour palette will not be the same as yours.

Some useful hints for all of us. I too have renovated but kept old furniture and it seldom looks right, then I spend hours looking for soft furnishings to give it the spark that it is missing. I'd never paint wooden furniture though happily paint horrid 'orange' fence panels in the garden black, pewter etc. It's as if the original cost/apparent value of the piece puts me off especially if I get it wrong and ruin a 'good' (actually awful in the context) piece of furniture. How do any of us get over this hump?

Hi. What budget do they have for changing things? What styles and colours do they like? Is there anything they particularly want to keep so people know what they need to work with? Other pics of the space would also be helpful

Thank you all for all the advise. I believe most of the furniture will be replaced eventually. I believe their challenge is working out a starting point, especially when the furniture are a mismash of old things collected over many years, and finding the time to work on this project since both of them still work full time and care for my younger sibling.

They will not be adding a TV or flueless fireplace as the house has a separate "family theatre", and they live in Australia where it's warm 3/4 of the year.

I agree the dark wall makes it tricky against the pale floors, and more warmth is needed for a cosier, softer space. Some indoor plants would also add life to the space (any recommendations on what plants to get?)

Does anyone have any pictures or furniture layout and neutral colour palettes that would work? Perhaps that would be a good starting point?

Thanks again :)

Suggest changing the dark wall to something lighter and fresher, and not have a feature wall at all. Fix a pair of wall lights to the end wall, and placing the settee under (as you get older good lighting essential). A large mirror, or artwork, on that wall too. Also the book shelves don't look right, somewhat cluttered, can they be used to display interesting items instead? And a rug.

A bit hard to say from the pictures, but it looks like with the door opening just on the right of the grey wall, perhaps that area would work better as the dining space, and the sofa area where the current table is? Personally I really like the dark grey wall and a wooden dining set could look great against it. A lovely large red rug would definitely warm the seating area up too :)

Hi cynfoni,

We would suggest a different layout for all the furnitures. Assuming the white furniture is sort of a lounge/guest area, one could move the 3 seater sofa against the grey wall, move the 2 seater to the left and depending on the space could fit the 1 sitter. Presuming the space is tight, the 1 sitter would need to be removed and can therefore fit plant pot or tall lamp in the corner. The bookcase could move to corner, therefore overall layout is in a L shape giving you an open plan layout. A central and coffee table rug will then be appropraite. For the wall it is quite dark, a suggestion of possibly two halves, one with the original colour or light grey and the other coloured wallpaper (image below).

Might consider cushions that matches the wallpaper or it could be patterned.

Consider moving the dining area west to east (-) rather than north to south (I), hopefully that makes sense.

We hope that helps! :)

The quickest, easiest and cheapest fix, even if only temporary, is to paint the wooden furniture. I'd go for a pale grey on the bookshelf and the dining furniture. Turn the sofa through 180deg and place it back against the wall facing into the room with a soft rug and a coffee table in front of it. That will make the room seem more like one open space. Use throw cushions on the sofa & chairs to add a pop of colour with the dining chair seat pads re-upholstered to match. If the sofa and easy chairs still look out of place, use bright throws to cover them inexpensively.

I have a similar coloured wall which needed some interest-so have added these staggered shelves for artwork/photos. The frames can be changed around and different pieces added in for a different look and to add accent colours if needed. It's a constantly evolving wall and nice to be able to mix things up without redecorating.

I would definitely agree with others, that the room needs some other pieces to soften it, such as a nice large rug and perhaps some plants.

I would personally update the sofas to something more streamline and less bulky. You can get some beautiful velvet sofas which would also add more texture to the room. Reconfigure the seating area so it opens up into the room rather than blocking it off, and maybe add some funky mismatched dining chairs-I think the ones they have look quite dated.

Its a great space, so much they could do with it! Good luck!

Paint is the easiest, cheapest fix. Don't be scared to paint that pine shelf in a matching shelf. Glorious space. Remember that dads are very attached to their favorite chair! (try to keep it if at all possible)

The recessed downlighting makes the area look stark and like a clinic's waiting room. Overhead downlighting on its own is a bad choice for living spaces.

For now, I would move the small cabinet to the far right (near the door entering from that side) and place a table lamp on it, move the large sofa against the grey wall and add a floor lamp to the left of it, similar or complimentary style to the table lamp. Better yet, remove the small cabinet completely and get two matching low bookcases to flank the sofa, preferably with doors to hide the clutter, and place table lamps on them. Move the books and items on the tall bookcase on the right to those cabinets and get rid of the bookcase.

The grey wall needs some artwork, or shelving with decorative items, as in some of the examples others have posted. Then a simple but plush geometric patterned area rug, about 200 cm x 300 cm in front of the sofa to define the lounge space and set it off from the dining/kitchen area. Keep it medium toned, perhaps a cream background with a little of the same grey as the wall plus some color like a leaf green or teal blue, even pumpkin orange (all go well with that dark warm grey).

Place the smaller sofa where the large one is now and get a simple low coffee table to place in the center of the area rug. Move the chair to the right of the door on the right, angled toward the lounge area, if it will fit without crowding the dining (presuming you have eliminated the awkward bookcase.) Place a floor lamp behind it. Buy or make some accessory pillows for the sofas that pick up the accent color in the area rug. For the table and floor lamps, pick simple styles that can be outfitted with multilevel light bulbs or dimmers. Once everything is arranged, turn off those downlights and turn on the table and floor lamps and the room will feel much more inviting and warm.

I would get stuck in and make a plan, a list and a budget. Then start to do the various items one by one - Old people don't like disruption. Example: If they like the dark wall, take the bookcase/ chairs and paintthem in a coordinating colour one month, then upholster the chairs the following etc. If they don't like the colour, then choose a colour and take it from there. YOu need a plan to begin with a list of keepers and losers (the furniture you will keep and what is being chucked) a colour scheme and a layout. Keep it uncluttered by having storage. Do your parents have mobility problems? How old are they? All these things need to be thought through before begining. How many years will it be before they redo the living room again? And how old will they be then? You don't want to do a refurb when it no longer suits because older people's needs change rapidly- Think open spaces and sturdy furniture

You could make the dark wall your feature wall with a media unit. Similar to the images below.