Living room design suggestions please
We recently moved into our new house and the living room needs a complete new design.
I’d love to get some ideas on colour scheme, furniture and general layout.
Some initial ideas I had:
1) remove shelving on the alcoves to give room more depth
2) redo fireplace and add a wood burning stove
3) add two accent chairs on each side of fireplace (danish design)
3) new sofa and replace the makeshift one that’s currently in place
4) knock down the wall on the left hand side of sofa that was erected by previous owners (it’s not structural and we’re puzzled why they did it)
5) add rug, throws and cushions
6) add side tables as I prefer not to have a coffee table in the middle as space is limited
7) add lights/lampshades
I love minimalist spaces and love Danish furniture and would welcome your ideas on how to make this lovely room into an great living space.
Many thanks in advance
Comments (10)
PRO7 years agoSince you like the Danish style I would suggest you to use neutral or pastel colors, which make the environment minimal but at the same time welcoming. I would recommend two wooden chairs with fabric-covered seats, an original shaped sofa with wooden feet and a cream-coloured handmade carpet.
PRO7 years agoHi, your ideas sound pretty much on point. On the alcove shelving I would remove all of them and add three shelves spaced out evenly and add nice doors to the bottom of the shelves - a builder or joiner could easily come up with some MDF doors for you. If you are looking to add depth I would suggest painting the alcoves in dark grey like Worsted from Farrow and Ball. Or you could paint the entire room in a lighter shade of grey. See the picture below for what I mean about the shelves and doors underneath. It will be a good idea to still keep some some shelves otherwise the walls could look a bit too bare.
Your general layout seems fine, though I would draw out the sofa and chairs to scale on a floor plan just to be sure you will be able to fit everything in. For example it might be a better idea to have two armchairs side by side on one side of the fireplace and another sofa opposite, depending on the size. It really comes down to what you will be doing in the room, and who will be using it? If you have a lot of guests coming round I would add as much seating as possible but if the room is mainly to watch tv and relax you may prefer to less seating. If you can provide some dimensions I can draw up a plan with the seating to give you an idea.
For your sofa and other bits of furniture Danetti is a good brand for Danish furniture. I'm not sure what are the dimensions of your sitting room but something like this L shaped sofa would give you that Skandi look.https://www.danetti.com/living-furniture/sofas/studio-3-seater-right-hand-fabric-sofa-with-chaise
For the colour scheme and decor pieces keep them to a restricted neutral palette and add lots of texture using fluffy cushions and rugs as you mentioned. The key with Skandi look is to create a lot of layered lighting with lamps and candles, so you could add a lampshade on a side table with a floor lamp in the corner and even put some candles in your fireplace until you get the wood burner in.
Hope this is useful for you :)Rukmini
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Comments (52)It's hard for anyone to say whether you can do it without knowing your diy skills. I used a decorator with general DIY skills to put up my walls as decorators charges tend to be much cheaper. You could also try a handyman however people would need to know type of fire, finish on chimney breast, size and design Etc. I think you'd be better off getting a few quotes though tbh in as trades differ hugely depending on area. If you're looking to put the tv over the fire do think about a comfortable viewing height ( you might consider a ribbon flame style fire as they tend to be long and skinny so the tv could be hung lower) and I would also recess the tv in the chimney breast so as to protect it from the heat of the fire or consider a mantle over the fire to deflect the heat. there's quite a number of paintings on this link which could work not knowing what style of art you like https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/partners/omarobaid/products...See More
7 years ago
7 years ago
PRO7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI think the cupboard / shelf sizes need amending. The best example of a balance between height of cupboard and Fireplace that I could find is this one. The first shelf is the same height as the mantelpiece and it works really well.
If you're still watching T.V in there, then I agree with Rukmini, I'm not sure you want a chair either side of the fireplace. It would be interesting to see a room plan with sizes.- 7 years agoThank you everyone for your input. Love your suggestions and will look up the recommendations.
I should have clarified that I plan to move the TV to somewhere more discreet. I was thinking to the right of the right alcove (just behind the Christmas tree as shown in the picture below). I want to create a specially designed space where it’s tucked away and only comes out in the evening.
We would like as much seating as possible as have friends and family around a lot.
- 7 years agoRukmini, thanks for the advice. Here is a picture of the living room plan where I marked the size of the room. Really appreciate your input
- PRO7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
Love the T.V idea, one of ours is in a cupboard and the doors open to view. It's only a little t.v in the bedroom, but much nicer than having it on view. It's in here!
You can use doors, mirrored cabinets or sliding panels........
- PRO7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
Hiya, I've drawn up a plan for you with your dimensions. If we add a corner sofa with a couple of armchairs we can maximise the seating area and you can also move around the armchairs. On the L shaped sofa, the biggest we could go for was 2.3m but if you are going to knock down the current makeshift wall you can go for bigger size increasing your seating capacity. The one I have scaled is from Swoon Editions: https://www.swooneditions.com/malvern-rightcorner-weave-alaska-walnut-express
On the armchairs I've just got a generic size so you really could go for anything you like, I would have the armchairs in a contrasting colour to add some interest to the space. This one from West Elm is a good size: http://www.westelm.co.uk/lucas-wire-base-chair-platinum-h1208I've left a bit of space between the alcove shelving and the chairs just to give a bit of breathing room as skandi look is all about minimalism. I've added couple of side tables as you mentioned you didn't like a large coffee table in the middle and I think it works quite well!
I assumed the opening was the entrance to the sitting room so I didn't want to add anything in front of it.
Let me know what you think?
Rukmini
Ribena Drinker