Advice on old dark wood fireplace and living room
Hi all
I am looking for advice on ideas for the large fireplace and shelving etc in the attached photos as well as more generally the room as a whole. Also looking for advice on what could be done to hide the insert of the fire which is just boarded at the moment.
We are "white washing" our house on a budget to start with so key requirements are:
We cannot remove the fireplace (only paint or leave as is)
We cannot remove the plate rail (only paint or leave as is)
We have budget for a new carpet (or to sand the floorboards which are a dark oak I believe)
We do not have budget for new curtains but existing ones are good quality and relatively netural
My thoughts are to paint the fireplace and plate rail either white, or a warm white/ beigey grey which would match the colour on the walls.
The room will be used as a living / play room for infants. Please excuse the mess, this is currently a hoarding room whilst we have been renovating other rooms.
Any thoughts much appreciated.
Kind regards
J
Comments (23)
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Comments (13)You have some really good advice from everyone. If you can remove the wallpaper I would paint in Colortrend Goya, it is a green/beige colour that would suit the sofas and compliment your floor. This colour will be warm for your north facing room. A large rug would really lift the room as suggested above. I would recommend the Adum rug from IKEA in 200cm x 300cm. Again as above you need to sort the lighting, I agree with the 5 arm pendants (the spots are very harsh when you are relaxing watching tv). The light should not hang more than 50cm from the ceiling, try the Barcelona 5 light from NEXT, the shades will keep the bulbs from annoying you when relaxing. I would also stretch your curtain pole if it is extendable or replace it so your curtains (which are lovely) sit back further on the wall to let more light in. I would also replace your tv stand and table with a nicer piece and put it centred on the wall (you can angle the tv when people are sitting on both sofas). I suggest Besta Hanvicken White, the white is nice and light in the space and it measures 180cm in width. Add a chair to the corner where the tv is currently to hide the radiator and make the room more beautiful. Try IKEA Strandmon in green or dark grey. Some new cushions will really bring it together, try Voyage Maison from Harvey Normans. For the mirror above the sofa as a great suggestion above try the rectangular Songe mirror from IKEA. Best of luck and post your after photos!!!...See MoreDark narrow living room
Comments (11)Hi Daniel. Excuse the quality of the drawings and they're not to scale at all! Is the room just under 10ft wide as I don't know the width of the door at the top? If you go for the option with the sofa across the width of the room it would need to be love seat size. If you like any of the options I will draw to scale.. I think narrow rooms look better with some furniture brought into the middle of the room rather than all round the walls. In terms of the light, a mirror might be good opposite the patio door. Reflective surfaces so mirrors, metallic wallpaper, chrome etc all help with the light. Which way does the room face re paint colour? Your preferred paint looks pure white on screen which doesn't work in dark rooms as it needs light to work so will just cast grey shadows. A light/white colour with a warm undertone should work or embrace the dark and go for a dark colour and you lose the shadows....See MoreHELP! ! dark dated living room
Comments (22)Thanks guys... don't think I could paint the beams the just add too much to the house! I'd also be shot by my fiancé! but I can Def see the way it opens up the room! will hopefully get some before and afters when Complete! x...See MoreHave broken, dark, characterless living room - help please?
Comments (7)Without knowing the dimension of your room it's hard but I would suggest the following: Colours: keep it neutral, try not to choose colours within the yellow spectrum. Although you would think it would make it feel 'warm' they also have a tendency to make it feel quite dark. The room is too small to do anything majorly bold with your walls. I would be tempted to choose a slightly off white colour and use your pictures and a big colourful rug to bring colour into the room. Orientation: put your TV in the wall above the fireplace. Your sofa under the stairs and get two smaller occasional chairs on the wall the sofa is currently on. Also put your large mirror on this wall. The armchair you have could go where the TV is and be used with the standing lamp as a little reading chair. Windows: slated wooden blinds in brilliant white would look great. Lights: change the green to match the chandelier light, the rooms not big enough for two different lamp shades. Or at the very least a different chandelier? You need small tables with lamps on dotted around. Your pictures are hung a little too high to the ceiling. You might want to try grouping them together a bit more. This is just what I would do, but It's a pretty little room, it'll look nice whatever you do....See More
Sonia
3 years agoIt has a lovely Arts & Crafts look to the whole room, and I really like it. The fireplace is lovely. The cupboards either side are confusing me a bit and they don’t look of the same era. Will they be removed? I’m not sure about the tiles, by that I mean I don’t really like them and they could be replaced with something more in keeping maybe? Here’s some images of Arts & Crafts decor. I’m not suggesting you create a museum, but keeping some of the attractive bits like the fireplace and gorgeous windows would be rather nice.
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minnie101
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rachelmidlands
3 years agoI had a go with the paint app I’ve got. It’s a bit rubbish and limited on colours (yet to find a decent paint your room app) but hopefully gives you an idea. Tried to do what I think Minnie suggested by leaving the fire surround as well. Ben Pentreath’s work is fab and I love his use of textiles.
Defo get a professional in if you decide to paint.
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