Blayne’s Second Design Dilemma
After we spiffed up Blayne’s master bedroom (click here to see that lovely transformation) we were only too happy to help her with her living room. Here’s her letter:
My husband and I loved your ideas for our bedroom and we can’t wait for you to swankify our living room! Like the bedroom, I like where this room is going, but I’m out of ideas to take it the rest of the way. My hope is to make it feel beachy in the sense that you would feel like if you looked out of the window you might see the ocean. Coastal, but not theme-y. Except I think I don’t exactly have the right furniture for that. In working on the bedroom, I discovered that my taste is a little more modern than I thought I was, but a comfortable kind of modern. In this room, I like nearly everything, but the only items that must stay are the entertainment center, sofa, and loveseat. Also, the picture above the mantel was taken by my husband on our honeymoon, so I would like it to stay in the room somewhere. I am a pretty big fan of the current wall colors but I could be persuaded to change them if necessary… I could also do more or less of the blue. I have plenty more blue paint. I am awaiting swankification! – Blayne
Big windows, a gorgeous fireplace- this room has lots of potential! And with a little furniture rearranging and a few accessory switcheroos, it’ll transform in a major way. Here’s the beachy-chic mood board with a dash of cozy modern:
And now for the mood board breakdown.
1.When it comes to our color scheme we’ll bring in some crisp and airy whites, some luxe deep wood tones, some soft serene blue & tan to continue Blayne’s beachy color scheme while adding a lot more texture and inviting cozy-yet-modern style.
When it comes to the furniture layout, we’d love to move everything around. The idea would be to bring the focus back to that stunning fireplace, which will be easily accomplished by moving the entertainment center so the TV is no longer a big rectangle warring with the smaller rectangular fireplace next to it. We’d like to see the entertainment center on the opposite wall (the one with the fish tank against it in the second picture).
Then we’d love to see the existing couch and loveseat, which also must remain in the room, facing each other with the sofa taking the place of the loveseat that faces the window and the loveseat facing the rearranged sofa in front of those gorgeous windows. By placing the loveseat in front of the windows facing our sofa it might seem like it would block the view, but it will actually draw the eye over to the window and- thanks to the sofa’s low profile- there will still be lots of fabulous light streaming into the room. By using a rug to ground the seating area and adding a chair where the entertainment center used to live, we’ll create a great U-shaped seating arrangement that makes TV viewing and fireplace gazing easy and natural. Gotta love a room with function and fabulosity.
2. Here’s that armchair (just $259!) that we’d love to see next to the fireplace where the entertainment center lives in the first picture. By moving that entertainment center to the opposite wall and replacing it with a cozy arm chair, there will no longer be such a fight between technology and eye candy. And speaking of the eye candy that is the angled fireplace wall, we’d love to see the blue accent color applied to this angled wall while the wall behind the entertainment center goes back to the neutral tan tone that we see everywhere else in the room. This will again bring the eye over to the fireplace and add height thanks to the vertical element in the room that it will create. Oh and it’ll work gorgeously with the photograph that Blayne’s hubby took on their honeymoon.
3. These are some existing art pieces that Blayne already has on hand, and we think they’d look fabulous hung at eye level in a row on the wall across from the windows (not shown). They definitely give off that beachy vibe that Blayne is going for, and the luxe circular patterns will add interest and texture to a blank wall just crying out for some attention.
4. We’d also love to see that beachy photo on the mantel accented by these almost invisible glass candlesticks (three on one side, two on the other) for a slightly asymmetric, gleaming accent in the space. Tres luxe (and oh so affordable- all five are just $20!). And the beach photo’s frame could be moderned up in a snap with two coats of crisp white paint, which will work perfectly with the crisp white mantel (and really allow the art to shine).
5. We’ve already gushed about those big beautiful windows, and we think adding even more height and some beachy and breezy texture will increase the illusion that there just might be an ocean beyond those panes. These great $9.99 Ikea curtains (which we actually have in our own living room) would look fab hanging super high and wide on the windows (about 18-24″ above the top of the window) to create another tall vertical element in the space. Since they’re right next to our soon-to-be-painted blue fireplace accent wall, they’ll look balanced when hung über high to mimic the vertical accent created by the blue paint. And to bridge the gap between the top of the windows and the curtain rod, Blayne can pick up some bamboo blinds (Walmart sells ‘em super cheap in a bunch of sizes) to add even more beachy texture and make those windows look even dreamier.
6. These sea glass table lamps will totally make the room. They’re beachy-chic showstoppers and two of them flanking the sofa or loveseat will add ambiance and functional reading light in one fell swoop.
7. And for another bit of fun, we’d love to see this sinewy ceramic beta fish on the coffee table for more white to keep those couches and the deep toned coffee table from feeling to heavy and dark.
8. Here’s the glue that will hold this whole room together. A generously sized 8×10 rug will ground our new seating arrangement (and it’s on sale- oh happy day). The pattern will inject some cozy-yet-modern style to the beige carpeted and tan walled space for the perfect balance of classic and pop. By placing the rug in the center of the room and putting the front two legs of the loveseat on it along with the front two legs of the sofa, the seating area will suddenly make oh so much sense (remember that couches don’t always have to be pressed up against the walls!). And adding our chair to the left of the fireplace will complete the cozy gathering area in a snap.
9. This chic x-detailed coffee table will further define the seating area (it’s totally reminiscent of something from William’s Sonoma Home- but about a tenth of the price). The generous square shape will add luxury and tie together the seating arrangement in an elegant and simple way (and thanks to the oversized design, drinks will never be too far away from anyone no matter where they sit). Love!
10. We musn’t forget these Thomas Paul pillows (on sale for just $33) which will look great on the sofa, loveseat, or even in our new arm chair to add more of that fun blue hue to Blayne’s lovely living room (and mimic the cut-out pattern in the area rug).
Note: should Blayne prefer an L-shaped arrangement, she could slightly alter her furniture placement so that the loveseat faces the entertainment center instead of the sofa. In this alternate floor plan, the loveseat could be placed where the existing entertainment center lives while the entertainment center still moves to the opposite wall and the sofa could be placed where the current loveseat lives (facing the windows). The armchair could then be placed in front of the windows along with a side table for an equally workable layout that still facilitates TV viewing and fireplace enjoyment to boot. Gotta love a room with options.
So there it is. Blayne’s living room makeover mood board with a splash of cozy and modern elegance along with a luxe beachy vibe that says “permanent vacation.” We can’t wait to hear what you guys think- especially you Blayne! And if anyone else out there has a room in need of some gussying, just click here to get started.
***Update: Blayne sent us her after pictures and they’re nothing short of amazing! Check them out right here.
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Comments
here goes, and please do not take this as anything other than being my personal preference if this were my room.
i love the mood board. i like the suggestions for rearranging the room layout. i do not like keeping the sofa and loveseat whilst trying to have a more coastal beach feeling for the room.
those two pieces of furniture are too dark and heavy to my eye. yes, the elements being introduced will indeed lend themselves to the theme, but i think keeping the furniture detracts. their style reminds me of a private men’s club smoking lounge.
i realise there may be budget considerations for keeping them, but i would replace when time and wallet allowed.
grab that rug while you can, i’ve been staring at a PB rug that’s on sale for a week or so but it’s already gone in the size I wanted.
My opinion for this room is that the entertainment center is sort of a black hole, especially against the nice light beachy additions that have been suggested. Would you consider painting it, or perhaps letting go of it completely (craigslist) in favor of something lighter.
Love it all! I agree with the others that the sofa and loveseat and the entertainment center are a bit dark, but Blayne requested in her letter that they stay in the room and Sherry and John are just working with their client’s request in mind.
I really think the addition of lighter curtains, that amazing rug and the other mood board pieces will update everything and the darker items will be balanced. Of course some slipcovered sofas down the line would further complete the beachy look, but Sherry and John’s suggestions will really make a HUGE difference even if the sofa, loveseat and entertainment center stick around for a while.
p.s. I love the blue fireplace accent wall. Can’t wait for the after pictures!
I like the introduction of some new retailers to source items from like coffeetablesgalore.com …..FUN!
I love the elements in this mood board, and I think the darker sofas will add an eclectic element – and definitely keep things from being too “themey” as Blayne requested.
I’d like to see the whole room go blue. I think that’s the solution to the darker couch/loveseat…which I think will work with the beachy feeling. I don’t think you have to can all of your furniture to make a new decorating idea work. I think the tan walls are too blah against the wall to wall carpeting.
I love the mood board and thanks for all the comments! I’ve had my eye on that rug for a while so it’s amazing that it was included in my mood board. It must be fate!
Unfortunately the furniture that had to stay was just purchased less than 6 months ago, before we moved into the house and before I had any idea what direction I wanted to go with decorating. They are here to stay for some time but I do think moving the entertainment center will make it much less of a black hole. I had wondered how to make the fireplace more of a focal point, um hello its as easy as moving that huge thing next to it! (HAHA easy to say but not easy to do! Its heavy!)
Mona, I picked up the art at Marshalls, so good luck, I’m not sure how consistent their stock is between stores. It was only a couple weeks ago though, so you may be able to find them. This after may take me a little more time than the last, but I will definitely send pictures. Also, I started a blog of my own, so I will put pictures there too. Thank you so much Sherry and John!
I realize the large pieces must stay I was just hoping to nudge Blayne to reconsider :)
If you’d like to draw more attention to the fireplace, moving the entertainment center to the opposite wall would definitely help. Then arrange seating so that you can view both comfortably.
What might also help lighten it up a bit is changing out you accessories. All of the accessories currently in the entertainment center look dark as well. Perhaps switching out pictures frames to ones like these: http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/12/feeling-gifted/ and adding more accessories like the fish Sherry suggested could make a huge difference.
Good Luck, your bedroom turned out great so I’m sure this will loook great as well. Oh and remember, grab that rug now if you really want it they are dissappearing fast!
Blayne, would you be willing to paint your entertainment center white? It is such a large piece and over powers the room as is.
Hey Blayne,
What are the blue and beige paints you used? I really like them, and I was already planning to do my living room in blue, brown, and golden yellow. I may steal some of these suggestions, too!
I think my husband might have a seizure if I painted the entertainment center. I will have to wait for him to fall out of love with it. I guess I would have to paint the cocktail table too if I did that? I know the beige paint is Sherwin Williams Latte in eggshell flnish. The blue is called Under the Sea, and it is from Lowes, I am pretty sure it is Valspar. The other problem with the entertainment center is that it has amber glass doors. I don’t know how that would look with it painted white. The lights do have cabinets in them though…
Hi, I love the mood boards and just want to know how and where you ceate them. They look so good.
Thanks, Samatha.
Hey Samantha,
We create our mood boards in Adobe Photoshop, so after we bring a bunch of our favorite items into Photoshop, we size ‘em, cut them out, and add some numbers to create a handy dandy guide that correlates to our explanations. If you don’t have access to Photoshop, we’ve heard great things about Polyvore (http://www.polyvore.com/), so you might want to check that out. Happy mood board making!
xoxo,
Sherry
I’m loving this mood board, as the colors match my bedroom. We even ordered the lamps you suggested. :-)
Hey Corey-
So glad you’re diggin’ the mood board and especially those lamps! Please oh please take pics of your bedroom before the lamps and then after with ‘em (and any other mood board inspired changes in the room) and send them our way. There’s nothing like a mini makeover to get our blood pumping! We eat that stuff for breakfast.
xoxo,
Sherry
Gorgeous! I just ordered this rug myself, so I was excited to see it here. So I take it you guys are okay with putting a large area rug over carpet? I’ve been going back and forth on that myself… glad to know someone with taste approves! :)
I love this room! Now is the rug sitting on top of carpeting? I would love to add a run to our living room but the berber carpeting would make it uneven I think. ? I think we may have to wait until we can put in our wood floors first. What do you think, Youngsters?
Hey Jen,
We’re all about area rugs on top of wall to wall carpeting! They really allow you to define a space (in this case a seating area) within a larger room and they can connect floating furniture (like the loveseat and the chair) so everything feels balanced and polished. As long as your floor is level and isn’t all lumpy and bumpy underneath your berber carpet, an area rug should work perfectly in your space! Of course you’ll want to pick up something substantial and thick like jute or wool and stay away from anything too flimsy and thin (like a cotton mat) so it doesn’t look like you laid a sheet on top of the carpet. Hope it helps! Happy rug hunting…
xo,
Sherry
We’ve been hunting for a rug with those exact colors. Wish oh wish that pb would make its way to Germany.
The space looks like it’ll be amazing, youngsters!
Katie