Rachel’s Design Dilemma
Rachel’s family room is primed and ready for a major makeover. Here’s her letter:
My family room is all yours. Nothing has to stay and I’m not afraid of color but like the idea of a neutral wall, with color in the furnishings and accessories. I need a rug for this space, so that’s another place to bring in some interest and soften those tiles (hopefully). You can go with tried & true ideas and pieces that have worked before since that’s why I’m here. I know that’s a lot of tile around the fireplace, but we have really loved the raised hearth for extra seating. Your fresh perspective will help so much in this room! We are getting a large flatscreen TV, so I need furniture for it since that armoire won’t work. And I’m ok with letting it go because I can’t even close the doors anymore. This room is used for Wii playing and computer work. I work on a laptop, sitting in the chair next to the window; the kids work on the desktop computer. It seems like you have found the secret to not sacrificing form for function, and I really need that here. The wall with the TV has the cable connections and internet cable, so we’d have to rewire if that is moved. So do that voodoo that you do so well! Please! Looking forward to the transformation! – Rachel
This space won’t even be recognizable when we’re through. Here’s the plan:
And now for the mood board breakdown.
1. Since Rachel is a fan of neutrals with some punchy accessories, our color palette will be full of rich browns, neutral tans/creams and a few pops of cinnamon and new grass green for a space that feels casual, alive, and oh so inviting. On the walls we’d love to see a subdued golden tan (Benjamin Moore’s Oakwood Manor) and the mantel and the beams can get a coat of crisp white paint if Rachel is open to painting them to make things feel less disjoint on that focal wall (there are so many vertical and horizontal lines going on, plus all that tile, so painting the beams and the mantel will instantly create a soft and soothing vibe- although leaving them unpainted will also work with this design plan). Then for just the back (not the shelves or the sides) of the built-in bookcase (which will otherwise be the wall color) we’d love to see a soft leafy green tone (Benjamin Moore’s Sweet Caroline) to add balance to the entire wall. It will mimic the green leaves that can be seen out the window on the other side of the space and add tons of eye pleasing symmetry. And painting the black mullions white on the window to the right of the fireplace will further unify that wall in a snap.
2. We’ll replace the old recliner in the corner with this updated mocha armchair that’s just as cushy and inviting but a bit more streamlined. And if Rachel still wants a place to put her feet up, this little ottoman is charming and can be tucked out of the way for even more flow when it’s not in use.
3. Bringing in a punchy orange floor lamp (for quite a steal) to replace the existing one will also instantly freshen up that corner of the room.
4. Switching out the loveseat and sofa combination with a functional and cozy sectional will immediately make this room feel grander and more pulled together without sacrificing an ounce of space to lounge.
5. Since Rachel will lose the functionality of a side table between the sofa and the loveseat, placing a sofa table behind the couch will add usable surface area and also make the sectional look just as good from the other side of the room. The price of this Crate & Barrel lookalike is seriously amazing- and displaying orange, tan, and leafy green hardcover books, bowls, and other accents will add even more life and loveliness to the room.
6. Our accent pillows will really bring energy and layered style to the room while keeping comfort at the top of the priority list. We’d love to see this assortment of pillows (here’s the white shag one, the green one, the geometric one and the orange one) on the sectional and on the “window seat” to the right of the fireplace for inviting ambiance and style to spare. Rachel can also select a favorite cuban painting or print with some of these tones in it and hang it about 18″ above the back of the sectional on the wall cross from the TV to balance things out even more and add something super meaningful.
7. When it comes to an object for over the fireplace, this gorgeous stunner of a mirror will add seductive roundness to a wall full of rigid linear accents for balance and va-va-voom style. The gold finish will also play perfectly with the cinnamon/orange accent colors around the room while keeping things textured and interesting. And at just $69 you’d be hard-pressed to find something like it for anything close to that price.
8. The biggest challenge in this space was figuring out how to keep a TV and a desk on the same wall as our new chair to the right of the fireplace. Three disparate pieces crowded along that wall could really ruin the streamlined and casual effect we were going for. But luckily this sleek and compact white desk and curvy chocolate brown chair leave plenty of room for a handsome chocolate media stand in the middle of that wall.
9. Rooms that feel the most inviting and “easy” never have too many matching pieces around, so we opted to pass on a dark wood coffee table and introduce yet another material for that layered and collected-over-time effect. Isn’t this sleek stone table (it’s a mix of marble granite and other natural materials) a showstopper? We love the dimension and rawness that it brings to the room for a truly lived in yet luxurious feeling (plus, no worries about drink rings on this baby!).
10. This textured and decadent 8 x 10 zigzag rug will ground the large sectional and add movement and energy to the entire space. We love how it will tie all the dark wood pieces together while referencing the lighter neutral tones we’ll be bringing in with the sectional and the wall tone.
11. And last but not least, here’s the media stand that will house Rachel’s new flat screen TV and slip right into place between her new armchair and her sleek white desk. We like the concealed storage space that it adds to the room and also like the idea of snagging a long low storage box (like this one) to slide in and out from under the TV stand and store all the video game components out of view.
So there you have it. A family room full of casual and inviting style. We can’t wait to see what you guys think!
Update: We sadly can no longer find the time to take on client commissioned mood boards (we now whip up general inspiration boards instead) but if we ever reinstate them we’ll make a big announcement!
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Awesome job!! I can’t wait to see this one when it’s done. I love that sectional!!!
As usual, I am eager for the afters. Love the board!
I love how you’ve used a neutral palette and brought it to life with punches of color!
Love this – especially the idea of painting the back of the built-in green to balance the window on the other side of the fireplace. Genius!
Looks terrific, Sherry!! Can’t wait to see it finished, as I’m sure you are too!
Hugs!
Kristin
I LOVE this mood board! Good work and I hope Rachel sends the afters soon!
Love the colors you picked. Rachel, hurry and do this room so we can see the “After!” I love Rachel’s little corner with a big window, window seat and her chair.
I love that mirror! They have a similar one at chiasso.com that I’ve loved forever!
Great mood board!
Love love LOVE the sectional!!!!
Oooooh, I’m so loving your plan! Can’t wait to see the final product :)
I also love all of the colors! Very fresh and mod!
I love the colors! And there is so much you can do with Neutals which I tend to forget! One question what type of wall art would you do (in addition to the mirror) to complete the look? I always have a hard time with that.
Hey Angie,
The good news about this broad color palette is that so many things would work- from a large piece with green or orange tones to a print with chocolate browns and creams, it’s really easy to select something with a few hues from our color palette that will instantly work in the space. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I would be nervous about the marble table + kids combination. Especially if they’ll be playing Wii in the room. If they fell & hit their head on the corner of that table… (shudder).
Hey Maryann,
Rachel and her husband are crazy about the stone coffee table idea but have actually upgraded to a round one which won’t have pointy corners and will help with the flow of the room as well (people can breeze by a round table more easily without worrying about hitting their shins on the corners). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Much better! As a parent, I always have to re-think design choices with my kids in mind. We’re past toddler safety issues, but I have to pass up on many decorating favorites: Light-colored upholstery, beaded curtains, kitchen chair cushions, and centerpieces that include wooden balls, lemons, etc. Sigh.
Not just injuries. STAINS…if that table isn’t sealed or resealed if need be. Stone stains. I’ve seen it. And brand new concrete…its a great trend until somebody puts something on it before its sealed properly. I am still in the toddler stage. But adults can be worse than kids.
S -
Nice job! Love the colors… and love that orange lamp!
We are moving along quickly with the makeover and will have photos as soon as the last pieces are delivered! Maryann, we had to change plans for the stone coffee table. I think stone was such a cool idea and would have looked great, but we realized it would be too difficult to move it out of the way when we need more space for Wii play. The safety of it is another good point, but Sherry knows my kids are older, so it’s not as big an issue. The coffee table we chose is from West Elm and it has plenty of storage space, which was a big plus. So, although I’ve changed a few of the pieces, the YHL stamp is definitely here and the brilliant job Sherry (and John?) did on this will be very evident. They have been so helpful with answering all my questions as we’ve modified here and there. Thanks, YHL! You’ll be seeing the AFTER soon!
Maryann, as the mother of three, two with autism, I learned early on that slipcovers are the greatest invention EVER. You can have any upholstery colors you want. We lived with the same livingroom set for 15 years, tossing the covers in the wash when peanut butter and juice mysteriously appeared on the fabric. Now that they’re teenagers, we felt it was safe to buy a cool sectional sofa set for game playing and family movies. I found one with a tailored denim slipcover already on it. I’m no fool.
I love your design ideas, but a word of warning, we bought the Parson’s desk and it started scratching right out of the box. It was such a bummer because we had to return it. Just by placing something on the desk it scratched. I don’t know if we got a bum desk or what, but I’d be careful.
Hey Karen,
We’re so sorry to hear that! We’ve actually owned the larger parson’s desk from West Elm for the past 2+ years (in fact it’s where I’m typing this message right now) and we haven’t experienced the scratching problem you’re describing. Mine is super glossy so it’s really easy-care. We love that placing a glass of water down on it never causes drink rings and unlike wood even pen marks can be wiped right off. Maybe you did get a bum one. Hmm, I would call up WE and ask for another one. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi guys,
I like this mood board. Just wondering why every couch you suggest is from Room and Board? Their stuff, while nice, is quite pricey.
Hey Kristy,
Our clients fill out a thorough questionnaire to determine their budget and their quality preferences so anyone who wants to invest in a good long-lasting sofa usually ends up with something from Room & Board since we love love love their quality and their variety of styles, fabrics and colors. The prices are actually comparable to Pottery Barn but we like their offerings so much better (we have a Pottery Barn sofa in our den and have not been happy with the quality at all). We also recommend our fair share of Ikea sofas and even a few from JC Penney to clients who are on more of a budget (but of course those options don’t wear as well or last for decades like the Room & Board ones do) since we like to accommodate a range of price points and quality requests. We’re just all about making each mood board owner happy. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey Sherry,
Thought I’d just chime in because it’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask you for awhile and it fits with the sofa discussion. Before I ever found your site, I fell in love with a Rowe sofa (Berkley) which is almost identical to the PB Greenwich and $400-$500 cheaper. Then I read your recommedation of your own Rowe, and it was even more confirmation. We ordered the sofa + loveseat and have had it a couple of months and I love, love, LOVE it! The style, fabric, color, everything is perfect. But I have never seen it recommended in a D.D. and wondered why. Is it because of location (not every place having a retailer)? Or another reason? Just curious because you said you loved yours and I definitely love ours.
Laura
Hey Laura,
Great question! For a while Rowe was rumored to be going out of business so we hesitated to recommend them since they could be gone any day (which would make it impossible for people to get replacement cushions and slipcovers, etc). We have very recently heard (today in fact) that they’re still alive and kicking and we definitely still ADORE our own Rowe sofa, so rest assured they’ll be popping up on more mood boards soon! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Wow! Fast answer. Thanks Sherry! The store where we ordered ours said Rowe was very popular (especially the style we picked) and so I never thought about them going out of business. I’m glad they aren’t!
What about the tiles? I feel its one area worth improving on. They can incorporate small tiles predominantly in greens and greys/white and a few oranges for interest. Since neutrals are favored, they can opt for bigger slabs of white and grey tiles.
Hey John,
We actually have to work within our clients parameters and because Rachel asked us to work with the tile we were all to happy to oblige. Although you’re right about small colorful tiles being an amazing idea for a future upgrade! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Hey Youngsters!
I am wondering what you recommend for art or decor for the wall above the TV? My new husband and I have a similar low/horizontal media stand and a TV on top of it… and a blank wall that remains blank because we dont want a wall of stacked rectangles! How did Rachel use the wall above her TV and desk?
Thanks!
Hey Jessi,
We love love love a round mirror above a big boxy TV. It bounces around lots of light and the curves are a nice contrast to the electronics below. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I was trying to search for info pertaining to sofa tables, but couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for. Figured I’d ask – I know you always say that you don’t have to put the coach up against the wall. I have a split level home and there are a set of stairs on two different walls. I can pull the coach away from the wall just enough to fit a sofa table or shelf behind it. Would that look silly up against the wall? What would you suggest putting on it? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
We love a console behind a sofa for added display space and storage. And we’ve seen many of them behind a sofa pretty close to a wall as you describe (both in real life and in catalogs) so go for it! It’s a great place for guests to rest their drinks and for you to display accessories like candle holders, lacquered boxes, potted plants, hardcover books, or even two matching table lamps. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Why not paint the mantel and beams black and leave the window mullion alone?
That’s definitely another possibility!
xo,
s