Rose's Sitting Room

Hi Christine!
I love your decorating blog and have been a frequent visitor and asked you some questions in the past. :) WELL ... we have moved and now I need some decorating help with our front sitting area!
Here is a video of the room. I tried to go slowly so the camera would not be too blurry:http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/rkinkead/Sitting%20Room/?action=view&current=MOV07031.mp4 The sitting room is a small room, not sure what to do in there for furniture and decor. I would love your help!! Let me know if you have any questions that I can answer. SOOO excited to get your input.
Thanks in advance!!
Rose

Hi Rose,

Thanks for writing in.

First of all- before we start- go move the rug in your entry to the other orientation. It should go the long way- coming off the door.
Thanks.

Now- let me tell you what NOT to do. Do not get a sofa and put it on your long empty wall. Why? You need to ask yourself- what is the focal point of the room? Well- it doesn’t have one yet- but- when you have one sofa in a room- what that sofa is facing is generally the focal point. That one sofa would be facing the exit of the room. It in no way is creating a cozy sitting room atmosphere. All of the energy of the room is directed right out the door. We are trying to create a living space- not a leaving space.

Four chairs- with a circular table in the center

A small sofa with two chairs

Two love seats- or small sofas- brought out into the room- not against walls.

Your focal point is going to be one of three places.

It is perhaps going to be a case piece- cabinet or table- that you put on the long solid wall.
It could be the window- provided you like your view.
It can be the center of the room, using one of the arrangements that bring you to the center- Get a fabulous lantern or other cool light- (like the one in the photo below) and really bring the eye to the middle of the room. You could not ask for a better conversation area than a center based arrangement.
Your room is almost square in size- keeping your furniture floating and centered in the room keeps a square room balanced.

What else would I do? On the long wall- get a piece of furniture- like I mentioned before. This is where your fireplace would be- if you had one in the room. Add a couple of lamps to the piece. Don’t forget lighting- you should have at least five sources in the room- like I talked about in this post. Over the furniture piece- put a large mirror. To give your wall décor good scale- get a set of four pictures- put two on the right- stacked- and two on the left.

Add drapery panels to your window- and then add two sconces to finish off that wall.

On your wall that shares the pocket door- add a few wall shelves.

On the wall that shares your entry door to the room, add a collection of baskets, plates, photos- etc.

What do you think readers? What arrangement should Rose select for her room?

Photos from Country Living- except the four toile chairs is from House Beautiful.

Wallpaper Wednesday- the Bedroom

Are you suffering from a boring bedroom? Then today's Wallpaper Wednesday is just for you. Anyone have a favorite from today's bedroom post? A least favorite?

1. Pink Paisley

2. Beautiful Blues

3. Sassy Stripes

4. Tranquil Toile

5. Subtle Stripes

6. Asian Elegance

7. Gorgeous Grasscloth

8. Ready for Red

9. All Natural

10. Fantastic French

What do you think? My vote today is for the Pink Paisley- I love the rug- the whole room.

Photos from House Beautiful

The Brown Kitchen

As a follow up to the Blue Kitchen and the Green Kitchen- now presenting- the Brown Kitchen... Many kitchens start brown- simply because of wood cabinets- but these kitchens took a step further- making brown not just the natural shade of wood- but their focal color. Above- it is the brown chairs that seal the deal.

OK- so this is a stretch to put this kitchen in a blog for "brown kitchens"- but I just liked it so much- so I'm stretching... Here- the focal point of the room is the fabulous built- in display - which really pops in brown with the other cabinets in white. Check out the cool ceiling also. I want to move into that house....

This contemporary chocolate cabinet is kept consistent with chocolate barstools- and ceiling.

Here is a painted brown cabinet. I don't know about this one- I feel like painted brown usually looks better if stained...

And I finish it off with brown walls, and accents in this great kitchen. Keep in mind that these brown walls look great because the cabinets are white- and the room is large. Small- or even medium sized kitchens with painted cabinets are not the place for brown walls. Raise your hand if you have seen some brown walls that didn't really work. It takes a large space- and some good contrast.

So- what do you think? Do you prefer blues and greens-... Anyone love the brown?

Photos from House Beautiful.

The Camouflage TV

Do you sometimes think your TV sticks out too much in your room? Do you wish you could have a camouflage TV- like those frogs and lizards- that seamlessly blend into their surroundings? I came across this bedroom in my House Beautiful magazine this month and loved the camo nature of it... What do you think?

Nobody ever tells you your taste will change...

This month's House Beautiful magazine had a great article in it, where they showed these photographs of Mark Hampton's (iconic Interior Designer) Manhattan apartment. These first two pictures were from the 1970's

These next two photographs, as you might imagine, were taken of the same room in the 1980's.

These last two photographs were taken currently. What is so great about these last two is that this decorating job was done in 1991. ( Mark passed away in 1998). What a classic look, although nearly 20 years old, it still looks great. Think about that when you are decorating, how long do I want this look to last? Will I still love it then? The marketers out there make us continually want a new color, a new shade in our wood floors, a new color of washer and dryer. Decorating in a more timeless manner takes more thought, and more shopping, but goes the distance.

"When decorating a room, think about how it is going to age. It hurts
to do a room that after a couple of years falls apart psychologically for the
people who are going to live in it. If 10 years passes and they still love
the room, it gives them more time and money to focus on other things."

Mark Hampton