Furnished is NOT the same as Cluttered.

For any new readers out there- when you see a second color- like today it is green- that is me- interrupting. ;)

Christine,
A friend of mine discovered your blog several months ago. After talking several times about my living room, we decided to see what advice you could give to us. I hope that is okay.
I have a fairly awkward front room that is half two story and half one story that I just don't know what to do with. We are hopefully looking to get new furniture for this room sometime soon (although I have a sentimental attachment to our 70s couch), I am not a big fan of the fabric- but the style has a retro charm in an Anthropologie kind of way. I could totally see re-upholstering it- but that would be if you want to commit to a fun retro look- which is inconsistent with your wall decor altogether- you decide. but I would really love some guidance on how to arrange it. I would like to get a sofa, love seat, and a chair or two so that if we ever move, I won't have an awkward furniture set. I am not going to support the sofa love seat option- check out this post for an explanation. I have wondered about getting some tables, too, but they scare me a little. I really like space, and I am afraid of cluttering it up. Trust me. If you have the room well designed- yes- it will include tables and more furniture- but that is a good thing... you will like it. It is not going to be cluttered up- it is going to be furnished. Big difference. Sometimes I think people get used to their homes being half furnished and they think that finishing the job is somehow going to make their house look smaller- or their kids will have no place to play- and it is all totally crazy. It will look better. And kids really should play outside anyway. There is nothing scary about tables. Black widows- snakes- they are scary. Tables- not scary. The room was originally designed to be a living/dining room, but I want it to be a living room that also has our piano in it. There is also a plant shelf that you can kind of see from the living room that is currently empty. I could really use some help!
The dimensions of the room are roughly 13'X21'. The wall with the large picture on it is about 7'. The space between the windows is about 6'.
Thank you for your help! Let me know if you have any questions.
Jen

I used your dimensions to draw out a couple of options. Option one is below- Four chairs with the sofa against the wall. This room, in addition to being a living room, is also apparently a hallway- so notice that room is left for passage- but not so much that it is too awkward. I put a large square ottoman in the center- and kept your piano with two chairs where they were.

Option #2 is actually my favorite. You have a large wall on the left. I always like to break up large walls with tall furniture. I would use a couple of large display bookcases. Keep in mind that we are facing all of the furniture to the space between the two windows. (Add some drapery panels to those windows while you are at it.) This little space is now your focal point. Get a cool piece of furniture, a TV, or maybe one of those fireplaces that you can just add to your room. The art that you have there currently is hung way too high, by the way. Relationship with the furniture it is above- just a few inches over- that is my rule.

Here are a couple of Anthropologie pieces. If you want to go with this fun look- find a cool fabric to re-upholster and then be consistent throughout the room- otherwise I suggest a new sofa.

I picture a cool bookcase like the one in this post. Those round circles with lines next to the bookcases in the floorplan I drew are sconces BTW- we need more sconces in this world.

Thanks for writing in! I hope I wasn't too harsh ;) But your friend is reminding me of my husband who thinks I clutter up the house with furniture. The attitude drives me a little crazy.

XOXO

Christine

The Best Breakfast Ever!

Christine,

Today my fantastic husband (nearly 20 years now) made me breakfast, and underneath the bagel was the receipt for furniture I'd had my eye on but knew was not in our budget to buy. I was totally surprised & THRILLED! Then I noticed it was couch & love seat instead of 2 couches, only b/c I'm sure he didn't realize that when I'd mentioned "I'd need two..." in front of him.. that I didn't mean the love seat.. LOL... Out of curiosity, I got on your blog to see if you had anything about this subject and found this post. What a riot, first of all... and now I feel totally validated. My husband won't care one wit if I swap out the love seat order for a couch, of course (and there is only a $20 difference between the two.. imagine that!).

:-D Woot!

Love your blog to pieces,

Anna in NH

Dear Anna,

Your e-mail made me laugh so I thought I'd post it. And, may I say- what a cool husband you have! Another reason to post the e-mail- this way, more of us can read it to our husbands who have never once considered being so cute and amazing! I wonder if it would work for me to put a receipt under his bagel showing him some great furniture that I bought him...

For the record- I do think my husband is wonderful- even though he would never do that.

Enjoy your new furniture!

xoxo

Christine

Wallpaper Wednesday Goes Teal Damask

Damask 1Damask 2

Damask 3

Damask 4

I want to convince my husband to do one of these in my Master Bedroom. It's a long shot- his middle name is "Let's keep it neutral". I have shades of cream, teal and brown. Which is your favorite?

All papers are from Ronald Redding.

Off Topic Saturday Post- Mother's Day Shopping

I have a feeling that my husband has done nothing to prepare for Mother's Day. It is 2:49 pm. It might occur to him in few hours to do something- or maybe tomorrow... I am not into flowers or chocolate- I like window treatments and clothes for gifts :)

So- I thought I would help him out by giving him some gift ideas. Which is your favorite? #1- at the top of the post is a dress by ECI - from Nordstrom- I think it is really fun.

#2- Above is a swim suit that I really like- the material is so soft- and the fit is flattering- from Robin Picone- from Nordstrom.- The super cute cover-up is below.- #3

#4 This suit is from Athleta- one of my favorite online stores- Isn't this a great suit?

#5 I also like this dress- from Banana Republic- very different from the one at the top of the post- but I have already tried it on- and it is great.

So- what is your favorite? What should DH get me for Mother's Day?

The Principles and Elements of Design and Photography

The same principles and elements of interior design are those used in photography. In fact, I shared many lower level design classes with photography students. On Easter, I insisted that we "coordinate" in our clothes. Coral and blue- those were my (our) colors. And I wanted a simple picture of us as a family. Nothing for the Christmas card- or the wall- just a nice photo to remember the day and how adorable my children looked. You cannot imagine the rebellion when I tired to break up the blue and coral. S1 did not want to sit by D1- he wanted to sit by D2- which he was not allowed to do- because he needed to sit by the "blue" not the "coral." Notice S2 winding up for the hit... D1 tries to help- as D2 smiles for the camera. Tears... Drama... Then I try a picture with mom and dad. S1 insists on sitting by D2. And S2 insists on sitting on DH's lap. My blue and coral is split in half rather than separated... This is not good design. I want to try again- but it only gets worse. No one seems to understnad why I am so upset by this.. (tell me you understand!!!) Now S1 wants to sit on my lap. That is all wrong! We are both wearing stripes! I tried to explain that to him- "you cannot sit on my lap- we are both wearing stripes!!!. and neither of us are wearing blue!" He did not seem to care. How horrible is this- all the blue is on the right- and we are in two vertical rows??? Bad design. Bad design. I have to give up. My mood is not making anyone smile. Next time I need to wear something that will allow S1 to sit on my lap- and next to D2. But he will no doubt he wants to sit by daddy and D1... The culprit...

DH and I

My Grandpa (our patient photographer) and I

D2

D1

S2