Lakshmi's Family Room

Hi Christine,

I came across your blog while I was looking for design ideas to re-decorate my living room. I loved the advice that you had given to various others in your blog and was wondering if you could help me too. 

I am planning to buy new furniture and would like to hear your opinion on colors, fabrics etc.

Here are a couple of pictures of my living room. It is a 17 (length) x 12 (width) room with stairs on the left. The room beyond the tiles and front door is the dining room (which I am planning to furnish later).

I have the following questions:

1) What color and fabrics do you recommend for the couch and chairs? They should be kid friendly since I have an 8 month old boy (meaning whites are ruled out).

2) We have a 46 inch TV and want to get an entertainment center which will occupy the fireplace wall (in front of the fireplace, thereby hiding it)

We are planning to change the fireplace to be lower and flush with the wall and get rid of the bricks. We don't want to close off the fireplace since it might affect resale. 

• What color/shade of fireplace trim would you recommend? We are looking at marble/granite tile options for the trim.
• What color do you recommend for the entertainment center?

I love a colorful room and I am not sure how to create that punch especially since we have a dark floor and whites/light colors are pretty much out of the picture.

Many thanks for your help!

Hoping to hear from you.

Regards,

Lakshmi

Hi Lakshmi,

First of all, I would rearrange things.  I moved your furniture around; you can see the floorplan I did below.  Let me tell you why.  Your sofa, or long portion of a sectional, should be facing the focal point of a room.  In this case, it is the television.  You cannot have the TV in front of the windows, so I put it on the staircase wall.  (If you can see part of the back of the TV from the stairs, that's OK.)   I feel like architecturally the room is a bit flawed, having the fireplace, which would traditionally be the focal point, first of all, not centered on the wall, and secondly, on the short wall.  I almost never treat the fireplace as a secondary focal point, but in your case, I would do just that. 

At that point, it is simple.  Select a nice sofa.  The one below is a beautiful neutral from Bernhardt.  You can always switch up the pillows as you decide to change colors.

The pillow below is a great Ikat pattern from Etsy. 

Add a couple of beautiful wing backs; these again are from Bernhardt.   They are still neutral, but add a pattern.  It is a pattern that you won't ever get sick of, and can keep for a very long time.

Hang drapes that will start to bring color into the room.  The drapes below are from Pottery Barn.

Add an area rug that will give you repetition in color, and a fun bold pattern.  The rug below is from Homedecorators.com

I used a woven trunk for an end table to add texture.

Fill your center space with the perfect sized coffee table.Keep your sofas from butting up to the windows by adding a console table.  This also gives you more light, and better distance for TV viewing.

I made your room colorful, but kept it neutral at the same time.  In seven years, you can switch out the drapes, rug and lamps, and make the whole room forest green, or whatever your fancy is at the time.

Before I finish, I want to address your fireplace.  You are correct in not wanting to get rid of it, but lower and flush with the wall sounds like a bad idea.  Don't try to make it invisible.  Make it beautiful.  Instead, look at this post on the "dated brick fireplace".  Cover the fireplace in wood, paint it white, cover your room in white beadboard, all trimmed out.  It will look amazing.  One more thing.  You have a horizontal space above your fireplace, and a vertical picture.  Take down all the little nick nacks, and just put up one nice large horizontal picture. 

OK- now I'm done.

Jennifer's Living Room

Hi Christine,

I just found your blog and I can't stop reading it!

My husband and I have moved in to our first home and are stuck on what to do with the living room.  We don't know where to put any of the current furniture - and are open to suggestions for new furniture to purchase.  My husband hates the couch where it currently is and wants to put it against the long wall facing the windows.  I'm hoping you can provide some expert advice.

The room only has one entrance, by the stairs, and has a very long blank wall across from a long wall of windows. (The room is rectangular with the longest wall being the window wall.)  Also, the wall colour isn't white or cream, it's more of a light greyish purple, and we've just finished installing dark hardwood floors.

Thank you for your help,

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,

Your new hardwood floors sound beautiful! 

The first question to ask when determining where to put your furniture is...  What is the focal point?  I see a TV in the room, so I am going to assume that is where you would be looking.  I am a little confused why your husband would want to face the windows instead of the TV....?  Am I missing something?

So- you need to turn your TV wall into a focal point wall.  To do this, you will need some new furniture.  Your TV should be on or above a console whose size has a relationship with the wall it is on, not the size of television you have.  See this post for details.  You could use either of your two long walls- the wall perpendicular to or parallel with your windows for your TV wall.  (photo from houzz)

A large wall unit, or built-ins, could also help you accomplish a great TV wall.  Again, see this post for more ideas.

Your sofa should face your TV wall. There are a number of different ways to arrange furniture in the room.  Check out some ideas in this post.  An easy way to do it would be to simply have a sofa and two chairs.

(photo from favorite spaces)

How you do your TV wall will determine what kind of furniture arrangement you will do.  For example- if you were to do an off-set TV - like above, you would NOT want to do a symmetrical arrangement- (both chairs could be on one side creating more of an L-shape furniture arrangement).(photo from living room spaces)

- If you decide to go symmetrical, have your TV in the center.  If you like the asymmetrical look, follow through with your TV arrangement.  It is simply a search for balance. 

Remember: focal point, balance, scale, variety...

If you keep a sofa where you currently have one, put a sofa table, console, or desk behind it.  Make it something worth looking at. 

Take down your current ceiling fixture, and replace it with a cool light fixture. 

(photo from viva full house)

Your other wall, the wall without the TV on it, will need wall decor that has a size relationship with the wall itself, or with the furniture below it. 

(photo from apartment possibilities)

Start with your TV wall- you need a focal point.  Then take some new pictures and write me back.

XOXO

- Christine

The Television / Fireplace Face-off

I know that I have been a lousy blogger lately.  My kids' end of the year stuff has me running!  Kindergarten graduation, plays, recitals, jog-a thons- end of year parties...  the list goes on and on.  Combining that with my regular work, and I am not making it over to the blog...  Only a couple more days of school.  Today's post is a follow-up on Cindy's - see this dining room post.  Today I wanted to tackle her family room. 

I have a beef with the architects out there that try to put a TV and a fireplace in the same room.  Every time you have a split focal point- you have what I would consider a non-ideal situation.  Why can't we just have the fireplace in the living room and the television in the family room? 

When there is no fireplace to compete with, a TV room is great- you know what direction to face the furniture- we have a single focal point- it's great.

Putting the television above the fireplace is nice for a few reasons.  First of all- you still are working with a single focal point- which is a big deal.  However- it loses the romance of the fireplace entirely.  Also- this requires the television to be hung much higher than the ideal viewing height.

Some rooms allow for you to have it to the side- sometimes I like it- but I do feel like usually it creates a competition for attention with the fireplace.  Still- it is a good idea- especially if the TV is not too big.

There is something in me that says- there really should be a lovely piece of art above that fireplace...

SO- what about for you, Cindy? 

Option 1- Your best furniture placement will be with the television above the fireplace.  You can always angle it downward for better viewing.  You could have a nice large comfy sofa, and add a couple of great chairs to flank the fireplace.  Or you could get a large L-shaped sectional- and have it where your entertainment center and current sofa are.  To this, add two chairs (not too small- we need balance)- where your recliner is currently.  You could also have builtins next to the fireplace and move the television over there.  (your TV might be too large for that).

Option 2- Keep the television on the wall where it is currently.  With a split focal point, you want a good L-shaped seating arrangement that is balanced.  Currently, you don't have a balance.  The sofa facing the fireplace is a stronger piece than the chairs facing the TV.  Do this with two sofas, a sectional with two equal sides, or a sofa with two chairs that are large enough to really balance the sofa.

You need to ask yourself, how may people watch television at a time?  If the number is high- go with option 1.  However- too large a TV will force you into option 2...  These are decisions that I cannot make for you.  :)  Let me know what direction you want to go- and I can direct you more.

Thanks,

Christine

photos from House Beautiful

Myriam's Furniture Arrangement

HI
I've found your blog Design with Christine and loved it!!
i would really appreciate your help!...
we're building a new house and here's our floor plan... Except we have now a big rectangular window in the living room and not 3 bay windows as per plan... the dimensions are in foot.

and also the living room is 17' 3 X 18... we don't have much walls so it's causing a problem for our living room...it's a big open concept... I don't want to put the tv over the fireplace cause i don't like that... I would reconsider- it might not be your favorite look- but it is the obvious / easiest solution. so i don't know how to arrange furniture, tv and fireplace... the fireplace is electric... so it's movable... except that you have no walls to move it to... we want a fireplace cause we like the warmth it adds to a room... we were going to do a built in tv media next to a built in fireplace... except that you have windows there...

any ideas would be wonderful!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Myriam

1. You could always have your TV on an angle in the corner- except for the fact that I don't like that look- it is OK for a college dorm- but a little sad for a brand new home.

2. I would, personally- put it over the fireplace- it gives you the best options for furniture arrangement.

3. You could not have windows by the fireplace and have built-ins along that wall- with the fireplace and entertainment area both incorporated.

4. You could add a wall in your entry. I drew this option for you on the floorplan. It definitely closes in the entry (I drew in a small console table in the entry.)- but it does give you a wall for a TV- and having it directly opposite the fireplace can offer you a secondary focal point. I still would go the easy way out and put it above the fireplace. I feel like it is the best solution for the space.

Thanks,
Christine

Better With You

As I was watching Better With You last week I spotted the Jaipur bedding from this post. I can't say that I am a huge fan of their headboard/ wallcolor combination- but I do love the bedding. :)