The Cozy Factor

 Hi Christine,

I've been faithfully following your blog, and I've read every single post you have written.

I am a desperate woman, in dire need of your blunt help with my family room.

This is our main room for TV watching and entertaining, and I kind of hate it. It does not feel cozy or balanced to me.

We ripped up the carpet and put down the hardwoods to match the existing that was everywhere else in house.  I removed the 8 x 11 rug I had in there (this one), as I wanted something a bit bigger and not so brown. I like traditional Persian and oushak rugs; however I don't want a red-dominant one.  My very patient husband has driven me all over NY, NJ and CT the last few months to go rug shopping. I've not found any Persians I'm overly keen on, so I was considering a seagrass rug and then punching up the pattern by replacing the linen drapes with something graphic (something like this? , or maybe this? ). I know you like a minimum of 3 in a room.

 I thought you might tell me to put the TV on the fireplace. We tried that, and it was too high and hurting our eyes.

I plan on removing existing vertical blinds left by previous homeowner and installing Roman shades, probably in a woven. If you want me to keep the flax linen drapes, I will have them hemmed and weighted, and also get a longer rod to increase the stack off to the side of the windows.

The only thing I really like in this room are the Greek key pillows I had made.

I was planning on having the armchairs reupholstered in something very graphic. I am at a loss on what to do with the huge wall behind couch. I have a 6.5ft long mirror I was considering, but that still doesn't take up the length of the wall.

My house is a traditional New England colonial, and the rest of my house is done in greys, taupes and blues. Those, along with light green, are the colors I gravitate towards. I'm including some photos of our living room (the blue room, or where our furniture goes to die) in case you want to tell me to use any of this furniture in the family room. The living room is currently a TV/train table room for the kids until we finish the basement. It will be dealt with at a later time.

I am excellent at following directions, and I hope that you can help me. I promise to take pictures and show you what I've done.

Cheers, and thank you ever so much,
Laura

Hi Laura,

Your wood floors are beautiful!  Good move!

I want to address three things with you that will make all the difference in the room:

1.  Your TV

2.  Your big blank wall

3.  The Cozy Factor  (or lack of it)

Let's start with your television.  Yes, it's true that the first thing I would say is, put it above the fireplace or move it to a different room.  So- now that it is staying in this room, and not above the fireplace, I do have another plan for you.  What is really wrong with having it like it is, is your rhythm.  It is very poor rhythm the way it is.  To improve that, I added two large shelves, and set it on an angle on one of them.  The height of the shelves (from Dovetail), gives a different type of rhythm and balance to the wall.  Is it as perfect as no TV at all?  No- but it is a good solution that doesn't sacrifice your furniture arrangement and balance that I am trying to achieve in the space.  Number 2- that big wall.  You have two ways of dealing with the large empty wall.  First, you could have a large collection of wall decor.  One large mirror will not do the trick.  It would still be out of scale with the massive size of the wall.  Or, secondly, you could add furniture to the wall.  When you do this, you change the scale for the wall decor.  Instead of having a relationship with the wall it is on, the wall decor now has a relationship with the furniture that it is over. The piece below is 94 inches in length.  That is great.  With that said, your furniture should have a scale relationship with the wall.  I did this by using a very long buffet table, and then also adding two sconces on either side. 

Do you see how I took you from having to cover 240 inches of wall down to about 70 inches?  You're welcome. 

Now for the cozy factor.  Your room is not cozy because:

First of all, your furniture is too small.  Get larger, taller furniture.  I selected a couple of pieces for you from Bernhardt.  Nothing is cozier than a wing back.  It's like you're being hugged as you sit there.

I also selected for you a sofa that is a larger scale than your current one, and with a softer fabric, and a higher back and arm.  The larger size with be a better scale for the room, taking away the awkward "I'm too small" look that you have. 

I also added two large ottomans for the center.  They push right together to look like one.  An oversized ottoman, or oversized coffee table, could serve the same purpose.  However, you would pay quite a bit more generally for an oversized piece.  Using two is sometimes a cost saver. 

This is the Ulster ottoman from Bernhardt.

Secondly, the scale of the patterns in the room make a difference as well.  Larger patterns in darker colors brings a large room in.  I just went off your pillows and selected a rug and fabric for you.  This rug is from Uttermost:

Of course, sometimes a rug is like a piece of art, and you might want to stumble upon the one that is perfect for you.  Either way, you could get a jute or sisal rug,  (9 x 12) and then later layer a patterned rug on top of it in an 8 x 10.  When you are purchasing a very expensive rug, this can save you thousands of dollars.  It also increases your textural variety, and can buy you time if you want to take your time on the second rug. 

I would not use your soft fabric on the drapes.  The bolder option you had selected is alright.  I also found one from Lee Jofa for you. 

Again, the bolder print will make your large room come in closer. 

Texture is the third aspect that will make a room cozier.  Ramp up your texture in your rugs, woven wood Roman shades layered with a textured drapery fabric, soft upholstery fabrics and plants.  Wallpaper would also be a terrific addition.

A few more additions:

A bench for under your window.  This gives the room a good rhythm, as well as additional seating.  It can be pulled around to the front of the fireplace for a boxed seating arrangement with a larger gathering.

A blue lamp.  Repeat the blue a couple more times to make it really work great in the room. 

I added the blue lamp on a sofa table behind one of your sofas.  Remember that good lighting also makes a room feel cozy.

(table from Dovetail)

You will need a few more lamps in that large room.  I added some buffet lamps on the console, and a floor lamp.

(lamps are from Uttermost)

Here you go- see it all put together:

Another Tricky TV

Hi Christine, 

I have been reading your recent posts about TV placement. I am worried that I am about to make an expensive mistake. My room is small and awkward. I have tried to arrange it so many ways and end up frustrated by the limited options I have. One wall is taken up by the fireplace and two windows. The adjacent wall has the doorway to the kitchen and an off-center arch. The wall opposite the fireplace is broken up by the bathroom door, the stairs, and the front door. This is the best setup I could work out. I am planning on putting the TV mounted on the little wall opposite the fireplace (there is a chair there in some pictures that I would move to another room). I was planning to balance it out with either a thin console under or a builtin shelving around it. Would it be a mistake to put the tv there? It would make a split focal point and I know that is not a good idea. I do not want it over the fireplace if it can be avoided. Also there are some complications regarding wiring there. I know if anyone can figure out this room it is you. Please help me know what to do.

Warmly,

- Connie

Hi Connie,

Your question is so similar to my previousy's post, but as it always the case, every room is different.  I just hate to have a focal point -like a television- totally opposite the dominant focal point- like the fireplace.   It's like taking two dates to the prom.   Neither date is going to be very happy with you.  Architecturally, it is also a very bad wall.  The way it is so broken up makes it a very poor selection for a focal point.  Plus, like I said yesterday, the room would never feel right.   I wouldn't do it.  I also wouldn't put the TV on the wall with your entry console table.  That is the last thing you want when you enter your home, and what you have there now is very nice.  You can't do what I suggested in my last post, with the TV to the side, because you have windows.  You also can't put it on the wall where your sofa is because of the pass through in the wall.  Now I sound like the guy on The Princess Bride, "I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you...  I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me..." 

And so, with that said, there is not an ideal location for your television.  So, what would I do? 

Like my last post, you have three options:

1.  Don't put a TV in this room.  It is not made to be a TV room.  If it were meant to be a TV room, we wouldn't be having this problem.

2.  Put the TV over the fireplace.  Keep the integrity of the focal point.  Generally speaking, most rooms have an architectural focal point wall.  I always try to use that wall as my focal point wall and only deviate from it when absolutely necessary.  Translation: if I were to put a TV in this room, I would put it above the fireplace. 

3.  Fill the pass through, configure the furniture in an L-shape, and put your TV where your sofa is currently. Hopefully the room is deep enough for that.  The sofa would then go opposite the fireplace, and you would need enough depth to have that as well as a walk way behind it.  You could always split the chairs to have one on either side of the fireplace to make room for the sofa moving. 

The biggest down side to option #3 is the lack of rhythm that you have when you fill that much space without upholstered furniture.  If you leave the chairs where they are, and were to split the square room into two triangles, all of the seating furniture is in one triangle.  It lacks balance and rhythm.  If you can fit a chair between the fireplace wall and the TV wall, that would really help with your rhythm. 

Connie, you really have a lovely home I can tell that you have a good decorating sense.  Everything from your decor on your console, coffee table and end tables are all so nicely done.  I really like your use of books, your layered rugs and your drapes.  Keep up the good work! 

Susan's Family Room

Hi Christine,

I have a question about how to determine the focal point in a room. I think the focal point in my family room is the window at the rear of the room.  However, with the furniture positioned for TV viewing, does the TV then become the focal point?  With the size of the sectional and the shape of the room, I’m not sure how to arrange the furnishings so the window becomes the focal point instead of the TV.  Is it bad design to have the TV as the focal point? Also, I know the room is in need of more color, texture and pattern but I’m not sure where to begin!  Currently, the only thing with color and pattern is the new rug which I bought to introduce a new color palette into the room.  I thought the rug would give me inspiration but it has only made me feel overwhelmed with choices.  Should I pick up on the blue in the rug  by adding throw pillows in shades of blue?  The floral chair needs to be reupholstered, the walls need a color that will coordinate with the colors of the rug and should I add window treatments or would they detract from the architectural element of the window? What colors and patterns would work? Also, I want to get rid of the piano (a freebie which no one plays and the color is not the best) and make a picture gallery display on that wall. I would also like to move one of the chairs to that wall along with a lamp and side table.   Am I headed in the right direction? Please help me “Christine-ize” my room!!

 

Thanks so much for your help!! 

- Susan

Hi Susan

#1-  Let's start with your focal point question.  Yes the window is the architectural focal point.  Sure- it could be a secondary focal point- but no- it is not the focal point.  So long as you have it as a TV room, and have your current sectional- it cannot be the focal point.  Ideally, yiou would have different furniture that could be arranged in such a way to open up that wall.   If I had a pretty window like that, I would not want to stick a big sectional in front of it.  So long as you have a TV, and the main purpose of the room is watching it, the TV wall is the focal point wall.  To learn how to make the TV wall a better designed wall, worthy of being the focal point, see this post.

#2.- This would be hard to say if you were my good friend, but since we don't know each other, I'll just throw it out there.  You made a poor choice on your rug.  Now, I hope you didn't spend thousands of dollars on it.  Maybe it can go in your bedroom.  Is it not a pretty rug?  Sure it is.  However, it is too formal a style for your furniture.  It is too formal for the carpet, and it is too small.  Find a new home for the rug in a different room, and start over.  Your rug should be large enough to encompass your furniture, laying under the furniture a bit.  You have a big room, you need a big rug.  You also need a more casual rug.  This rug from Homedecorators.com would go great with your oversized sectional. Can you see how the sectional is super casual, and the rug is super formal?

OK - now remove the chair rail.  Chair rails don't work well in rooms filled with furniture.  Keep them in dining rooms or hallways.  Instead, add some texture to your walls with a beautiful cream grasscloth wallpaper throughout.   

Replace your leather ottoman with a coffee table and two pouffes.  Put the table where the ottoman currently is, and add the pouffes on the other side of it.

The pouffes will add color and interest, additional seating or a foot rest.  They also fill the space, along with the coffee table, giving you a better scale relationship with the large sectional.

Your flowered chair is not one that I would reupholster. It would cost as much to reupholster as it would to replace, and the style is not that much of a keeper.   Select one with a pretty back, and a consistent level of formality as the sectional.  The chair below is from Palececk.

Speaking of scale, your wall decor needs to be much larger on the wall over your sectional.  I would add a large picture, like the New York one below from Uttermost,

and then also add a couple of sconces to either side.

Yes, your room can still can use drapes.  I would add two long panels,  hung on the outsides of the window.  Think of them as the wall decor for that wall.  I selected an off white, the same color as the grasscloth, so as to not have them stand out too much, but rather just add a soft texture.  I do that because of the sectional visually cutting them off.  A bold pattern could draw attention to that, making it feel awkward.  The drapes below are from Pottery Barn.

I put everything together for you below.  Can you see how selecting the wrong rug can be so frustrating, whereas, selecting the right rug can make everything come together easily?  Add some throw pillows to increase your pattern, as well as a patterned lumbar pillow on the chair.  If all of this is too contemporary for you, you could always keep the rug and lose the sectional.  ;-) 

Accessorizing the Media Cabinet

Hi Christine,

 

 

I have to start off like many others and say I love your blog!  I have learned so much!  I also have learned that I have made many mistakes, and I am working on fixing them.

 

My current dilemma is that my husband just hung our flat screen tv on the wall.  It looks so nice on the wall, but now I need to accessorize the media cabinet.  How do I do this?  I cannot overlap the items over the tv, as if the television were a picture.  My husband would not let that happen, and I cannot blame him.

 

Can you help?

 

Thank you for your time,

Laura

Hi Laura,

I'm flattered that you read enough to mention overlapping!  I think this is a great question. Let me give you a few ideas.

Idea #1- Just accessorize on the side of the TV.  Sure there's no overlapping, but if there's a place you can get away with that, it would be the TV console.  Still be sure to have the accessories overlap with each other. 

(photo from Crate and Barrel)

Decorating to the side is especially easy with a larger console, and increasingly difficult as the size decreases.

Look at the photo below.  It is similar to yours, with a single plant to the side, but they then added a tray, which is nice and low, still filling a generous amount of space.

(Room and Board)

Know too, that you don't have to have the console centered under the TV, you can shift it to the side, giving you more space for decorative accessories with the asymmetrical look.

(Design Sponge)

Idea #2 is simply to go low.  You might have furniture that would have obstructed views with the decor in the photos above, forcing you to not have any decor higher than the TV screen.  If this is the case, go low.

(Crate and Barrel)

Here is another example with lower decor- I love the use of the books.

(Room and Board)

Idea #3- Overlap- but just with the TV, not the TV screen. 

(Pottery Barn)

Notice how the jacks and the box with the remote overlap the TV a tiny bit?

(Pottery Barn)

Here they push it to the limit, overlapping without covering the screen at all.

(Pottery Barn)

Notice how the accessories on the outside are the overlappers?  That gives the arrangement unity.

(Pottery Barn)

It really comes down to how you've decorated your entire home.  If you have a very simple, clean modern look, you may not need any decor on your console at all, or very little, like the small group of succulents, or the two vases.  The more provincial your feel, the more you will want to add accessories.  Make sure you take into consideration every seat, so you don't end up with one chair that "has the vase in the way." 

Thanks for writing in!

Christine

The Subtle TV

I am always looking for good ways to have a TV without it being the "main event".  I really liked this bookcase with the TV slid in there like it was no more important than a candle stick.  Not every room with a TV, needs to be a "TV Room."  Subtlety.

I particularly like how the kids aren't watching the TV, but rather doing their homework, even though the TV is on!  Now, that's realistic!

(photo from Better Homes and Gardens)