Wall to Wall

So it's been a while since I promised I would share some ideas for wall decor in the living room.  Just in case you forgot what we're dealing with, here are some up to date photos:

The chairs are in place.  We're happy with the furniture placement.  Now we just need to finish trimming out the room without spending too much more money.  What is on the walls now is all stuff I'd like to keep, but I am open to switching things around!

One change is the television.  I was looking at that space the other day and decided we needed to get a bigger one.  The old one looked kind of dwarfed over there, and I knew my husband would have no objections to a larger screen, so we gifted the old one to my mom and scaled up.  I think this will make the wall easier to balance.  (And, yes, the lamps are split up!  Do you all like them better this way?)

Click here if you want to see how forlorn the old tv looked and how the lamps looked together on the console table.

I also tried switching the Keith Haring world print with the bicycle print that was over the sofa.  I thought the bicycle print was getting lost over the sofa, while the Haring could hold its own.  Yes?  No?  Better idea?

This awkward picture is to show the platter I am thinking of hanging up along with the bicycle print and something yet to be determined.  I like the all the colors together over there, and it would take up some space for the price of a plate hanger. 

I have found a few things I really like on etsy.  These city map prints appeal to me because they are clean and graphic.  They can be ordered in any color, too, so that's handy.

Images from Jenna Sue Map Shop on etsy

The other print I keep coming back to is this Cathrine Holm design.  This is a definite, just as soon as I decide on a size.

Another thing I've toyed with is the idea of painting something myself.  It would have to be simple and stylized, but it would be a cheap way to get something up on the walls.  Or...it could be a total disaster! 

So...as always...what do you think?  Am I on the right track?  Do you think I need more variety?  Less?  Is there anything you really hate?  Like?  Let me know!

Chairs are Back!

The chairs are back!

Time to get back to work!

I didn't want to do too much until I had them back in the room.  Now that they're here, I can look at the flow and decide if it's going to work.  Then, once we are sure we have the furniture where we want it, we can start working on artwork.  We don't want to put extra holes in the walls if we can help it!

Baby Steps

The chair cushions are ordered!  I think I mentioned before that this was a project I just wasn't equipped to tackle.  I've made cushions before, but they were for little-used spaces where they didn't have to stand up to much scrutiny.  I knew if I tried to make these I would constantly see the flaws, so we've entrusted the job to Fabrics by Allan.  We walked in with the two samples we liked best (the two solids from this post) and threw ourselves on the mercy of the staff.  The woman helping us (I think her name was Julie) immediately took us to a bolt of in-stock SALE fabric that was very similar to one of our samples.

Compare this to the sample:

The color is actually closer than it appears in these pictures.  (You can tell by looking at the color of my hand that the light wasn't the same.)  Anyway, we all really liked it, so our choice was made as quick as that!  Thank goodness, because there were SO many books to look through, I'm sure we would have been there forever.  Also, the in-stock fabrics were on sale for 50% off, so the stuff we chose was only $9.99 per yard.  Score!  So a few weeks to wait, and then our chairs will be done!

As to where they're going to go...

Gerry took the couch apart the other day and reconfigured it to put the chaise at the other end.  (Thanks again for the suggestion!)  One chair will go in the space right in front of the radiator at a right angle to the couch...

...and the other will go in the corner where the lamp is.  The lamp will be gone, as will the cat tree!  (The scheme to recover the old cat tree has been scrapped.  That darn carpet was glued down and fighting removal.  When we saw Petsmart had a sale on trees, we snapped up a new one.)

I also loosened the purse strings a little and bought an accessory.  I found this at Ross for $7.99 and couldn't resist.  It's a good size, about fourteen inches high, so hopefully I can use it to balance things out on either the console table or sideboard.  That way I can break up the lamps, spread the orangey goodness, etc.  And if I ever get tired of it, it will look great in the garden!

So we're at a bit of a standstill right now until the chairs come back.  I have been doing a bit of online window shopping for wall ideas, but I want to have all the furniture back in the room before I start making decisions.  I'll share some of the possibilities soon!  

Your Straps are Showing

Taking a break from rearranging furniture and lamps!  We've been living with the latest configuration for a few days, and I think we've found our basic layout.  Lamp placement, artwork, plants*...all that will come later, but in the meantime, we're working on getting the chairs kitted out with everything they need. 

When we first dragged the chairs home, I figured we'd repair the seats either by cutting a piece of wood to set in there as a seat or by stapling furniture webbing across the hole.  A little internet research turned up the proper solution:  Fagas straps.  These things are neat!  The chairs are made with a groove into which the straps fit.  There is a perfectly angled piece of metal on the end of each strap which slides in and holds firmly.  

 

It's sort of bumming me out that I just spent a good portion of my budget on something no one will ever see, but it will make the chairs more comfortable, and I like that it's done right. 

*A footnote on plants.  I bought two, huge BEAUTIFUL plants without checking on their toxicity first.  Turns out they are both highly toxic to cats, so they will not be staying.  Any suggestions for large, easy to maintain plants that are safe with pets?

Let's Pretend

OMG!  We moved the couch again! 

In the previous post's comments, Angelia presented the idea of flipping the couch so the chaise extension is on the other end, allowing us to move one of the chairs to the other side of the room.  Brilliant!
In order to get an idea of what that would look like without actually reconfiguring the couch (because that will be a Production), we moved some furniture last night.  So, no, the chair will not be pushed right up against the couch like that.  This is all an exercise in imagination!

Look at the chairs and the couch, and imagine it with the extension at the other end of the couch.  The two zones still exist, but it's more open.  The chairs are no longer "stacked," one behind the other.  I think this could work, what about you?

We also put Diana's suggestion to remove the tall cabinet to the test.  She also suggested removing one of the chairs, but I don't know if that's necessary if we reconfigure the couch and send one chair to the other end of the room.  As for the cabinet, I was reluctant to remove it because I really like it, but I decided I could like it just as easily in another room.  My second problem with removing it was figuring out what to put in its place.  I kept thinking about how much I'd like a console table there, but I didn't want to spend the money on one.  The white "console" is really the bottom portion of the hutch we had in the dining room.  With the other cabinet moved to the dining room, we don't really need the hutch in there anyway, so why not make use of it this way?  It isn't the most stylish piece, but I think it almost goes away once its placed against the light wall and tricked out with lamps and artwork.

 

Um, yeah.  This is quickly becoming the new black hole.  We are going to try moving it down towards the center of the wall more, now that the room has been shifted.  Just ran out of time last night.  Geez, I'm almost wishing we'd gotten the bigger tv now!  (Don't get excited, Gerry!)

As I was rummaging through my stash for more orange fabric to drape on the chairs, I found this Orla Kiely for Target tablecloth.  I may finally decide to cut into it after all these years!

The chair hardware is on its way!  Tracking shows it arriving soon.  The cushions are going to run about $75 each, so that is a big chunk of my budget.  Whatever else I do needs to be done on the cheap!

How are we doing?
Do you like the ideas?

I appreciate all the input--truly.  It has been most helpful!
Keep it coming!

Swatches

 Just to give you a break from looking at living room pictures, I thought I'd post a photo of this cutie.  Maybe she can find a permanent home in here when it's all done!

 First up, the lamps.  I am really falling in love with these orange lamps, so I think they are keepers one way or another.  I wasn't in love with the placement of them, though, and neither were a few of you.  I started looking through decorating books to see how the professionals handle lighting.  Basically, the only lamps I saw in pairs were part of very symmetrical arrangements, which makes sense, I guess.  I tried them on either end of the sideboard and I like it!  That's another space that's always felt vaguely wrong to me, and now I think it's because I was trying to force an asymmetric arrangement on it.  What do you think? 

I moved the oddball lamp (the actual vintage lamp) over next to the sofa.  I miss the pop of color, but if I throw some bright pillows on there, it should make up for it.  Notice the table has changed?  We bought that at the thrift shop a few weeks ago.  It looked much too short with the small lamps we had, but I think it looks perfect with this set up, especially with the taller lamp.



I made at stop at the fabric store to get a closer look at fabrics and brought home a few samples.  I don't think I'm brave enough to do a print on the chairs, but orange is a distinct possibility.  Gerry prefers the nubby fabric in the top and middle photo (click to enlarge), and I like the color of the velvety stuff on the bottom.  You'll recognize the lattice print from the previous post.  I am not as wild about it in person, but I'm not ruling it out.  The abstract print is VERY cool, but I'm afraid of it all turning a little too retro.

Just to give you an idea of what the chairs would look like in orange.  The bulk of that fabric is a piece of velveteen I happened to have, but you get the general idea.  As for the lamp, everyone keeps saying I need height in the corner.  I realize that isn't the lamp for the room, but I put it there just to see a lamp in the space.  Then I started thinking, what about a hanging light?

Am I losing it here or might that work?  This is from West Elm and is on sale.  The other suggestions I've had for the corner are a large plant, a few hanging lanterns, shelves, fabric panels, etc.  I can't even think of them all! 

To refresh your memory, another look down towards the black hole.  A commenter, Diana, offered:

Now that there's a new chair in the room (which I love and can't wait to see restored), I actually don't like the reading chair in the back corner because when you look in that direction the two layers of chairs becomes eye clutter. I would prefer that the cabinet go away (although that may not be possible) and that wall be used for a collection of art (just mounted posters would be fine) or floating shelves holding your collections of...whatever you collect.

I see exactly what you're saying, and part of me wants to do just that--clear it out, move in a simple console table, and fill the wall with art.  I even think I could utilize the cabinet and extra chair in the dining room.  My big hesitation is that something's gotta give.  If I move those two pieces, two pieces from the dining room have to go, and then I'm starting to worry about storage.  Sigh...more to think about.

And speaking of art...

That is going to be a real can of worms.  The reason the walls were so bare in the first place is because I am so weird about what I'll put on the walls.  I have a real aversion to tacking meaningless things up, no matter how pretty they look, and I'm a little snobby about original art.  Unfortunately, I'm also a complete cheapskate, so I don't get to buy much original art!

Finally, one more thing to address: the floral fabric.

You can see a bit of it in the one picture, where I stuck it up curtain-like.  I LOVE this fabric.  It's vintage, and I bought every last bit they had, which is probably about twelve yards.  It has the orange, and it has yellow, which would tie in the wall color.  When I held it up like a curtain, it looked nice with the bamboo shades.  Intellectually, I tell myself I should use it.  It's paid for, I have plenty of it, and it looks okay.  But I just don't love it in that room.  I think things need to stay more abstract.  Thoughts?

Again, any and all thoughts are welcome! 

Have I made things worse?

Am I heading down a dubious path?
Let me know!

Experimenting

I'm back with some changes and some answers! I've had feedback on here, on Facebook, and from friends. I love it, so keep it coming!

Several people suggested dealing with the leftover "black hole" area at the far end of the room by setting up a second area, either with a table and chairs or as a reading nook type of thing.  There was also a comment or two about the (paltry) size of the rug.  I thought maybe I could kill two birds with one stone by enlarging the leftover area a bit.  That would make room for a chair or a table in the secondary area AND shrink down the tv space, meaning the rug would fill the space a little better.  Rugs are expensive, so if I can avoid buying a new one, I will!

I also saw this picture online and thought it was interesting how the sofa was pushed all the way into the corner.  We can't quite push ours into the corner because of the radiator, but I think it sort of works anyway.

Yes, it needs color.  Let's assume the walls aren't changing.  They've been painted recently, and we aren't eager to do it again.  And the case pieces are not going to be painted.  We paint a lot of things, but not those!  The sofa can change, as it is slipcovered, but for another $250 or so, I wouldn't do it unless it made a huge impact.  The choices are here.  I think there were a few commenters who mentioned red accents.  I do love red, but I am not a huge fan of it for this room.  I think I need a bridge, so to speak, between the cool greys and the warm wood tones.  The colors I keep picturing are orange and kind of a peacock blue.  I grabbed some fabrics from my stash just to throw on there for an idea, and the lamps came home with me today just to see what a dash of orange would do. 

Moving along, I dragged the Selig chairs in to see how they would play into things.  Amazing what a sore thumb that gingham chair is once the Seligs enter the picture, huh?  Gerry and I are both extremely pleased with how they look in there, so we went ahead and ordered the webbing and springs we need to move forward with the restoration.  That is another opportunity to inject color into the room as well, because I can choose whatever fabric I want for the cushions.  Ideas?  Would you match the sofa?  Pick something kicky?  Go for something subdued, but not necessarily matching?

This is to give some idea of how it all shakes down with the furniture shifted and the new chair in place.  Does the rug make more sense now?  Do you like the chair?  I think the lower back really helps.

Over to the black hole, leftover space, secondary area, whatever you want to call it.  This is a shot of the rocker which will replace the gingham chair.  I just have nowhere to go with things, so use your imagination! 

Okay, the lamps are looking very conspicuous right now, but we can work on that.  Anyway, the other end.  We pushed the cabinet down towards the door a bit so the chair could go in the corner.  If we fill in with artwork on the wall, how would that be?  I propped a painting up there on top of the chair just to get something in that space. 

So, any thoughts on the new developments?  Believe me, this is ALL conjecture!  I am just trying things out and playing around at this point.  If you hate the lamps, that's okay!  If you think the rug still looks dumb, say so!  I won't be offended! :)

Pimp My Living Room

Our living room has been in a state of flux for long enough.

It was "done" once, but then I saw this at the thrift shop:

Bye bye, country pine armoire.  Hello, mid-century sideboard.

Of course it went with nothing (except the awesome gourd lamp I bought years ago), but I figured I could build around it...eventually. 

  

If you'll just look around with me for a minute, you can see we haven't progressed very far.  It's still very much a hodgepodge.  I didn't even bother to tidy up for the pictures, because, frankly, it doesn't help much.

The chair with the plaid blanket is not really a design choice.  We brought it in for extra seating at the holidays, and the cats decided it makes a lovely place to sleep.  Likewise, the side tables and lamps--just inexpensive, functional things until we decide what we want.

The sofa is new, and we bought it based on its low profile (so it would not block windows) and comfort.  I also wanted something with a slipcover, because we weren't sure how it would fare against two sets of kitten claws.  The chair goes unused 99% of the time and will be replaced by one of the Danish chairs if we ever get it put back together.

This is a real black hole.  The room is sort of long and narrow, so we have this empty space at one end.  We used to have a thrift shop sideboard down there, with a collection of mirrors hanging above it.  We replaced the sideboard with this cabinet, because it goes better with the other cabinet piece, but it looks lonely over there. 

 There is also a lot of blank wall to the left of the tv.

 A view from the other end.

Help!  It looks terrible, and we are at a loss.

Between the shape of the room, 11 by 22, and the window and door placement, we just can't figure out what to do.  And whatever we do, we don't want to spend a lot of money.

Where would you start?

Bye-Bye Paper Towels

This is how our paper towel holder looks these days, because we have finally given up paper towels!  It's weird, because we do so many other eco-friendly (and wallet friendly) things: We use cloth napkins.  We take our own bags to the grocery store.  We recycle compulsively.  Heck, I don't even use plastic bags to scoop the litter boxes!  So why were we still using paper towels?

Sorry, but I have to blame my husband for this one.  For a while now, whenever we ran out of paper towels, I would float the idea of doing without, but he wouldn't go for it.  He agreed to buy only recycled paper towels, but switching to cloth was just out of the question.  Friends of mine suggested a sort of weaning process: Keep the paper towels, but put them somewhere inconvenient. 

So I decided to try it.  The last time we ran out of towels in the kitchen, instead of grabbing a new roll from the basement, I threw a stack of cloth towels on the holder.  I didn't say a word.  To my delight, Gerry ran with it!    

Of course this means more towels in the laundry, but between using homemade detergent and hanging everything to dry that isn't a big deal.  And we have PLENTY of towels!  I can go a long, long time between washes!