From a design blog, lots of windows, lots of light, a clean, airy feel...
White. Glass. Drum shades on the lamps. Blue sky.
Can I pick up the colors in the abstract on the wall for my accent colors?
Cream furniture. Glass. Gorgeous blue in the sky (another accent color?). Large black framed art.
Well, you get the idea. Now to translate the feeling into reality. It will just be a hint, there's no way I can achieve the real thing, short of moving to LA and buying a house there, and that's certainly a total dream, but... I can hint at it.
All that said, here's the "before" that I have to work with. Do I hear the words "SCB, you certainly have your work cut out for you"? I thought I did.
The room is a 15' by 11' rectangle, with most of the east wall being a nearly floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door out to the balcony. The pictures start in the dining area of the room (the west end of the room) and go clockwise around the room. They were taken on Saturday.
The leaves of the table can be slid under the tabletop from either end, resulting in a square table. I plan to snuggle the square table under the corner London photos, and move two of the chairs into my bedroom except when they are needed.
It's quite obvious why slipcovers are needed, isn't it? I like the style and size of these chairs, but their age is showing. I hope the slipcovers are heavy enough fabric to hide the color of the brown chair and the discoloration of the beige chair. The positioning of these chairs will be changed, and the painting above them will be replaced by a black-and-white seascape, approximately the same size, framed in black.
In the furniture rearrangement, the chair on the right of the window will be moved to the corner at the left of the window. I'll be creating a tighter conversation grouping.
Yes, I'm aware that it isn't Christmas. Some things in the living room are awaiting the setup of the shelving units in the storage room/archives so that they can be put away. The blanket that's currently covering that chair will be replaced by a slipcover that will match the other chairs. The TV and its cohorts will be placed on a different stand, and will be moved to the corner the chair is vacating. The china cabinet will be relocated to the storage room, and the beige chair will be moved into its place. This should create the illusion of a separate living area and dining area. (Notice that the words "illusion", "hint", "idea" come up a lot.)
This picture shows you how the living room relates to the kitchen and the entryway. I will be removing the unsightly telephone wire which stretches across the wall above the dining table.
As I said in my previous post, I don't know how much of this will actually happen in Living Room Week, but I have hopes that it will be completed by the end of the Cure.
Would you like a few suggestions? I totally get it if none of them can be implemented, but here goes:
ReplyDelete1) A large mirror--or several small ones--perhaps frameless, on the wall where the dining table is. At least a mirror or two on the side walls. Think of them as windows, not mirrors. I've lived in a room like this and it felt like a cave by the time you were in the kitchen.
2) Do you know someone you can hire to sew slipcovers for you out of bleaced (and obviously well rinsed) drop cloths? They would be fabulous for you--natural fibres, too.
A big rubber plant or two--can you tolerate them?
I wouldn't say that you are too far off from the pictures you showed us. because of your big windows and light coloured and simple walls the look you are after can be achieved.
ReplyDeleteI like the mirror idea Alana gave. It would enhance the light. Did you notice that in all your pictures there was a glass coffee table? Would one fit in your plan?
Could you also regroup your paintings and pictures to a more unified group, I would leave one wall totally bare if possible.
I wrote a long comment, responding to both of you, and when I tried to "publish my comment" blogger said, "We're sorry, we cannot complete your request".
ReplyDeleteLet's see if I can do this again:
Alana:
1) I will certainly think seriously about your mirror idea. What comes immediately to mind are mirrors like the new one in your foyer. I'll wait, though, to see how the room looks when it's rearranged.
2) I've purchased "surefit" slipcovers in a style that was closest to what I have (nothing completely matched the style of chair that I have). I am hoping I can wrestle them into fitting my chairs. If not, I'll look into your idea. I don't know of someone who could do that, I'd have to do some research.
Onshore:
1) Thank you for your assessment that this could actually be possible!
2) Actually, I have a small 50s style glass-and-mirror coffee table, which will definitely be a part of this new look. It's there now, you just can't see it under all the stuff! It will go in the space between two of the chairs (under the seascape which will replace the painting). Since I don't have a couch, it doesn't work to have a coffee table in a "normal" coffee table spot.
3) I am totally in love, and totally committed to leaving the picture grouping in the dining area the way it is. The seascape will go in the general area that the painting will vacate. All other wall art is negotiable. In fact, today I was planning to move some of the pictures from the wall that the china cabinet is on at the moment, into the bedroom to see how they work in there. I will take all the photos off that wall, and see if I could live with that wall being totally bare. That would preclude Alana's idea of having mirrors on that wall... I'll have to see what works for me, once the furniture is rearranged.
Thank you both for your suggestions!
... now let's hope this posts this time ... (perhaps I'll copy it first, just in case!)
Surefit are a good brand--That's what I have for my sofa and except for it being a bit big, I like it. As for keeping a wall blank, that's totally up to you. Pictures and picture groupings can be so helpful in balancing things out.
ReplyDeleteSorry, if I sounded like you should have one wall bare from pictures. Alana is right.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that in the pictures you linked to there were very little happening on the walls, that's why I mentioned it, I should have written better. Try to understand, english is not my native language, I might be bit short on words sometimes.