Calling houzzers! Open plan living/dining decor ideas please.
The dining table is currently placed where you can take advantage of the views (can't see out when in the arm chairs and sofa) and therefore both sides of the sofa act as thoroughfares.
Pieces in the room that will stay are the dining setting and buffet, the side tables and "anaesthetic trolley"/bar and, much to my disgust...the recliners! Am thinking of getting them reupholstered in a Tabacco coloured leather.
Any suggestions are very welcome!
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Help decorating the living room please!?
Comments (29)Definitely add a rug with some pattern and texture to break up the conglomerate of dark colours both with the tiled floor and chocolate modular lounge. The rug you choose will then dictate what scatter cushions to select for your lounge. You may want to consider asking your landlord if a art hanging track can be installed this way you could hang a lovely print or artwork behind sofa. With an art track it is usually powder coated white and installed just below cornice and looks like part of the cornice. You are then given by the installer acrylic hanging wires that slot into this track making it versatile to hang either a series of smaller prints or one large one and you can change as often as you like without any damage to the walls. Your artwork can also be the basis for selecting a rug and scatters. You will be amazed how by adding the rug, scatters and artwork will give instant warmth and personality to your room. You may also want to add a coffee table too. If it is a particularly beautifully patterned rug that is a real feature think of a glass coffee table so the rug can be seen. This may also keep heaviness out of the room that is happening with dark floor dark lounge. All the best! Camille Interior Designer Australia...See MoreNeed help with decorating my living room
Comments (41)Hi there I think that adding in wooden decorations and real/fake plants can help bring a bit of life in to your space. And the tones of plants and wooden/nature looking items work really well with neutral colours. They can be both cheap and expensive depending on your taste so finding a bargain or something to suit your needs should be quite easy. If you want a more elegant look marble decorations even if small can be a great way to add a look of class. Candles are also a great way to add in some nice smells to invite people into your home. Keep in mind that sometimes less is more. Don't overdo it and have some fun! It's nice to shop for your home....See MoreHelp! Decorating ideas needed for my new living room
Comments (11)The right coffee table, throw and wall art are not going to be enough to disguise the fact that you have downsized from a much larger home with your large, dark, formal furniture that dominates a compact room. Have you considered moving pieces to other rooms, or selling it, and buying clean-lined, contemporary style furniture off eBay? This style will fit the proportions of your room, and make it easier to live with your dust free strategy. The beauty of second-hand furniture is that when you can afford to upgrade you can sell it again on eBay. and recover your costs. Never paint perfectly good pieces of timber furniture as it will devalue the pieces. Sell them as is, somebody will cherish them as they are. I would keep the couch, decide on the tone of your new timber floor, and use these two elements to decide on the rest of your colour scheme. Your celing fan/light is also a distraction, so replace with something sleek and contemporary that is not such a feature. Your room layout is problemmatic with the number of doors coming into the room, but it is hard to suggest a better stategy without a floorplan. Best of luck with making this house your new home, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls...See MoreYour floor plan and facade ideas please
Comments (6)For me, the very first thing that sticks out like a sore thumb, is the driveway running right past the front of the house, interrupting the indoor outdoor flow and so dangerous if you have small children. Guests currently drive past your entrance, then have to walk back down the driveway to traverse the small stairs to get to your front door. I have to question why you want to move the front door even further down the deck, to centralise it? You would be better off, moving the front door to the corner or short side of the lounge nearer the current garage. HOWEVER, if it were me, I'd relocate the garage and the front door to the dining room end of the house. The main steps to the verandah are already in place, waiting for your guests and the window that I see in the photo could easily become the front door without too much expense. That would free up your front lawn to allow for some beautiful outdoor entertaining options. I would turn the dining room into a small cosy guest or family lounge. I would then reconfigure the kitchen, so your breakfast bar becomes an island bench running along the front. The walkway between rooms is where the sink currently is. The kitchen sink window and the current front door would then be replaced with big french doors leading to your new entertainment lawns. I would relocate the dining area into the lounge space. This would allow good space for your very large dining table to have the presence that you wish it to have. Lastly, I would seriously consider re purposing the old garage so that it becomes your new lounge. The plans show that it is attached to the house, but the photo appears to show that it sits lower than the main floor. You would need to weigh up your options/budget to decide how to best achieve this [step down or raise the floor and roof heights] but I believe you should not rule out the added value and pleasure the extra space would provide....See More
Fiona
8 years agoUser
8 years ago
PROideal drape makers
8 years agoThis room has so much potential and as you have pointed out those windows have a view worth keeping.
I agree with @chookchook2 that finding recliners more in keeping with the style of the room is a must. I think just as important is the replacement of those window treatments. The sun/e-screen roller blinds just don't work in this room. When I view the first image, the wrongness of it jumps out and shouts 'replace me'
Before and After: Suburban renovation · More Info
Although these are unlined roman blinds, the effect of them in this interior shot of similar perspective, I think, illustrates the kind of statement you should be making with those windows. Romans, I think would work very well with the blending of styles you may well be contemplating. - By all means find a fabric that complements the existing e-screens but those windows the way they are are sorely lacking and begging for treatments that show and feature the windows.If you elect to go Romans my suggestion is face fix them (fix them to the outside of the architraves) as opposed to in the photo I have included inside the reveal.
- By affixing Romans above the architraves on the plaster (say 20cm) you add that little bit of extra length that will give the room a more expansive projection.
- Adding pelmets in a coordinated fabric would tie it all in.
- Add a flange cord to pelmet box and some sort of tassel or trim to the bottom of the Roman Blind.
Other suggestions beyond the window treatments:
- Frame the map above the buffet unit.
- A nice table-runner on the dining table. Coordinated to complement the Romans.
- Tall crystal vase on the table runner.
- Vary the height of items on the buffet. - Its all a bit flat and level and I think you need to break it up a bit.
This room has so many beautiful elements that tie in well, and complement each other (fireplace, rosette, buffet, windows and beautiful dining table) that I think you need to play a long game with this room that will enable you to realise a beautiful vision that encompasses sufficient wow to be remarked on by any guest who enters this space.
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8 years ago- PRO
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8 years ago Lindel
8 years agoUser
8 years agoUser
8 years agoUser
8 years agoChunky, but could just get one, plus a chair, suits the house
You would nt put the chair and recliner close together.Tas store
Lindel
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agoLindel
8 years agoUser
8 years agoUser
8 years agoFiona
8 years ago
dohraime
8 years agoUser
8 years agoLindel
8 years agoUser
8 years agoUser
8 years agoUser
8 years agoLindel
8 years agoUser
8 years agoFiona
8 years ago- PRO
ideal drape makers
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHi @Lindel,
The easy answer to your question e-screens. Can you put screens in front of the windows in the other gabled half of your frontage (where you have the drapes)? - You may not be able to coordinate with the blue screens in the dining room. If this is the case, then you might consider sacrificing them to the cause. It would also open up your choices with regard to selection of fabrics for the Romans.
The relative cost of e-screens is fairly minor and will be more than offset by the wow effect of the statement you'll make with some nice Romans, and at the same time provide a uniform exterior projection across your entire house frontage.
I'd strongly suggest 'pelmets' with the Roman Treatments. Yes. - It will add to the overall cost but it really would tie it all in. I would suggest you do not have your Roman's and pelmets in the same fabric. There are many coordinated fabrics as options from reputable Australian suppliers.
Do the job properly with someone who will custom make Traditional Soft Roman's (as opposed to 'Hard Roman's' aka Casual Romans, Beach Blinds. If not within budget today better to wait; than to settle for second best. Properly lined custom made Romans + e-screens with pelmets, are going to save you on heating costs. (I have them through my own house, replacing some pre-existing verticals and it did make a big difference to my comfort in winter and $$$ saved on my heating bill).
Here's an example of a Soft Roman with a single pelmet tying the treatments across three windows together:
Rosebery Road · More InfoAbove: Traditional Soft Roman Blinds (Lined) with a single pelmet tying the three windows together.
Mediterranean Manhattan Beach Home · More InfoTreatment variation: 4 pelmets completing the treatments for 4 windows.
Alternatively, depending on the spacing between your windows, three separate pelmets could be used (marginally more cost - fabric for the returns/sides).
Personally, I would go for a straight pelmet box for a more formal projection (rather than concave edged pelmets pictured above in your space). Pelmets can also be varied in fascia depth and depending on the height of the window. I would suggest min 20, 25 or maximum 30cm height. Ours look great with 20cm fascias. - Go for 'coordinated' rather than same fabric, to really set it off, along with high quality flange cord trim.
You'll find a lot of the images that come up in your 'Roman Searches' from Oz, 'land' you on US Treatment search results; most of which are unlined and tend to have that 'saggy' look. You'll find more images of Traditional Soft Roman's raiding the photo archives of the Houzz sites in Europe. (although there are a number of excellent images here here on Houzz Oz).
We recommend Warwick Fabrics, Charles Parsons, James Dunlop (Mokum/Pegasus), Nettex. Jump on their websites, view their collections. In most cases you will be able to order cuttings at no charge. - You'll be able to touch and feel and see how they will look in your home.
Don't rush. Take your time as getting it right contributes greatly to the impact and projection of the vision you realise for the overall room.
Kensington Home · More InfoAbove: Another example of a soft roman but without pelmets. It suits well in this interior, top-fixed to the ceiling (which would not be the case in your room). The above image also lacks the formal projection (or at least 'transitional') that you need for your space.
In the above image, it is also worth noting that when viewed closer-up the head-rail is far more noticeable, and given the proximity of your windows to the dining table, far better covered over by pelmet(s). You will literally 'warm the cockles' of your dining guest's hearts during winter with the extra insulation that pelmets add to the treatment.
Finally, this from Charles Parsons via the Window Coverings Association of Australia (WCAA) may prove enlightening:
Energy Savings - Window Fact Sheet (via WCAA)
All the best and do make sure you post the before/after shots, whatever solution you land on.
Nancy.
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