Dear Nit,

I think your idea to have very light grey paint on the walls should work. I would pick only slightly darker shade of grey for the sofa. My advice would be to paint the fire surround with the shade of grey matching the sofa. You might consider decluttering your space. Buy smaller pieces of furniture and only the ones you actually need/use. One sofa for this room size should be enough. Your curtains are very strong. Keep this in mind and have the rest very light.

I am attaching few photos that might guide you in terms of picking the shades of grey, keeping it light and also getting the furniture pieces in proportion to the room you have.

Luxury Penthouse with Outside Spaces, Westminster, London, UK · More Info

Luxury Penthouse with Outside Spaces, Westminster, London, UK · More Info

Good luck with your project.
Victoria

Hi Nit. I must admit I would change the curtains as they're a little long and therefore encroaching on the room space. I think the sofas you have are too large as the arms overlap. If you want a sofa to sit symmetrically under the window Perhaps you could change this for a loveseat or chair? I've had a look in your Ideabook and can see you like neutral with bright splashes of colour. I think a pale grey would look good on the walls, which way does the room face as you may need some paint recommendations if it's north or East facing? A mid grey for the seating would look good. I would suggest moving the tv onto the fireplace ŵall and maybe having a little declutter so you can give the curtains some space. It may also help to remove some of the things off of the ŵall as this will make it calmer for you. The mirror colour doesn't really work with the fire surround so would paint either of these. In terms of a rug, I'd go for something that is similar in colour to the carpet as it will make the room feel bigger but choose something with texture. I can't see if you have a pendant light but the room would also benefit from table and floor lamps to add cosiness and a relaxing feel. Grey will obviously go with anything, what are your favourite colours for accents? I like green with grey but maybe a complete change would be nice?! I can't really see your furniture but wood and something metallic always lifts a room

Some strip lights or effect wall lights have the potential to contribute to the 'calming' feeling you're trying to achieve.

Why not go for white walls, neutral curtains and a quirky floor covering or rug? I also think that such a dark large sofa is quite imposing for the size of room. Something lighter would give more of an impression of space.

Choose smaller sofas that are less imposing and declutter the space. Pick a few key pieces for display and think about best ways to display which aren't bulky, e.g. boxes or shelves on wall rather than display cabinets

Try a medium charcoal sofa with white walls.

The wine-y red is a bit 00s. You have the right idea with the duck egg blue cushion. If you want to save money, change the curtains, rug and red cushions with duck egg blue/cream/light grey colours. If you want to spend a bit more I would replace the coffee table and bookshelf with a nice medium wood, chunky style. Paint the mirror frame (and maybe the tv stand) light grey/beige or white. Best of luck with it :)

I agree with last comment , if you relocate your curtains you can start afresh and your sofas could be accommodated.. Choose a closed cabinet to store your odds n ends or cube shelving with pull out baskets . You cant get rid of everything but you can improve on the way you store neccessities.

. You might do well do make a few moodboards on cardboard or in a large scrapbook and cut out pics from mags of cushions , curtains and furniture (or whole rooms ) that you like, you dont have to buy the exact stuff ,, it will just help you to get make a connection between colours and furniture finishes until you see something that appeals and works for you.

Duckegg and grey is a favourite of mine too, but you know your own likes best, you may want to go bolder .Start with an item or fabric you really like and create a theme around it, But you need a well loved anchor point to pin down your scheme and work out from there.

Although the matchy matchy days are gone your furnishings still need to connect with one another to make the room welcoming and appealing.

Obviously Houzz images are a fab inspiration . (Houzz lets us create ideabooks online just by clicking images and saving to ideabook )

Its not a case of copying a room scheme but saving the pics you love the most and work out what you liked about them. Which schemes provided the atmosphere you want. .?..

Its all about atmosphere, and as someone else said consider what sort of light your room gets.

As for a rug probably buy that last or you could get stuck trying to work around it.

All the best in creating your new room !

I just read you have little ones using the room , so as you said thats a big consideration with sofa colours or finishes. ( I have a big family so .I know its foolish to ignore that! )

Some people have tired of leather but you cant fault it for easy clean. Whereas cushions, curtains and even walls and other surfaces can easily be cleaned so you can get away with lighter colours ..Its true you can use colourful washable chenille or woven throws if you end up with light sofas.

Too many nik naks, also I would lose the red and replace with more green as in your curtains.

Hi Nita, I know you have received some great comments, but thought I would add the link to sofa.com and their sofas, that have removeable covers in cotton linen and are super comfy for family. I have added a light and darker grey that will act as a neutral and you can add pretty much any colour way accents with them and they have lots of other choices of material to check out.

http://www.sofa.com/shop/sofas/sofas/otto/customize/size/130/fabric/HCBPUM/

http://www.sofa.com/shop/sofas/sofas/otto/customize/size/130/fabric/HCBGPH/

Dulux Chalky Down 6 is a great neutral paint that is not too grey but looks great with greys and brights and has a very warm look that you could use on your walls and is a good price. Little Greene also have Slaked Lime mid, that is a soft greige tone. I have used both on projects.

Dependent on the age of your children, an affordable curved glass two tier table could give the illusion of more space in the room and the shelf is good to put magazines, books. An example below:

http://www.aflair.co.uk/living-room-21/furniture/coffee-table/strata-glass-coffee-table.html

Good luck:-)

I'm going to go against the grain and disagree with everyone here. I love your curtains, I love all your beautiful things. I think you are absolutely on the right track with dark brown sofas and furniture.The main thing that is letting down your room is the magnolia on the walls.

This is what I would do with them:

I'd get a joiner to quote for some dark wood wainscoting (a simple design should not cost too much.) Get a picture rail at the top of the wainscot to keep all your art and photos at the same level. I'd paper the remainder of the wall in a green or dark red wallpaper (this one is Zari by Sanderson).

I think your big couch looks lovely and comfy, just perfect for relaxing on, but I wouldn't have 2 so similar that do not match. I'd replace one with a pair of brightly coloured armchairs.

I think you need to lose quite a bit of the smaller pieces of furniture and buy some more substantial dark wood shelving to display your things on. (IKEA Kallax is always a trusty and bank friendly option for display shelves.)

The rug you have now is just too small for the space (a rule of thumb is that it should rest under the feet of the seating that surrounds it). I don't think you need to include a rug with wall-to-wall carpet, but if you want one it should be much larger.

I think your room looks comfy and inviting already, but a few changes, and primarily changing your wall colour would make it look more polished and intentional.

Hi Nita,

My advice is also bucking the trend. You initially stated that you want to retain your curtains and work around them. Combining solid red and solid green curtains suggests a year round Christmas effect. Why not select one pair to work with?

You also seem concerned about having a grey sofa with your children using the room. In this case, I'd recommend a patterned fabric with lots of colours for two sofas . with lots of colours http://search.kravet.com/Kravet-Print-Multi/TEGAL.319-400/CoverInformation.aspx The fabric will brighten the room and make it feel larger. Choose one of the colours for your walls.

The TV also dominates the space. Is it possible to move it into a recess, next to the fireplace and enclose the other equipment. You could mount the TV on a wall bracket that allows the TV to be tilted at an angle to the wall when in use and pushed flat to the wall when not needed.

The nest of table next to the surround could be used in place of the coffee table, reducing the clutter.

Finally, make a feature of the surround by painting it several shades darker than the wall or, if you retain the green curtains, a deeper shade of green.

Choose fabrics and colours that you like, not necessarily what's in style. Your room will have loads more personality and reflect you and your family, not a magazine photo. Be Brave!

I was watching a makeover programme the other day and they used a glass table with a glass drawer, in front of the window. Amazing! It provided storage but bounced light and didn't take up much room as well as providing a focal point!

Start by taking out everything you don't want/need

Paint your walls white to start with as this will give the room a fresh new feel, you can always change this if you want but you can't go wrong with white. Dulux pure brilliant white is a good choice so you don't get confused with the cold/warm undertones.

Change the largest sofa for something smaller, I don't mind the other one as it is a modern style but if it is worn and you feel you need to change then now is the best time. Wool fabric is a great hard wearing choice and is easy to clean. I have children and have had mid charcoal wool fabric sofas for 4 years and they are perfect! Don't forget that your sofa is an investment so put your money into this as décor can be changed a lot cheaper!

Paint the fire surround colour to a charcoal to make it stand out and also link in with the sofas

NOW.... is the fun part! I'd concentrate on the red curtains and find some art work or wallpaper or a rug or cushion that you REALLY love with red in and possibly some other bright colours. Be creative & bold! I would consider changing the green curtains but by this stage you'll have a better feel of the room and where it is heading and how you want the room to look from here. If you are worried about the cost of curtains, I'd look at IKEA as you can get some lovely cheap curtains from there.

Once you've got to this stage, I'd post some before pics and after pics for us on Houzz and ask for further advice on decorating as you would have a blank slate and something that you LOVE that you can work with on the colours to bring in touches of texture and warmth and comfort from there.

Good Luck!

Sarah McColm, how did you make up your picture. Are you playing with an App? I'd love to use that in my living room.

Dear Nit,

The sofa is Minotti from EDC2 Ltd. This shop sells Italian furniture. Upholstery fabric is chosen to match the scheme.

Regards,

Victoira

I think, loose the curtains and go for a dark wooden Blind, walls in Peignoir a soft 'pinky grey' by Farrow and Ball, with a feature wall painted in Brassica (again Farrow and Ball) Grey Sofas and a new rug for the floor, a couple of Lamp tables and table lamps.

How about adding the green into this red sort of colour scheme or the red into the green and black colour scheme?

We think browns, light greys, reds and greens would all look lovely! Take a look on our website also at www.styleourhome.com and we think you will find a large range of dark walnut coffee tables to replace your old one.

Your room is thin and narrow like mine, I’m trying to figure out where if a corner sofa will work well in this room or will it look wrong. Someone please help

@Asha, if you create a dilemma of your own, with photos and/or a drawing of your room with dimensions, you'll probably get some great ideas from the Houzz community.

I do think that a corner sofa will work in a room like this. But it all depends on the design and size of the sofa.

Thanks Carolina That's a great idea.