Learning that pillows make the room...once again
I thought I'd share my recent venture of decorating my living room. I'm pretty much an amateur but I was really struck how the pillows came to the rescue for this room. It blows my mind what pillows can do.
I hope it pleases the eyes....
I hope it pleases the eyes....
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I could probably do better with a solid rug under the recliner. That small rug aside, I can tell you that being in the room in person, I don't think it's too much. But keeping an open mind is key so I'll make the switch.
Lisa, I've since replaced the mirror with a large clock. I had set the mirror in portrait view because the opposite wall has a 55" flatscreen TV in landscape view and I wanted the contrast. So now the circular clock provides that contrast.
Here is my suggestion to pull the entire concept together:
1) Try pulling some of the pillow fabrics in the blue / blue & white into a piece on the wall.
2) The rug does throw the eye a bit. To make it work, add a pink color also into the wall art.
3) Use this same pink fabric in a tieback for the curtain.
Repeating color & texture is a wonderful way to pull everything together.
Most of all, have fun!
Here's a picture update....
Charmean Neithart
I really love that ShihTzu accessory. I have one of my own and have to say he really pulls every room together.
I'll keep an eye out for more updates!
Lyvonne
the essentials inside
www.essentialsinside.com
I vote for the mirror in landscape position. The clock might work well over the shelf you have to the right of the doorway.
Have you tried putting the floral pillow on the brown chair and any one of the other pillows on the recliner? That would help help to incorporate them into the overall scheme.
I would try to find a remote control holder in orange to bring that color into the room and to eliminate some clutter from the side table. If I couldn't find one in a bright color (taken from your rug) I would buy a wood tone one and spray paint it orange.
Oh...and I would remove the oriental vase and flowers.
Keep up the good work. For someone that has never tried to decor you are doing an awesome job!
I had the small brown rug under the recliner because the white area of the main rug was gathering some stains there, it being the busiest area where I sit and get up twenty times or more in a day. (Remember there's a flatscreen TV on the opposite wall.)
One reason I hesitate to try the mirror in landscape position in that location is how I have my surround-sound speakers flanking the sides of that wall. It seems to line up with the speaker configuration better in portrait position. But, I'll take a second consideration on that and see what I do. I may have to move the speakers etc.
I have since removed the second wooden side table by the recliner - you really don't see it much, barely in the edges of the photo where the ipad is face-up, but it was too cluttered, as you all pointed out, so it's gone.
I hesitate to get rid of the flower arrangement - I think it really adds a welcoming touch to the room and I like the idea of white as an accent color.
Also, Janishill, what is a "control holder" if I don't sound too dumb to ask?
Many Thanks to you all for your thoughtful input....
Frank B.
1.Natural elements to add color and bring the outdoors in (especially you, city dwellers)
2.Candlelight to add ambiance and possibly fresh scent to the room
3.Books to entertain visitors
4.Decorative accents to spark conversation among guests and add interest
5.Tray to organize the previously stated items
Brain cramps made me do it! I failed to say 'remote' control holder. I have changed it now. :-)
The speakers might just blend in when the mirror is hung in the landscape position. It could make them become somewhat less visible..which is a good thing.
Can hardly wait to see what you do next!
I myself like more free space on a coffee table, at least in this room - just my preference. I think it can get overdone very quickly.
The mirror was a home run on the landscape idea. That streamlined the room even more. And you're suggestion about the clock was right on target.
Thanks for all your help and advice...
Frank B.,
The album doesn't quiet work on the coffee table. Try it on the end table by the brown chair. And turn the frog so people on the sofa see his face. :-)
I am not crazy about the pillow you put on the brown chair. It is too dark. I like the idea of the blue floral on the brown chair. I like the mirror you have put in the foyer much, much better than the picture you had there before.
I am excited for you. I imagine it 'feels' much better for you.
Too, move the big couch 4" off the wall, and mover the two single seaters 1' to the right and angle them towards the 3 seater.
I can't see the other side of the room, so it is possible all my comments about balance are off. Oh, I see, the rear surround sound speakers...
Next step: put the CD, DVD and video cases out of sight.
Colours: Most of the room is in the yellow/orange bit of the spectrum. To know what is happening with your colour scheme, I need to know if the two single seaters are green or black or something else. If they are green, then you have got a quarternary scheme and might benefit from some more magenta to balance the green. If they are black, then you might need some more blue.
I really love the rug but am wondering if you have one in another room that you could switch w/and see how it works? Or maybe, like suggested, you cover the 3 seater couch or even considering changing the curtains?
Also agree about concealing the cds/dvds if that is practical for you.
Maybe a cabinet with doors in place of the open cabinet/bookshelf?
lisalovesquilts is right - a very welcoming and comfortable room. Thanks for sharing it.
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
The only thing I would add to the coffee table is a couple of coffee table books to sit the frog on top of. Somehow sitting atop books will make him look more important and make the table more interesting at the same time. The books need to be the same shape and close in size. (see photos)
I wonder if you could buy an orange pillow to mix with the others. That blue floral on the brown chair and an orange one on the sofa would look great.
Glad to see you took the flowers out of the oriental vase. I wonder how it would look on the bottom shelf of the foyer table?
Waiting for your next update! :-)
What I would like to see is the foyer shelf. I think the bowl from the bottom shelf would look good on a stand at the end of the shelf (closest to the door) I have a sneaking suspition thete is a lamp on th eother end that needs to be balanced.
I would also like to see the living from standing in th efoyer looking into the room...and I would like to see the side where the TV is. Frank B. come on and show us the rest of your room! [big smile]
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Lisalovesquilts///thank you for your wise comments.
Turn frog (on coffee table) so it faces the sofa. People sitting there should be able to see his face, not his back. :-)
Wish you lived close to me. I would run over, help you rearrange some things and we would have a fun day! LOL
I am confused about the sofa and I wonder what other people think. If you have a quaternary scheme, with the yellow walls contrasted with the blue curtain, then the sofa could provide you with more blue. The green recliners are set off with the magenta in the carpet. Looked at another way, yellow and green and brown are analogous and magenta and blue provide a bit of zing: you do not need a blue sofa. To me, the sofa looks grey. What others recon?
Apennameandthata, the blue sofa is a source of PAIN for me. I had it when I bought the house 2 years ago. It has never fit in the room and I tried doing a huge blue/white musician's art as well as a blue/white modern art piece behind it on the wall and neither worked. They merely accentuated the very blue in the sofa that was causing me grief.
I'm glad you mentioned it because, I thought I'd ask you all on here 2 things about the sofa: Would buying a slip-cover of a different color work? If so, what color would you all recommend? And, IF I were to buy a new sofa, what color/style would you go for?
Many Thanks for bringing that up Apennameandthata. Let me know if you have any suggestions given what I've asked about.
Thanks, Frank B.
So now lets go to the next thing. IF I were going to purchase a new sofa I would go with the Pottery Barn Comfort Sofa. I just bought this one a few months ago and love, love, love it. You can purchase many different sofa covers. You could go with brown, natural, red, etc. Many choices.
Oh...and I really like the way the throw pillows are now. I miss the bright green one though. Can it go in your recliner? :-)
I'll be back!
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Lyvonne~ some ideas:
Oodles of Design
Abode Amateurs
Slew of Designs
Have you two checked out the bedroom? And I agree we shoul return to the living room soon. :-)
Bottom line is go with what makes you happy. :-)
But let me share a few thoughts. I really liked the mirror, don't get me wrong. But, I am a musician and an artist and in that room (it's where I relax and watch TV etc) there was almost No art - the wall is solid, the mirror was solid, all the furniture is solid, the media table below the TV is solid, and there's a clock. There IS art over the fireplace and beside it, but they are behind the recliner and I don't see them when I sit there. The only art I could see was if I looked towards the foyer. And that's a little ways from sitting where I am.
Janis, the picture cannot go over the fireplace because it's way too tall for that area. That area above the fireplace is pretty tight.
Lisa, the couch is what I call a "London blue". And I finally realized today that that blue **just might **work with the wall color in a Southwestern/Mexican color scheme. Usually, that color scheme is like a deep, rich navy blue with a bright red and yellow colors. But I think this couch is close enough.
So this influenced me to rethink the pillows. If you think it's too busy you might be right. But remember above when I mentioned how many solids there are in that room. AND, I added fresh-cut flowers....Thanks for Looking in !!
The furniture may be solid, but the colorful rug and pillows provide enough stimulation.
Oh..and one other thing ~ keep the number of items odd. Like on the coffee table 3 or 5. Never 4. Odd numbers of anything are more pleasing to the eye unless everything is symetrical.
Frank...are you in the Boston area, by chance? If you are I will just come over and help you! :-)
Really, it is your house and you should do whatever you like regardless of what others think. :-)
Tyr removing one of those leaves from the coffee table and adding a short fat candle on top of the books. Bring back the fresh flowers or a nice green plant. Every room needs at least one living item in it.
The red lumbar pillow would look good in your recliner.
Your room looks ever so much better than it did. Time to relax and enjoy!
On to the other rooms!
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Now leave the room alone! :-)
(I'll do a separate post)
So I did them the conventional way and slid them onto the rod directly.
This seemed to smooth over the sofa color issue - I had a hunch that it wasn't so much the sofa color that was bothering me as it was the teal curtain color and I think I was right.
I have to thank everyone on this thread again. Without them, none of this would've come together so well.
A major thing I've learned well from this is that fresh flowers are going to be on my grocery list from now on. Janis stressed having "something living" in every room etc.
Janis, I agree...the drapes made a huge difference. I wish I had seen your color ideas that you posted about the drapes sooner - unfortunately, I was out buying these and didn't see it as soon as I would have liked.
One thing I did know: Having all these nice colors in the room, I didn't want to get any drapes that darkened the room like my old ones. So that's what attracted me to the ivory.
Relax time !
BUT that is just my opinion.
What is too detailed to see in a picture is that the coffee table does have streaks of copper color painted onto the silver all through it.
I do like the way this mirror has an ivory color base that goes with the curtains really well.
I do think the round mirror would look good above the mantle. It would add some spark to that side of the room. That is the one area I was not satisfied with. I like the primative, but it really doesn't suite the room. It would probably look good in the hall or in a guest room, as it really doesn't work in the living room, kitchen, dining room, or studio.
I didn't want to say the round mirror would look good in the foyer, but it would look perfect. The other picture...well I'm not sure where it will work. Maybe in the hall as well...
OH..when you get an opportunity you really should sort your art by subject matter. then when it is hung it will make a statement rather than end up looking choppy and hap-hazard. (I hope you aren't offended)
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Per Janis's idea, I did try the new round mirror over the fireplace - it was good but it wasn't quite the match I wanted - just an intuition there really. Thanks Lisa for your vote of confidence about the kitchen -- I am thinking that maybe the mirror has a "wow" factor in there which is what I hoped to get from this mirror anyways.
I think the square mirror really works great over the fireplace - that's a variation of Janis's idea. These shifts aren't irrevocable - I can always put the configuration back.
The picture above the sofa is too small. A grouping of pictures with like themes would work better. I prefer the mirror there and pictures over the mantle, but either way will work. A grouping in one place and the mirror in the other...or a group of mirrors.
I like the mirror on the kitchen wall...but it needs to be centered on the wall just as the table is and the clock needs to go. One piece of art is suffient (as a general rule) unless you have a gallery style wall.
I can see something similar to the first picture over your mantel.
Notice that all the frames are black in the second photo. That is what makes the grouping work. In the third photo it is the white frames.
I could also see a grouping over your mantle similar to that in th e4th photo.
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/lessons/expert-advice/how-to-hang-a-group-of-pictures/
probably tmi. Sorry.
So I may have to keep it that way. The irony of all this is that I really wanted a round mirror there in the foyer from the very beginning. AND, as the photo shows, the Buddha is centered in the mirror's reflection naturally.
The other good news is that besides that, everything else is back in place - even the main mirror, now back over the sofa.
I don't know how you ladies can so knowingly tell ahead of time how something is going to look - is it just experience or do you see it in your mind's eye? I have to move stuff around and actually see it..
With all the shifting I've done, some of my wall areas now look like a firing squad! (TMI there maybe).
Thanks again you all,
Frank B.
I would still like to see mirrors above the fireplace. The Budda does not look right with the landscape, but a selection od mirrors similar to those I posted earlier may just be the ticket. They would be square, round an doval, thus reflecting the spaces found throughout the room.
One day maybe I will get down your way and you'll let me come move Objects d' Art around to my hearts content. Of course I haven't been 'home' in over 3 years so it may be a while! :-)
Bullett riddled walls can be repaired. :-D
Btw, the landscape to which you referred is actually a painting of a church so subject-wise, they kind of make sense together (church + Buddha etc). :-) That doesn't mean they jive though, which is what you're saying I think.
If I wanted to try it, could I have the round mirror over the fireplace AND the other main mirror over the sofa simultaneously?
And Christianity (church) and Budda don't work well together. :-)
I don't think 2 mirrors will be over kill IF Frank adds hurricanes to each end of the mantle.
OH...and hurricanes are super easy to make from dollar store or Walmart items. Larger hurricanes can be found at Walmart for a couple of dollars: http://www.decoradventures.com/2010/08/dollar-store-decor.html
I would like to see another (larger) rectangular mirror propped on the mantle with large hurricanes at each end, so they are just inside the edge of the mirror frame.
http://www.houzz.com/large-hurricane-candle-holder/ls=4
OR some large pillars like these: http://www.potterybarn.com/products/turned-wood-pillar-holders/?pkey=ccandleholders...but in white.
I don't think 2 mirrors will be over kill IF Frank adds hurricanes to each end of the mantle.
OH...and hurricanes are super easy to make from dollar store or Walmart items. Larger hurricanes can be found at Walmart for a couple of dollars: http://www.decoradventures.com/2010/08/dollar-store-decor.html
I would like to see another (larger) rectangular mirror propped on the mantle with large hurricanes at each end, so they are just inside the edge of the mirror frame.
http://www.houzz.com/large-hurricane-candle-holder/ls=4
OR some large pillars like these: http://www.potterybarn.com/products/turned-wood-pillar-holders/?pkey=ccandleholders...but in white.
I know I asked for all this by not sticking with a look, so bombs away if you all don't like this.
But I feel you all deserve a picture update of where I am....and hopefully I'm pausing here for a long, long while.
(To maybe save the trouble of your comments ahead of time: I know the right speaker distance is out of alignment etc. And the right piece in the gallery above the sofa looks too small to match the left one, but that is - trust me - mostly the perspective of the camera at work. They aren't a perfect size match, but the match does work from what I can see) .
Thanks and I hope to see you all in the next room.
Then it hit me - the gallery idea that Janis talked about. So here they are in matching black frames. Even the left and right pieces match subject-wise - the left being one of Charlie Mingus the jazz bassist and on the right is an abstract of a pianist, which is very hard to tell from a camera photo.
zzThanks again.
One scenario that I wanted to do (but didn't want to punch more holes to do it) was to put a SMALL round silver-framed mirror I just bought in the middle of all of them. That would split the two spanish pieces and put the mirror in between. But I wasn't sure about a single silver frame working in that scenario. I sort of put up a mockup setting of it but the frame color thing got me doubting.
Another scenario - again using the small silver-framed round mirror - was to have that and flank it with two medium-small silver-framed black & white ship photos. But all that silver seemed a bit cold, and I wasn't sure about the ship motif fitting in the room.
I don't totally agree with your assessment that my setup clashes, but I do know you are experienced and probably trained in interior design, so I'm willing to try something else to solve the issue.
Thanks! Frank
Also, I get to have a round mirror there.....
Thank you for the kind compliment, but I am hardly trained as an interior decorator. My husband has often said he did not understand why when I have a passion for it.
I hope you aren't offended when I say what I think and I hope I do not come across as bossy or rude.
I love the round mirror. Would like to have one like it myself. And I love the ship pictures...(and you already knew this was coming) there isn't enough on the wall to balance them with the speakers there. And one more issue...you have SO much going on in the room that it is difficult to focus. The reason the foyer worked (works) is because everything reflects everything else. The shape of the mirror reflects the shape of the lamps(round) the lamps reflect the colors and the shape of the large vase. Everything flows.
So back to the living room...you have swirls in the carpet and swirls in the paisley pillow and the rounded arms of the sofa...and the round mirror reflects the swirls...and that is good. But then you have the rectangular speakers, the rectangular shape of the sofa, the rectangular shape of the rug and the square shape of the coffee table and throw pillows. And they all work together very well. The problem is the painting/pictures and other accessories.They all conflict with each other and it becomes overwhelming. Your eye can't rest on one thing because something else is competing for your attention; kinda like a room full of 2 year olds! But it is easily corrected. We just have to go one step at a time. That is the fun part though; making changes until you are completely satisfied. Then it is time to start again! :-)
So let's start from the top. A room should have a color scheme. This will insure color balance which is the most important element in achieving the desired effect. It basically comes down to how your eye perceives the space around you. It comes down to color, scale and proportion. As a rule 3 colors will make a room feel comfortable. You have gold as your base color (walls), blue as a secondary color (sofa, blue from rug, blue in oriental accents) and green as the accent color (chair, throw pillows).
Now everything else should flow around those 3 colors and the existing shapes.
Here's one way to get that wall right: remove everything from the walls and slowly bring items back in that have a couple of things in common: frames and/or mats being essential , colors, style, theme, and scale. Scale doesn't have to be size, but visual weight. (the mirror visually weighs more than the pictures)
Persoanlly I liked the Charlie Mingus and the abstract pianist. I would like to see more along those lines; maybe black and whites so they don't compete. Those two pictures pick up the other colors in the room in just the right doses.
So back to hanging your art...before you hang anything else lay butcher paper or grocery bags out on the floor then arrange the pictures/paintings out on top of the paper in the pattern you think will work. This allows you to move them around without making more holes in the wall. When you have them exactly how you want them trace around them. Then use paper tape to number each piece. As you remove the art work write the number on the corresponding trace. For instance, #1 on the paper tape on the art work and #1 on the tracing paper. Next cut out the shapes, being careful to lay it back where it was. Then it is a simple matter of taping them to the corresponding area on the wall. If they work you can go ahead and hang the picture hanger. If they don't move them around until you are satisfied.
As for the grouping you have now....you need to add 3 more pieces. Something really small under the mirror and two items similar in size and shape below the ships.
I know you must be tiring of this. I am enjoying it though. :-) Thank you for your patience with me.
.
The only problem I can foresee is that the gold frames somewhat conflict with the silver speakers, however, given that gold is a base color for the room, I think that the accent colors from the paintings are grounded by having the base color in the frames.
Also, the two smaller flower paintings have kind of gold/silver-brushed frames that sometimes change color depending upon your angle and light etc.
See what you think.... Thanks!
Michigammemom, I appreciate your feedback. It seems like all the items that have the colors I want are in portrait format !!
I thought the sconces might lend a helpful contrast to the "tech" energy of the speakers. I do get the vertical point you're making and you may be right.
There is an effect, however, of the large flatscreen in landscape mode facing that wall. So I'm not totally sure that going in portrait mode is all that bad, as it serves to contrast the TV. Then again, maybe they would do better to match in lanscape mode.
Oh well, I am very drained so I'm not sure what else I'll do today if anything, I need to break and feel things out. It may be that I just need to go shopping for that particular space. But wait....I have too much art already !!
I like this and I think there are some good complimentary colors. But be aware that there is a heavy impressionistic style and a lot of white in the painting, so the colors to be seen are subtle even when you're standing right in front of the piece. So I'm not sure how much color you'll be able to get from the photo.
Thanks....
There was a a perspective distortion because of the angle of the photo - the right speaker is just out of the shot - making it appear as if there's lots of empty space to the right when there wasn't.
I tried that landscape with the sconces (to fill out the extra space) and it looked great except that the close proximity of the sconces to the speakers then made it all seem like too much and too cramped in.
This painting gives a nice peaceful aura to the room - and I was just looking at the colors - they're amazing...dots of green, light orange and red and blue are all through the painting. But it's subtle enough so it's hard to see it in a photo.
How do I access your other threads? This is too funny!
As I think I said before, I love that you have so many pieces to play around with -- you might sit w/some for a couple of days to see how you feel w/them.
Did we get to the guest room yet? :)
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
I loved the round mirror the foyer, stunning in the night lights. Day or night, it's great to have a final "look see" before stepping out on the town. Is that a closet to the right? If yes, stowing coats in there would "clean up" the foyer. I would keep the items underneath the table balanced, or maybe remove them altogether.
By the way, I really liked the buddha picture on the fireplace mantel. Keeping it there and the round mirror in the foyer rounds out both spots.
I liked the one I just had but it struck me about the differences in styles - impressionistic (painting) vs modern (rug and furniture).
So here's what I've been trying to find - I think this blends and coordinates with the whole room. There's also a fluid, geometrical style to the painting which is similar to the rug pattern. I did have to change the pillows to match....
Frank, this is it. The perfect piece. Now I would like to see the rectangular mirror over the fireplace with the scones (I like those a lot, btw) on either side.
Then I would like to see the little abstract over the small book shelf where the clock is and the Charlie Mingus where the Budda is (right behind your chair and to the right of the mirror.)
Remove the center pillow, turn the two red ones on end and snuggle them up to the white pilows. Put the green paisley in the recliner.
I like the candle on top of the stack of books on the cooffee table btw.
I seriously think with these minor changes your room will be complete. It is time to relax before we tackle another one! ;-) Speaking of..what happened with the dining room? Did we just go back to the living room? And what about the kitchen wall? Maybe you can do the paper cutouts to come up with the perfect gallery wall for that spot.
Thanks for being such a good sport. I have had grand fun decorating vicariously.
Thanks again to you ALL for this thread !!
Eventually, I may get an off-white sofa or get a slip-cover as some of you recommended.
Thanks Again !!!!
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Sell your furniture and change your name.
The difference with the new couch astounded me.
I was uncertain at first when I purchased it, but it really came together nicely with everything.
Are we moving on to the guest room? :)
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Also - Frank - if you have any cute holiday pics of Previn that you'd like to share, I'm doing a special holiday pets feature at our 2nd store, www.letsbepets.com. You can post here or email me at contact@letsbepets.com. No worries if you don't have any, just thought I'd ask.
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
www.letsbepets.com
In the entry, the tall blue vase on the bottom shelf looks too tall and when you look at it, straight on as in your pic,, all you see is six evenly placed items on the table. I would move the tall blue vase to the right and set it on the floor and then put a longer piece of pottery or arrangement or whatever, on the bottom shelf, off centered with a couple smaller items beside it - not evenly spaced, but grouped. You could use that tall vase for umbrella's! In fact, put a cute one in it for 'display'.
I'm in a place now where I am shedding things to get my space back in the rest of the house - that's why my guest rooms haven't yet appeared yet. I'm doing trips to Goodwill and to the trash can and to the attic. Back n Forth etc.
Here are some updates for this room. The main is the same. I am finding one thing holds true though:
THE WAY IT KEEPS TURNING, IT KEEPS AFFIRMING MY ORIGINAL INTENTIONS FOR MANY THINGS I PURCHASED FOR THIS ROOM.
For instance, the mirror FINALLY worked for what I bought it for when I changed the couch, then the coffee table (you haven't seen but I had in storage) finally worked then too. I bought that coffee table for that very spot 9 months ago. But it finally came around now.
Putting all the DVDs together (sorry but this is technically a media room) finally was a Duh moment for me.....
I appreciate all of your help everybody. I couldn't have done it without you !
Thanks. Frank
Have you made changes to the art work in the kitchen?
I can't tell if the top three pictures behind the table are all hung at the same height. It's that angle of the photo thing.
Oh...I failed to say I am glad you finally finished your living room. It looks like a comfortable place to hang out, enjoy company and or a movie.
:-D
Frank...I have to agree about the drapes. See attached illustration as to how to best hang them.
The glass coffee table thing -- yes, something was lost when I took it out. I agree and I thought about that right away.
And No One is wrong about it - I respect your suggestions. But I like the roundness of this table better and it really compliments the ivory colors in the sofa, mirror and drapes. I've already gotten several compliments on it. It's only been there one day !!
The principle is that for a space where you want to promote relaxation and conversation, pointed corners (in tables and furniture etc) should be avoided and curves and rounded edges are better.
Round tables and round oriented furniture helps to promote ease of conversation and relaxation.
Frank - love the table. You bought yourself a great present!
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
There's a funny article about such pillows online that says "Run, do not walk to the nearest Goodwill store and give away your included match-set pillows!"
I had a gift certificate for Dillards and so I got pillows that I liked. Maybe this never-ending thread can end where it began: on the subject of pillows !
This present rug was actually the catalyst that started everything for this room.
No.
Even with the new sofa I prefer the solid green, red and navy pillows.
And why did you remove Previn! ;-)
I concur completely and have wanted to say it for months!
For my two cents about this thread, I enjoy it. Frank seems to be a very nice guy and has attracted some wonderful people who I have enjoyed meeting and seeing in other threads.
For my four cents - I don't think Frank is obsessing - he's just updating as many of us have asked him to do.
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
Seriously JEALOUS of all the pretty things you pull out of the attic, garage, closet, storage...wow!
If that were the case, I would agree.
the essentials inside
"So we have the name & the idea. Now just need our first unsuspecting victim - wait I mean willing homeowner we can help. :) "
Lyvonne
janishill
"Maybe we should start a Houzza thread so we will all know who the lucky recipient is! :-)"
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/223650
It is truly a concern a new Houzzer will stumble upon this nonsense and take it seriously.
Teasing him should in no way not offend you. He is a good sport and has worked hard to make his house into a comfortable, lovely home.
There is a fine line between obsessing and getting it to be the best you can be. My general thought is - this room continues to improve. I have taken several time breaks too just in order to avoid the obsessive bug.
But this is my first house, so I think that accounts for my drive to be as close to perfect as possible.
Janis once again....you're right on. When I'm shopping, I'm very intuitive and gut level. But when I come home, my mind says "Oh it's definitely for this area!" But I can't tell you how often it turns out to be perfect for something different entirely and it's always surprising.
I'll post the studio and Living room images to see the pillow swapping....See what you all think. At this point, I'm just trying to get the colors to match up correctly ! Thanks again...
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
I purchase what I like as well and usually find it fits perfectly in one space or the other. Something you might want to try is placing new accessories in one room for a day or so then trying them in a different space.
The orange pillow is good on the living room sofa. The others not so good. Where are the solid green and solid blue pillows? They looked good way back up the page. :-)
I love the floral pillow - it has 4 of the rug colors perfectly matched: orange, green, cranberry red and white. It's back-dropped against the ivory sofa so the colors pop out.
The green pillow matches in with the floral pillow and the rug's green.
The green in the pillows flow into matching the pottery's green color on the coffee table.
Granted, there's always room for aesthetic differences, but I don't see the reasoning that they 'don't work'. Is it the that a flower pattern doesn't fit into modern contemporary decor?
I'm now thinking maybe what Janis has is mind is that the floral pillow is a sort of southern living/patio-country style which doesn't quite jive with modern contemporary.
So as Janis has always pushed me to do better, maybe this works better ??.....
I like the lime and the blue floral...BUT would like to see the floral placed at one end or the other. To me a pillow dead center seems more as a barrier than as an invitation.
Do you have a throw in that shade of blue? It would be perfect on the brown side chair.
Did I tell you that I love the pear? The colors would work beautifully in my LR. :-)
So I'm letting that go and I think this works well. Janis, the middle pillow is markedly smaller so I think it'll go ok.
With such bold colors in the rug, I can't help but want to accent that with the pillows, especially against an ivory colored sofa which is a perfect backdrop for bright, bold colors.
Oh...and here is a great article about throw pillows: http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/home-makeovers/pillow-decorating-ideas-0211#slide-1
I concluded though early on that this sofa is too small to stack 2 pillows in a corner. Even if they're small, it just doesn't look right. It may be the way the arms of this sofa are shaped - I can't say for sure.
Use one set-up and when you tire of it replace them with the other one.
Back to that mirror...;-)
The one you have there now overwhelms the sofa. Something about the size of the rectangular mirror would work nicely...or the jazee musicians. :-)
The Noguchi coffee table helped me solidify a decision that everything in this room should be modern, with clean curves and-or clean lines. (or as close to everything as I can get) .
Does the art overwhelm the couch? Maybe, or maybe it makes a statement. Look at the perspective of the photo - I actually lowered the shot quite a bit in order to get the green of the rug in there. So the perspective makes the art look larger.
I understand what you are saying and I can 'see' how that could be, but I am not wild about the colors in the painting either. The deep rich blue is not seen anywhere else in the room and i think that is what is throwing it off.
I would love to see a collection (grouping) of pictures hung right there.
Also there is the delft elephant - also hard to see from the angle - under the far right glass side table.
Also there is the delft floor vase - or umbrella stand as some use it - by the book shelf.
And the entry way has the small delft lamps - not technically in the same room per se, but not out of sight either.
But unlike the "patio-southern living" floral pillow we were talking about before, this painting matches the style of everything else. It's clearly modern with smooth curves and lines. And just because the color combo is found more in another style shouldn't change whether the colors are compatible in general and for other styles.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I remember trying this painting with that awful blue sofa and I hated it. (Remember I changed it to my bedroom where I liked it much better.)
But I really do like it here now with the new sofa color etc. Anyone else have any thoughts or opinions?
Keep trying. The right item will come along in due time.
I wish you would put all your art work together and take pictures so it will be easier to decide what goes where! (lol)
And while you are at it go ahead and take pictures of all the decorative items you have!!! (that could take weeks!)
:-D
My mother had a great talent - she could put together a room - often they were eclectic in nature. But the colors worked together and everything was beautiful but the rooms never looked "designed".
And she used that great talent when she raised you!!!!
It is an opaque glass shelf I've had sitting by for a year and not knowing where to use it.
Btw, the person sitting on the short side can't be taller than 5' 9" !!
It takes love to make a house your home .
Your mother knew this because the love in her heart was reflected in the beauty of the rooms
she put together and the pleasure and comfort it gave you and your family.
I was truly disappointed when I saw the photo too. It just doesn't do justice to the 3-D experience of it.
But there are times gals when a photo cannot capture it and I think this is one of them.
And Aja, yes. this is about having 2 of my most precious photos on the curved shelf to display. As you all know I have a lot of art that, if I wanted to feed my ego, I could display.
And Frank...if it makes you happy then it IS the right choice. Keep it there so you can see the pictures of those you love.
Now, let's take another break for a while. :-)
I have to say you all - the Noguchi table is awesome. I'm very glad I spent the money and got the real thing.
At least there's a short story in here somewhere. Here's what I came up with after putting in the time. Swewer gave me the idea of combining this with a painting.
Janis you have your jazz musicians back...one of them anyways. :)
Yes, Sarah - NOW, I can take a break. Really.
I liked the modern art piece too. But my intention here has been to break away from a room that gets too close to a monochromatic color design. You get a nice affect - the room can feel very tight and unified. But it can also get very boring pretty fast, at least for me.
This particular wall color - when combined with vibrant colors - results in a very exciting effect for me. Maybe Swewer is right - I am really a painter at heart. I do presently draw portraits as a hobby anyways.
Now...I want to go back to the coffee table. What happened to the gold frog? He really suited the room. I would like to see him sitting on a short stack of books again. The pear and apple will both compliment the kitchen. :-)
Chasing my tail through the attic was getting old and yielding less results. I loved the shelf and jazz picture, really - but I felt I could do better.
The theme really crystalized in my thinking this morning and I realized I wanted to do a flower-based theme. Let me know what you think. Thanks as always for looking in.
What's above the fireplace now?
The round ivory-glass mirror is now above the fireplace. It has many star-like configurations that could be construed as flower petals. It lightens up the fireplace as well.
The Buddha is now in my bedroom with the oriental theme going.
See...black works better. It's because of the color of thebookshelf. :-)
Here's how to brighten the area.
1) Bring the little lamp up 2" and over 2" so the light is reflected in the glass.
2) Clean off the shelves. Put books with bright colored spines on it (I know you have theseas well!
;-D )
3) Move the large vase to the right of the right window. Yep, in that little corner there. Or into your bedroom where you have the Oriental look.
4) Buy long baskets to go on the bottom shelf of the entrance table. Put all the CD's in them and get rid of the holder ont he right of the little bookshelf. Moving the vase and CD will let the wall color show, thus brightening the room.
ANd if you put the CD's in baskets it will tidy the room. Put them so the spines are facing up and they will be easy to select. :-)
Mosr pictures please!
You're right about going with the black frames. And there are other reasons why as well. I need the square shape of that size to not only fit the space correctly but to make it look professional, as the squareness is more professional looking for this photo.
Also there are locally no places that carry similar sized white square frames that look any good.
I actually think these would look great framed and matted together and there were pre-done frames like that at the store but they were too slender and reduced the photo size too much.
Also a pro framing job would cost a lot. I may go for that down the road....
Good job, Frank! Good job.
This would scratch the new coffee table glass so I created a double-glass plate of sorts for the bowl to sit on and put the plate on rubber adhesive stops for legs to protect the table.
This can be done with one circle of glass, but I accidentally had the glass done slightly thinner than I wanted, but I happened to have 2 done, so I doubled them, using glass glue and gluing chrome washers between the two plates of glass in a diamond pattern.
I did a pattern of 9 in a diamond and aligned the rubber legs with the chrome washers... (see photos)
This creates a cool 3-D effect of the way the bowl looks on the table. This would also look cool with smoked glass or opaque glass.
Good idea, Frank.
This idea occurred to me shortly after I landed on the flowers motif.
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com
The ongoing pictures would make a great children's book 'Can You Find the Differences?"
And Frank...looking at these made me realiz that the daisy pillow (right floral) would look better in the brown chair and the solid green put back on the sofa. :-D (green is my favorite color btw)
Shaking head.
now that's entertainment
But it has been my fear that Frank Bright did not realize it.
It is very unkind thing to do someone.
You might perhaps still disagree but hey......c'est la vie.
Also, Aja, I might have been punked except for the fact that at many of the critical turns here, I myself took the initiative and defined the new direction. For more than one example, no one told me to purchase the Noguchi coffee table, or the ivory-colored couch (a neutral slip-cover was suggested), or the new bowl or the painting that brought it together. ...or the rug for that matter !
I guess the comedy here was me chasing my own tail through the attic - going around and around to find the thing that would hit the bulls eye. Once I realized that, I knew I had to just go shopping.
But all that said, I do appreciate all the help everyone has given and the pushing, prodding and poking that got me to go further. It was a group effort in large part.
I saw this rug and thougth of you!
Cute.
So hush up!
Andre Previn London Symphony Ocestra;Summertime
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.
It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward.
It deal with African-American life in the fictitious Catfish Row (based on the area of Cabbage Row in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s.
It spoke to the plight of African-American and celebrated the spirit, courage, and determination to overcome discrimination
Originally conceived by George Gershwin as an "American folk opera", Porgy and Bess premiered in New York in the fall of 1935 and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring artistic choice at the time.
The work was not widely accepted in the United States as a legitimate opera until 1976.
The work is now considered part of the standard operatic repertoire and is regularly performed internationally.
It is a reminder of a shameful reality in American history.
Previn's interpretation of Summertime and Porgy and Bess is most sensitive and poignant and may be said to reflect his experience as a child escaping the persecution inflicted on the Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930's.
Now the question is - what exactly does this have to do with the topic at hand: Frank's living room?
"you all know we are being punk'd right LOL
now that's entertainment."
www.frankbright.com
www.clairefrazier.com
Check us out.
http://www.frankbright.com/Aint_MisBehavin_Clip.mp3
We are spending a week at The Wentworth this spring!
Here is a link to our decor: http://www.bargainbacker.com/Decor-_c_8.html
http://www.bargainbacker.com/Holly-Martin_c_4760.html
Looks great!