Need help with lounge/dining area
We recently purchased a house which included all the furniture, and now we have tried to blend the two styles of furniture - and associated colours (ours and theirs) together and I just can't make it look as good as I know it can be. Any tips on placement, soft furnishings, colour, art to help tie this all together, would be SO appreciated! Thank you.
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If you want to use what you have, I would start with a large area rug in fron of the sofa, with the trunk, bare, as a coffee table. I would slip cover the sofa and the dining chairs in an off-white. The large armchairs chairs look like a rusty-red?-- which goes ok with the woodwork and carpet. I might paint the walls to more of an off-white...it looks yellowey on my computer. Then from whatever area rug you choose, I would pick another colour for some accents in you throws, artwork, etc.
You have a real mix here--I see country, modern, and 40's all going on. You might eventually have to pick one style--but you can play with this for now.
...oh...and keep the windows bare! IMHO.
Next, place the couch opposite the tv (about 8-10 ft away depending on chosen recliner placement) with the cream rug you mentioned on the floor in front of it, and definitely switch out the blue couch for the burgandy one. I realize this would mean placing the couch partly in front of the doors, but the question you have to ask yourself is which function is more important to you, using the tv or using the doors to the patio? If you had the budget for new furniture I would be suggesting a corner tv unit and a sectional couch cozied up to the wall the tv is on, and facing the wall with the french doors. But since you must use what you have . . .
You could also push the tv clear against the wall toward the french doors, tilt it so it looks like a corner tv, place the (1) recliner where the tv was (but closer to the hall), and the couch where I previously suggested it, but closer. The other recliner may fit in the opposite corner and create a sort of reading nook. If there is room with this (separate) arrangement, the wood trunk/end table may be placed behind the couch (since there would be no room for it in front).
Another easy fix? Tie in the rug with all these peices by buying some pillows (2 to accent for the couch), burgandy/black/brown combo, and buy some curtains with a similar pattern, but not the same. A neutral white or light brown pillow for either end of the couch (to go behind the accent pillows), and the recliners would also add character and add a visual pop.
You can buy your self some decor time by painting the walls a beige color. I am not fond of beige, but when your furniture goes bold, your walls must suffer by becoming neutral so as not to overwhelm. The good news is, the paint should be about 40 bucks for two gallons (one gallon of primer and one of paint).
Im blanking as to the name, but a long behind the couch table would help create another space and keep people from tearing the back of the couch-if you have the room for it. you may not have the room for end tables, which is fine as long as you have something you can use as a coffee table-the one you are currently using as an end table would make a great coffee table.
To help the tv become a focal point, consider flanking it on either side with two tall book cases and then a shelf right above it. It would give the appearance of an entertainment center without the price tag (again, if you don't have the budget, walmart and target have some for as cheap at $30.00 apeice).
You could get a great Mediterranean look going here I think - especially with that gorgeous wall of doors and porch - you could bring the outside in. I see some sort of blue pattern (geometric print) on the cushions on the chairs with two new armchairs (in blue and white stripe or using an accent colour) in the living room area. Some blue and white with another punchy colour (rust? orange? lime green? yellow?) as accents/pillows/throws.
You could bring your white shag rug in and perhaps put a sisal rug underneath which would tie your dining chairs in nicely in terms of texture and tone. Personally I'd love to see a really funky graphic rug.
Some ideas for inspiration.
[houzz=A' La Mer - Family Room]
[houzz=Niche Interiors: San Francisco Interior Design Services]
[houzz=Nantucket Summer Home]
[houzz=Mascheroni Construction]
I would choose a khaki to accent those gorgeous doors since they are a focal point. All of your doors and windows are very nice. Now add an area rug that marries the colors of the sofa and chairs. Place the trunk in front of the sofa and add a small table between the chairs for drinks. Bring in a Large plant (palm or something like that) and place it to the left of the doors so it takes up some of that wall space. Now I would paint those other walls in the dining area the same color as the living room but I might make the kitchen walls a shade darker or lighter. White is too stark and it makes the room feel cold.
Now those round paper lanterns are not doing the room any justice and look more like patio lighting. I would choose something simple or have them changed to canister lights