SFGate

Judy M I'm bumping your post back to the top, so hopefully you'll get more replies.

sruggi Thanks Judy!

carole is the bleu the silk moire wallpaper??and is she considering changing the red out?i would take away the flowered fabric,the cushions on the sofa are much nicer,and with lighter walls i think this room will look great as it is!!

sruggi Yes, she is definitely changing the red. The swatch on the sofa is the wallpaper. There is not enough to do the entire room unless they do wainscoting. I was suggesting just the fireplace wall after they do the sheetrock. She does want to go lighter on the walls, and coordinate new upholstery on the chairs.

Denice Shuty Moire - not with paneling. I think that would look "old hat".

sruggi The paneling will be removed.

carole would look lovelywith wainscoting and the bleu,and would only re-upholster the red chair!!

Denice Shuty Carole, the rooms you show have high ceilings, which wainscoting would work in. However the Connecticut room has really low ceilings and wainscoting would would chop up the walls too much. That picture of the Connecticut room makes me feel I would have to stoop over or sit down right away , very oppressive. You need to counteract that as job#1.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. The window treatments will need to be updated. As much as I still love the floral chintzes , florals are still around but more graphic...try ROMO fabrics or Sanderson for some great updated florals. Valance are really out these days, but a decorative metal rod with floor to ceiling panels, and maybe embellished with a flat tape trim, but usually left untrimmed.....
http://www.romo.com/collections/prints-weaves/licia these are really nice !

sruggi Thanks for the pictures Carole, I loved the second one. The wing chair will be reupholstered too, she is tired of the dark green and wants to bring another color into the room aside from the blue.

carole would there be enough of the moire to just do the walls next to the FP and paint the others??

Denice Shuty Id like to see everything in neutrals and textures with various levels of sheen/matte. No strong colors at all. Do a metallic finish on the fireplace wall once the paneling is gone.

sruggi Writely Yours, the ceilings are standard 8 feet and she has wainscoting in her dining room which looks lovely. I think the dark red makes them look lower.
Carole, she does have enough for the fireplace wall. Any advice on colors for the other walls?

sruggi Julie, the drapery will partially depend on the fabric she picks for the chairs. My advice is a solid color.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. sruggi, was thinking a stripe, maybe a soft ombre type vertical stripe, to accentuate the vertical. Once you remove the horizontal line of the valance, that will serve to heighten the room.

sruggi Julie, that is a great idea. Now we just have to decide on color!

sruggi Writely Yours, any ideas for complementary colors with the soft blue/gray? She doesn't want gray walls.

trasgorshek Hi Sruggi, this is my first thought...absolutely love wainscoting, huge fan of architectrual detail. I've been putting it all over our home. With the style of furniture she gravitates towards, it would be lovely to do a shadow box trim and use the wallpaper inside as an accent. Personally I would do an ecru color with a white trim or a grey with white trim to work with the paper and furnishing. Reupholster the chair and do curtains in complementary textiles. The shadow box treatment will allow her to utilize the wallpaper she loves and it won't require a lot of it. Or you could do standard wainscoting around at chair rail height but then do an accent treatment on the ceiling utilizing the wallpaper inside an exaggerated crown (3rd pic).
[houzz=Upper East Side]
[houzz=Dining Room]

sruggi Trasgorshek, I love the third picture but do you think it would work with 8 foot ceilings? What do you think of doing the shadow box panels with the wall paper insets on the fireplace wall only? I love them, but I think it would be too formal for the furniture to do them around the entire room.

nancy22032 There is no rule about how high wainscoting should be is there? If you want the ceiling to look higher, use a shorter wainscot. That's a lovely fireplace, I can just see it surrounded by the blue moire. It will give a more elegant and relaxing look to the room. Add lots of cream or white on walls to match the FP surround. Some sheer panels on the french doors will add softness.

Judy M Does your daughter have an ideabook? Sometimes the designers will browse through someone's ideabook photos to get a feel of what style appeals to the person.

Is anyone else feeling the silk moire is dated? I'm not in love with the scale of the large wing chair and then the smaller chair on opposite side. I'm not saying the chairs have to match, but I think there is too much difference in scale.

I think i might be inclined to let the dining room be the only space with wainscoting. In a dining room the table is in center and more of the wainscoting shows. I do love wainscoting though.

shortped No wainscoting....the fireplace makes enough of a statement structurally.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. Agree with Judy M. I would be slipcovering the wing chair, I like the larger scale of it, but agree that the other red chair is on the small side for where it is positioned. Slipcover all the pieces instead of upholstering.
I like the moire still but feel that shade of blue in moire is a little outdated. I think a grey moire would be a knock out.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. What does the wainscoting look like stripped?? If it's a lovely old pine would look awesome next to upholstered walls.

Judy M Here they used the wainscot on just the fireplace wall.

shortped But ceilings were higher and then a section was added above fireplace

libradesigneye The only way to use the moire is to do paneled wainscot so it can be hung inside - that is a very traditional look. I agree that low ceilings make that not great - and it isn't really the right detail for a farmhouse. When they sheetrock the original wall, they are going to have to pull the mantle out and put it back or lose some reveal - not a great solution there either. Just not sure this room is right for jewel toned moire if intent is to update.

Is there another room / the entry hall! / a powder room that she has enough moire for - one with more natural light? Then paint this room and let them coordinate rather than match.

I would paint this room a putty tone, keep a few cobalt blue items, keep the rug and change everything else out to lighter neutral stone, oyster fabrics (think dockers) but in high end, shimmery fabrics. Like http://www.calicocorners.com/product/designer+fabrics+for+the+home/shop+fabrics+by+color/gray+and+silver/termoli+-+robert+allen+fabrics+sterling.do Update the fabric on the big window - platinum velvet panels flanking. No valance. Let the gorgeous traditional furnishings speak with neutral chenilles, velvets, shantungs in very quiet fabrics except for recovering the wing chair in the most gorgeous cobalt fabric she can find. Like http://www.calicocorners.com/product/designer+fabrics+for+the+home/shop+fabrics+by+color/blue/hopsack+-+robert+allen+fabrics+cobalt.do
Then, take the entry into drama, and carry the blue into the dining room with metallic silvery blue walls there. Now the red is just an accent - 10% of the room - blue here is 30%, chair, pillows, art. Stone and oyster neutrals with putty walls 70%. The room will seem fresh and bigger -

look at a putty like la paloma gray http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/lapalomagray

shortped Love it libradesigneye!

trasgorshek If you love the third pic then I would go for it. I would add wainscot at 32" high for an 8' ceiling painted all white or off white. Do ecru/cream or light grey (my preference) up the rest of the wall. Wainscot on all four walls. Add a starburst or interesting mirror above fireplace flanked by two updated sconces. Increase the crown around ceiling with just a panel trim (paint panel trim and inside the same as crown so it appears as one large piece). Wallpaper (if she absolutely loves the silk) the rest of the ceiling then add a fabulous semi flush mount light fixture in center of room. Yes, I would even do the ceiling with a height of 8'. If hesitant, then go with a lighter shade of paper with a settle geometric print to it. She has incredible bones to work with (floors, french doors, fireplace). It will look stunning.

sruggi Judy M., the Ideabook is under my name, "Lisa's Living Room".

trasgorshek A couple of semi flush suggestions and then a different option of wallpaper.

If she's hesitant about wallpaper on ceiling (she has to really love the one she has) then I would try painting and stenciling to give similar effect without the headache of removal.

Lkristine What a beautiful room with so many possibilities, and how nice of you to want to help your daughter out. Let me first start by saying that wainscoting is just a matter of taste. I think her room will look beautiful either way. If they do add it then she can use her beautiful wallpaper above it. If not, she can sheetrock the fireplace wall and just use it on that wall only. A beautiful paint for whatever portion of the walls that end up without her pretty wallpaper could be painted in something similar to it, like BM Wales Gray. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/paint-color/walesgray Fabric for the smaller chair would look beautful in something like this, http://www.etsy.com/listing/123768749/geometric-light-gold-damask-curtain?ref=sr_gallery_21&ga_search_query=gold+curtain+panels&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all The larger wingback chair could be a solid color that brings out the soft blue/gray/green color of the walls. Here is an example that would look fantastic, http://www.ebay.com/itm/AQUA-BLUE-FAILLE-SOLID-RIBBED-UPHOLSTERY-FABRIC-/190666585464 Then to incorporate the goldish color from the smaller chair, add a decorative pillow to the wingback with something like this, http://www.etsy.com/listing/54759041/gold-of-the-gods-throw-pillow-covers?ref=sr_gallery_3&sref=sr_2a619a07e62a86b2c76f884df3dab3f8d8a35a322c83218b890fe4421ecaece2_1361671606_14154780_pillow&ga_search_query=gold+decorative+pillow&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=3&ga_search_type=all An area rug that is traditional, yet combines the colors would ground the space beautifully, example, http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Indoor-Grey-and-Blue-Area-Rug/7576682/product.html Curtain panels that are traditional but also transitional, http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/for-the-home/window-treatments/curtains-drapes-/chris-madden-mystique-pinch-pleat-drapery-panel-pair/prod.jump?ppId=16704ba&Nao=72&pN=4&searchTerm=taupe+curtain+panels&dimCombo=null&dimComboVal=null&catId=SearchResults I will add some images on this post and then the rest on an additional since 4 is apparently the max!

Lkristine Here are the rug and window panel images..... And I did forget to mention that a fresh coat of white paint to the trim/doors and the surrounding wood on the fireplace would look beautiful!!!!!

Lkristine I love the lighting and mirror options posted above too!!!!!!!

sruggi Libradesigneye, the house is a 60 year old center hall colonial, not a farmhouse. I agree that wainscoting around the room is too formal for the house, but I like the idea of the shadow box panels on the fireplace wall only. We are still not sure about the wallpaper, but it is not as vivid as it looks in the picture. The roll is in the back corner of the room in one of the pictures and shows much lighter.

libradesigneye I see it!!! Not too dark, and you can do that on a feature wall, but why not take it around the room if you love it - you only need a few panels on the left wall. . . center hall colonial can take it. I would just do one long panel with no wainscot panel below for this ceiling height. My color suggestions would still be great even with panels. Just make sure you are careful not to mix true blues and aqua blues / blues with green in them. I have blues, LOVE THEM! and learned this over the years.

sruggi Libradesigneye I really like the paint color, my daughter was talking about using a light putty color..
Trasgorshek and Lkristine, fantastic ideas. I love the upholstery choice for the small chair. I think that she should have the chair repainted to,a softer color when she has it done. I also like the gray/blue paint color for the walls I think I have it in my Ideabook.

Judy M Her idea book looks like she really wants to lighten the room up and getting rid of the red is a great first step. Some of her fabric choices are going a bit less traditional, but overall she likes a very traditional home and that is appropriate for the style of her home.

I think there have been some good suggestions and she can review them. Or she might want to choose one of her favorite rooms from the ideabook and try to acheive something similar.

I think less of the wainscoting will loosen up the tradtional formal feel of the room, unless staying more formal is what she wants.

Hope we get to see a finished room later.

sruggi Judy M., I just saw your post about the size of the wing chair. Did you see the picture of the chair in the corner? I like that one better with the wing chair. My daughter is undecided. There is a picture in the Ideabook that shows a wingback next to a round back chair.

sruggi Lkristine, her sofa has polished nickel nailheads. Does that exclude gold metals in the room?

Lkristine Nope, not IMO, it's fine to mix it up, some of the most beautiful transitional rooms have a mix.........

trasgorshek Sruggi, just one more option, could do a chair rail with wallpaper underneath.

carole both the putty color or a bleu will look nice in the room,my personlal choice would be the bleu,and as you already have the wallpaper you can match it to that color..what does your daughter think of all the ideas given,any that really stand out for her????

Judy M I saw the other chair in the corner and almost suggested switching those 2 chairs but it's hard online to see how much larger that one is than the other small chair since they are not next to each other.

Does she plan to keep the sofa table? Is she keeping the two small cross leg ottomans? Could they go under the sofa table ( or is there a lower shelf on sofa table?)

I really like the shape of her sofa. But we are making suggestions without knowing what items must stay and what can go. What is she willing to recover etc.

I'd like to see some more modern fabric on her wing chair ( like the orange chair in one of her ideabook photos, even though the fabric does not have to be orange). I think it will freshen up the very traditional museum like feeling the room has now.

If she wants the FP wall to be highlighted, perhaps a modling detail similar to the photo I posted with the wainscot on just the FP wall.

I would choose her fabrics and then decide on a wall color.

Maeve McNamara What ab beautifully proportioned room with so much potential.

Kelsick Real Estate Design I have a few ideas for you:

If she is going for a more "classy traditional" look (as opposed to a country home or classic old Americana), this awesome room has great potential. You could do the following on a budget of between $350 (if you do it all yourselves) and $1200:

1. WINDOW COVERING- I would remove the valance and opt for a window covering that is less obtrusive (in both color and relief), thus giving more "space" to the room. Flower prints/patterns really speak too loudly in a small space so I would go for a single color.

2. LAYOUT- Currently, your sofa and sofa table delineate this space as a "room." I would reorient the furniture layout by placing the sofa against the window wall (need that less obtrusive window covering here) or against the left wall and place the two RE UPHOLSTERED chairs with their backs facing us from the direction of your photo shoot. If possible I would put a small accent table or your end table (or nothing) between the two chairs. I would use the rug and coffee table to help orient the central space of the room, with the various pieces of furniture creating the periphery or the outside boundary that help bring the "room" together as a gathering or conversation area. This will help to make the room feel more open and thus seem LARGER and with better (chi) flow...

4. WALL COLOR/FINISH- The Bold red of the room is great for a larger space, but speaks very loudly in a smaller space. Several of the color suggestions above are excellent wall colors (accented with off white wood trims). Behr (very affordable) has a silver sage color that works really well in smaller spaces like this room.

5. WALLS/ACCENTS/LIGHTING- To finish off the room I would replace the beadboard/plank wall behind the fireplace with a flat surface. Wall textures, patterns, relief details and the like, take up a lot of visual space and add to the smallness of any room. I would also replace the wall sconces with something with small black shade(s) which are not as glaring to the eye as an uncovered bulb. Also, the small black shades cast a vertical light pattern unto the wall for a really classy effect, making your fireplace and mantle area really pop as the true focal point of the room.

Best of luck...

sruggi Judy M., I love your idea of wainscoting just the fireplace wall, there are a couple of pictures in our Ideabook. We also thought that more modern fabric on the chairs (and drapery) would go a long way to modernize the room.

sruggi Kelsick Real Estate Design, thanks for your thoughtful suggestions. I am amazed by the amount of time Houzzers put into analyzing a room to propose the best suggestions.
Some of your ideas are already a given, and once the bones of the room are done we will certainly move the furniture around to determine the best placement.

sruggi Judy M., the stools are staying and the console does have a bottom shelf. My daughter is open to upholstering all of the chairs and is changing the drapery. She does not want to buy any more furniture, but would remove one of the chairs.

sruggi Finally getting ready to paint. Here are pictures of an inspiration fabric and paint choices. Thoughts?

Judy M Fabric is beautiful. wall color will have to be tested in the actual room. Get a sample pint and paint poster board. Hang in the room in a few different places and view it day and night to see which you prefer.
Where is she using the fabric?

sruggi Judy, she is planning to sample the paint before buying it. Thanks!

trasgorshek What did she decide about the wallpaper? Did she end up wainscoting just the fireplace wall?

sruggi Judy, the fabric will probably be used for the small red chair and throw pillows.

sruggi Tragorshek, she is not doing wainscoting and will decide on the wallpaper (fireplace wall only) after painting.

Judy M What county in CT are you? I have recently used an upholsterer, very reasonable price to cover a small chair similiar to her red chair.

sruggi Judy, Fairfield County

mjzurita May I suggest a warm neutral gray for the walls. Would do decorative rods for existing window treatments. Except I would remove the valances,they only serve to lower the ceiling visually. You could use the valance fabric to make pillows for the existing print pillows on sofa. This would help to tie in vintage and contemporary.the corner behind the red chair needs another piece to lend a balance to the wingback chair scale. Great room. And great taste!

sruggi Mjzurita, the plan is to purchase a new window treatment. I think my daughter wants a change from the floral. The red chair and wing chair are going to be recovered and she will add pillows to the sofa when it is done. She wants to use the colors in the new fabric and was trying to decide whether to go with a wheat color or grayed/blue. My vote was for the blue, but we did look at some grays with blue undertones. Thanks for the thoughtful advice.

nancy22032 Love the fabric and any of the colors for the walls. They will be so pleasant to live with. I have used similar colors for years and find that any of the blue-greens are "happy" colors - they lift the spirit. I really don't understand the fad for gray these days - everyone will be on zoloft! Sounds like you're on the right track and will have a very attractive room when complete.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. sruggi, I am in fairfield cty, and make draperies to-the-trade, but if you would like me to quote youa re welcome to contact me.

sruggi Judy M., where is your upholsterer located?
Julie Thorne, I will have my daughter contact you when she is ready to select her window treatments. Do you have any contacts for an upholsterer in the area?
Nancy22032, thanks, that is the look she is aiming for, a classic, serene room.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. Yes, I can refer an upholsterer.

Judy M Elen custom work in Bpt CT. 203- 366-6884

Judy M Julie, What town are you in? I need a roman shade for a bathroom and a small seat cushion recovered.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. I'm in Redding, near Westport.

Judy M Julie, Is that the name of your business? I'll look up your number and give you a call. I have someone closer but her daughter is getting married and I'm unsure of her availability.