Wendy's Living/Dining Room Redesign

Wendy's main goal with her space was to make sure everything was in the best place possible.  She wanted to ensure that all their space was being utilized properly.  I've made some minor changes and updated a few things while adding more flexible seating to update her space without spending lots of money.  Many times, in homes of this size there are a limited number of ways that furniture can be laid out.  There's lots of space needed for circulation and maybe only one wall that has cable limiting where the TV is placed.  The key in these spaces is to make sure that furniture, if possible, serves a dual purpose.

1. Remove the doors from this cabinet.  Make simple fabric panels to cover the bottom.  By doing this you'll be able to utalize more space in this corner because it's not needed for opening the doors to access the bottom of the built-ins.  Use Amy Butler Fabric August Fields Graceful Vines Orange.  Paint the inside of the upper cabinets a coordinating orange, SW 6889 Stirring Orange.  Add a circular rug to help define the space.  This round 6' rug from Rugs Direct would work well.

2. Use the same Amy Butler Fabric Graceful Vines, to make some drapery panels for these windows.  This will bring in some of the accent orange as well.

3. Let's paint this TV stand.  The furniture that you have thus far work well together as they are all a similar style and finish, except for the TV stand.  By darkening this piece (Use Sherwin Williams Color SW 6070 Turkish Coffee) you will tie this in as well.  I think you'll find that you won't feel like your furniture is a modge podge anymore!

4. Replace this coffee table with 3 of these ottomans from Overstock.com and use as a base to make your own covers with the Amy Butler Fabric-Lotus Wall Flower Green.  (Yes the colors don't match at all on the originals, but for $24 a piece you can't go wrong!  If you build these from scratch they would be more expensive.)  Don't forget to use Scotchguard on these and they'll last for quite a while and stand up to your children using them!  These will provide flexible seating for you.  They can be used as a coffee table for now, then when more seating is needed, just pull them out for seating!  Instead of a large area rug here, buy 3 carpet tiles from FLOR and use these to place the ottomans on.  You're essentially making a small runner for the ottomans.  I'd go with All Square-Orange.  (When you're using the ottomans as seating, just slide the carpet under the sofa!)

5. Many designers will tell you to hang all artwork at eye level but there are times (many times in fact!) that this is not always the case.  Right now it seems like they are floating above the rest of the items in the room, if you move them down about 12" they will then be seen as part of the furniture arrangement that includes the ottomans and sofa!  This will provide more continuity in the space, which is needed in a smaller space.

Here is the design board with the items from above:

Color Palette

1. New Wall Color: Sherwin Williams SW 6711 Parakeet

2. New TV Stand Color: Sherwin Williams SW  6070 Turkish Coffee

3. Accessory Color (You already have this covered!)

4. Cabinet Color for inside the built in cabinets in your dining space: Sherwin Williams SW 6889 Stirring Orange

I love your guitar arrangement!  Thanks so much Wendy for letting us help you with your space!!



Do you need help redesigning your space?  Click here to get started!