O.K. That's it. I'm not changing it again (having said that I've already changed it since I took these photos a few hours ago). But that's not because anything was terribly wrong in my living room, things are only terribly wrong in my head.
And a head is a much easier thing to fix than a f*>k ugly sectional. Do I hate the sofa? Absolutely. Will I replace a couple of things. Sure. But I feel cozy and comfortable in my living room and that was the goal.
You know when a dog sniffs and circles and digs and digs and circles and almost lays down then changes direction because ALL the spots to collapse seems so good?
That is now me in my living room.
In fact, it hasn't officially been confirmed but I broke the world record of putting 23,000 steps on my watch - while sitting.
Let's take a look at my living room over the years.
This monstrosity is within the first 5 years or so of buying my house. So. Many. Things.
A year or so before I started this blog I threw out, gave away or sold almost everything I owned and started new.
Nothing makes sense here. The whole left side is light, the whole right side is dark, there's a reading light and a lamp right beside each other and there are no less than 4 hides (sheep or cow) - that is entirely too many hides ... and yet all you see is sectional.
O.K. well it feels cozy I'll give it that. Raise your hand if you TOO had that shag rug from Costco. 🙋🏼♀️
Things improved a lot in 2018 when I made interior shutters for all my windows. But it still wasn't right. Feels too fancy and austere.
These versions of my living room (which is also my family room) were all unfortunate. And I knew it. But I just couldn't get it any better no matter how many Elle Decors I bought but forgot to flip through.
But now? Now I just go from seat to seat marvelling at the perfection of all of them. Over and over and over again. To the point of it not even being relaxing if I'm being honest. I just can't pick a favourite spot.
All the seats have a good view. There isn't a clunker corner in the bunch. The proximity to the fireplace, the television, the windows, the foyer ... the layout is the best it has ever been.
I'm honestly a bit unsettled by it. I really don't know where to sit and liking this room feels - weird.
I've hated and felt the need to apologize for my living room for 25 years now.
Oh, hi, it's so good to see you, come on in. You haven't been here before have you? O.K. I hate my living room so don't look in that diritttACKnocrap Avert your eyes!! Well, you've seen it now so just ... be a sport and gouge your eyes out. I SAID GOUGE YOUR EYES OUT.
Why I think anyone cares at all about my living room, let alone in a deep way, is something I should probably examine about myself.
I now know my living room has the potential to be my favourite room in the house. Just by doing that one little thing.
And there are a few more little things in my future.
Painting for one thing. These walls were Simply White at some point. Now they're fireplace and old-age yellow.
This view needs a bit of work but if I move the television to another wall it would help. I could also get and hang a Frame TV with landscape art over the fireplace and it would look MUCH better. Plus then I'd make a thin, natural wood frame for it, so it would be perfect.
It's the Bermuda triangle of design - a corner with a black chair, the black hole of a fireplace and the black hole of a television. It's icky.
Huh. I didn't even really realize that was the problem until I just had to explain it to you. Thanks for listening.
Plus I have to make the bookcases less ... well just less. They either need to be completely decluttered or completely filled with books so there isn't as much commotion.
I could replace both the sofa and the upholstered thrift store chair, or replace the sofa and have the chair recovered. And I need a rug - nothing dramatic. Something like this.
In conclusion, I really, really thought I was going to quit apologizing for my living room.
I would love to see some plants in your living room to give it some "life". Just like a chef will put some parsley on an otherwise monochrome plate. I am not known for my decorating expertise but I do love plants.
All of a sudden, one day, I realized that the three cabinets or furniture not for sitting were on the same side of the room. Finally make changes and it's so much more balanced. But lived like that for a number of years! Haha.
Sorry Karen, I can't help you at all, hell I can't help myself! I'm stuck with a 75" black hole of a TV myself. I should have started complaining when the 50" arrived, but no. My lack of complaint, was deemed approval, so he has just gotten larger and larger black holes, until now. I don't even have room for a black hole of ANYTHING else. I don't even know what colour my wall is behind the monstrosity, he calls his God. Lord help me!
I have always and will always love your living room.
No apologies.
:)
I love Cy Twombly! If you get The Frame tv you can have his art on it. Have you considered a plant or two to add some life to the room. I’d paint it a warmer colour and look for an inviting throw blanket in a modern print. You a so lucky to have a real fireplace. I might try some sconces on either side of the tv. What you’ve done so far looks great. Thanks for sharing.
I think it all looks nice except for the remaining portion of the sectional sofa. At this point it looks old and not in a good way. The cushions have lost their firmness and shape, and faded. That works with the chair, but at least to my eyes not so much with the sectional.
I have to say I agree with others. Colour is fantastic it need not be in your face either or on every wall. I also prefer the first picture mostly due to the fact I dislike sectionals, they may sit more but they need more open space than average living room furniture. Black furniture is same idea. We find anyway an that is 50 plus years of living experience.
If you were to paint fireplace wall dark ( not black ) perhaps deep navy blue it would solve so problems that would help balance your living room as tv and post modern chair and fire place would blend in better.
Then put lighter colour else where it would lighten and brighten your living room making it look bigger. Using smaller large items of furniture will help also. We started doing that 20 years ago and have not looked back. ( no more couches or over stuffed chairs). What at difference.
We also mix and match periods 🤭. On dark shelving we installed little puck lights that are connected to switch that give it great appeal we find anyway.
Figured I would pass on our non professional decoratoring life experience . People have always enjoyed or living spaces. Then they go home and look and white walls and can’t figure out why they don’t feel cosy and call us.
Mixing and matching periods is fantastic! But you generally wouldn't mix time time periods or design eras that are right next to each other (like the 50s and 60s). I've considered every colour including almost black for this room, but it's a dark room that gets very little sun so that's part of ... WHY AM I APOLOGIZING AGAIN,🤣🤣🤣 ~ karen!
Hi Karen
That’s why I only suggest painting wall with fireplace dark . The other thing that would create more light is if you put glass doors on front of the shelves as glass reflects light beautifully. While putting a light colour on other walls will brighten and lighten said room , it truly works unless you use mat finish, mat will absorb the light. There as satin will help to reflect the little light in room.
If wondering I am a eclectic person an proud of if.
😊 Lynn
What does Cy T…… mean?
I don’t understand this, please explain.
Your living room is very lovely but may benefit from either wine throw pillows or a wine patterned Persian carpet.
Cy Twombly was a 20th century American painter. Did some cool stuff!
Cy Twombly is an iconic modern artist and that's his signature. ~ karen!
I like most all the views of your living room in all its transitions! And why have the chair recovered? Do it yourself...cuz it ain't that hard! 😏
I hope this picture uploads…I’m sitting in my long, narrow family room ( 13 feet from chimney to windows and 21 feet from kitchen to doorway to foyer ) staring at the trifecta of a black tv, black fireplace and black chimney cupboard….going to paint the black chimney cupboard next summer, possibly convince my dear husband to sand the floors and paint them.
Would dearly love to know more about making a wood frame for the TV…
As I fill this out I guess there isn’t a place to upload pics…to bad I could use some help.
Hi Shelagh! I'm going to do a post, but not until January on how to make a frame to go around your TV. :) ~ karen!
Excellent! Thanks!
Not that you asked, but I would switch the chairs and place the thrift one by the fireplace and the black one over by the door. 😊
I have to agree with others regarding the red, camel back sofa; LOVE IT! However, you can't get it back so let's move on. Your sectional, minus a piece, is not that bad. It's unfortunate it has chrome legs, but I guess that kinda goes with that weird chrome legged table. Not my thing, and that black chair!! UGH!! Not my thing at all. But it's not my living/family room, so enough of that. The shutters are great, and I give you all kinds of credit for making them yourself; such a talented woman. I don't understand the big white board with writing on it, but I do love the light in your room. The dark dresser/dry sink in the corner is a perfect addition; it really does help balance the room. A nice cozy area rug and I think it will make your room a place you will be happy spending time in. And dark teal and gold...yuuummmm!!!
Thank you for your blog, it is one of my happy places.
Tammie from New England.
Hi Tammie! Thanks, I'm glad you're here. Yeah, I"m not in love with the chrome legs or the sofa, but it'll be gone hopefully soon (I said that 10 years ago). I like the lucite table with chrome legs, but I like it to be stacked with wood underneath. ~ karen!
I really love the room! I know I'm odd but I need to know what that writing is on your wall :)
yeah....me too...what is that signature the wall?
It's an old canvas that I painted white and then forged the signature of one of my favourite artists on it. Because I'll never in my lifetime or 100 others ever be able to afford an actual Cy Twombly. :) ~ karen!
I wonder if you could get a canvas picture the size of your television and make a light wooden frame with long back lip-hook behind that would simply hang over the screen when you're not watching it. That way, it wouldn't be any trouble simply to slip it off when you're settled down to a good movie, but provide you with beautiful art to look at instead of a black void when you're just passing through.
The bookcases next to the fireplace may look less cluttered if you put a darker colour on the wall behind them, because the whole (stuff and shelves) would read as a block of colour to your eye rather than your eyes focusing on the stuff. Perhaps a grey taken from the dark tones of the stone around the fire tinged with the blue of that box you have sitting next to the wood on the right... If it were my room, I would start with painting just the wall and not the shelves to see if the horizontal lines of the shelves continue your trim colour throughout.
Have fun with it - it looks great so far!
Thanks Norma! I'm trying. Oh! If you had suggested the frame idea to me 10 years ago I would have taken you up on it but at this point I want to feel like a grown up and having to remove the painting from the tv every night wouldn't make me feel like a professional grown up.😆 ~ karen!
Hi - Your placement is great and I love your window shutters.
But yes, some color to enhance all your textures.
Find a reliable auction house, or a really great estate sale, and get yourself a nice old Persian/oriental rug. They wear like iron, so if it's a hundred years old it has about another hundred to go, If the dog throws up, let it dry, remove debris, then take an old terry washcloth with COLD water and a bit of plain hand soap, and scrub the pile a bit. Let it dry and voila - what throwup? Not that Philip would ever demean himself....
If someone does something more serious, roll it up and take to a cleaner who will send it to a real rug person that deals with this kind of rug.
Choose strong colors with cherry red and navy and pink (look closely at figured rugs, seriously) and dollops of white, Go for clear colors, not muddy greens or oranges.
All good advice, but not for my living room. I really hate oriental rugs. And from my front door all the way to the back of my house I have persian rugs. Plus the living room is already busy because of the fireplace and bookshelves - plus I don't do matching lamps or furniture. The rug needs to be plain to combat that. ~ karen!
Golly!
I use Persian and Oriental more or less interchangeably, sorry.
I feel the same way that you do about matching lamps.
May I add that Philip is a very handsome fellow!
Thanks for getting back,
Elizabeth
More please on the wood frame for your TV. I love watching tv but finding a way to cover the modern 72" tv just seems to draw more attention to it. Art screen covers, furniture that rises and lowers, draw down ceiling maps/screens-- All just scream-- I LIKE TV MORE THAN STYLE! So if you have a living room/tv plan, you will be a trillionaire and be able to paper your powder room with og Cy Twomblies.
Hi Danni! Samsung makes a TV called The Frame because it's made to display digital art and only has a tiny cord leading to it. You can get different coloured metal snap on frames for it to make it look like it has a picture frame on it. If done really well in a room it can look 100% like framed art hanging on the wall. So I'd get a The Frame TV plus I'd make a frame for it myself out of wood (instead of buying the ones the company offers) Make sense? ~ karen!
Yes! Thanks Karen! I did have to google it bc I am a little slow but that looks really good!
You will probably hate me for saying this, but there are a couple of things I really like about that first picture of your old LR. It is COLOR! I personally simply cannot live without color, because I figure when I am dead there will not be any. Say what you will about the overall room, it still looks a hundred times more inviting, and that is because of COLOR. I was a decorator, although I am now retired, but I do keep up. Color has comeback in a big way as a reaction to the grey/white/black/neutral overkill of the last decade as well as our collective soul needing considerable cheering as the world is seemingly spinning out of control. I think you are on the right track with furniture placement. Most decorators do not like sectionals, although many people with young children tend to find them practical. Just some things to think about. I really enjoy your blog and sense of humor.
I was going to say just that. I'm glad we are getting over that grey/white phase. I like some color and I loved the first picture. So cozy and inviting. White and grey, not so much. It's too cold looking for me but everyone's different. I was a professional house painter for 25 years so I've seen and done all the color trends out there.
HI Ellen! There will eventually be more colour but only bops of it. Probably gold and a blue/green. ~ karen!
Spit-take on the shag rug from Costco; yup, I had one! Got rid of it after the dog decided to "decorate" it. Repeatedly. Why, oh why, is it so difficult to find the right area rug? 😜
I was always afraid it would be teaming with centipedes under all the floof. ~ karen!
You have a great eye Karen, and this is how it continues to develop, by continuing to experiment. Thanks for sharing your thought process!
Have you ever come across the book "Art In Every Day Life"
by Harriet Goldstein and Vetta Goldstein? The authors were sisters that taught art and design for many years to college students in the US, and this book captures that knowledge. It helps learn and apply design principles and hone in on why something (like a couch or piece of art) does or doesn't work. You can find used print or digital copies online. Not that I think you "need" help - I just think it would appeal to your design and vintage-stuff loving self ; )
Hi Michelle, that sounds like a fantastic book, I'll look it up! ~ karen
Okay here is my 2 cents. I think the current room is looking great, most importantly, “feeling” great. I love the sexy tension( as my designer friend calls it!) between the ornate mirror and the fab Cy T artwork. Great idea and the large size, makes a cool statement. I keep thinking ….hmmm whose signature would I want on my wall?!! A sisal type rug would be perfect. You’re good at blending textures. I know color is coming “back” but I never went down the grey road to begin with. Yet, the first pic looks like a lil old lady lives there. I personally LOVE the Eames chair (the Shark Tank gang all sit in gorgeous ivory ones) And I love soft white walls! Honestly, I would say your room looks designed by a woman who knows her own mind. Cheers!
Don’t understand how you can have a coffee table - with candles on it - (gasp) - when you have Philip in the house. My guy would have that cleared off in no time. LOL
One good, enthusiastic wag...