I have to admit, it's embarrassing/frustrating that I do this for a living and was having so much trouble with my own space. With clients I can just walk in and say "this goes here, this goes here. Done." But with this room, it's just difficult!! But from what I hear and read on blogs, it seems that most designers/decorators find their own homes challenging.
Soo.. this is what our living room looks like this morning (bad iPhone pic):
I chose to stick with this layout because in the end I love being able to see the coffee table and pillows.
If I were the designer (and not the client, too) in this situation, I would tell myself the black chairs are too dark and too tall for this layout, and we should replace them with something else. BUT this is the real world, and I can't go spending a grand on new chairs. SO I'm going to stick with this floor plan and tell myself it's perfectly imperfect ;)
And on the way out the door this morning, my husband yelled to me "I love our new living room!". RARELY does he have an opinion, so it made me really happy to hear him happy with it. (I did have to ask, are you joking with me? Since he knew I moved furniture around 4 times yesterday haha. Luckily he was being serious)
(Also a side note - many of you suggested to put the chairs in front of the double doors or the windows. When I have more time, I can try that and show you pictures, but this room is very deceiving. It's very long and very skinny, and it wouldn't be a good fit. I've tried it before, and it's a tight squeeze when opening the french doors... they almost hit the back of the chairs/sofa and don't allow you to walk in and out).
In other news, I have an install this morning and I have a TON of pillows ready to bring with me. There are four chairs and a sofa in this space, so I have a lot of pillow space to work with.
I think this looks perfect! You keep the space clean and everything else is very light and airy, you almost needed something to ground everything. I love a little something unexpected/ non tradional in a room...a perfect example of breaking the rules and it working!
ReplyDeleteIn your previous post, when looking at the original & second arrangement of furniture, I thought to myself that if the chairs were angled it would be perfect. Then, funny enough, as I scrolled down you decided to do exactly that. I think you hit the nail right on the head with that tweak, makes a huge difference in the best way! Very pretty room indeed!
ReplyDeleteYea! You took my suggestion! I was so excited when I saw the pics. I think it looks awesome in there. It breaks up the space and makes it feel more comfortable. Plus, you see more of the room with the chairs angled.
ReplyDeleteAnd give yourself a break - sometimes our own spaces are the worst to decorate. I'm not a pro, but I do help friends and family out with decor, and it's wayyyy easier than figuring out my own stuff.
Did you ever try putting one of the chairs between the two windows and the other one across from it on the other side of the couch? Then when you walk in, you don't have to walk around the chairs? It's just a thought but then again it might not work.
ReplyDeleteI like the room. I would add black rods and black and cream striped draperies, pulled to one side of each window. The rods would bring some balance up high and the draperies would finish the space. Or a black shelf across the top of the back wall, instead of the rods and draperies.
ReplyDeleteI think it looks awesome like this! And I totally feel you. I am never happy with my own house. I always look at my clients homes and think how much I love them but am constantly rearranging my own. I think it's normal.
ReplyDeleteHeidi
www.therusticmodernist.com
I love it. The new arrangement works beautifully. And I also love that it's perfectly imperfect. Glad to know I'm not the only one that struggles with my own home.
ReplyDeleteHooray! I'm glad you are enjoying it....even if you haven'te deemed it perfect. And your husband likes it! That's an awesome endorsement.
ReplyDeletejbhat
This layout looks lovely. The black chairs balance the dark oil above the couch just right. Anyhow, you could always throw a couple of light colored throws over the back of the wing backs to lighten them up if you wanted. Cheaper than reupholstery, right?!
ReplyDeleteI love this layout! I always felt that the black chairs against the light wall looked unfinished and the painting above always looked ungrounded and slightly off centered. The couch against the wall perfectly grounds the couch and draws so much more attention to it. It is lovely to be able to see more of the furniture in the room too. I agree that shorter/lighter chairs may work better in this space, but I think you have to work with what you've got, and what you've got here looks great! Now, I would love to see a picture taken from sitting on the couch, towards the black chairs/foyer/staircare.
ReplyDeleteYou've mentioned quite a few times that you spend so much time thinking about decisions on your own house but don't think twice for clients, and I find that very disturbing. Shouldn't you be putting as much effort and thought into their homes as you do your own? I don't understand the difference, and it makes the impression that you don't care about your clients homes as much because you don't have to see them everyday.
ReplyDeleteI must have phrased it wrong. I do think about my client's spaces all day and all night long, which is actually a bad habit of mine because I never "leave the office" so to speak. I'll be on the computer until 9 PM stewing over pictures. In fact a client recently was teasing me about how I take pictures every single time I come over and how I must study them because every time I come back over I change a little detail that she didn't even notice ;)
ReplyDeleteI think what I meant to say is that when I work with clients, it comes much more naturally than when I work with my own home. Perhaps it's because I'm not starting with any preconceived notions. When I walk into a new space, I can see what is working and what isn't.. I guess it's a first impression type of thing. And when you live in a space, you can't get that first impression because it's already engrained into your head.
Hopefully that clears things up :)
I love the black chairs in the middle! It creates more depth than having the couch in the middle because your eye automatically goes to the lightness of the coffee table framed by the contrast of the black chairs, and then moves up to the painting and back to the black chest, or the french doors depending on where you're standing. I know some people have suggested adding more black to other elements, but i'm not sure you need to. The rest of the "tonality" as my professor calls it, is working quite well, and you probably just need to make sure you don't go too light on drapery so that the focus continues to stay in the middle of the room. I'd also be careful with a light throw on the chairs. If it goes too light, the contrast could shift your focus to the throw from the table. I'm printing this out to use as required "inspiration" in my color theory class :)
ReplyDeleteOo.. I love the dyed and houndstooth pillows! As for your room- I think it really is great this way. I see what you mean about the chairs being tall, but like you said. This is real life! It doesn't have to be perfect.. I do really like that you can see the painting so well now, and that the black frame really pops because of the chairs. Glad you're liking it!
ReplyDeleteI really do love this layout. And those dip dyed pillows are amazing! Are they for sale at the shop?
ReplyDeleteLove the new arrangement - looks like a cozy space!
ReplyDeleteI love the layout Bryn - the sofa really draws from the artwork! I am having fun with my new arrangements per your recommendations. I loved how naturally it came to when walking through my house....it's all coming together and even my husband loves the changes! I'll send pictures soon :)
ReplyDeleteYour gold lamp is KILLING me!! I LOVE it!! Can you share where it is from? Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThat was my favorite layout - can't say why, but it was the most pleasing. I feel like maybe I have a little bit of interior decorating in me :)
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem seeing my space with "fresh eyes." Have you tried using your photo software to flip a photo of your room horizontally/vertically? It tricks your eyes into seeing the space differently. Of course, if your room is arranged with perfect symmetry, only the vertical flip will make much difference.
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