Planning the Living Room Refresh
Lately we’ve been feeling antsy about our living space. Feeling like we’re outgrowing our home. Wondering if we need more space or less things. (Less things.) We’ve put together a savings plan that should get us into another home (hopefully one we build) in five or so years, which means we’ll be in our little ranch for quite a while longer. I’d say a wee bit of attention is in order!
First I began purging some of our less sightly toys and trimming down the kiddo side of things. Then I began to reassess usability of spaces, organization, and- the fun part- decor! The biggest thing I don’t like about this space is the cover of our large Ikea Karlstad sectional. I’ve been wanting to get a custom cover for it for quite some time, and it’s finally happening! I ordered some fabric samples from Comfort Works, a slipcover company that specializes in custom-made Ikea slipcovers, and I am beginning to plan a few refreshes for our living room that will make this space feel a bit more cohesive and pleasant to be in.
This is our only shared living space in our home, besides the kitchen and dining area, and also serves as an office and playroom. Things can get really cluttered really fast! So I decided it’s important to keep decor on the neutral side of things to maintain a calmer feelings in the midst of everything that has to fit inside this room. So here are a few things I’m hoping to change, and I’d really love your opinions before I make each change!
lamp / orange chair / slipcover / rug
As I mentioned, I’m going to be recovering the sofa with a replacement slipcover from Comfort Works, which will probably be the biggest impact of this entire refresh. I’m very set on a light colored slipcover which we will have coated to protect from spills and dirt. It will have piping at the edges and also a skirt for a more tailored feel than what we have now. In addition to the cover, I’m going to remove the throw pillows and replace them with two custom-made bolsters from Comfort Works which will match the slipcover material and add to the tailored look of the newly slipcovered sofa. Having fewer pillows certainly takes away some interest from the sofa but helps calm the room overall with less visual clutter.
Right now we have two large Ikea rugs that are similar in color to our terrazzo floors, so there is no delineation of zones with our rug choice, and also no decorative impact. I liked that it is a simple rug with no pattern, but I would like to have a little color on the floor in the seating area, so I think I’d like to replace the ivory low-pile rug with a light colored, dusty pink, medium-pile shag rug instead. Am I crazy? I’m thinking the dusty pink acts like a neutral, to a degree, but would contrast nicely alongside a light colored slipcover.
The armchair featured in the collage above is actually from West Elm, but it’s similar in shape to the one I have now which was a thrift store score from years ago. The fabric is very worn down from my brother’s dogs, and in desperate need of reupholstering. I’m thinking I would like to go a bit darker with the material to contrast with the pink rug, but I don’t want it to be too dark and stand out too much in such a light space. I’m leaning towards this rusty orange shade featured in the image above, but I can’t seem to pull the trigger just yet. Also, I’m considering a fabric with a subtle pattern as well. Something 60s inspired- possibly geometric or floral. Would that be too crazy when I’m trying to go more neutral?
At first I considered doing away with the gallery wall above the sofa and adding shelves to make the cabinet into more of a media center. I haven’t given up on the idea yet, but for now I’m just swapping out some art, as well as a couple of frames, and simplifying the colors of the gallery wall to be a bit more calm and neutral. The large yellow art over our sofa is something I found at the thrift store last summer, and certainly am not wedded to it, but I do love its shape, color, and content. However, is it too bright of a yellow for the calm look I’m trying to achieve? It would be nice to have a big pop of color since I am trying to go more neutral with other things, but what about the pink rug? And what about our armchair by the fireplace? Is having a pink rug, yellow art, and an orange armchair too much?
This room has no overhead lighting, so we rely heavily on lamps to keep the space functional in the evenings. We do use the lamp by the television frequently, though I think that the current one is a bit overwhelming for the space. I like the idea of using a simple, vintage-inspired floor lamp that arcs over the cabinet so I can still have options for placing other objects on the tv cabinet, like plants or holiday decorations. I’d also love a bracketed light hanging near my computer at our office station on the opposite wall from the tv, but I don’t think I want to expand my current budget for this just yet, as the lamps I like are all above the $100 price range. I might choose to do that down the road.
I have decided to keep the light color of the walls because of how long the room is and how low the ceiling is in comparison. Creating contrast between the ceiling and walls would just emphasize the low wall height, so I’m opting for the light color to keep things bright in a room that actually doesn’t get very much natural light thanks to our small windows and heavily wooded lot.
We have a very useful toy storage situation behind our sofa which is actually the first thing you see when you walk into our living room. I don’t love how it looks, or love that it’s so clearly visible upon entry, but there is no other option for toy storage that would be so perfectly placed and out of the way. All of the toys are organized and the girls know how to clean up on their own, without me needing to do it for them. That’s sort of invaluable, if you ask me. I’ve considered building a nice top, sides, and doors for the toy cabinet, but I think it would be more difficult for the kids to get their toys in and out of here if I did that, and honestly the doors wouldn’t be closed except for after bedtime, most likely, and open doors might actually make the room seem more cluttered, rather than the opposite. Ah well, kids. Whatcha gonna do?
The last thing I feel a bit unsettled about is the fireplace wall. I guess it’s pretty stark and simple right now. Off to the left, outside this picture’s frame, is the girls’ kitchen set, which I will share more after the refresh is complete. Maybe it’s nice to have a more bare wall in such a jam-packed room? What do you think? What about the art? I keep overanalyzing it and am wondering if I should put a round mirror here instead.
Too many decisions, too little money, and I suppose lots of time to live in this home, so we really want to make this living room a space we can enjoy together!
Mandi, I do like the room as is. Here’s why I say it – I’m a SAHM of three, soon to be four (in 1400 sq.ft.), and sometimes function and budget trump all else (um. All of the time here lol). Especially when you’re looking to get out of the home at some point…
Your plan is well thought out, and I like the slipcover idea especially. No over head lighting is a bummer! We priced recessed can lights last summer and near died. The black lamp in the collage you made is also very nice looking.
I can’t wait to see the changes you make!
I LOVE the pink rug! I don’t necessarily think that orange, pink and yellow are too much, but it is a lot of warm colors, especially once you remove the element of the slightly cool gray couch. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in my experience sticking will all warm or all cool colors is just kinda… blah. Maybe consider a way that you can add some green or blue to the mix. Plants will definitely help. Play around with some colors on Pinterest or something! Can’t wait to see the result!
Oh yeah, I’ll definitely have plants in here! I haven’t had great success with keeping them happy in this room, but I’m not giving up yet. :)
Hi Mandi,
I love the color scheme. You know why? It does not look like anything else on the design inter-webs right now. I also replaced our Ikea Karlstad cover this year with a light grey velvet. I love it, it adds some texture and sophistication. I do miss your old book shelves, I love books in a family space.
My only word of caution is that I have been down the patterned chair road, and I would offer this advice. It tends to become the focal point of the room, your eye is drawn to that immediately everything else kind of falls back. I did a set of chairs in a modern floral in a neutral color. If you don’t want the chair to be the focal point, I would suggest having all the upholstered pieces in a similar neutral. If you want the gallery wall to be the focal point then maybe disregard my second bit of advice. I think it might be fun to wallpaper the fireplace wall and make that the focal point of the room keeping everything else really simple. Kind of like this room’s wall, http://cupofjo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/san_francisco_lucy_home.jpg. Best of luck, I really enjoy your blog posts. Basically anything you do will be marvelously readable.
I LOVE the idea of wallpaper on that wall! Buuuut, it’s a brick wall. So I’m afraid that’s not an option. I think I’ll probably stick to a solid color for the chair instead of a pattern because of the reason you say. I don’t think I want it to be a focal point. I already have that large painting and also the gallery wall. I don’t want too much to compete. :)
When you replace your Karlstad cover, any chance you’ll pass it on to a reader with the same sofa and two scratch-happy cats? ???
You know, I’ve had a couple of people ask me about that and I’m thinking the answer is yes! What would be a fair price? I’m not certain. I’ll probably decide on a price and let those who’ve asked know, and let me be a first come first serve basis, letting those who asked first get dibs? But I’ll need to look into a fair price to ask. :)
That sounds fair! eBay sellers are marking the new ones waaaaaay up now that they aren’t being sold anymore. It’s such a bummer because the ease of changing the slipcovers was one of the mail reasons we bought the Karl!
We bought a comfort works slipcover for our sofa and it was great at first but after 3 washes it is thinning in areas and has little balls on it. Just wanted to let you know. They have awesome customer service though and maybe your sofa won’t get so much wear as ours does.
Do you remember which material you purchased?
I got kino charcoal. I hope this helps!
I love the art above the fireplace, but I say absolutely put a round mirror there instead! All of the lines are very straight and square now, a round mirror would bring an organic feeling and interest to the off centered fireplace. It would look beautiful!
Ok, I just went back to re-read this after reading comments cause I thought the pink swatch was for the sofa….but I *still* think that yellow artwork has got to go… I love thrift store artwork and maybe it’s more appealing in person but I think it’s hard not to associate the yellow color with something that looks aged…this is truly a time where I’d ask myself “does it bring me joy”- if it doesn’t, it should go, cause it has a huge visual impact. I do like the scale though! I think rugs are a fairly inexpensive way to add visual interest and color, and with the size of your room you could experiment with layering two rugs. (I have a braided jute rug and a looped wool rug with a pattern) I love the artwork above the fireplace and maybe you could just do something interesting within the fireplace (I put a huge fern in mine)…if you don’t actually use it, of course.
I’m also dealing with a toy situation in my living room and it looks like your system is working fantastically so I don’t have much input except to say I have had success keeping all our books in the living room (in a similar, low Ikea shelf…) and just a few pretty baskets full of toys. I swap the toys every few months with ones in their room and limit how many are there so it only takes a minute or two to clean up. The books can look visually messy but this is the room we hang out in the most and I want them to spend time with books. I think it’s crazy how much more kids play with their stuff when you move it all around! Good luck, Mandi!
I’m so torn on the artwork! I do like it, and I’m thinking so much else is becoming neutral, it would be nice to have a pop on the wall there. I just ripped off the frame and like it much better. I’m about to go out to the garage to build a new frame for it— a thin, white, crisp looking frame. I also decided to ditch the gallery wall and am doing shelves above and around the tv. So I’m thinking I’ll probably wait until I get all of the other new elements in place (shelving, carpet, slipcover), and then make a game-time decision about the artwork. I might move the large pink + black marbled piece from out bedroom back into the living room. I hate having to wait for the slipcover to decide, but I really think the light, neutral look of the newly covered sofa will hugely impact the decision. We’ll see! Thanks for your input— it was very helpful! I value feedback like this. :)
I love the idea of a light pink rug and a deep, rusty orange chair. Such a great color combo! If you’re going for calm, I’d steer away from a patterned chair, and keep the patterned/loud elements to accessories and art. With that said…I think you should move the big painting out of there :/ To me, it just doesn’t fit with serene, well-composed look you’re going for. What about that large marbled piece you diy’ed a while back? And, just a thought – a square or boomerang-shaped coffee table would be a better fit in front of the sofa. You might also consider a square, upholstered storage ottoman as a coffee table – great for kids and super comfy. Something tufted or velvet could bring in a nice textural element.
I’d also ditch the gallery wall behind the tv, and consider a built-in shelving look, similar to what’s going on over in the office area. You could build connecting shelves on both small walls there in the corner, to house the tv, some closed storage underneath, and some open shelving above that you can style to your heart’s content. With opening shelving like that, you can also lean small pieces of art alongside plants and accessories. I think a mix of items to distract from the tv is more fresh and modern than a gallery wall (which I am so tired of at this point!)
Lastly, it’s hard to get an idea of the toy storage, but is it possible to change out the bins to prettier baskets? That would create a more intentional, softer look than (what appears to be) the plastic sliding bins. Maybe an IKEA expedit unit, which has baskets you can purchase. I’d also consider styling the top of that behind-the-sofa piece with a lamp and an accessory or two. It would make it blend better.
I hope that’s helpful and not too critical! It’s always nice to have an outside opinion on a space you live in. Good luck :)
Ah! So crazy some of your suggestions are exactly what’s been going on in my head! I did decide to ditch the gallery wall over the TV in lieu of a bookshelf situation JUST like over my desk! I literally just got home from the lumber yard. :) So I’m glad to read that— it’s confirmation for me that it was a good decision. And I, like you, are so tired of gallery walls! Ahhh! They’re good, but perhaps not in this application. Anyway, I am just doing shelves, because I’m limited on what I want to spend, and I do have that console that works nicely to hide media equipment, movies, blankets, etc.
I have considered moving a large marbled piece that’s in my bedroom back to the living room, but I haven’t decided yet. Once the slipcover is here, I’m going to try both pieces of art and decide which feels best in the space. I’m not going to buy anything new, though, because I have a bad habit of doing that with art! I ripped the frame off the yellow beach scene and I do like it a lot better. I’m torn about it really. I love yellow. We’ll see how it looks with the other new elements in place. I think it’s going to be a game-time decision. :)
I can’t style the top of the toy storage, because it’s where the kids play with their toys when they’re not put away. And the reason I chose the plastic bin system is because there are various sizes of bins, instead of the same size container. So we can put small figurines in a shallow bin, and their sizable block collection in a deeper bin, etc. Anyway, you’re right— baskets would look nicer. But alas, this is a function over form type of situation. :(
Oh, and also, we did have a squarish coffee table in here formerly, but swapped it out for this one my brother was getting rid of because it left more open floor area for the girls to play. I would love a boomerang or round table instead, because I think it would soften up all the visually hard edges in the space, but I don’t think that’s something we’ll do anytime soon because of saving our funds for a new house. I really want this one from CB2: http://bit.ly/29nDZ9r
Great space, love the natural light and the shelving
Hi…think the yellow print should def. go! Have something with a pop of colour to add attention. I feel if you cover the lounge to the floor it will “box” it In. Agree with a light colour though. The pink rug would be good. I would prefer a grey covering for the chair…maybe in a texture, rather than a print. Also feel def.a mirror above the fireplace and also maybe a white mantle would finish it off. Good luck.
Very useful article, thanks. I was looking for such living room ideas. Recently I decided to refresh my living room, so I found interesting interior design in Dubai and hired a proffesional. I want smth luxury and stylish.