Layout

Recently a client of mine asked me back to help with her living room. I had worked on her sitting room over two years ago and then helped with her daughter’s room, study and bedroom. She has spent the summer redoing her backyard and wants the living room – which looks out on said backyard – to reflect her taste more. She wants the living space to be cozy and inviting, but also wants to add some oomph to the room. She has struggled with the furniture placement in the room due to its large size, its awkward angles, the fireplace, and the windows/patio door placement.

When I design or decorate a space, one of the first challenges is the layout. Often when walking into a room it seems crystal clear where things should go – the pieces fall into place like a puzzle getting solved. In some cases though, it is more of a struggle. Whether due to an awkward space or due to a customer’s requirements (and sometimes both at once) the pieces of the puzzle sometimes feel like they are in a different language, one that is super hard to understand. The more elusive the layout, the longer the design takes. Right now I am fighting my way through this particular layout headache. It is no wonder that my client has had a hard time figuring her space out.

My main issues in this room are the shape, the patio door and fireplace placement.

But there are other obstacles. There are windows and doors and doorways on all sides of the space. The fireplace is off centre and very close to the patio. The windows are low to the ground so placing furniture in front of them is tricky. The large built-in furniture piece can be removed but most likely the floor beneath it will need to be repaired. And the TV needs to be placed in a spot that most of the seating areas can visually access. Also I need to keep two of these black leather sofa chairs in the space as well as the large sofa chair below:

I can reupholster the sofa chair on the right but not the leather one…

Normally, one could picture placing a big L-shaped sofa in front of the fireplace, but in this room the fireplace is off centre. And do I want a giant piece of furniture cutting the room in two and potentially blocking access to the patio door? These examples of big couches do work though because of the styling and the room shape and because they are, simply, gorgeous.

And then we come to one of the most annoying things to deal with in decorating a room: where do you place the TV? This question comes up in 90% of my decorating contracts. In general, I dislike the television being the first thing you see when you walk in to a space. As it stands now, the TV is in the “right” spot, i.e. on the only long, uninterrupted wall in the room. If I change the room’s “centre of operations” to face the fireplace, does the television get put on the wall above the fireplace? How do I feel about that? Really not sure about this…

So I am left with tons of questions and decisions yet to make. I will need to come up with at least three valid scenarios by Friday, so the pressure is on. Big time.

Yet, there are certain changes I am fully confident in suggesting at this point. Suggestions that I feel will brighten and modernize the room instantly.

#1:

Go from this   to this 

Painting the fireplace in a crisp, bright white will really make the room. And some “montages” on the mantle of objects and art will help too.

#2:

I would like to get rid of this tall and bulky piece of furniture and find something low and long for this wall, also in a bright white.

This    to this 

I am moving away from tall furniture all together – upper cabinets in kitchens and big hutches in dining rooms – and this long and low piece would look great along this wall.

#3:

I want to paint the brick walls:

Go from this  to this 

Getting rid of the brown-y/orange and painting the brick either grey or a creamy white will give the room an instant facelift.

#4:

Rugs and curtains EVERYWHERE!!! Big rugs will help define the different areas of the room and make it feel cozier. The curtains will also help warm the room up and make it look more “finished”. Nothing too heavy: light and soft and breezy is the way to go in here.

 … such as these options from west elm.

or these from Crate and Barrel:

I definitely have my work cut out for me here but the potential for a real transformation is huge. I know I can bring the space to a bright and calm and warm place. As soon as I get the layout figured out.

xa

p.s. General 54 is hosting an opening party tomorrow so if you are in town, check out the beautiful, new space!