I think you’re going to like the overall design ideas I presented to this homeowner today, for her living room, in one of my email consultations.
While I’ve done some freebie advice lately, with my wall decor weekend one and weekend two, it is not something I do normally. I wanted to provide something interesting for my readers and Instagram followers and kind of stir the pot a bit to keep people intrigued.
These kind of quick advice ideas are something I enjoy doing and if it helped people out who might be strapped for ideas and wanting to distract themselves a bit while many of us are looking at our four walls, then I was game for it.
I needed a distraction too!
This person contacted me and I did a wall decor quickie for her in the mix of all those. She also went for one of my Designed in a Click consultations for another space in her home, her living room.
I think I’ve given her a pretty straightforward plan to move forward with here and I’m excited to share it with you today, with her permission.
1) Fireplace / TV Wall
The fireplace / tv wall is often a big problem for homeowners and it certainly was here. It needs an update overall.
This living room fireplace / tv wall needs an update.
She also wanted to know if she should do something else with the mirror above the fireplace, maybe replace it with a piece of art.
I told her I did think she needed a built-in for the tv. Here was a sketch of what I thought she should do with this wall. I like the idea of a painted cabinet with a wood back. You can use the wood flooring product that she would be using on the floor.
Ideas for living room wall with fireplace / tv. New built-in for tv, new fireplace tile surround and fresh art and decor for the mantel are all in order.
Since the mirror doesn't have a frame or anything it appears super lightweight and not very high quality. It also reflects only the space across from it, with a ceiling fan. It helps to use mirrors to reflect natural light/windows, a beautiful light fixture, a piece of art, a bold color, etc.
I would definitely get a large, vertical piece of art there, over the fireplace.
Here is another job I consulted on last fall where we did a new built-in with the wood back that I'm proposing here. They were also getting new wood floors and I chose to line the backs of the cabinetry with the same wood flooring material to add interest and vary the materials on this wall.
This tv / entertainment center built-in was designed and built last fall for a job I worked on. We used the wood flooring that was going in new, vertically, to line the backs of the cabinetry to create interest and vary the finishes.
BTW, those speaker covers on the top shelves were faux finished to look just like the wood flooring material! They look amazing and as soon as we get out of quarantine, I’m going to be shooting this project, along with a couple of others! :-)
2) Paint and Flooring
She asked about painting everything, she wants to go with a white. She also asked about new dark wood flooring throughout instead of the several types of flooring she had in the downstairs now.
My response:
Yes, I would highly recommend all light white on the paint. (Her home is very open plan and it is hard to break up the color in houses like this.)
You need to verify your trim color before selecting and either go with the same thing or something very similar so that there is not much contrast or so that the wall color doesn't look too yellow, too blue, etc. You need to make sure you get the undertone right with the trim and doors.
You could go with darker wood on the floors, but the trend now is a wide plank, more neutral, lighter or medium wood floor. Something like this.
Light oak wide plank floors are more popular with homeowners these days.
There are lots of great wood flooring products out on the market. I like oak, but there are other types of woods too. With a really dark wood floor every little thing starts to show, dust bunnies, pet hair, etc. Some people find it annoying to deal with.
3) Sofa and Fabric
She loves this modern sectional that is available in a Crypton fabric. She needs something durable and stain resistant as she has kids and pets and this sofa will get lots of use.
If you’ve read my blog you know I love Crypton fabrics.
My response:
Crypton is great for repelling stains, etc. Make sure it is "performance" fabric and has long lasting durability. Try to get a heavy duty fabric too.
I will say that Crypton doesn't mean that a white sofa won't absorb blue dye from blue jeans rubbing on it. I've heard of people having that happen. I love the white, but you might want to tone it down a little just for that reason.
4) Window Treatments
She wondered about her window treatments, if maybe they should be hung from above the upper windows. She wanted new treatments, but didn’t want to block the view and didn’t need privacy.
My response:
Yes, I would definitely do drapery panels that would hang from a rod placed over the small windows. If you don't need privacy, you can do sheers that would give you a softer effect.
I love the idea of white textural sheers here, professionally made panels are the only way to go.
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