Anyone can get stuck on the last furnishings items to go into a room. You know, those last layers can really make or break a space and go a long way to make it feel comfortable and designed.
A homeowner in my subscriber group on Instagram who was struggling with last layers for this room reached out in my last monthly Q&A. She asked a question about what kind of chairs and ottoman she should get to finish out this living room.
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They have a new sofa here and they want to keep the rug and the other items in here.
I like the rug, and think we should work off that color scheme.
I happen to remember this home, as she did one of my Designed in a Click™ consults not too long ago. So, I know she has a black kitchen island now and some black accents in the adjoining spaces.
New Chairs
I really like a spindle chair here and I’m going to suggest the black finish to work with the other black finishes nearby. Spindle or spool chairs have a traditional look but some rather clean lines. I think it will bridge the gap between the modern looking sofa and the more traditional elements in the room.
I’m also really loving this copper red color, from William Sonoma Home.
Substantial Ottoman
Next, let’s think about the ottoman. I love this piece that is part otttoman / part coffee table. The wood finish and turned legs go traditional but not overly so.
I’d upholster it in this black and white ticking to echo the black. A stripe fabric looks really sharp mitered around the corners here. Whenever you do an ottoman, make sure you take into account how that fabric would look on top of the rug. The ticking is a nice contrast here in both pattern and color.
I did the Robins Stripe Black Sunbrella fabric here.
Side Table
We need a little side table between the two chairs and I like doing a little metal and glass since we’ve got some wood already in this room. This is another Ballard piece, they have a nice soft traditional style that works so well here.
Add Color w/ Pillows
Let’s bring a little color over to that sofa, adding pillows that repeat the color of the chairs. Love the animal print here.
So, the final touch that I’m adding here is a colorful lampshade. Wouldn’t this rusty red color look great repeated back up against that gallery wall? That color will be anchored on the floor and then dance around the room to marry everything together. :-)
I have not used this lamp shade site, but it looks amazing! You can get the size and shape you want in all kinds of materials and colors.
The colors in this shade are red and orange, but combined makes it look like our rusty red here.
Let’s add these all together on a storyboard to visualize it better.
Storyboard for Traditional Liivng Room Last Layers
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This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.