What to do with the big blank tv wall? [Plus a few more decorating dilemmas]

I recently received a Q and A consultation that concerned a big blank tv wall and a few other decorating dilemmas. This home had some nice furniture, but it needed filling out as it felt a little empty.

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TV Wall Dilemma

The first question was about the tv wall. The homeowner wanted to know how she could treat it for a coastal/transitional feel. She was wondering about shiplap.

They had painted the house and done some remodeling in the kitchen, but had left the travertine look tile floor and it was staying. She liked the neutral cooler tones.

You can see a good view of the tile floor here. She also wanted ideas for window treatments for this wall of windows.

I felt like shiplap was a bit too simple and rustic for this space. This room has a more sophisticated vibe and the furnishings feel more modern than what a shiplap look offers.

Here’s what I suggested.

Since you have these warm toned floors, I would think about incorporating some warm tones into the decor to make the floors feel more part of the new update.

Right now, it looks like these are left behind from the update but I think they can look more intentional and part of the whole design plan with some warm tones used elsewhere.

Regarding the tv wall, I'd look to do some textural type wallcovering, like a grasscloth or vinyl that looks like a grasscloth, within some framed paneled areas. Another identical floor lamp would add balance and symmetry and fill out that wallspace nicely.

I liked creating a paneled look on this wall with moulding and then filled with a textural wallcovering. Another identical floor lamp would create some more symmetry there and make the wall feel more balanced. carlaaston.com

You can see I did something similar in this dining room, with wallcovering inside this area that was framed with moulding.

Dining room with framed paneling and wallcovering inside the picture frame moulding. carlaaston.com

Window Treatments for window wall

Regarding the window treatments for that wall of windows, I would think about a woven textural sheer, just to sort of not block the light too much and just soften the window.

You've got the switches and a thermostat right there on the wall it looks like, and I assume you might not want to cover that up. However, I would go for about a 2' wide panel on each side, so they would hang partially in front of the window on each side. With sheers, that wouldn't block much light.

They can be stationary panels, but it looks like on the left side of the windows, the wall juts out about 4"-6". You can drape that window on a single long rod, but you will need two different sized brackets and then "returns" on the end of the draperies at different lengths. You should definitely talk to a local drapery workroom about providing the draperies, hardware and installation, so as to get it all installed properly.

I would hang them at the height of the framed wallcovering you do on the tv wall, for consistency.

The dotted horizontal line there indicates the height of the existing windows. In order to cover that blank wall space and make the windows feel taller in the room, hang faux Roman shades just below the drapery rod, in a patterned fabric. carlaaston.com

Then, I'd do some faux Roman shades in a fabric to cover the gap between the top of the window and the rod. I'd use a patterned fabric here that incorporates some gray, beige and blue tones. You'd have to coordinate these with real samples to see first hand with your tile floor.

See how these shades are mounted just under the rod? The top of this window was quite a bit lower than the drapery rod and the shades filled in that space.

Here's an example of a sheer drapery from The Shade Store. Again, you would need to get samples and check them with your paint colors and tile floor. I do like drapery pinched at the top of the pleat, it makes for a less traditional look but still adds fullness.

Sheer woven look fabric for draperies from The Shade Store. carlaaston.com

Here's an example of fabrics I would sample from The Shade Store. If you use a local drapery workroom, you can likely have many more choices of fabrics and they would help you select something in your budget and with your needs in mind.

The Shade Store Roman shades in fabrics to tie in blue coastal look. carlaaston.com

The Shade Store Roman shades in fabrics to tie in blue coastal look. carlaaston.com

Dining Room Decorating Dilemma

Lastly, she asked about the dining room, that was just opposite this living room. She wondered about doing draperies there and what to do on the ceiling.

I like that she did a large piece of art here, but are ways to warm this room up and make it feel more complete. carlaaston.com

In the dining room, I would do a regular drapery fabric here, not a sheer. I think it would be nice to bring some of that blue color to the wall here, so a solid blue, echoing that color in the stools/benches would be nice.

I would also think about doing a rug in here, maybe a seagrass or jute, to make it feel more coastal. It would sort of blend into the floor, which I like here. I'd go for a pretty big rug here, to cover that tile. I think this will help soften the space and make it feel more coastal and more finished.

As a side note, you might think about putting those two stools/benches under the console and then doing two more of the white wood back chairs on that side of the table. It just feels a little bare in here and chairs with backs will make it feel a little more fully furnished.

I do like the benches though, tucked under the console, if they fit. It would add some visual weight to the console on that wall, which would be nice.

You can do the same grasscloth type look on the ceiling in the dining room as the framed wall area at the tv. I would try to match the tile floor color overall.

I would really love to see you paint all the walls in the dining room, but it looks like there is not a good place to stop and start the wall finishes there.

In that case, I would paint the niche that is in the dining room (floor to ceiling) in a blue that would match the fabric for the draperies and the stool/bench color. That's a nice blue, not as bright as the painting, but it relates.

Dining room with additional furnishings ideas to fill out the room. carlaaston.com

Here a couple of ideas for a new light fixture in this space. (Click on the photos here for links to the product.)

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