Class Discussions: Interior Decorating 101
- muncrief
- muncrief
- muncrief
- Barbara Bell
- SheridanKH
- muncrief
- muncrief
- muncrief
- Barbara Bell
- muncrief
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» muncrief - Hi Sheridan
In response to message posted by SheridanKH:
The holidays were a bit overwhelming here as well! I thought we'd never get finished going here and there! I was glad to see the new year come around.
I haven't started on the guest room yet, but it's high on my list. We have just purchased ceramic tile to do the bathrooms and entry hall, so the entry hall may get pushed ahead of the bedroom.
Good to hear from you! Keep us posted on what you do with your living room!
Bren
-- posted by muncrief
» muncrief - I rearranged my friend's livingroom!!!!
In response to message posted by bici:
I've become very acutely aware of furniture arrangement since taking your course, Barb! I walked into my best friend's home on New Year's Eve and said, "We have to rearrange this stuff!!!!" And we did! I have pix of the after which I'll edit and post. I had a terrific time doing a layout and then implementing it, and I'm anxious to see what you think of the results!
You may have created a monster! 
Bren
-- posted by muncrief
» Barbara Bell - Re: Oh Yeah!
In response to message posted by muncrief:Well, Bren, you know how I love to "play" with rearranging stuff! LOL!
The first thought I had was that the wall you see when you come into the room, which the bed is against, looks very crowded. The wall opposite the bed, which just has the little wall shelf on it, looks very bare.
Try moving the vanity (on the right side of the bed) to the wall opposite the bed between the doors. Move the little stand that's under the window to the right side of the bed, as a nightstand. Center the bed more evenly between the two pieces of furniture on either side.
You may have room to place the chair in front of the vanity, making it more functional. I realize that you have your computer on that vanity right now, but you might have to find another place for it or change the cable locations somewhat to make this work.
An alternate plan is to place the little stand on this wall between the doors instead of the vanity, and hang the painting of the roses above it. Now a person lying in the bed has a better view of the painting, which is very pleasing.
If your measurements on the plan are accurate, you will still have good clearance at the foot of the bed with either of these plans.
My most radical suggestion is to move the bed itself. Try placing it diagonally from the right corner (as you come into the room). Move the vanity and chair to the left side of the room in the corner. Move the chest from the left side of the room to the wall between the doors. Place the nightstand on the right side of the bed (where the chair now appears). The pole lamp can stay on the left side of the bed.
If you have one, a small bench or trunk or blanket chest can be placed at the foot of the bed for additional storage and seating. Don't put anything under the window, in this arrangement.
With the bed on a diagonal in this corner, you could make a half-round canopy with light fabric to hang above it, draping the fabric down on either side and behind the headboard.
I think you have more options than you thought, in this room, with the floorplan.
Choose your focal point, such as the window or the painting of the roses, and situate the bed so that its occupant has a good view of the focal point. And create a secondary focal point for the person sitting in the chair - perhaps interesting items on the chest, or the shelves, or even the bed itself.
I haven't any suggestions for your color palette because you have great ideas already! However, I'm not smashed with that floral swag on the wall - it is too much for the room and looks tired.
Way to go, Bren! I'm impressed that you are trying other projects now too!
-- posted by Barbara Bell
» SheridanKH - Bed on a diagonal
In response to message posted by bici:In my last bedroom, I had the bed on a diagonal -- I was amazed that it actually created MORE open space that way in the room. It made the room look a lot cozier too, for some reason. Worked for me!
Brenda, I'll keep posting and keep you updated on what I've got going. I am having problems with our scanner again -- but I may just need to turn it off and on to get it going again! I'd like you to take a look at my daughter's room to give me your thoughts
How do I insert pictures into a post? Is it something that can be easily done?
-- posted by SheridanKH
» muncrief - Re: Re: Oh Yeah!
In response to message posted by bici:Wow!!!! That's a lot of info!
I went in and looked at the room with "your eyes" and I can see every one of those possibilities. The one I like the best is with the bed on the diagonal! I can then put the painting on the wall between the doors, and it and the windows can share being the focal point! But that leaves me with a slight dilemma. Doing that, I can't put the vanity on that same wall between the doors unless the painting is *really high on the wall. Hmmmmm. what should I do? Hmmmmm? that's me thinking out loud.
The computer that you see in that room is the "old" backup computer. I want it out of there in the worst way but don't know where I'll put it. We have another bedroom set up with a daybed and popup trundle, and that's the room the for-real computer is in. It's really a home office that doubles as a place for guest sleeping if necessary. There will always be at least two computers in the house. I suppose I'm going to have to push getting another small desk for the computer room and put both computers in here.
Lots to think about. I'll be back when I digest it a bit more. Thanks so much Barb!
Bren
-- posted by muncrief
» muncrief - Re: Bed on a diagonal
In response to message posted by SheridanKH:Hi Sheridan. I think I'm going to try the bed on a diagonal and see how it looks. In just looking and imagining it that way, I see that it creates a lot of open space! Jon will complain, though, because that will block the access door to the bathroom plumbing which will be behind the bed then! I think I can twist his arm, though!
As for inserting pix into posts, they have to be stored somewhere on the web before they can be inserted. Do you have a personal website? If so, we can show you how to do it. If not, I'm sure Barb or I would be more than happy to take care of it for you. I have quite a bit of personal website space, Barbara, if you ever need me to park some pix there. I'm not sure how much space we each have here at the Suite? That's probably a question I should ask over on the editor's board.
Perhaps I'll spend part of today moving the vanity around in the guest room and see how it looks between the doors. Then I can enlist Jon's help tonight with moving the bed.
Bren
-- posted by muncrief
» muncrief - Friend's Livingroom
Picture this: 17 x 20 livingroom that is open to the dining room; all the walls are lined with furniture, and the middle of the floor is wide open spaces; screaming distance deluxe! Sitting in any chair, your view of the TV is blocked every time someone strolls through the living room which is often because you go through it to get to the kitchen/dining area and then back through it to get to all the bedrooms. Tragic!!!I don't know that I've come up with the only solution or the best even. But, here are some pix. These are all "after." I forgot to take "before!"
Focal Point is the television.
Focal Point from another angle.
Entry Hall from across the livingroom
Reading/music area which is behind the conversation area
Traffic flow between reading area and conversation area.
Windows which I think need to lose the lamp?
The one question she has is what should she put over her entertainment center? We tried every picture and painting and mirror she had and nothing was right. I suggested scattering the things that are currently to the right of the center, over the area?
The thing I liked the most was the mirror over the piano. It reflects something beautiful from every angle. When you enter from the entry hall, it reflects the three large windows. Lots of depth!
Bren
-- posted by muncrief
» Barbara Bell - Re: Friend's Livingroom
In response to message posted by muncrief:Since we don't know exactly how the room looked "before", I can only imagine how much you did to improve the traffic flow and create a better conversation area. You learned your lessons well, Bren!
My overall impression is that this homeowner needs to simplify and de-clutter the room. There are so many fussy details that it's hard to appreciate the nicer features.
My suggestions would be:
Remove the antimacassars (doilies) from the sofas, take out the planter behind the sofa, and take about half the items off the walls. Remove everything that is on top of the entertainment center. Immediately there will be a sense of more space and openness. The large wall decorations in the dining area, could go on either side of the entertainment center, replacing everything on that wall. Many of the "kitsch" decorations on the floors could go, too.
A low bowl or basket with artificial ivy would be nice on top of the entertainment center, trailing slightly, rather than put anything on the wall above it.
The windows are a lovely feature that are not being appreciated. Replacing the insignificant white valances and the blinds with a single fabric-covered wooden cornice or valance in a color that picks up the upholstery colors, white sheers, and floor-length drapes in a coordinated striped fabric will make the windows more important and dramatic. Four drapery panels should do it. The valance could also be a fabric swag, or a "scarf"-style fabric.
In our class resources there were web sites for curtain/drapery styles and even do-it-yourself plans for making them. If you can still access the resources, check some of these out.
My third suggestion would be to rearrange the two sofas so that they face each other on either side of the entertainment center, with the recliner at the end of the rectangle this arrangement creates (off-center, on a slight angle). The coffee table would go between the two sofas. The planter that is currently behind the sofa, could now go against the wall where the other sofa is now. I would replace those tired flowers with a piece of glass or marble to create a table top.
The planter now serves as a place for two or three decorative items (not too many) such as family photos and a flower arrangement. One large piece of wall art could go above this planter.
As for lighting, this is a difficult call. Two small "buffet" lamps could go on the planter/table. An end table between the recliner and one of the sofas could hold a lamp if the cord can be concealed under the furniture. The overhead lighting right now seems harsh in the photos, but that may be deceiving. Ideally, I'd suggest recessed lighting or a different ceiling fixture that offers more diffused down-lighting.
An area rug will help define the seating area and visually "separate" it from the rest of the room.
There is a china cabinet to the left of the entertainment center, which I would move to the opposite wall of the dining area. There is too much heavy furniture on that side of the room, I think.
So far, the only expense would be for the window treatments and the area rug, which she might have elsewhere in the house already.
-- posted by Barbara Bell
» muncrief - Livingroom / my guest room
In response to message posted by bici:Those are some great ideas, Barbara! Thanks for taking the time to analyze it like that. I especially like the window suggestions, because those windows could add so much to the room. Please do post your photoshop pic here. I got it in my e-mail and love the effect. Interestingly, Lynn is wanting to bring out the red in the sofa fabric, so the windows would be a terrific place to do that.
There are two recliners in the room. That's why I arranged like I did. I centered the sofa in front of the TV and flanked it with their recliners. They sit in those for TV watching. The loveseat is seldom used except for extra seating. It was so far away from the rest of the furniture in the original arrangement, you actually felt you were sitting in the dining room!
With two recliners needing to be in the focal area, is the sofa flanked by the recliners a good arrangement? I thought of making an "L" with the sofa and loveseat, but the recliners are the most-used chairs in the house.
Thanks again, and I'll print this out and take it with me when I see her next time. I'm going to e-mail your suggestions about the windows to her so she can get started on that. She's sort of attached to all that "stuff" on the walls and floors. That's going to be a difficult change to make I fear!
I didn't get a chance to work in my guest room yesterday. It was a frazzled day all around. Today is shaping up to be much better. I'll post pix when we get it rearranged.
Thanks for all you do!!!!
Bren
-- posted by muncrief
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