Remember above all: it takes time, a watchful eye for sales, patience to wait for exactly what you want to come along within your price range, an open mind, and a stick-to-it spirit when it comes to saving for something. One of our biggest lessons has been buying "intermediate" stuff. I'll talk more about this when I do our master bedroom post.
Our living room started with white walls. We lived with white walls in Jackson -- and we had to have color now! It adds such a warm feeling and makes a place feel much more like a home. Matt chose a peachy orange color, and we chose two shades darker for the fireplace wall for depth and interest. Our gifted couch was a cream leather and the end tables and coffee table we had been able to purchase over time were black to match the black entertainment center I brought to the marraige. Black and white furniture was another reason we felt it necessary to paint the walls. Look at the difference a can of paint can make!
White walls (before the movers arrived with our stuff -- which was a month after we got here...but it did give us time to paint without furniture around).
Painting in process and then finished. Amazing difference, huh?
Our mantle has had two different looks. I use some of the decor from our wedding throughout our apartment because it goes with the colors we like. For a while we had an orange/red theme in the living room to try and bring more color to the black/white furniture. Then Matt's mom gifted us with a clock that went superbly with our Asian-feeling furniture. So I changed up the mantle to make it cleaner, simpler, but still stylish. I like both looks, but having less on the mantle wall goes better with the room as a whole since we have more furniture in it now.
We got rid of TV/cable because we can watch almost all the shows we like online and it's free to not have cable. ;-) Exit huge black entertainment center which opened up the room a TON! It also got rid of multiple focal points -- the entertainment center and fireplace. A room should really only have one focal point if it is a smaller room (which apartments don't have huge rooms!). While our fireplace still isn't the "hey look at me" point in the room, it's no longer competing with anything. It flows with the room now.
We waited and watched for a good sale on a couch and comfy chair (thank you Ashley's) and were able to purchase a dark sage set which will go with many different colors/styles should we decide to change it later. You'd think sage wouldn't go with peachy orange walls, but it looks superb (thanks for wearing the right color pants, Jaclyn!). The dark sage also goes with the black Asian style coffe table, end tables, lamps, and larger end table (which we got over time using the "remember above all" advice I said at the beginning of the post). The key really is patience, searching for exactly what you want in store and online, watching for sales, and waiting until you know you can afford it.
I have quite a few candles, so I use some of them in my decor. The simple wall boxes are from Target. Not hanging things in a straight line adds interest and keeps the eye moving.
Though the living room isn't huge, we measured before we moved furniture and figured out that the couch, chair, tables, and desk could all fit. It has a very coffee house-ish feel and is quite pleasant. And it's better than having an offersy or dinoffice room. So don't be afraid to get creative when thinking about furniture placement. It's an apartment not a house -- rules are made to be bent.
Don't put all your furniture flush against the wall. We angled our chair, and our couch and desk are about 2" off the wall (called floating). It keeps things from feeling cramped and grounded. It really does make a difference. Also, though the desk isn't black to match the other tables (it'd be overpowering if it was black, so I'm thankful it's not), it does blend with the walls enough to where it looks nice. The black technology also helps fuse it with the room.
Don't know how you feel about curtains, but I really find that they clutter up a room. Now, if it was a huge open room with big windows, sure I'd say something should be hung. But really, the simplicity and clean lines of a window can be decor in itself. It showcases architecture, geometry, and nature as you look through it or allow the sunshine in. That is why I have done nothing to the three square windows -- which you'll noticed are mirrored by the three black boxes on the opposite wall and the three items on the mantle wall. That brings balance to the room. And curtains on the sliding door/window would just make the room way too heavy.
Rule of thumb when decorating: groups of odd numbers are more appealing to the senses than groups of even numbers. Just some examples:
~Three boxes: 2 contain one candle each and the middle contains three candles.
~Mantle: 3 groupings total; one with 3 items (wall), one with 3 items (left side of mantle has candle lamp, statue, candle), and the other with 5 (right side has picture, candle, tiara, and two crystal figurines)
~Desk: group of three wooden holders (seen better in above picture)
~Chair's end table: only one plant and nothing
Any questions on the Living Room Post? :-)
1 comment:
thank you thank you thank you! Check the email I wrote you about it. I am very interested to hear what you say about intermediate furniture...something we have had a lot of discussions about too.
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