topic Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING in Community Chat

NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:02:19 GMT

Dear husband and I moved into our new home and have started decorating our rooms. The living room furniture was his before we were married (6 months ago). I'm not too fond of the floral couch but he paid a lot of money for it and it's in beautiful shape so we are not getting a new one. DH wants to put something up over the couch and but I think the room looks finished the way it is (see pictures). Can you give me your opinion? If the room needs something over the couch what would you suggest? Or am I right and the room is fine the way it is?

Thanks so much!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Preds — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:05:44 GMT

Lovely room @Spinach! Congrats on your new place. I have a large oval mirror with a sconce on each side above my couch. DH didn't want anything there but the wall just "looked" so empty. LOL After I got everything up, he loved it.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:07:00 GMT

Thank you! And thank you for the suggestion! We do have a mirror we can try up there!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

bri20 — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:07:21 GMT

I would flip the couch and the two chairs and put the picture (to the right) over the small round table.

I always like to put something over the couch.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:09:45 GMT

There's a window right behind the two chairs so not sure if that would work well.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Trinity11 — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:11:15 GMT

Love your room! I bought a floral couch with a matching chair ten years ago and it looks similar to yours. It looks brand new because we watch television in our den and the living room stays looking good because we only use it when we have company.

That said, we have a large mirror behind the couch which makes the room look bigger when you enter into our home. I thought about taking it down but it just kind of finishes the room and we get lots of compliments from our friends on how pretty the room looks.

BTW, congratulations on your new home and marriage!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:15:44 GMT

Thank you so much. Second marriage for me (lost my first husband to cancer 8 years ago) and the first for him. His couch is about 10 years old too, but it look brand new! That's the second suggestion for a mirror over the couch! I'll have to try it!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

phluphy — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:18:38 GMT

You can move the couch away from the wall and put a console table on the back of it with some tall vases or lamps. Also the room looks bare, a nice collage of paintings or just a smaller grouping of paintings or pictures over the couch. The coffee table looks too large, just IMO. Beautiful room to decorate. Try different things and I'm sure you'll settle on a great idea. Cut out paper bag or newspaper and tack it up on the wall to see if you like it. I have done this when making a grouping.

Go online also and check out different things that you like. Have FUN!!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:21:14 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion!! Yeah, I think the coffee table is too big too but, again, we're not getting a new one so I have to work with it!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Hoovermom — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:29:12 GMT

Can you move the sofa where it faces the fireplace? That way you could use a sofa table behind it and also may make the coffee table work in a bigger space. Also, I would move the two wing chairs where the sofa is to face the windows. Put some coordinating pillows on your sofa to bring the chairs into the mix. Maybe a different color rug would pull all of the room together. Also some tall floor lamps if you move the sofa to the corner would help illuminate the room. I would put something on the walls, mirrors, framed prints, local artist oil paintings (which you can purchase very cheaply). You are on the right track, beautiful room. Good luck.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

phluphy — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:27:34 GMT

That's fine. You can also buy a slipcover for the couch to change up the color.

Wishing you all the best in your new home and marriage.

You have a beautiful room to decorate, just make it your own with whatever makes you and your husband happy.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

lolakimono — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:28:40 GMT

@Spinach

Not that you asked, but...

What about floating the sofa (either facing the fireplace or angled with the door), move one red chair to our right in the corner next to the fireplace, and creating a reading nook with the round table? The other red chair could go on our left side of the sofa, angled in.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

millieshops — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:37:04 GMT

@SpinachI had a blank wall over my floral couch, too, but I wanted something there all the while. Finally, I found an etching I loved, had it matted and framed. The matting was a wide swath of one of the colors in my print and I loved the look.

I also like the mirror idea --assuming the mirror will reflect something pretty outside your windows.

ETA - Forgot to say - what an interesting ceiling you have. Great room!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:35:59 GMT

I'll have to try it!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Laura14 — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 15:36:08 GMT

Gorgeous room! Love theat ceiling!

I am completely not Martha Stewart but if it was me and you kept the furniture placement, I would move the fireplace picture over the couch to balance both walls with a framed picture and then use Pred's idea of a mirror over the fireplace.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

jubilant — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:34:38 GMT

That's a very pretty room. Love that ceiling! Without seeing the room or knowing the dimensions, I would say you might need something round or oval to counteract all the square lines and something with texture. Maybe a large round wooden clock would work over the fireplace or even maybe the couch. Different textures and shapes can make a huge difference.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Spinach — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:44:25 GMT

Thank you, yes, I love the ceiling too! :-) Thanks for the suggestion! I think you are right!

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Nightowlz — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:52:44 GMT

Love the room plus decor. I think a mirror over your couch would like really good. Also make the room appear larger & bounce the light around.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

Nightowlz — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:54:54 GMT

@Spinach wrote:
There's a window right behind the two chairs so not sure if that would work well.

I was going to ask if there was a window behind the chairs. It does look like some light coming in from that area. I would not put the couch there. I would leave it where you have it.

Re: NEED HELP WITH DECORATING

jubilant — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 17:00:11 GMT

@Spinach wrote:
Thank you, yes, I love the ceiling too! :-) Thanks for the suggestion! I think you are right!

********** My daughter has a real knack for decorating. She talked me into adding some round shapes into my room where everything was square. Sometimes the wall behind the couch does look better with retangular pictures or a longer shelf with photographs. I don't know if you have looked on Pinterest but if you enter in "above the couch" a whole lot of pictures and ideas come up. Good luck and have fun!