Design Chat: Small Living Room Design Plan

 

Hi friends.  You might have noticed that it’s been pretty quiet around the blog lately.  I was at the Atlanta Gift and Furniture show all last week and the blog took a back seat to work.

I’m back and have a new Design Chat post for you today.  If you’re not familiar with my Design Chat series, it’s where I help one of my readers with a design challenge they are facing.  Today, I’m helping Ulochi with a decor plan for her living room.

Here’s the message that Ulochi sent me…

Hello, I bought a remodeled mid-century ranch and with these old homes, the layouts can be “interesting”. For instance, the living room is driving me nuts. Its rectangular and small, with a picture window. Even the TV placement is a hassle.  I want to add plants or standing art but I have to fool-proof it from my 8 month old daughter. The home has an ‘urban farmhouse’  feel with elements like barn doors and shutters. I bought a tufted gray large sectional and it makes me want to do something romantic and cozy.  I can’t seem to find a way to design this space and make it feel like home. Please help.

Here’s a photo of the living room, facing the front door…

and a couple of different angles looking into the room...

and a view of the wall space that anchors the sofa.

Decorating small rooms can definitely be challenging so before I share my design suggestions for Ulochi’s living room, here are a few tips for small space decorating.

SMALL SPACE DECORATING TIPS:

  1. Don’t be afraid to use larger scale furniture in a small space.  Larger furniture will actually make the room feel bigger than it is.  With that said, do pay attention to how furniture would fit in a room and it might impact the traffic flow in and out of a space.
  2. Small spaces often times lack much architectural or visual detail so create your own by painting one wall in an accent color.  The furthest wall in the room is a good option because it will draw the eye into the space and actually make the visually recede, creating more depth.
  3. Hang curtains on the wall with the rod as high as possible to make the ceiling appear taller.
  4. Add decorating elements in the room that create visual height and width like bookcases and artwork.  And when selecting artwork, don’t shy away for large pieces will can create a focal point within the room.
  5. Create an interesting accessory mix so the eye has lots of pretty things to look at around the room, taking the focus off of the size of the room.
  6. Make sure there is sufficient lighting in the room.  Lighting enhances a space and there should be multiple lighting options within a room.

Ok, here’s one more look at Ulochi’s living room…

 

Design Plan:

The room really needs some finishing touches to create the romantic and cozy vibe the Ulochi wants. The first thing I could recommend is painting the back wall in a soft aqua color like Benjamin Moore Heavenly Blue. The color will work great with the grey sofa and keeps the room feeling light and airy.

Then I’d add a few accent furniture pieces and decor to bring the room to life.  All of the pieces I’m recommending for this space are from Wayfair, Target and Pier One  and this entire look is less than $900.

Design Plan Details:

  •  Sawhorse Ladder Bookcase from Wayfair–leaning bookshelves are a good space-saving option that still provides for storage and display space.  Ulochi can place plants on the higher shelves so they will be out of the reach of her daughter.  The lower shelves can be use to decorative accessories and books.  And a basket on the bottom shelf will provide concealed storage and add texture to the room.
  • A round coffee table like this Carolyn Coffee Table from Wayfair will help to visually break up all of the rectangular shapes in the room and anchor the sectional. A round coffee table also makes it easier to move around the seating area in a small room.
  • The Dmitry End Table, also from Wayfair will anchor one side of the sofa and provide an additional surface for someone to use.  I recommend a light grey finish to provide visual contrast to the stained wood floors and furniture.
  • Right now the only light source in the room is the overhead ceiling light.  The Adesso Hamilton Floor Lamp placed behind the end table will provide additional lighting and add an element of visual height.
  • The wall opposite the window is an ideal spot for a piece of artwork.  The goal would be to create visual impact and that can be done with one larger piece of art or a grouping that reads as one statement. With the fabric and furniture colors, I think the Watercolor Poppy 1 art from Wayfair would be dynamic.  This piece is available in several sizes and also had a coordinating mate if someone wanted two pieces of art.
  • The finishing touch beyond accessories would be pillows.  Pier 1 has a great selection of pillows to fit the color story I’m building.  I choose the Textured Striped Mineral Pillow along with the Luxe Velvet Mineral Blue pillow for the sofa. Pairing a solid and stripe are a great balance with the floral art.

When it comes to shopping for accessories, there are so many some great options for budget friendly decor.  In addition to Pier 1, Wayfair and Target, here are a few of my favorite stores to shop for decor:

ACCESSORY RESOURCE LIST:

  • Kirkland’s has lots of options that will fit a farm-house decor theme and it’s also a great resource for artwork and bookcase accessories.
  • HomeGoods is a given when shopping for bookcase decor.  I love their selection of trays, vases and decorative objects.  And it always pays off to take a stroll through the pillow aisle.
  • I recently discovered that At Home has a great pillow department.  Even though lots of their pillows don’t have down inserts, many of the cases have zip closures so it’s easy to change the insert out.  I also like their selection of inexpensive accessories.

 

Ulochi has a great foundation started for her living room and with a few additional pieces and some accessorizing, she’ll have the home of her dreams.

 

Favorite Posts, Pins and Products Of The Week

Favorites Of The Week

It’s been a long week and I’m so happy that the weekend has arrived.  I’ve got more than my fair share of stuff to get accomplished this weekend including some social media work, creating my packing list for our cruise and doing a little painting.  Even though it’s going to be jammed packed weekend, I’m planning to enjoy every bit of it because Monday will be here before you know it.

To kick off the weekend, I’ve rounded up my favorites from the week.  Enjoy!

FAVORITE POSTS

Small space decorating tips

Small space decorating

via

How to Perfect Your Flat Lay Photos

Favorite Posts--Flat Lay Photos

This is a stunningly beautiful outdoor space.

Favorite Posts--Outdoor Space

I’m going to try my hand and making my own customized cocktail napkins.

Favorite Posts--Print on paper napkins

If you love beautiful closets you’ll want to follow Lisa’s you tube channel.

Lisa Adams

via hgtv

FAVORITE PINS

This beautiful arrangement has me in the mood for fall decorating.

Fall arrangemetn

I’m loving the details in this black and white bathroom.

Black and white bathroom

 

FAVORITE PRODUCTS

 

These earrings!   And I’m also wondering if I could DIY these??

Favorite Products--Crispin Drop Earring

The perfect end of bed bench x 2.  And it would be easy to customize with your own fabric too!

Favorite Products--Gold X Bench

In case you missed it, you can read all about the Atlanta Tastemaker Summit I attended last week here.

Enjoy your weekend my friends!

Shelly Signature

Small Space Decorating Tips

Last year I wrote about the Tiny House Movement and how it is gaining in popularity.  Well, a year later and the movement is just picking up steam.

I recently finished an article for a friend of mine who started and published Welcome Magazine here in Atlanta years ago.  She has since moved to New York and is in the process of re-establishing the magazine there.  She asked me to write an article for it with tips for decorating small spaces and I thought I’d share a few of those tips with you here in the blog.

Decorating small spaces can be challenging.  The layout of a room, the style of furniture, the paint color and how to keep the space organized are just a few of the design elements you have to consider.  The tips I’m sharing will help you do all of that without sacrificing style and personality.

Small Space Decorating.001

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Read the Post

Design Inspiration that will blow your mind!

This post requires that you grab and cup of coffee or tea and plop yourself in a cushy chair because you’re going to want to spend some time checking out every detail of these amazing home tours and photos!   When you’re done, leave me a comment and let me know which was your favorite.

KariAnne shared this home tour on her blog and it stopped me in my tracks.  It just might be one of the most beautiful homes in the history of forever.

pattern-ceiling

via Thistlewood Farms

I could live in a mostly white house if it looked like this.

White Decor

via  Style Me Pretty  photography by Tracy Ayton

This chic and elegant living room has a $99 rug— the perfect example of a high, low mix!

Nate Berkus-05

via AD

Just one more example of the power of paint, this time on the ceiling.

Painted Ceiling

Country Living via my domaine

Now this is how you decorate a small space!

Studio Apt

via house beautiful

The next time you want to redesign your pantry, take inspiration from this amazing set up.

Kitchen Pantry

via residencestyle

I hope you’re as inspired as I am!

Shelly

Living Large in a Small Space

Happy Monday!  I’m wishing everyone a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on this beautiful St. Patrick’s Day.

The post I shared last week about Nate Berkus and his skill of decorating small spaces couldn’t have been timed any better.  I’ve got a real life small space challenge on my mind.

Do you remember when you went off to college and stepped into your dorm room for the first time?  All I could think was how small the space was and how in the world was I ever going to fit all my clothes into that closet. My dorm room looked a little like this.

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Living in a  dorm room was my first experience with small space living.  My roommate Kathy and I decorated our dorm room as best we could–hung posters, rearranged furniture and added a rug.  It was a pretty space but no where close to how dorm rooms are looking these days.

Read the Post

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