Home DecorLiving Room Design Plan October 9, 2015I’m so thrilled for how the living room design is coming together. You know I love mixing unexpected colors and my design plan for this room is based of off that: unexpected color pairings. It makes my design heart so happy! Plus, this room is where we spend the majority of our time as a family, so creating a beautiful little haven is most important here. I knew this room would be all white with wood beams overhead, so I was really searching for a colorful rug. I was hoping for a darker palette overall so that it wouldn’t show wear, but I wanted a wide-range of colors. As soon as I stumbled upon this one at a local antiques store, I knew it was it. I recently professed my love for all things berry, so the main color in this rug is a perfect fit. My plan to bring in contrast is to only use shades of blue and green to accent this room, pulling the blues and greens from the rug. I knew, long before I found the rug, that the fireplace would be the main focal point of the room. The beams coming down on either side of it really draw attention to it. Plus, it’s centered in the room and the first thing you really see when you open up into this main area of the house. My plan to maximize this focal point’s potential had a couple of steps: 1.) Contrasting color – With all of the white in this room, I knew the fireplace needed to go dark to really stand out. It’s in the same area as the kitchen cabinets. Since I chose a dark green for them and this isn’t a huge area, I didn’t want to go black or something on the fireplace that could potentially clash. I don’t want this whole area to “match,” but I do want it to go together. So, Benjamin Moore’s Hidden Falls will be going on the fireplace as well. 2.) Trim Work & Mantel – To really have the fireplace make a statement, we’ll be adding in a good bit of trim work and a mantel that will all be painted the same dark green. 3.) Contrasting Surround – With the firebox we got, you have to tile the surround, so I really wanted something that contrasted with the green paint. 4.) Statement Chandelier – The light fixture will hang down in front of the center of the fireplace (with the two beams framing each side), so a real statement chandelier is important. 5.) Sconces – I love sconces on a fireplace, but in this specific case, I love how they’ll frame each side of the chandelier. Once I had this focal point vision sort of figured out and the rug, the rest of the design has started falling into place. I don’t know exactly every little detail, but a lot of the big items are nailed down. Let’s take a first look at the Living Room Design Plan! I just want to start screaming, I am so excited about this! We’re keeping our leather chesterfield sofa because we love it and it’s so comfortable. I love the lines and the tufting. In the old house, it really was way too dark for me. It matched the dark floors and dark beams. But here, it contrasts better against the lighter wood and the room is brighter, which helps. After getting the rug, I started searching for the perfect statement chairs. I came across some amazing custom armchairs in this indigo shibori print and I about died. Could anything be more me? I love treating blue and white like a neutral, so I’ll put most any color with them. But I love how that fabric pulls the blue out of the rug. I can’t wait for them to get here, so I can show you! They should be here any day, so I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting! They’re very large chairs, so I don’t know exactly where they’ll go or how the room will be laid out yet. I’m waiting to choose any final details like art, lamps, or other furniture pieces (end tables, coffee table, etc.) until they’re in and the fireplace is done. They’re both major statements in the room and will dictate everything else. There are two things I do know, though. A Moroccan wedding blanket will be playing a major role in here. I’m still nailing down the details of that. And the oversized chandy that’ll hang down in front of the fireplace is going to be colored. I have the chandelier that I found at a local thrift store. It’s huge (like 4 feet in diameter) and feminine and spindly like the one in the inspiration photo above from Little Green Notebook. I’m still deciding on the exact shade. It’s going to be pale, for sure, but likely something in the blue/gray family instead of a true neutral like brass, white, or black. I’m going to go with some very simple brass sconces on the fireplace since the chandelier will make such a huge statement. The fireplace surround already got tiled and I love it. Did you notice how I just slipped that in the image above? We went with a large carrera subway for the hearth/floor area and a 2-inch marble hexagon for the surround. I love how they contrast and I can’t wait to see the rest of it painted dark green. I already love how that’s going to pull more of the gray and darker tones out of the tile. We’re doing some major work on this room this weekend and I’ll share a few sneak peeks through social media, so stay tuned, friends! Any chandelier color suggestions?
Nicki says October 9, 2015 at 2:37 pm Oh I love everything you’ve got going on here! I’m excited for the end result. this idea may be out there, and I don’t know if I’d have the nerve, but have you thought of pulling out one of the pink shades in the rug for the chandy? Of course, matching the blue in the chair would be pretty too. Or, copper or rose gold are hot right now too! Reply
Lindsay says October 12, 2015 at 10:28 pm I looove copper, Nicki! It’s playing a HUGE role in the kitchen, so I don’t want to “match” it too much in here or that would be my top choice!! Reply
Lindsay says October 12, 2015 at 10:28 pm Ahhhh, Laura, my husband might kill me! Haha, I can totally picture that though. I do think with the heavily berry (warm colors) rug, I’m going to bring in a cool pop, but who knows. I might paint it gray blue and wish it was berry! Reply
Sherri says October 10, 2015 at 11:11 am Love how everything is coming together. The chandy will be the statement piece for sure. I can visualize several different colors for it. I’m sure you will know after you get the chairs in the space. Gracie looks like she is loving her new home!! Reply
Lindsay says October 12, 2015 at 10:27 pm Oh she is, Sherri! No question…she made herself right at home! Reply
Sara says October 21, 2015 at 12:55 pm Where’d you get the Chesterfield sofa from? I absolutely love it and we’re finally in a place where I can upgrade our poor well-loved ikea loveseat to a real sofa! 😉 Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:43 pm Craigslist!!! This is my favorite find ever. It was a brand new $2,500 sofa and we got it for $500. The brand is Bernhardt though 🙂 Reply
Jaelan @ Making Mrs. M says November 10, 2015 at 2:47 pm Oh my goodness. I cannot wait to see how it all comes together. I have major home envy right now. We’re still in an apartment, but will be looking to buy hopefully next year. Reply
Lindsay says January 26, 2017 at 3:45 pm Thank you! It’s a Bernhardt sofa, but we got it from Craigslist! Reply