I'm in Chicago for a short stay and visited with a friend who recently moved into a new apartment. The place has lovely pre-war details, high ceilings, and nicely renovated amenities. The only discernable problem is that her TV must sit on the left side of a large wall across from the sofa, and she doesn't know how to fill the rest of the blank space.
Should she treat the entire wall as one entity, decorating around the TV, or should she divide the area up into visual sections, only filling the right side of the wall?
What do you think?
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Does she have the budget to install a wall shelving system? IKEA has some great options and she could fit it around the TV, creating a little nook. Then she could fill the shelves with books, art, objects, etc.
I also think an art wall would be nice - fill the right side and let it cascade over the TV.
Good morning, maybe she can add a painting or a portrait to that part of the wall. It either needs to be very large to take up most of the space or several paintings or pictures. Is she able to put a TV console there for the Television to sit in, that may take up most of the empty space?
Check out this website http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/, you can upload a photo and it turns it into a multi-page pdf file and you can assemble the sheets into a giant poster! It is pretty awesome!
looks like the area is already divided up for her, with the wall to the left.
why not make it into a small office space with a desk facing to the right and a low bookshelf on the empty wall?
or even a sitting area with 2 chairs and a small side table in the middle
A nice credena or sideboard would fill the space and she could stick some plants OR vase/cut flowers on it toward the right to bring a little nature and texture in. Like this one at CB2 http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=114&f=5315
My real recommendation is to ditch that silly TV and start from scratch, taking it out of the picture opens up a lot of options, like sofa on the blank wall and art on the opposite wall, etc.
I would approach this from a "what do I need" point of view. Does she need a place for storage? Does she need a place to sit and read? Does she need a bookshelf? Does she need a place to wine and dine? Does she need a place to hang her artwork?
Once she determines her needs, then filling the space will be easier and more fulfilling.
I would try a long, low credenza or short, horizontal bookshelf that would fill the space more, and then the TV could just be on the left-hand side of that. Put a table light or plant on top on the right-hand side, and the height of the TV will be in proportion. Add some art on the wall above, and the space will feel balanced and filled.
It looks as though there's an entry way there. If it's coming in from outside, why not put a bit of a landing strip? Coat rack/hat rack/umbrella stand area.
@nyceastvill, Agreed.
I agree with the "what do I need" point of view. Once she's settled in, it will be easier for her to think about what makes sense there for her. Another thing to think about is....do I want to buy or make something for this space?
If she needs a small office/desk space, you could get a sawhorse style desk. Something that's small. I was limited on space in my office area and my desk is 22"x44" - Just big enough and it doesn't take over the small space. Above it I have 2 4' long white shelves with some books/office supplies on them. The top shelf has colored bins that I can hide all of those "extra things" in....camera, art supplies, computer cables, etc...
If she just wants something pretty, there are some interesting room divider/bookshelves she can get to display books/art. There is also the option to buy some wall mounted shelves (Ikea has some pretty mounting brackets and shelves you can get for a low cost).
Check out some flea markets and garage sales if you can. She might be able to pick up something cheap, paint it, and make it her own.
Have fun!
She should try Rasterbator if she wants to hang artwork on a budget.
http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/gallery.gas
She could use Heavy Mural to make a post-it note mural. Seems like a nice amount of space.
http://heavymural.com/
Might I also suggest a hanging plant? like a vine? You could hang it in the top right corner, near that small window in the door, then install some cute hooks or pegs for it to grow along the wall and add some visual interest without having to commit to a large piece of art...
How about moving the TV? You can go buy some white co-axial cable and cable joiners. Not expensive - then you can think about the space more cohesively - as opposed to the TV being the central focus.
Is this an entryway? Is the sitting area in the hall? Looks like the cord already wraps over the doorway to the right - I'm not getting this space at all...
I would do a long credenza (or a pair of shorter ones) with the TV on the left and artwork/a landing strip on the right.
If she eventually upgrades to a flat-screen TV, she can then wall-mount it at about the same height as the art to create a more symmetrical/eye-pleasing arrangement.
I'd also paint, if possible.
a floor plan would help.
A1 Architect must be stopped.
I agree with the credenza or low bookshelf idea... perhaps a nice big mirror above said shelf/credenza or as mentioned before, some artwork to draw the eye away from the television set
Why MUST the TV sit in that particular location? Is it because of the length of the cable?
Cables can be joined and extended (see comment above).
If it's near an entryway, I suggest a landing strip and something to divide it from the rest of the space.
How about a cabinet or shaped like stairs (not sure if my English is correct on this one). The height of the tv is the lowest step (about 60 cm?), your next shelf is 90 cm high, 120 cm, 150, etc, like this Trofast system from Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/nl/nl/catalog/products/80063673
AT, why post this? There is no way to comment meaningfully on the space. We can't see/understand it!
I think shelves would be the best bet if she owned the place but it would create a lot of nail holes that would have to be filled in and a lot of furniture she might not have room for later on.
So in this case, a large photo gallery could be cool with random photos everywhere all over in different size and color frames.
How about a trompe l'oeil mural? Or a silhouette mural?
This picture IS difficult to decipher, but if the space is anything like mine, I think I understand the dilemma:
My front door opens into the living room with a huge blank wall directly to the left. Any dimensional object (bookshelves, credenza, etc.) against it blocks the straight'n'narrow pathway to the dining room. And yet the wall is a major focal point from the living room.
We both have me stumped.
Funky wallpaper... or maybe the Ikea shelving idea, they have a lot of neat/useful wall units that she could install.
A great room divider can be used to give a room a different look. I came across some artsy dividers I love, also if you are artistic, you can get a do-it-yourself canvas divider that can be painted. They're pretty cool and drastically change the look of a room. You can check them out at http://www.ilikefurniture.com/roomdividers.html. They are double-sided, so you can flip them around to add a totally new style to a room and freshen it up.
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