apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love how all the subtle and minor changes made a huge improvement on pulling this room together. Looks terrific. Well done!

I'm so glad Amanda followed up with pics. I've been wanting a gray sofa but was reluctant to pull the trigger because I didn't want to get mired in gray. This room shows how to balance gray with shots of other colors beautifully.

Now about that sofa ... is it the Track Sofa from CB2?

Well done!

Excellent job - it's all about not being afraid of your own artwork!

Where did you get your dining table?

nice...the tv is much less a focal point and I'm glad you didn't get rid of the mirror above the fireplace.

how did you get so much nice artwork so fast, let alone arranging it so well?

Amanda---I really like the balance with the pair of lamps. Do you have a sofa table behind the couch to place them on or are they on individual tables? I have my couch flush against a wall right now but would love to move it out a few inches.

HI all,
I really have to thank everyone again for being so honest, critical and not mean :-) Your advice really helped. Here is what I did:

Moved alllllll the art to the big wall. I had a design friend help me with the layout. We laid it all out in the garage, took a pic and hung it on the wall one by one. It took forever but I love the finished product. There is a note my husband wrote from when he was 8. I think that's my favorite. Most of it though is stuff I found online that I had printed at kinkos for like, a dollar.

The opposite wall got 2 clearance mirrors from bed bath and beyond with some simple ikea vases behind it.

The couch still needs some colorful pillows and I'm on the hunt for a few that aren't a mortgage payment.

The end chairs were separated with a table in between and some pillows. Less waiting room, more conversation.

Added a plant and a task lamp for depth.

The mirror is raised! Yay! You were all very very right about that one.

The bookshelves were streamlined in color with lots of white accents.

It's not finished yet, but it's not perfect and I like it that way. I love the comfort of it and the ecclectic interesting feel.

Thanks to you all! Really, best design advice ever.

oh the couch is Crate and Barrell and we call it the slouch for its EXTREME comfort level!

Behind the couch is an ikea LACK shelf. And I swear by kinko's online print system. If you find hi-res prints, you email it to them and they print them out SO FAST. You pick it up, throw it in your Ribba and you're good to go.
But I also had a lot of this art and was too scared to do anything with it!
The dining table is Room and Board in the clearance section

Wow! This looks great. You have very nice things, and this arrangement really shows them off. I didn't even notice those great lamps when they were in front of the curtains.

While I like the improvements a lot, I do think the space lacks energy because of all the gray. Adding yellow, green, blue or red (or more than one) to the throw pillows, lamps, or even mirror frames would help give a place for the eye to settle. Right now it's just really drained of color and life.

Wow. I assumed the photos were from a design magazine. Great job!

sally305: I really do agree with you. I'm looking for the right things. I couldn't do everything in a few days :-) I'll be adding some colorful pillows and a throw for sure.
thanks!

You only raised the mirror a little bit, but it actually really helps. The vases you put under it are beautiful.

good job!

Wow! Those little changes really made a huge difference. Great work!

I love your ottoman/coffee table. Where did you get it?

Amazing how small details make a major difference, isn't it?

Ottoman is from ebay!

thanks for sending in the after photos. those little details make a big difference! your place looks very comfortable & stylish.

Nice job - love the curtains! What is the fabric name or drapery maker?

This is really impressive - both the final result, and the feedback from AT that helped it get there.

That kitchen window is to die for!

"What is the fabric name or drapery maker?"

Ballard Designs

How Cool. We have a Ballard Designs store. That fabric shows much better on the window than it does on the web page. I never would have looked twice at it if I hadn't seen this room.

When you take images from the internet, have them printed at Kinkos and hang them on the wall you are most likely stealing from the artists. I doubt those were non-copyrighted works. Not good for artists and not good for feng shui.

h144: I would never steal art. Everything is from a free public downloadable website. On top of that, kinkos won't print something without the appropriate copyright. But way to try and and be negative.
Here is your proof if needed:

http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/
and the copyright: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

http://dreamstime.com/
http://dreamstime.com/terms

The fabric is Waverly
http://www.waverly.com/products_information.php?id=671643&productType=1

I ordered the fabric and had them made.

Also just to clear up any confusion I did not use Ballard Designs. I'm not sure who they are.

Beautiful work, Amanda!

Is the paint color 'Lamp Room Grey' by Ralph Lauren? :)

Just lovely!

Apologies Amanda.

The room is Benjamin Moore Filtered Gray

what's the brand of your couch? it looks quite comfy.

Job well done! It looks so put together, and has that wow factor that sometimes doesn't seem like a big deal when you see it in a magazine or shop, but really is sort of rare in an actual home, if that makes sense... :-)

mjr: that's a really nice compliment. thank you!

Nice Job Amanda!
gray is my absolute favorite color, so there can never be enough gray for my taste.

And thank you for sending in an "after" so nice to see the results.

ps. if you wake up one day and your ottoman is missing, it's because I had to have it ;D

Thanks for the fabric info - again great job!!!:)

My ottoman is from this ebay seller:
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/alexalin_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_ipgZ

I was terrified to bunch all my art together on the biggest wall in my house because it is across from a huge built in bookcase. Now that I've seen it done well, I'm afarind no more!

Thanks for the paint color info Amanda!

the room looks great. i love gray as well! could you tell me where you found your rug?

The rug is about a year old from Pottery Barn