Q: I just recently purchased a condo and am having trouble decorating and organizing the living room. Most of the furniture was inherited and I'm on a tight budget so I don't really plan on swapping out any of the big pieces of furniture that are already in place. Anyhow...I think most of my issues are due to the combination of: high ceiling (for a condo at least) and living room is also quite long.
I need advice for these general areas:
1. Area in the back across from one side wall and the fireplace. I was planning on buying a chaise sofa for this area but I was unsure of color scheme and positioning and any other accessories I might want to incorporate like a side table or lamp.
2. The sofa side wall and how to decorate it appropriately to fill out the 14ft high walls. How high above the sofa should things be hung?
3. The side wall area next to sofa with cube storage. I'm not sure what to do here to be honest. Add another storage bin or side table and lamp? How tall? If you think I should be hanging things, how high?
4. The side wall to the right of the TV stand. Would it be bad if I just left this area empty? Second thought was of putting some type of console table here. More wall decorations?
Sent by Henry
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I can't really see enough in the pics to answer everything. But for number 2 and 3. Always hang at eye level. Unless you're doing a large grouping of framed pieces on the wall [then center it around eye level]. If you're going to go with the latter. Lay all the pieces you intend to hang on the floor and arrange them until they look balanced and harmonious. Once you have the right "look" for you, you can transfer to the wall without making multiple nail holes. Start with the biggest piece first when hanging.
Hope this helps.
-anna
at the chateau
Go with colors you like which can be found in your closet. I would stick to three colors.
if the area is big enough, i would almost split your areas and try to focus on one at a time. figure out the purpose of the space - storage, TV watching/lounging, showcasing fun artwork, chatting/gathering - and design around that. i agree with the first comment that a grouping of pictures/artwork over the couch can make the high ceilings seem less...high. i also like your idea of a console table to the right of the TV. i wouldn't leave that empty - either some artwork, small table, plants or funky bench or chair that you maybe can find at a thrift market or garage sale. or if you entertain a lot, what about some type of mobile cart for drinks or party supplies? if you can paint, then paint!! if not, get some colorful pillows and throws. some artwork or a fun clock or something above the TV would also be nice. your unit is nice but quite short, which looks even shorter next to the high wall. something above it will detract from that.
hope that helps!!
I have a huge painting over the sofa and it's a great shot of energy in the room. I was lucky, I got it for free and it's beautiful. But you can get an oversize poster for cheap and you can even doctor it (provided you have an artistic eye). One cheap solution is to buy those album cover frames from Urban Outfitters and hang them as a gallery wall.
Asides from figuring out what you want from the space (which is HUGELY important), a home gets its soul from your own individuality. So in order to find the decorative aspects that will work in your space, focus on what you like, the colors that draw you in, the style that speaks to you, and go from there.
A floorplan would really help here, because I think a different furniture arrangement might work better - swapping the walls the the sofa and TV cabinet are on. Then you have would room for more seating perpendicular to the sofa if you wanted it. Or if you decided to put a desk on that wall you wouldn't have all your "hard" furniture along one wall (which I think looks better).
Re a side table or lamp, my preference woud always be for lamps (multiple!). I always like one in the corner, but you should get one at a time to see how it effects the room before you decide what other ones you might want.
Re the art, I disagree with the theory of "art must be hung at eye-level". I think it can make a room look squashed, particularly a high-ceilinged room. And I think it looks terrible if a large piece is hung like this over a sofa and effectively looks like it's propped up on the back fo the sofa. I know there are very strong opinions held on this, but you should know that it is not compulsory - if you like it do it, if you don't then don't. (Actually that last bit is the best advice all around!)
BTW - I also don't think you should necessarily follow the advice to go with colours which can be found in your closet - if I went by that I'd be living in the Bat Cave (I wear mostly black)
Thanks for all the replies so far. I am the owner of said condo.
They left out the other photos I included in my e-mail. So yeah...I would agree that based on the pics included you guys most likely have no idea what my floorplan looks like LOL
Here's a link with more photos that hopefully give you guys a better idea:
https://picasaweb.google.com/113514154951221268466/LivingRoom?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvPqbvW-NSV6QE#
Paint the walls. Color would really help!
Use the height of the room. Either hang big art or a grouping of art or get some tall furniture (bookshelves, hutch) or put up some floating shelves or get a potted tall plant (ficus?) or hang a big pendant light -- just don't leave all that empty wall space empty!
(I am using a tapestry panel that's about the size of a twin bedspread as a headboard in my guest room. Something like that would work in this room, too.)
I don't have suggestions for furniture arrangements, since even the extra photos don't give me a sense of the position of the fireplace etc.
We had an apartment with a loft which meant three very high walls in our living room. We hung a tapestry that we got from Urban Outfitters on the wall behind our couch and it added a ton of color and we could easily switch it out if our mood changed.
The fireplace is in the far length of the living room, on the TV stand side and near the window.
For those who recommended the hanging of a large tapestry...I'm assuming that involves installing a hanging bar in the wall? How heavy do these things get? Care to share any pictures? :)
I really like your condo, congrats on the purchase!
I love the opening to the kitchen (i.e. the shape) I would probably go nuts with some Moroccan decor on that partition wall.
Otherwise, I would probably go off the deep end with darker colours - I happen to be going through that phase right now.
The only thing that I don't like (which very well may be what you love most) is the demi-lune window. Or rather, that the curtain hangs midway. Personally, I would splurge on new curtains (or figured out a way how to extend the existing ones) and I would hang the curtains above the demi-lune segment.
Your sofa is nice.
Enjoy your new digs!
What do you guys think about wall decals? Tacky or do they look fine (assuming you pick a design that works with the rest of your room) Do they last a long time if applied properly? Can you easily re-apply them if you screw up?
Any links to sites with a good selection if you think these are a decent, cost effective choice?
henhowc-My tapestry wasn't that heavy, I just nailed it right into the wall with nails in the corners and two nails along the top. I think a bar might look more professional. If you are still interested in decals if you just search etsy for wall decals they have thousands of choices and you're supporting small home businesses.