YES! I like the way non-matched pieces exude character and display our personalities. Since college I have used a really cool vintage steamer trunk as a nightstand - and I don't ever plan on changing just to be matchy.
Guess I'm the opposite hahaha. I feel like mismatched looks like you live in a college apartment with pieces you just inherited from family and roommates and the the side of the road because you couldn't afford a nice set. (I really did have a couch that my roommate brought home from the side of the road lol) My parents always had matching sets and I prefer how it looks intentional and not haphazard.
This look can go either way. Mismatched furniture can look awesome (think professionally styled rooms on HGTV) and it can also look like you furnished your house out of a college dumpster on move out day. If the pieces are nice and have good bones it is easier to mix and match.
@jenna8984 I get you on the tv/fireplace focal point, I'm just saying that it is contributing to the "off" feel of the room. Why is your DH opposed to mounting the tv over the fireplace? That would solve the problem.
@jenna8984 I get you on the tv/fireplace focal point, I'm just saying that it is contributing to the "off" feel of the room. Why is your DH opposed to mounting the tv over the fireplace? That would solve the problem.
I think it is actually bad for the TV to be mounted over the fireplace, because fireplaces tend to get quite hot. I know people have been doing it for years, but definitely something to consider.
@jenna8984 I get you on the tv/fireplace focal point, I'm just saying that it is contributing to the "off" feel of the room. Why is your DH opposed to mounting the tv over the fireplace? That would solve the problem.
I honestly have no idea! He was so adamant about it that so I just dropped it. He was a fireman for 8 years and his mind always goes there, so like @abcdevonn said maybe he thinks it will somehow compromise the tv or the integrity of the fireplace??
So, I think the problem with a rectangular table is that it should go length ways of the sofa. If you put it that way, there will be little room to walk past the chaise toward the tv. If you pull the chaise toward the window, that would partially solve it, or pull it backward (toward the lower left corner of the photo) so that the end of the chaise is more square with the end of the sofa. Not sure if you'd have enough room to do that, but then you could have a rectangle with some poufs/ottomans to balance it out, more like
But imagine the poufs are against the window, like this picture is being taken from your tv.
I actually really like the idea of a medium/small round coffee table like PPs suggested. Normally I would not like the round coffee tables but I think it would look really nice in your living room.
I love all of the advice here. Definitely a round accent above the fireplace, or a round table. I also think three colored glass cylinder vases of graduated sizes on the mantel would look nice, and add a little depth. I love the paint color on the wall... very serene.
I would not match the entertainment center and coffee table. I think it will visually dominate the room and be too matchy.
same.
But I also do not like matchy, matchy furniture sets. Although we have a set for our bedroom. I do not have any true sets in the rest of my house. Just random pieces that all go together.
That's how am I too. H asked the other day if I'd be interested in eventually getting a matching bedroom set and I was so offended lol. My dresser is absolutely beautiful and was inherited from my grandma, my night stand is a cheap Target one that I love, and my bed frame is something that I spent 9 years looking for. No, I do not want a matching set EVER! (I just hate how things look when they match too much, but that's just me)
YES! I like the way non-matched pieces exude character and display our personalities. Since college I have used a really cool vintage steamer trunk as a nightstand - and I don't ever plan on changing just to be matchy.
Guess I'm the opposite hahaha. I feel like mismatched looks like you live in a college apartment with pieces you just inherited from family and roommates and the the side of the road because you couldn't afford a nice set. (I really did have a couch that my roommate brought home from the side of the road lol) My parents always had matching sets and I prefer how it looks intentional and not haphazard.
Matching sets are the Devil's Decorating darling.
Mismatched looks intentional as long as you have taste.
If I had to do over again I wouldn't have a matching bedroom suite. However, we moved from the USVI with no furniture. Nothing. I didn't have time to collect anything. My shit needed a home and I was not about to run to Target and buy cheap shit that needed to be put together. So we bought a bedroom suite. I like the suite, but prefer not being so matchy, matchy.
For the rest of the house we buy stuff as we find something we like.
What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests. Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated.
I agree with your H about no TV above the fireplace. I'd probably die on that hill too. I love fireplaces and think a TV on top takes away from the aesthetic. Also, it makes the TV too high so you strain your neck looking up at it. IMHO I like the TV out of the main livingroom, if you have a den or study that it would work in.
I like the round coffee table idea.
I'd do a collage of prints against the far wall. Hang them asymmetrically on purpose, because the wall is already asymmetric because the fireplace is off-center and you have that cupboard in the diningroom.
I like mismatched furniture, as long as each piece is high quality and the same general style. We have a lot of random stuff that was inherited from H's family but is really nice (and he's attached to it), so we just build around those pieces.
I'd go with either a circular type mirror or 2-3 of the prints (not all of them). I wouldn't mount the tv above the fireplace solely because I don't find it comfortable for viewing - I think it's easier on the eyes to have it at eye level. I would definitely get a new tv stand that is proportional to your tv though.
I'd also skip the coffee table and opt for a couple of end tables or chair side (smaller) tables. It'll keep the space open and not look crowded.
From what I see, looks like a lovely house! Congrats!
I'd hang a mirror over the fireplace to give your room the illusion of being bigger, and then hang your prints on a different wall.
With how large and bulky your sofa and chaise are, I would skip a coffee table all together, as it will make that space look too crowded. Go with end tables instead.
Also, you might want to consider a different TV stand, as the scale of that one is too small when viewed in the same space as the couch and chaise. . . they dwarf the TV stand and make it look awkward. I think white would actually match your decor better too.
Is there a way to rearrange the room to possible wall mount the TV?
ETA: If you like to put your feet up, then you get an ottoman as that's the intended purpose of that piece of furniture. One should not put one's feet up on a coffee table! :-P
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
@aprilh81 Thanks I see what you're saying about the chaise now. We could try moving them around tonight and see if we like that with the couch facing the fireplace directly. The only thing is, we're not on the set of a sitcom, so yea the TV is the focal point and it's all we do in that room LOL. On sitcoms they show 5 people sitting around chatting and a tv off in the corner not being used but that's certainly not how we use a living room
Also as @abcdevonn mentioned, the dining table is behind the sofa and the floor transitions there from carpet to hardwood in the dining room. So as the couch stands it covers the transition, it might be weird to just have that open and glaring.
@lyndausvi@novella1186 The TV and stand are both "fillers" until we buy the big, new pieces we want. We have our eyes on a new 4k tv (that's the definition not the price!) and we plan to buy whichever entertainment stand comes matching the coffee table.
Where in the world are you going to fit a 4K TV, entertainment stand, and a coffee table in that space? There's already really no room for a coffee table as it is.
What size TV are you thinking of getting?
Also, there's a HUGE difference between random, hand me down furniture and furniture that is not a set but COORDINATES.
I like both sets and coordinating but different pieces.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
@prettygirllost I think the room is honestly a lot larger than the picture makes it out to be. Maybe because I was standing on a chair halfway in trying to get a more aerial view? I kept looking at the picture and thinking the same thing "well maybe we can't fit a table" but then the second I stepped inside after work I was like oh wow this is much bigger than I thought all day. It looks like the entire room is about 10 feet but it's really 20.
We played around with some painters tape on the carpet last night and mapped out potential tables and there was ample empty space. (we are ttc and even have in mind where things like a baby swing have plenty of room to go). That current tv is 32 inches and we plan to buy a 42 inch (not that much bigger) and the tv stand will be one of the corner units so that it doesn't stick out any further than the temp table (will just be taller, wider, and better looking).
What matters is the spacing between the elements in the room, and with the size of your current furniture and how it's arranged, I still think if you put a coffee table in there it will make the room looked cramped and limit the space in between the couch and table/chaise and table.
If you are ttc, all the more reason to just skip the coffee table. . . one less piece of furniture with hard, sharp edges that pose a potential baby hazard, even if you put those covers on it ;-)
Going from 32" to 42" is a 10" difference- almost a foot- on the diagonal. I'd say that's quite a bit bigger, lol.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
What matters is the spacing between the elements in the room, and with the size of your current furniture and how it's arranged, I still think if you put a coffee table in there it will make the room looked cramped and limit the space in between the couch and table/chaise and table.
If you are ttc, all the more reason to just skip the coffee table. . . one less piece of furniture with hard, sharp edges that pose a potential baby hazard, even if you put those covers on it ;-)
Going from 32" to 42" is a 10" difference- almost a foot- on the diagonal. I'd say that's quite a bit bigger, lol.
The room has plenty of space for a coffee table. It's just the sofa and chaise that make the layout awkward. They do not fit well together in that space.
Solution: new living room furniture. I joke.
What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests. Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated.
Granted I really like minimalism, but the thought of adding a bunch of shit to the walls in a space that already has quite a bit going on is giving me anxiety. I like the mirror idea. Is there a reason that the couch is encroaching so much on the fireplace? I think I'd probably move it to the same side as the window, get rid of the chaise, and replace it with a cute accent chair or something.
But overall a cool mirror and maybe a different paint color and curtains would do a lot more to brighten it up than putting up a bunch more crap. Maybe a smallish round coffee table or a cool looking rug.
Overall my gut reaction to it is that it's a nice space but bland and cluttered. So I'd focus on making things interesting and not-cluttered. Angles are fine, but all 90 degree angles are constricting and boring.
Hmmm I kinda hate round tables. Don't know why, I'm a math person so I guess I just like the consistency of hard angles and not mixing shapes. I don't think no table is an option since we like to put our feet up, put a bowl of chips & a drink, etc. The end table right now is only there for a spot for drinks until we can get a coffee table, then we plan to ditch the end table for more walkable floorspace.
I guess it's hard to tell in the pic too, but the chaise looks like it's against the window and it's not. There is a good 2 feet between them so the room is not that small.
In case embed doesn't work, which I'm guessing it won't: Mathmagic Land
(my high school teacher showed that at some point in every class and damn him if it's not the only thing I remember. also, why the fuck is this underlined?)
@fiancb omg I don't have time to watch that whole half hour at work but I'm legit loving the first 2 minutes hahahah. I realize you're making fun of me but I don't care I love it!
Re: Home Decor votes/ opinions
I honestly have no idea! He was so adamant about it that so I just dropped it. He was a fireman for 8 years and his mind always goes there, so like @abcdevonn said maybe he thinks it will somehow compromise the tv or the integrity of the fireplace??
So, I think the problem with a rectangular table is that it should go length ways of the sofa. If you put it that way, there will be little room to walk past the chaise toward the tv. If you pull the chaise toward the window, that would partially solve it, or pull it backward (toward the lower left corner of the photo) so that the end of the chaise is more square with the end of the sofa. Not sure if you'd have enough room to do that, but then you could have a rectangle with some poufs/ottomans to balance it out, more like
But imagine the poufs are against the window, like this picture is being taken from your tv.
I agree with your H about no TV above the fireplace. I'd probably die on that hill too. I love fireplaces and think a TV on top takes away from the aesthetic. Also, it makes the TV too high so you strain your neck looking up at it. IMHO I like the TV out of the main livingroom, if you have a den or study that it would work in.
I like the round coffee table idea.
I'd do a collage of prints against the far wall. Hang them asymmetrically on purpose, because the wall is already asymmetric because the fireplace is off-center and you have that cupboard in the diningroom.
I like mismatched furniture, as long as each piece is high quality and the same general style. We have a lot of random stuff that was inherited from H's family but is really nice (and he's attached to it), so we just build around those pieces.
I'd also skip the coffee table and opt for a couple of end tables or chair side (smaller) tables. It'll keep the space open and not look crowded.
From what I see, looks like a lovely house! Congrats!
With how large and bulky your sofa and chaise are, I would skip a coffee table all together, as it will make that space look too crowded. Go with end tables instead.
Also, you might want to consider a different TV stand, as the scale of that one is too small when viewed in the same space as the couch and chaise. . . they dwarf the TV stand and make it look awkward. I think white would actually match your decor better too.
Is there a way to rearrange the room to possible wall mount the TV?
ETA: If you like to put your feet up, then you get an ottoman as that's the intended purpose of that piece of furniture. One should not put one's feet up on a coffee table! :-P
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
What size TV are you thinking of getting?
Also, there's a HUGE difference between random, hand me down furniture and furniture that is not a set but COORDINATES.
I like both sets and coordinating but different pieces.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
@prettygirllost I think the room is honestly a lot larger than the picture makes it out to be. Maybe because I was standing on a chair halfway in trying to get a more aerial view? I kept looking at the picture and thinking the same thing "well maybe we can't fit a table" but then the second I stepped inside after work I was like oh wow this is much bigger than I thought all day. It looks like the entire room is about 10 feet but it's really 20.
We played around with some painters tape on the carpet last night and mapped out potential tables and there was ample empty space. (we are ttc and even have in mind where things like a baby swing have plenty of room to go). That current tv is 32 inches and we plan to buy a 42 inch (not that much bigger) and the tv stand will be one of the corner units so that it doesn't stick out any further than the temp table (will just be taller, wider, and better looking).
If you are ttc, all the more reason to just skip the coffee table. . . one less piece of furniture with hard, sharp edges that pose a potential baby hazard, even if you put those covers on it ;-)
Going from 32" to 42" is a 10" difference- almost a foot- on the diagonal. I'd say that's quite a bit bigger, lol.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
Urban Barn Room Planner
It's super easy, fun and addictive.
But overall a cool mirror and maybe a different paint color and curtains would do a lot more to brighten it up than putting up a bunch more crap. Maybe a smallish round coffee table or a cool looking rug.
Overall my gut reaction to it is that it's a nice space but bland and cluttered. So I'd focus on making things interesting and not-cluttered. Angles are fine, but all 90 degree angles are constricting and boring.
Also I'm sorry but I just have to.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AJgkaU08VvY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In case embed doesn't work, which I'm guessing it won't: Mathmagic Land
(my high school teacher showed that at some point in every class and damn him if it's not the only thing I remember. also, why the fuck is this underlined?)