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Mini Makeover: How can I make my living room look more put-together?

Mar 15, 2010

I'm proud to announce an exciting new service from Dwelement: Mini Makeovers! For $95 per room, get space planning advice and several tips for further improving your space, along with a color palette you can apply to the whole room. This is a room design plan "lite" and is delivered here on the blog within 10 days of receipt of payment and photos. This service is for whole-room design problems that can be summed up in a few sentences and 3-4 photographs.

To kick off this new addition to my repertoire, I'm tackling Tracy's Massachusetts living room. Tracy writes:

Hi Diane,
Can you give me some ideas for my living room? I like a clean look. Simple, classic pieces with pops of color (a neutral base so that I can change the colors with the seasons). Red has been the accent color (in pillows) for a while, but I'd like something different. I'd love a space that looks put-together. Right now, I feel like there are some pretty good pieces—but something is missing! I look forward to any and all of your ideas! Thank you.
Best Regards,
Tracy

Let's take a look at this not-quite-there-yet space:

Tracy, you're right. You have some good things to work with. To start, I think a big improvement will happen not from buying new things, but from rearranging what you have. The space between your pieces is too wide to be comfortable, and it's interrupting the traffic flow through the room. So let's address that floorplan and give you a more comfy seating area.

SPACE PLAN

Leave the armoire where it is. Everything else has to move a bit:

1. Move the loveseat at a right angle to the sofa and center the whole arrangement, not just the sofa, on the window.
2. Shift the rug so that the front legs of the seating pieces are on it.
3. Bring the coffee table close enough to be used by people sitting on either the sofa or loveseat. An 18-inch walkway is standard.
4. The small chair should move along with one of the floor lamps to the corner by the smaller doorway. Add a small round ottoman in a punchy color and a soft fabric. Try this affordable option in spring green. The shape, color, and tufted texture will nicely offset the sharp shapes in the chair.
5. The other floor lamp goes in the corner where the sofa and loveseat meet.
6. Place the two X-base tables next to each other behind the loveseat to create a console table effect. This also softens the look of the room from the main entrance.

COLOR PLAN

You have a lot of dark pieces. This is giving the room a very heavy feel. Lighten it up by adding lighter warm tones as accents, like celadon, coral, golden wheat, and ecru in pillows, throws, accessories, textiles.

Your wall color is quite nice, but maybe a tad neutral given all of your neutral furniture. If you want a change, be wary of choosing something that's too similar to the color of the floor. I would suggest a golden green like Wheat Grass by Sherwin-Williams (SW6408). Paint two shades lighter on the ceiling for a really cozy effect: Ionic Ivory (SW6406).

Other recommendations and ideas

• Your plants add nice texture and color. Keep them and group them together to the left of the armoire.
• The whole room would benefit from more texture. Introduce some natural materials like sisal, raffia, grasscloth. Your coffee table would look great with a pale, textural runner on it to break up some of that black.
• Shop for new lamp shades. Identical shades will lend balance to the room. Look for drum shades or conical shades, but avoid the curvy shape you have on one of the lamps now. Go for a textured fabric. Plain white is too stark for this room. Reuse the existing lamp shades elsewhere in your house, or donate them.
• Consider hanging a pair of matching mirrors on either side of the armoire to help it feel more settled into that wall. Look for tall, narrow mirrors with interesting, wide frames. This hand-painted version would add an artful touch to the room. Do not place any objects on top of the armoire, which would increase its height and create an awkward shape.
• The wall opposite the window will now be begging for art. Consider a gallery-style arrangement of many pieces you love. You can mix paintings with photos for an eclectic look, or choose a theme like BW photos for a more modern look. Another option is to hang one very large piece. Always buy what you love when it comes to art. It should look at home with the color palette but there is no need to match. Look for something with warm tones and a subject you really love looking at.

There you have it, a new room with very little shopping. Sometimes you don't need new stuff, you just need a new outlook! Hope you like it, Tracy. Send me after photos! (Get $25 off a future service when you do!) —Diane

Want a Mini Makeover for your own room? Soon you can order it straight from the website's Order an eDecor Plan page. For now, just email me! Within a week you'll have a new vision for your space.

TAGS: mini makeover online virtual long distance edecorating e-decorating space planning color consultation affordable interior design advice

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Easy DIY: How to Make a Window Valance from Wallpaper

Mar 12, 2010

{Short & Sweet Friday}

Happy weekend, everyone! Looking for a quick and easy spiff-up you can finish this weekend? Check out this idea from a Sunset Magazine Idea Home. It's a fun way to add a touch of pattern to a room with no sewing or painting, and it gives you a hit of the current wallpaper trend without committing to paste on your walls. It's a wallpaper valance!

PHOTO: David Wakely, Sunset Magazine

How to Make a Wallpaper Window Valance

You'll need:

• Wallpaper, two to three times the width of the window
• Yardstick
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Cable drapery rod kit

1. Mark a sheet of wallpaper with a yardstick and pencil to the height you prefer and at least twice the width of the window. For a fuller look, go even wider. Cut the strip with scissors, maintaining a smooth, straight edge.
2. Use a hole punch to create holes about every 6 inches along the top of the valance, placing them at least one inch from the top edge. Wallpaper won't fray or tear easily, so no reinforcement is needed.
3. Install the cable drapery rod kit on the window. These kits are inexpensive and easy to install. Try the Deka system from Ikea for $4.99.
4. Before securing the cable into the second clamp, string the wallpaper onto it, folding it loosely back and forth as you string it on.
5. Secure the cable into its clamp, done!

Do you feel like your room is "stuck"? It's hard to have a vision for a space you see every day. Check out my eDecor Plans, complete room design plans that give you all the ideas and sources you need and even show you what it will look like when it's finished! —Diane

TAGS: how to make a wallpaper valance ikea deka window treatment cable system easy diy project

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The winner!

Mar 10, 2010

The Dwelement fan page on Facebook hit 250 fans this morning! The winner in the random drawing for a free eDecor Plan is Amanda May from Millville, New Jersey. Congrats, Amanda! Watch the blog for the results of her room redesign. Thanks to everyone who joined the fan page! —Diane

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Spill it! A tablecloth that turns stains into art.

Mar 10, 2010

There's just no way around it: Tablecloths get stained. A glass of red wine here, a spot of gravy there. Norwegian textile designer Kristine Bjadaal made real life a part of her design concept for the Underfull Tablecloth. The traditional-looking damask bursts into a flutter of butterflies when a stain happens, turning the tablecloth into a story of dinners past or an homage to clumsiness.

Way to turn a flaw into a feature, eh? The tablecloth is only a prototype, but it's getting a lot of press so I wouldn't be surprised if a retailer snatches it up soon. What do you think?

Underfull - the tablecloth that turns spilling into poetry from Kristine Bjaadal on Vimeo.

TAGS: kristine bjaadal underfull tablecloth textile design

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Easy DIY: Mirror Groupings

Mar 09, 2010

Finding creative ways to make a big impact with a small amount of money is pretty much the foundation of budget decorating. One trick that almost always works is to use groupings of small objects instead of one or two large objects. If you have a space on a wall that's begging for an interesting focal point, but you don't want to shell out for a large painting or grand mirror, try this trick: mirror groupings.

You can pull off this look with a random collection of mirrors or pieces that have something in common, such as frame color. And it's a collection that's easy to grow, and easy to curate. Mirrors of all styles and eras are plentiful at thrift stores and flea markets. Those with flaws can add to the charm if your style is vintage or eclectic. If you prefer a more polished and uniform look, paint the frames all the same color. Or collect only one shape: rectangular, round, oval, fancy.

Don't expect to go out and finish this project in a weekend. Take your time and let the collection evolve and grow. Whatever you do, don't buy a coordinated set if you want a collected look. Here's some inspiration.

White on off-white was the perfect color choice for this filigreed collection. The subtlety of the colors lets the intricacy of the frames stand out. Photo: flickr user kimhas7cats.

Don't be too rigid with the arrangement. At left, the grouping showcases variety in shape and size but keeps a consistent color scheme. At right, round mirrors look beautiful in a linear arrangement on photo ledges. Photos: Martha Stewart Living.

A sparse grouping makes a subtle, artsy statement. Photo: via Remodelista.

Paint frames a bright color for major impact. The idea of consistent color is especially important where more than one collection is displayed. Photo: via AStorybookLife.

Variety makes this collection interesting. Note how objects on the table are integrated into the shapes of the wall arrangement. Photo: Real Simple.

HOW TO ARRANGE A GROUPING OF MIRRORS ON THE WALL

1. Lay each mirror on a piece of newspaper or kraft paper. Roughly trace its outline and cut it out.
2. Arrange the paper outlines on the wall with low-tack artist's tape. Move everything around until you're happy with the arrangement.
3. On the back of each mirror, determine the placement of its hanger and hammer a nail or picture hanger into the wall through the corresponding paper outline.
4. Tear paper away, then hang mirrors in place.

You might be surprised what kind of collection you already have in your home, just waiting for its moment to shine! Have me over for a "Work with me, here" session, and I'll look at your stuff with a fresh eye and help you redesign your room using only the things you already own. Sounds impossible, I know. Trust me, it works! Email me for more details.—Diane

TAGS: mirror grouping on wall how to hang gallery style collection antique vintage mirrors

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