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I am looking to update my living room without replacing the furniture (Brown leather) or the roman shades (cream).
I have attached a picture. What are your suggestions?

Hi! Thanks for posting the picture. Maybe you could expand on what it is you want to update. What's not working for you?

I was thinking pillows with color. Maybe a green and gray or a yellow and gray or green, yellow and gray? Chevron prints, geometric/chain type prints? And then using one of those prints (green I was thinking) for panels.

What this space is lacking is color and lightness tho I realize it could be the camera's misdepiction re. lightness. Your furniture and curtains are all dark and neutral. Draw scheme inspiration from a print or even adjoining public spaces. Scatter some color, pattern and texture around the room via art, pillows, an area rug and accessories. You might even pull a color as found in the print for your walls...something light or bright. Paint and fabric can transform
a space without breaking the bank.

What about something like this http://www.etsy.com/listing/99...-pillow-covers-cases
and this
http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...vers-set-of-two-18-x

And then use that same print in the green pillow for panels/curtains?

Thoughts???

I would replace all the other dark wood furniture, and the dummy panels. I have seen a lot of rooms with gray walls and brown leather furniture lately. I like the idea of throwing in colorful pillows and a different option for a coffee table like the pics.

A light persian rug, or any rug with color, lightness, texture, would be lovely.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jovtfam4,

Do you like these, mixed with the tan ones you picked out?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98...ccent?ref=v1_other_2

Ooohhh...I do like those!!! So, would it look good to switch to a full length rode and then do two panels pulled to each side (maybe tie back??) in that pattern as well?

To tie in the yellowish color in more, would it be too much or too overwhelming to add in something like one of these for pillows? http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...rative-pillow-covers

Thanks so much for the help!!! I'm bad at decorating and love color but obviously I'm scared of it. lol

A couple of alternate thoughts since your drapes are nice and your furniture is heavy and somewhat masculine. While the pillows you're looking at are fun and pretty, I suspect their fabric and texture won't be the best match for your leather. Same goes for drapes of a similar type of material. I think your current furniture, drapes, lamps, etc. work well together. I'd keep them and alter the wall color (of course I can't see what's behind the camera.

You could do your greens in wall color and accessories instead. Keep the chenille for your pillows as it adds comfort-both visual and physical-to the slick surfaced leather. If you can find a rug for under the coffee table, that would help change the look and help your colors come together. It can have a pattern if you wish.

These were just some quick demos. Hopefully they won't appear day-glow on your monitor. I'm using the green of the candle on the coffee table and a jumping off point-colors that co-ordinate with that-lighter/darker, etc. as pleases your taste.

Here's kind of a gold/green combo. Just something to think about.

I do like the chenille but I almost feel like it's outdated for me. I'm only 30 and the living room feels too old for me. If that makes sense.
That's great that you can add color like that. Can you add the pattern to the pillows that I had picked out on Etsy? And change the panels?

Maybe you need to find a chenille fabric that has more of a young vibe to it. Those cotton fabrics from etsy are a little too whimsical and light for your heavily carved furniture. They simply do not belong in a room together.

Alternately, would you be willing to paint your wood tables and slipcover the seating pieces? I think you are going to have a difficult time transforming this space in a more youthful way with just paint and pillows.

Wow Bella those both look great but the gold & green is awesome!!! I'd never ever would've done this myself. I don't get the young vibe with either one though, maybe that's why I love the gold & green...I'm 41 Sorry to hijack.

So, I just typed out too long things, with lots of links and lost them... I will post them in smaller parts, so I don't go crazy!

I agree that you should not go too modern or too bright with your colors and patterns. Your sofa lines are very ornate and this would clash. However, I don't think you have to be a slave to those sofas. You can make the room more modern by choosing prints you like that have a modern take on a traditional print. All the pillow fabrics you were choosing are by Premier Prints. You can buy their fabric at affordable prices and make your own pillow for much less, if you know how to sew a straight line.

We had a brown leather sofa, and added an "ethnic eclectic look" with suzani prints, and other "medalian" print fabric, that you seem to like too. We also popped the room with bright persian rugs, in reds, that had a more graphic take, not as ornate. I would totally swap out the coffee table for an upholstered ottoman in a fabric you love, and change out the console and media tables with something in the dark wood, but with cleaner lines. Pottery barn does this stuff well. I'm going to post more...

http://www.fabricguru.com/?tar...allion-prints&page=2

If you choose fabrics that are a bitty muddier, in the same color families you like, they will tie in better with the brown sofas. Muddy, doesn't mean ugly, just more earthy. And to find modern versions of traditional fabrics type in "medallion, damask, suzani, paisly" into your search on Etsey or fabric sites and then see what you like.


http://www.etsy.com/listing/98...0&ga_search_type=all

http://www.fabric.com/ProductD...04-afd5-c83fae6c371c

Panels: http://www.etsy.com/listing/87...0&ga_search_type=all
http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...the-nate-burkus-show

Thanks for all your help everyone!!! I unfortunately didn't want to spend money on a new coffee table/ottoman or tables because the whole living room was purchased as a set (and quite pricey). I'm now just regreting all of the brown/dark in the room and looking for an inexpensive way to "lighten" it up.

So, this is what I was thinking.... Now, the opinions above, I'm getting the feeling that they may not "go" with my furniture?

Four of these in 18x18 (maybe two of each so one of each is pattern is on each piece - couch and loveseat) http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...vers-set-of-two-18-x

four of these in 16x16 to set in front of the pillow above http://www.etsy.com/listing/98...pillow-covers-accent

One of these on the couch http://www.etsy.com/listing/72...9/yellow-love-pillow

And then one of these to place on each side of the widow but with a full length rod
http://www.etsy.com/listing/80...0-x-84-inch-designer
http://www.etsy.com/listing/87...s-custom-drapes-very

I think you can tie your cream colored roman blinds into the room to brighten it all up.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...ga_view_type=gallery

http://www.target.com/p/mudhut...d-55x84/-/A-14030404


Olive or mustard in the premier print fabric instead of the bright colors?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80...lined?ref=v1_other_2

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63...0&ga_search_type=all


They havecurtains and matching pillows. Premier prints are easy to coordinate because they have entire lines with the same colors.
I bought pillow covers on Etsy and if you contact the person, they often have all the coordiating fabric and will make you what you want, so you can buy from one seller and save on shipping.


http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...0&ga_search_type=all


http://www.etsy.com/listing/10...0&ga_search_type=all

Great ideas!!! Thanks!!

I do like the idea though of having a couple different prints mixed together (so it doesn't look too uniform). Can I mix a suzani print with that chain type print in yellow? Or mixed with a damask pattern?

What about using mustard yellow and gray together?

And will any of these panels you posted go ok with the romans?

Thanks so much!!!!!!!!

What I saw yesterday when I first looked at your picture was a room with very decent furnishings and substance but little personality or zest.

You can only partly inject that with different colored pillows and maybe even draperies or a throw rug (which I would suggest if it would be safe for kids)

It would help to show pics of the three other views of this room too.

Another way to lighten your room maybe would be to get a tabletop size of glass cut for your coffee table and have lighter/brighter something under the glass. Could be fabric, family pics, a beautiful piece of art, or paper etc.

See the room Jovfam4 posted with the zebra striped ottoman? That room oozes personality. My suggestion would be to aim for something like that (don't mean the same items. . . just things not bought in a block)

I am looking to get other items to put on the wall and tables from various stores that are unique and tie into the room. I want to start though with just the pillows and panels and I'm still wondering what kind of pattern/color of panel will go ok with the cream roman shades...

Here are some more pics of the room....

View at entry behind couch (this space is akward for me because it just makes the living room that much smaller.)

Another at entry...

Large window...I need to find panels for each side that will fit in ok with the cream roman shades. But, now might get a full length rod instead of what's up there. ??

I'm going to blunt so please take this as help, not criticism. I ask this question of potential clients all the time. Are you looking for validation of some ideas you have already formulated or are you trying to find a real solution? Your leather and wood furniture is never going to look light and airy, nor is it going to look youthful with the addition of a handful of pillows. Jovtfam4 posted a nice looking Suzani print pillow at 9:46 with a light background, brick red and aqua blue. You could take that one fabric, paint the walls the aqua and add lots of solid lighter colors such as the pale beige to your window treatments and a few more textured pillows in softer solid colors. Mixing in several print pillows that are unrelated to your current furnishings is going to look like you are trying to put a band-aid on the situation. You obviously chose the furniture because you liked it at one time, so don't try to fight it. You can shop etsy all day long, spend a lot of money and still not end up with the room you want.

quote:

Originally posted by Mommy4Life:
I want to start though with just the pillows and panels and I'm still wondering what kind of pattern/color of panel will go ok with the cream roman shades...

Almost any color or pattern will go with cream except stark white can make the cream look dirty.

Your furniture is very ornate and with all of it matching Cavin gave good advice. Could you use the coffee table in another room and find a less ornate one? Coffee tables can be found very inexpensively on Craigslist. An ottoman might be a solution also.

Decorative accessories can be found in many places beside home decor stores. Usually more interesting, personal, and unique ones are. Do you collect anything that can be displayed? Or do you or your DH have hobbies that might provide personal and unique displays? Otherwise search thrift stores, antique stores, juried craft sales, art galleries, garage sales, and architectural warehouses for interesting items.

Cavin....thank you so much. Yes, I am trying to just get some lighter colors and just different colors on the couch, loveseat, and windows for change. It's just my opinion but the panels and pillows that I have now are just too dark and too close to the color of the furniture that they don't do justice to themselves or the feel of the room. I don't necessarily have to have all kinds of lights like gray, yellow, etc. I do like the pillow Jovfam4 posted with the brick red and aqua blue!!! Not sure where he found that but I do like it. So, I'm sure some of you have to be sick of me by now but what if I go off of that one pattern...
Now, if you look at all of the additional pics I posted the room is all open concept and flows into the dining room and kitchen. Where do I stop painting?
My next question would be with the panels (still going off of that one pillow) the lighter color on that pillow might be too close to the roman shades so I'm just guessing that it might not look good. What about the aqua or th red? Or just using that whole pattern for the panels?

I really do appreciate everyones suggestions!! And I know...I'm going back and forth but I am not good at all with decorating and I just want it to look great because we entertain a lot.

If it were my house, I would paint every wall that is connected the same color. I dislike accent walls, think they're contrived unless they serve a purpose (which is rare.)

The background color of the pillow being close to the Roman shades is a good thing. Remember, you're trying to get some continuity in the room.

Here is my advice. Get a pillow like that one, or something similar, and start assembling the room using that as your starting point. Don't get distracted by a lot of pillows yet. Those are easy to find even if you have to have them made.

Look for a rug that has some of the colors in the pillow. Here is an example http://www.owsphinx.com/catalo...collection%3Dmontego Contrary to popular belief, every pattern in the room does not have to have all the colors of each item.

Thanks Cavin!!!! So, it would be ok to have a rug like one of the aqua blue ones on top of my speckled brown carpet? I will start with the pillows and see from there and post a picture of an update and go from there.
Thanks!!!

You've gotten some wonderful advice, already. I cannot add much except that your furniture collection would look better broken up. Perhaps you can relocate one of the leather arm chairs to another room and replace it with a slightly smaller upholstered arm chair, perhaps a slipper chair without arms, for the living room.

In any event, here is a picture of a room with your style of leather furniture that also reads youthful and elegant. Perhaps it will give you some ideas:

One more photo. Note how the rug anchors the furniture.

Is there a site online where I can upload a picture of my room and play with different area rugs, pillows, paint, etc?

quote:

I dislike accent walls, think they're contrived unless they serve a purpose (which is rare.)

ITA

I've been following this thread with much interest to see what advice is being given since I have similar leather furniture and dark tables and brown draperies. I find the room to be comfortable, yet a bit drab.

Not that it's perfect by any means, but the use of a lighter color "oriental" wool rug, painting the walls a warm beige and adding some colored accessories really helped.

Like you, I would like to have some more color in the pillows, but they all seem to be too modern, and the furniture is very traditional.

Oh rats, boss just interrupted me and I lost my train of thought.

Be back later.

Ok..so another thought. What if I replaced my couch and loveseat with a solid cream fabric soda and loveseat, keep the dark wood tables, lamps, and dark leather recliner. Then, add color to the pillows and panels. Would that solve a lot of my problems with the feeling of this room?

The room seems heavy ...eliminate the coffee table and see how things feel and perhaps buy a beautiful fern or some fall mums for the other surfaces. I would also eliminate all the small items on the surfaces for a feeling of zen.

Love the fireplace

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CJO,