Wow those 2 swatches look different in both pictures....is one more true to life than the other? I'm thinking I'm erring toward the darker one, except in the first pic it looks so red.

I know you didn't ask, but when I look at the pic, the recess above the fp looks very dark. Is there anyway to add a couple of puck lights in there?

I noticed that it looked red in the pic too, I was having difficulty with many of the swatches I picked up reading red, and this was one that didn't so maybe the way the light was hitting it. I had the overheads on for the pic since it was taken at night. I rarely, if ever, use the overheads.

The the recess above the fireplace is an entirely other project. What is there now was put there the day we unpacked and not thought about since. Once I see what direction the furniture goes I will address it. There is power up there, so a light could certainly be added. But I worry that I will never turn it on because I favor the soft light of lamps. Obviously it was meant for TV/components but that won't work for me.

What about this?
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i was playing around with a stripe that I found on Joann.com when I tried a different approach, and found this on Fabricguru.com

Here is a link that might be useful: FabricGuru

more photoshop - after doing this I think I might like the stripe better - but really, whatever you think you might like on the web, order a yard to put into the room and look at with the other elements.
AND where is that naked french door?

This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Thu, Nov 21, 13 at 23:49

Here are the naked french doors{{!gwi}}

I like the fabric, particularly because it has some blue as well.But them simple stripe is nice too

I really like the yellow chairs with the dark brown legs and how it works with that dark brown sofa in your picture. Is there a leather in a darker brown tone that you like? I don't think the lighter leather goes as well with the yellow fabric.

The yellow fabric's pattern is quarrelling with the rug ... and I really like the rug. It's too close in size to be a scale contrast, but not close enough in color to blend or far enough away to contrast.

The striped panels with a maize or honey colored sheer to match the chairs under them, and the same sheer on the French doors as shirred view controllers?

I like the darker sofa...it will contrast nicely with the light chairs..and it will also pick up the dark trim on the chairs. I think the rug is really pretty....Im just not sure how it will play against yellow.

Have you thought of having the chairs flank the fireplace and have the sofa across from them where the chairs are now? Then put a chest or buffet under the picture where the sofa is now.

It's a lovely, cozy space!

Kellie, this is an exercise for me in finding what works, and fabric and WT's my thing.
I found these really quickly on line, because I went looking for a chevron, a stripe, an ikat, and a toile.
the mock up was quick since I've learned how...it was a long learning process.
anyway, which way you go is a matter of taste.
So if you like the ikat best you can shop ikats for color and scale, if you decide a stripe, it's easy....and so on. Then it's on to swatching for color and scale, and that needs to be IRL

Mlweaving-great ideas. So nice of you!

i like the yellow chairs!! (though don't know if they're too light with pets, etc) and the bird fabric as throw pillows on the chairs might look nice. the yellow as drapes is just too much yellow, imo.
i think a fabric that includes yellow, brown and other color/s like mlweaving showed (or maybe even the peacock feathery one you showed in the other thread?? would have to see it) would look best for drapes and pillows on the couch. so many possibilities! i definitely like a darker leather best!

Are the new chairs the same scale as what is already in your room? Or are they smaller....

Could you post a photo of the TV wall?

Also - what about the sofa - is that the same depth of what you already have in the room?

I'm asking all of these questions because I'd love to see your sofa moved out from the wall with a narrow sofa table back there.

We had a narrow one (11 inches wide by 8 feet long) made for our space - and have two tall lamps on it. Gives height to that space as well as that nice soft light that you like from table lamps.

But you may not have the room for it....

I also prefer the darker leather. Love the yellow/gold chairs as well. I'll chime in later about the fabric. That's always the hardest, I think.

So far so good! Love your look.

Janice, if you click on a photo, you can see that wall and a few other perspectives of the room.

Kellie, do you have a new floor plan worked out? What bothers me about the current arrangement is the sofa crammed against the fireplace wall and the busy corner of tables and chairs near the peninsula. I might think about putting the sofa on the peninsula side. I think the back of the sofa would be more pleasing to look at from the kitchen than a line-up of chairs and tables.

Grrr....I typed up a long response while on my lunch break at work and LOST IT.

here is the short version. Everybody likes the darker fabric which is awesome because it is my favorite. I'll break it to my husband that he is overruled. Glad the yellow looks ok because now I kind of have my heart set.

I appreciate the fabric suggestions and am mulling them over. I like swirly but think that the stripes fight less with the carpet. I wonder if there is a happy medium somewhere.....

regarding the layout....YES to the sofa table. I mentioned that to the salesperson when she came by this week. I want to add some color to that side of the room since the artwork is so monotone and moody (but has sentimental value so will stay). I don't have a "layout" per se, but now that I have a loose idea of what pieces I am considering will try to figure out one of those online room design software things that everybody has been using.

Here is the view of the TV wall

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I'll type more later!

Kellie, I see you have a prior thread about the room layout. I'll link it for anyone interested and take my suggestion over there.

Here is a link that might be useful: layout

I got around to doing a floor plan to the best of my ability so if anybody has ideas on how this may be laid out better, toss them at me. I'm not sure if I should also update the other since it is more layout specific, but worry about having hit my quota for active threads!

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Here is an alternate floorplan based on may flowers (and a few others) recommendation to try a sectional rather than sofa and chairs. I have been opposed to a sectional, but can see how it would be a good option for the room
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I like the sectional - seems to be the best fit for the size and function of your room.

Do you primarily watch TV in the room? If so, the sectional only gives one person (or 2 sitting very close to each other) good viewing. I'm thinking the sofa and two chairs would be better for multiple tV viewers, especially if the two chairs were swivel chairs.

This is our primary TV watching spot. It is also our reading, eating, hanging out, entertaining, whatever spot. I am not exaggerating when I say that 90% of our non-sleeping home time is done in this room (well in combo with the kitchen). I showed my husband the options and he favors the original idea of two chairs and sofa even though it is more visually cluttered (I'll start calling that cozy). His thought, which is valid, is if we do have friends over the sectional is more restricting since guest tend not to sit in the corner. This is a very small sectional, so I could go a bit bigger. To be honest, I don't like the BY sectionals as much as I like the sofa we selected....so there is that.

And another option for layout. This is using the Sam Moore loveseat as below.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Loveseat

You want that sofa!

How is the arrangement working out for you with the sofa floating? If that works, I'd consider getting a loveseat for the short wall opposite the TV. It looked good in the previous owners' photo. I had my chairs, table, and lamp pushed against a wall like you have now and never liked the arrangement. It is much cleaner with a sofa and artwork over it and table and lamps off to the sides. Use a round table in the corner created by the sofa and loveseat and an end table at the other end of the loveseat.

You can still bring in plenty of fabrics with pillows, throws, and curtains. You could also do an upholstered ottoman, which gives you more seating. It's not comfortable for TV watching, but people can sit on the floor and lean back against it.

We cross-posted! If I had been a faster and not distracted typer, I could have saved myself a lot of time and just said:

I like it!!!

I think a more textured fabric would work better for your window treatments. Perhaps a linen aka Martha Stewart Hampton design. I'd stay away from repeating any form of yellow in the treatment and lean towards a neutral tan or light gray keeping the texture as the warmth factor.

I think it's much more comfortable for guests to sit in their own chair than be squished next to each other on a loveseat...especially if they don't know each other very well. I would select furniture that functions well for your family and let go of what is the most visually appealing. So what if it's a little visually cluttered. If it doesn't function well for you then what's the point?

I still like the sofa table behind the sofa, and agree that even though it's more cluttered you have to furnish for the way you live.
For function I like the first floor plan you posted.

I'm doing the same thing, cluttering up a small room, I'm going with 2 chairs w ottomans - that library. I don't want to use recliners even though they would be much less cluttered. I want that ottoman, and it's really only us who'll use that room.

you know, if you're worried about the yellow chairs not doing well with the dogs, you could do them in a pale yellowy leather. Look at all those rooms where all the furniture was leather, just in different colors of leather. Yellow leather will survive the dogs just fine I would think.

If you choose layout #1, you could be a third chair in the corner where you have a plant. There is a chair in that spot in #2 & #3. It wouldn't function as a TV watching chair but would be a 3rd seat for company. Just a thought.

Sofa and two chairs seat four with space between on the sofa. Sofa and love seat also seats four with Kellie and hubby sharing the loveseat and guests on ends of sofa. Sofa, loveseat, and chair seats five.

What was the purpose of the sofa table between the sofa and wall?

The sofa table was just an area to place a lamp and couple of more colorful objects. I love the pic on that wall for sentimental reasons, but it is dark and moody so adding some color would be nice. Of course I could also do that with curtain panels, pillows, and throws.

OK, so I went over the options with my husband, and he really likes the option of sofa and loveseat. Turns out that I can get a loveseat in the same style as the sofa. If we did that the sales person was recommending that we get it in the same leather. I can't tell if that will be too matchy matchy or visually read similar to a sectional but without that corner that I just fnd problematic. From a functional standpoint it would be great because I was worried about picking a fabric that would work best with the dogs and all of there hair. Then we would just do a chair back in the corner by the TV. We found an inexpensive one that is small and comfortable (linked below).

But now I am unsure of fabric for the chair. If I pick a new color will that just look plopped in with no reference to anywhere else in the room? Can I add enough of that accent color with pillows and throws and curtains to make it make sense? Am I making a mistake with all that leather? Could paint color make a difference? Should I just do a more monotone restful and cozy room?

Here is the layout with the dimensions of the sofa/loveseat/chair
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Anyway, without further ado, here are a wide variety of fabric samples that we picked up, having no idea which direction we wanted to go:
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Here is a link that might be useful: Chair

Everything seems to fit well and there's plenty of walking space around the room. So the sofa will fit against the wall without pushing it up against the fireplace wall? I thought you might need to put the loveseat there.

I'm not going to dive into the fabrics, but will give my opinion on the sofa and loveseat. I always saw them as both leather. It's a small room with a lot going on, so that will provide a calm background. You have three windows that need curtains, a patterned rug, a chair, a display niche over the fireplace, and you might consider an upholstered ottoman. So plenty of interest imo.

I think a buttery yellow leather would look great with your brown leather. I honestly don't think that two or three leathers is necessarily too much. You plan on a large fabric ottoman right? That will give you a chance to add textural interest and also give you added seating if you have a houseful of company. You will also add pillows for more color, more texture. Even your lamp shades add texture as well as wood frames on art work. My old furniture in this room was a sofa, love seat, and chair and ottoman all in the same color leather. I hated the style and hated that it was all one color. The new room is leather sofa, two leather chairs both a different color than the sofa and two upholstered patterned chairs. It is a lot of leather but I love how it looks together now that I have had time to get used to it. It also strikes me that it is best to decorate around the way you live. Leather is definitely not a hair magnet like fabric is. I think your room is going to be gorgeous. Marj came up with some very lovely options.

Unfortunately with a sofa and loveseat our leather budget is pretty much used up, plus a chair in that corner won't be used much so we are looking at a fabric and a more budget friendly chair.

Here are close ups of the fabrics that I think work best.

Call me tacky, but my love of animal prints knows no bounds
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These red tones would be fitting with other elements visible from that room (DR wall, stools)
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Very subtle print, maybe boring
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Yellow that I want to work, but don't know if it does. Do you guys think that the yellow makes the carpet look dingy? I kind of think that it might
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And I love the combo of blue with brown, but incorporating the blue could be tricky
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And I was thinking of an ottoman until I saw this coffee table and now I want something similar. Anybody have any ideas where to source something like this?

[Contemporary Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by Birmingham Interior Designers & Decorators Jeffrey King Interiors

Here is a link that might be useful: [Coffee table with ottomans[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/adelson-contemporary-family-room-detroit-phvw-vp~1780364)

I like the blue fabric the best with your rug. The yellow is my least favorite with your rug. It fights the beige from your rug.

I do think that the blue is pretty, I tend to favor blues anyway. If it wen't for the rug and the general "browness" of the kitchen, cool colors such as grays and blues would likely have been the direction that I would go. But instead I will be trying to fit a blue in when everything else in view of the room is more warm colors. The leather that we are 90% sure on is a warm brown too. If I go with blue, I'll have to figure out how to best incorporate the blues into the room since as of right now, it would just be the chair. Obviously window treatments and pillows, but would that be enough?

IMHO yes, if you pick pillows and drapery fabric that incorporate a blue it'll be enough to reference a solid blue chair.
That stripe up above ties together a brown, blue and yellow. I'd be tempted to find the WT fabric first, then look for a solid blue, grey-blue, whatever works best for a chair.

In looking at window treatments online, I have discovered that I am drawn to stribes, but I like them wide and horizontal. Of course a wide stripe may not be quite as forgiving of color mismatches! And it may make the ceiling feel lower too. Of course, since I am going for cozy, maybe that isn't such a bad thing.

Maybe something like this?

A more vibrant blue looks great with the brown too, like in this picture. I wish I had that rug.

Last year someone here suggested a blog called House of Turquoise for all shades of blue. There's tons of photos. What I like about it is she has categorized blues and other colors. If you scroll down past the blog dates, you'll see Turquoise and Brown, Turquoise and Red, etc. That might give you a feel of what shade of blue you like and what accent colors to use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue!!!!

Thank you for that! I just spent some time going through and think that the turquoise and brown may be a little jarring for my taste. I find the lighter tones more restful. I also revisited another fabric sample I have which is a navy velvet. Any thoughts on this one?
{{!gwi}}

I'm linking a Houzz example with similar colors, but of course it also has sky high ceilings in a huge living space so hard to envision in a smaller scale.

Here is a link that might be useful: [Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/client-home-gull-lake-mi-traditional-living-room-grand-rapids-phvw-vp~1636517)

Interesting to see a darker blue paired with brown. It feels a little more sophisticated than the other fabrics. Are you preferring not to do the chair in a pattern?

I really like the blue chairs in the link. It's a gorgeous color and seems to work well with brown. It's a little brighter than the navy, though not quite a royal blue? Royal blue seems old-fashioned, and those chairs don't give that appearance at all.

Should be a fun journey to find the perfect fabric. Maybe not so much for you, but for us. ;)

Yes, that room is all sorts of gorgeous sophistication, but again, when I look at many of the Houzz pics, I can never tell if what I am responding to is the elements themselves in a fabulous space or the overall space itself.

And this journey isn't quite so fun for me! I confuse myself every day.

Point in case, what do you think of something like his chair with a bit of wood around the frame for that corner? Not necessarily in ivory, but I am thinking that the wood frame helps to tie it into the colors in the rug and the sofa, so the addition of another color there wouldn't seem so random. But maybe the style is completely off (disclaimer - I love love love the style) Of course this chair is solid walnut and thousands of dollars, but if I decide I like it perhaps I can find a more reasonable similar option.

that chair is awesome! I like mixing styles, but I'm not sure the chair mixes well with the more traditional leather sofa. But it's hard to tell from a mood board. I'd probably bring in some color with the chair since the sofa is brown and the rug is also brown/cream.

who's the manufacturer of the chair?

I would definitely want to add in a color to the room as I love color and am having issues finding a way to make it "fit". I also am not sure the style fits with what I have, but I would love for it to work as I think that the size and style is just perfect, but agree that it may not mix perfectly.

I think the manufacturer is American Leather and style is called the Aaron chair. It comes in any awesome color that you would want (I like the Moxie Electric Blue!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Chair

I like the chair a lot - and LOVE the color you are considering.

It may be on the modern side for your traditional nail head sofa - but then again, your rug is kind of contemporary. I think it can all work well - you just have to trust yourself. :)

Well, unless anybody has suggestions on how to get that chair at a fraction of the price, it may not be a realistic option for me! I don't even need solid walnut! I may hit up the crowd here to see if anybody can offer any ideas on where to pick that up.

On another note, I also really like this pillow that is currently on One Kings Lane. So tempted to buy it and just work around it since I am already contemplating the blue/brown thing.....and that would take me back to the cheap cheap cheap blue velvet chair.