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Help with this living room

vedazu
10 years ago

I bought my mother's house/my childhood home from my sibs when my mom passed away in May. I have business reasons to go back to this little remote town in Northern Minnesota from time to time and even though I won't be there much, I wanted to get it into nice condition. My mother lived there for 60 years and it hadn't been updated/redecorated for decades. It is an exceptionally well-built house--plaster is still in quite fine condition, and it had a pretty fireplace with black marble hearth that wasn't showing up well with pale walls. So, since I don't have to live there 12 months a year, I decided to get brave. Called Emmett at Fine Paints of Europe and he helped me find a red that I like very much. Local painters did a great job with it, but now, what do I do next? Grey silk curtains? White lace? furniture? The floor was refinished--maple without stain. Here are a couple of pictures and I would really like some ideas. Big picture windows to the right of the fireplace on the front of the house. I think some Hollywood Regency things might suit it. The carpet on the floor is just temporary--keep the noise down...My mother used that Early American thing with Statton furniture, but it is most definitely not compatible with the direction I've been taking in the house. Would appreciate your good advice.

Comments (21)

  • Faux68
    10 years ago

    I will let the forum pros give advice. I just wanted to say that the paint and floors look great. You are off to a fine start.

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Another picture with the piano that will remain there. Facing the back of the house, opposite the picture window.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    Is that red? On my machine it looks bright pink!

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It is red--called Drama Red in FPE, but has a quantity of magenta in it. Different light, different tones--

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    If you google FPE drama red, they have a picture of it that may be more accurate--at least, their photo looks like my room.

  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    10 years ago

    No lace, unless you're going for the cottage look.

    Red drapes would be dramatic with other strong accents.

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago

    That red is absolutely spectacular! I think a geometric or print for the drapes would be pretty going bold if you plan a plain rug or vice versa---bold rug, smaller geometric or print drapes.

  • sc_irish
    10 years ago

    What a beautiful room! And love that the piano is already in position. My first gut feeling was white and black! You could do a comfy white sofa facing the fireplace, maybe flanked by a great chair....black or even a leopard (tiny) print. You might find a fantastic zebra-y type area rug (without the leopard chair) and could still jazz up the sofa with punches of colorful pillows. Since you will not be living there year-round, how about some great white panels from Ikea? Love your mirror and I could see lots of lovely glass candlesticks and vases, etc. Have fun with it! It has a great start.

  • Gooster
    10 years ago

    What a beautiful room and such a bold color choice. I keep trying to push myself to be so bold.

    I'll let the experts guide you, but I've done quite a bit of research on Hollywood Regency and have pinned a ton of rooms. As sc-irish mentioned, black and white are considered a classic combo in HR, and you have the piano and FP already.

    What are you thinking about in terms of seating? You could go all-white or cream and then anchor the space with a graphic white/red geometric rug or pillows. Drapery panels could be white silk or linen with a red grosgrain trim.

    Here's a bedroom example, but you get the general feeling, I think (except with a bit more black)

    [Eclectic Bedroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bedroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_715~s_2104) by Miami Interior Designers & Decorators DKOR Interiors Inc.- Interior Designers Miami, FL

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you all so much for these thoughts--the room looks bigger in pictures than it is--only 22 x 14 and the piano takes up a lot of space. So, my thought is to do four chairs instead of a sofa. I think the animal print--I've seen a few beautiful ones that are elegant and not too edgy--is the way to go for at least a pair of them.
    Keep the ideas coming! So helpful!

  • patty_cakes
    10 years ago

    Here's a little red to maybe help with your decisions.

    Here is a link that might be useful: RED

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm not a designer, although "I know it when I see it." I can't think two or three steps ahead without making mistakes.
    So, my original thought for curtains had been a print, something like Lilac from Scalamandre==I do not know how to turn a web archive into jpeg or something upload able........but now realize it is probably too weak a print to stand next to the red. I had toyed with a one inch red and white silk check, but after I bought a sample, even the carpenter said, "looks too much like the kitchen." Contemporary Geometrics will be a direction I'm not interesting in doing here, and maybe white is too strong a contrast. Red, if I can find a match, maybe will be a good solution. Will grey be too faded? And then, another question. Am I an idiot to think of silk? I made silk curtains in my NJ house years ago. Those on the north side of the house are still good--those on the south, eaten up by the sun after a few years. I'm not up to sewing/dealing with a thousand yards of silk anymore, and wonder how one manages the picture window. Sheers underneath and just panels, or do I need to have a full curtain that can close completely to look correct.......if I do silk,I think the cost would be prohibitive for such a large window.
    Sorry for so many questions.....

  • patty_cakes
    10 years ago

    How about red and brown? Sooooo classy! Love the idea of a print for the drapes. Would something like this work?

    Here is a link that might be useful: this

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm bumping this back up and hope someone can chime in on using grey in this room--bad idea?
    Also, how to handle the picture window--panels enough? Or do I need a full, closing curtain?

  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    10 years ago

    There are plenty of Faux Silk fabrics out there to choose from. Here is something I found on line. Not sure the colors work with your new painted walls, but you can request samples of their fabrics.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Half Price Drapes

  • sc_irish
    10 years ago

    Maybe you could show us a picture of your 'picture window' so we might have a better idea (as I tilt my head sideways to view the pics you have already shown us). I'm not 'feeling' the gray as yet....mostly because of the dramatic red, classic fireplace and beautiful floors....and the black piano. Whatever you use, I feel it would need to be full, very full. And since you mentioned you wouldn't be there year-round, I would think you'd feel better pulling them closed when you are away. Therefore, surely they need to be lined. - Maybe combined with a photo of your window.....and an idea of the gray you are thinking about....we could better lead you to your vision.

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you again for taking the time to think about this. I've attached a photo of half of the picture window--it takes the whole wall but you can at least see the height of it.
    The grey I was thinking about would be medium to light color, with enough reflective properties to make it silvery in the light. Stripes are a thought, certainly--and I have absolutely no idea why the photo reads sideways--it shows up correctly in the original image.....Sorry! BTW, for chintz lovers, that's Clarence House Robin on the sofa. Always loved that. Gone to my brother!

  • petepie
    10 years ago

    The statton furniture could be pretty valuable, it's high quality solid cherry. So you may want to keep a few pieces and update around them

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Petepie: I realize now that I sounded dismissive of the Statton furniture in my original post. I recognize that it is very good quality and will use it in other rooms. All the bedrooms are Statton, for example, so I can use extra pieces there, and in a family room. I just wanted to change the look of the living room, particularly. We were such good children--it is all in such good condition!

  • petepie
    10 years ago

    Hope I didn't come across as a know it all! I was just thinking that you could get some money for the Statton and then buy what you want. So you probably would not want to refinish it, paint it etc. since there is a pretty strong market for high quality traditional furniture in good shape.

  • vedazu
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    No, Petepie--not a know-it all , at all! I just meant that I didn't want to have an Early American living room. Five siblings, and everyone took some of the Statton, but I got the bedrooms--and the poster beds and dressers are lovely. I wasn't kidding when I tell you the furniture is actually quite pristine. My mother skimped and saved to buy it, piece by piece. She wasn't going to have a tribe of bandit children destroying her house. And although I might paint a piece of mahogany of no particular provenance, I wouldn't dream of painting cherry. No, it will have its place.