Design Dilemma: Space Above the Sofa

 

You all—I loved reading your comments yesterday about how you do laundry.  Some great advice that I plan on putting together in a follow up post soon.  I’m impressed by how many of you have “systems” in place.  I need to get with the program.

 

So, onto the topic of the day. . . I get lots of emails asking for design advice and unfortunately, I just can’t answer all of them.  I would like to, but I have laundry to do, you know! :)  Although I don’t have the time to specifically source items for people, I would at least like to post about some of the same design dilemmas I see over and over again and to hopefully offer up some general advice. 

 

 

A reader recently sent me pictures of this apartment that’s she’s renting and the vast space above her sofa that’s calling for art. . . or something grand.

 

 

Big walls are scary things to tackle.  One of the biggest mistakes I see is hanging something that’s too small and actually makes the wall look more awkward.  If you have one of these huge “above the sofa” walls, here are some possible options:

 

 

Think about a new room layout first.

 

 House & Home

 

I’m not always the biggest fan of placing a sofa against a wall anyway, but sometimes there’s no other choice.  Before you start hanging things on the wall, think about all of your furniture arrangement options.  Could you put the sofa in the middle of the room and create a vignette (a small chest and pretty mirror with some lamps, for example) on that big wall instead?   When thinking about your layout, remember that furniture can be pulled in closer than you think for a cozy feel, and it’s okay to put a sofa in front of a  window, or even a sliding glass door if you have the walk-through space.

 

 

When it comes to art, think big!

 

 the living room in our last house

 

In our last house, I used this abstract painting (a Craigslist find) to fill the wall behind the sofa, almost up to the ceiling.  It made the ceilings look taller and became the centerpiece of the room.  A similar look could be achieved by buying big canvases at a craft store and using some acrylic paints to bring out the colors of your room.  (Btw, it’s okay to leave a lot of white space on the canvas and if you want a more muted look, spray with water to dilute colors as you paint, letting each coat dry before you go onto the next color.)  Or, if you’re not feeling artistic, cover the canvases in a pretty fabric.

 

Apartment Therapy

 

On a side note, I also like the look of wall lamps flanking art.  They also help to fill visual space are provide great task lighting.  It also allows you to forego bulky side tables if you don’t really need them.

 

 

Create a gallery wall for a big impact.

 

Angella Eisman Design

 

You know I’m a fan of big collections on the wall.  It always makes a big impact visually and can be accomplished even on a small budget, if you’re creative.  I love the look of mismatched art and frames, but if you don’t have a huge collection of art or are scared of finding the right arrangement, a nice symmetrical collection, using the same frames and prints from the same book of art, works as well. 

 

 house tour via Little Green Notebook

 

 

Lean art behind the sofa.

 

DwellStudio

 

This is a great trick if you have an extra foot or so of space.  Pull your sofa out from the wall, and place a piece of furniture behind it.  Lean a large piece of art and add accessories and even lamps.  This gives some nice depth to the room (and if you’re a renter, you’re not committed to nail holes in your wall).

 

 

Open the room up with a floor mirror.

 

 

 Toronto Interior Design Group

 

Leaning a large mirror behind your sofa is like adding another doorway into another (imaginary) room—and much cheaper than a renovation!  It completely opens up the space, and there’s still room for art on both sides. 

 

Any other good advice?  Or, if you have an example of how you’ve tackled a similar wall, I’d love for you to upload a photo (and a link if you have one) to my Facebook page. 

 

How Do You Do LAUNDRY?

 

I’m hoping we can have a little meeting of the minds today.  With the arrival of the twins quickly approaching, I’m feeling the need to bring some organization into our house—fast.  One area that could use some improvement is our laundry situation.  This is how thrilled I currently feel about the whole process:

 

image source

 

 

It’s tedious, spanning over several days and by the time I’m finished, it’s time to start again. 

 

free printable here

 

 

I confess I’m not a laundry sorter.  I don’t sort by color, I don’t sort by kid.  It’s all thrown together, which makes the folding process a chore in itself.  Little white socks are my worst enemy.  With five kids, I’m wondering if each one should have his/her own basket, and then I wash just that kid’s clothes when individual basket is full. . .

 

 

The Container Store

 

 

I also don’t have a designated laundry day.  It’s more like survival mode.  When you’re out of underwear, momma washes your underwear.  (Although I’m looking for good advice, please tell me I’m not alone!)

 

Ken Gemes Interiors

 

 

I’m lucky to have good storage in our laundry room, but I’m definitely not taking advantage of it.  Reorganizing those cabinets is also on the “to-do” list.

 

 

Better Homes & Gardens

 

Alright, those are my laundry confessions.  Feel free to share yours, or any great tips you have for becoming a more efficient “laundress.”  I would be especially interested to hear from those of you with multiple children if you’ve got this all figured out. . .

 

Our Foyer: Progress and Plans

 

The last time I showed you a picture of our entry, it was in pretty sad shape.  Empty frames and of course, that dresser in front of the vent had many of you worried. . . .

 

 

 

 

 

So, I’ve done a little rearranging and here’s what it looks like now:

 

 

 

Yes, you can see the vent.  I’m working to get over that.  But, I think the pair of ottomans help some.  I just hate the leather, so I have a plan to have some tailored skirts made for them, kind of like the ones shown here:

 

 Meg Adams Interior Design via Houzz

 

 

I finally got those empty frames filled.  I bought the frames from Michaels and ordered custom mats from an Ebay seller.   A friend gave me this book for Christmas, which I promptly cut apart for the wall :)

 

 

 

 

 

On a side note, a handyman that I’ve worked with on some client installs gave me this little tip for gallery walls.  To keep frames straight and from shifting around, use these little rubber cabinet bumpers on the back, bottom edges of the frames.

 

 

 

 

The lamps are from HomeGoods, and I added a little color this week with some Spring blooms from our yard.

 

You can see from this picture that it’s a pretty big space.  (In fact, we’ll probably end up putting a piano here if we decide to get one down the road.  Right now, my kids play school in this spot a lot.)  Here’s how I’m hoping to finish it:

 

 

Creating a Man Cave Even a Girl Could Love

 

I just completed my most recent ideabook for Houzz.  Since our own house has been all abuzz with basketball lately, I decided to put together a list of fun products that I might use if I were decorating a designated man room. . .It’s fun to dream, right? 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the items I included was this navy Chesterfield sofa.  It’s just $999 (and a loveseat option is available, as well).  A similar version first caught my eye in this month’s Country Living.  I just liked the whole feel of this room:

 

Country Living

This is definitely not a man cave, but isn’t it a great, collected space?

 

Check out my ideabook here.

Spring Showers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even if your weekend isn’t sunny, hope it’s lots of fun!

 

My Latest IKEA Purchase

 

Ever since we moved our Christmas tree out and rearranged our furniture, we’ve had a wide open corner of the living room just begging for a comfy chair.  Trying to assure it would be approved by “the budget committee”, I went in search of a deal.  This is what I found:

 

 

I studied it online for a long time, trying to decide if it would look tailored or more like it belonged in a dorm room.  What I did like about it was that it was white and slipcovered (aka: washable).  I went to IKEA still having my doubts that this chair would be at all comfortable, and I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

The other plus?  It’s wide enough that I, and one kid, can comfortably sit together in it.  I’m still playing around with pillows and would like to add a throw, but I definitely think it was $200 well spent. 

 

If you don’t like the white, there are lots of other slipcover options available that you can buy separately.  (Another plus--if I want to change things up later.)

 

Anybody else have this chair? (Or know of other chairs at great prices that we should know about?)

 

Send Me a Picture: The Last Thing I Hung On My Wall

 

For this month’s installment of my “Send Me a Picture” series, I asked several bloggers to share what they last hung on their wall.  (After all, aren’t we always hanging and re-hanging things around our houses?)

 

SEND ME A PICTURE:

The Last Thing I Hung On My Wall

 

 

 

My latest addition to my shopping bag art wall in my bedroom - my Chanel bag. For me, the experience of shopping in a designer boutique is as exciting as the item itself and what better way to keep that feeling going than by displaying the bags that those beautiful items came home in. I may not wear the Chanel shoes everyday, but the bag acts as a wonderful memory of that day.

Lisa Roy, Lisa Roy blog

 

 

 

 

The last items I hung on my wall weren't really "hung" but are instead leaned up against the wall... You may have seen my blog sales for original art by both Sally King Benedict and Kate Long Stevenson. Well these are two pieces I got from those sales. The small abstract on the table is Kate's and the face painting is Sally's. I so love them both.

Chassity, Look Linger Love

 

 

 

 

The last thing I hung on my wall was a whole series of pictures to create a gallery wall in our family room. It is full of art created by my children, and from other artists, posters, photographs and a vintage "M" that was used in a gas station. It runs the whole length of the wall tying the sofa in with the small computer desk in the corner. It also helps balance out the large bookcase/TV centre across the room. There is no rhyme or reason to the arrangement, I just had fun playing with the shapes and sizes to create a pleasing arrangement, one that makes me smile every time I am in the room!

Barbara, hodge:podge

 

 

 

I leave the "serious art" to museums. I think art should reflect a bit of your personality and everyone knows I love monkeying around. I found this painting on eBay for ridiculously cheap and instantly fell in love with the artist's tongue-in-cheek reference to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. I hung it as part of a small seating vignette in my guest room and it is consistently the thing that my overnight guests love the most about the room.

Courtney Lake, Courtney Out Loud

 

 

 

The last thing I hung on my wall was this trio of Lilian frames found on clearance at Pottery Barn. I loved the gold trim mixed with the rustic frame and linen matte and knew they would be perfect for our master bedroom work in progress. The artwork was torn from a book called Insects of Surinam by Maria Sibylla Merian.

Londen, Sixty-Fifth Avenue

 

 

 

The last thing I hung on my wall in our newest home was the start of a little gallery in my walk-in closet. I wanted to incorporate images of the people I love most in this world so I can start everyday with a reminder of how truly blessed I am. There are still a few frames to add so I can finish it off, like everything in this home it seems to be a work in progress, but so far I am loving it.

Melissa, Veranda Interiors

 

 

Want to share your own photo?  Upload it to my Facebook page with a short description :)

You can see previous “Send Me a Picture” posts here.

 

 

PS—Announcing the winner of the Hart to Hart Digital Photography giveaway on my Facebook page later today.  Go here to enter!

Interiors Inc. on HGTV

 

Are you all watching the new show Interiors Inc.  on HGTV?  It follows the design firm Pierce & Co. located in Nashville, Tennessee.  Although a lot of the nitty-gritty details are left out of the design process (budgets, problems, difficult clients, etc.), I do enjoy watching their plans come to fruition, and their work is really well done.

 

(This is the episode where they designed a new place for LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian.  Don’t get me started.  Their apartment turned out really nice, though. . .)

 

 

Here are a few portfolio shots from their web site:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, while I was googling Pierce & Co. to find out more about them, I discovered that the firm’s owner, Jonathan, was a Christian recording artist in the nineties.  Interesting. . .

 

 

 

Have you seen the show? What do you think about it?

 

Framed Placemats

 

A couple of months ago I won a giveaway on Rene’s blog for some cute burlap placemats from her Etsy shop:

 

photo via Cottage and Vine

 

 

Since I knew they were destined to get trashed on our table, I opted to frame them for our kitchen instead:

 

 

 

 

 

I used inexpensive frames (with mats) from IKEA. I love the texture and simplicity of the placemats. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another note, my sweet church friends threw me a baby shower yesterday.  I felt very special and am so appreciative of them.  And, I had to share a picture of these onesies that we received.  If you’ve seen pictures of my girls, you know these are perfect for my babies :)

 

 

Happy Monday!,