Sitting room help

[Bluebellsinthewind]

Looking for some much needed help with decorating my sitting room. At the moment it is horrible and I am so embarrassed by it. I don't have a clue where to start. My plan is to empty everything out and completely start from scratch.

Can anyone help 🙏😪

With any space I think you need to start by thinking about what you want from it. How do you use the space? Is it big or small? How much light does it get and when? Does it have a focal point (a fireplace, perhaps, or a window with a nice view)? Does it need storage? How do you want it to feel (warm and cosy, light and airy etc)? Also, of course, think about what you don’t like about it at the moment and why.

And of course with any decorating project you need to work out what your budget is. For a sitting room, the budget is going to determine whether furniture can be replaced or whether it’s about changing the wall colour, perhaps adding storage to hide clutter and rearranging furniture and adding throws and/or cushions etc. Likewise, budget will determine whether you change the main lighting or add some table lamps for ambience.

A big TV can dominate a room but will look less obvious against darker walls. Don’t be scared of colour but keep in mind that it’s cheaper and easier to repaint a wall than to repaper one. Likewise cushion covers are cheap but curtains are expensive.

There’s a lot I’m not keen on about my sitting room but adding more pot plants over the last year or two has made it feel much nicer. Sometimes really simple things can make a huge difference.

Can you post a picture? What do you like? What do you dislike about it?

@Staunchlystarling I don't like anything about it. Nothing matches or flows and its cluttered with too many bits. Will try and post a photo.

@artant we use the space a lot and it's a good size for us. It gets light in the morning but can be dark in the afternoon's. We have good views from the window and a log burner that sits to the left of one wall, not centre if you know what I mean. The log burner isn't built in which I think looks awful. We do need storage and I would like a light and cosy, homely feel. Budget 2K excluding a new sofa. Ideally I would like minimal and a large square/corner sofa. During covid times I added throws, new curtains etc but think I made it worse. I have absolutely no colour condonation or a eye for what matches. I like natural colours.

Here are some photos 😪

Photos

Photos

Not sure why photos are being flagged as sensitive?

It looks like you’re trying to do a lot in that space - working, lounge, drying laundry (we’re the same with one shared living space btw so I sympathize). Are you planning to move the computer somewhere else? Is there anywhere else you can dry laundry? If not it’s fine but maybe there’s a way to zone the room a bit or add some shelves/cupboards to make it easy to put things back (eg dryers) when not in use.

Are you renting/can you add things like shelves?

Ok I see what you mean.

what’s your budget, that’s the next question.

I would get an l shaped sofa to go from the left of the woodburner along and down.

Pair it all white to start off. Get lined curtains. Find somewhere else to dry laundry. Smaller TV table.

What is the white thing beside the desk. If you red all that work stuff - paper etc - can you get some shelving or a cupboard to put it in so it's not lying about? I have an ikea trolley thing I use.

I would try and divide it up a little bit so you don't have everything out all the time, if that makes sense.

If you're not drying laundry, put the airers away, and maybe use bookshelves or furniture to divide the desk off and away from the rest of the room.

I would also add colour - it looks very brown!

Before you start thinking of decoratin can you paly around with the furniture to try and "zone" the areas a bit - eg here is the area where we sit around and here is the area (with the desk) that we work? DO you work from home and use the desk a lot or is it very occasional?

Is there somewhere else that the clothes airer could go? DO you use it often or could you et one that folds away flat to store under the sofa except for the odd time you use it etc etc.

Once you have sorted these issues out you can look at the furniture and see what works and what doesn't and needs replacing.

So if the desk is only used occasionally perhaps look at getting something a bit less functional - some ideas here - https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/small-living-room-desk-ideas-36724278
I like the idea of a vintage desk with drawers that you can slide the laptop into so that in the evening it looks like a side table rather than a desk and can be used as a drinks table if you have friends over. I have this in sitting room with a very large wooden carver armchair as a desk chair that can be turned around to face the room and be part of the seating in the evening.

A friend of mine has a square sofa and an armchair. The TV is hung on a corner so that if she has friends around she puts the armchair under the sofa and a picture on the TV screen so it doesn't feel as if the whole room is set up ust to watch it.

I am a huge fan of using items of furniture (the IKEA Kallax is prime for this) to divide rooms up and to store stuff out of sight. The Kallax you can get baskets to go in each partition, which is what I've done to make a 'false hallway' in my house - all the dog's stuff goes into a basket, boots go in another one, shelves hold books and a lamp and a few decorative objects and it makes a kind of 'wall' behind my sofa, because I'm in a tiny cottage and don't have a hall (front door opens into living room).

And as a pp says, don't be afraid of colour. You can always paint over it if you hate it! It took me a stupidly long time to realise that walls didn't have to be 'that' colour for life!

The thing that jumps out at me is that there's nothing personal in there - everything is functional (the desk, the papers, the clothes airers, etc). There's nothing to soften the space and make it seem homely. Despite the clutter, there's also a lot of blank space (the burner / tv wall) that looks like it's crying out for something more. Either wallpaper (in the sections away from the burner!) to add pattern and texture, or some pictures on the wall. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's very impersonal.

That’s a hard working room given that it’s home to a workspace and the clothes airer as well as being your sitting room. Possibly some sort of storage unit that includes a workspace section that can be closed when you’re not using it? Do you have a place to store the clothes airer when it’s not in use? If not, then hidden storage for that is worth thinking about.

Essentially, if you can, it’d be good if reminders of work and laundry weren’t on view when the time comes to relax.

@Bluebellsinthewind

i can't concentrate on the lounge until you post a better photo of your dog!

🤪

The desk and chair are going. The laundry is getting moved. It's been a bit of a dumping ground the past few years, whilst we have done other rooms. I can add anything to the room. I would like the room to be just a sitting room for relaxing, time with family.

You have all been kind to my shit tip of a sitting room, thank you 😊

@AutumnTimeForCosy24 here you go

Can you afford a new sofa and curtains? I’m afraid I’d also start from scratch op.

Might it be possible to add another window? I know maybe that's a daft question but I often wonder that about houses.

@SchoolyStuff I couldn't put another window in. Our window is big/long. I shut the curtain as the view is outing.

@Staunchlystarling definitely budget for new couch/curtains. Basically the room will be completely empty so a blank canvas/space.

Will you still need a workspace in there when the desk is gone? I like the idea of a bureau

@PiggieWig was going to take away the desk and try and fit in a dinning table. Would love a bureau but think that would be a bit much stuff.