Please help me with my living room

[ChooksAndBooks]

We moved house and basically put all of our old living room furniture into our new living room.

We can't afford new sofas or furniture right now but I feel like I could do more or something different with accessories to make it a bit nicer.

I'll put my hands up and say interior design is not my thing! So please go easy on me. Also please excuse the kids toys and fireguard!

It's an old farmhouse so I don't want anything too modern. It has big windows and gets a good amount of light. It's a good size and has wooden floors.

I don't have a massive budget, hundreds rather than thousands. I know something isn't right about it. I just don't know how to fix it.

Thanks again everyone.

What type of pictures frames would suit better?

I'm not keen on the picture over the sofa but my DH brought it home and loves it.

Also, a very small thing (perhaps this should go in Pedants' Corner ), but your sofas would look nice with the front two legs on the rug.

The picture is quite muddy in tone. It would look better on a strong colour of wall, but I know you're not keen on that. Perhaps it would look less lost when it's hung lower.

Could you find a different place in your house (or garage ) for the picture? Looking again at your photos, the portrait picture between the door and the window looks great, as it's a nice scale in relation to the stretch of wall it's on. I think above the sofa it would look better to have a group of, say, four pictures of similar tones.

It's a lovely room. What is the colour on the walls atm? Agree with PP that F&B Light Blue would work (get them copied by Valspar (B&Q) or Johnstones). I've got it in a kitchen diner and it's very easy to live with and looks light sage green to me.

Make some Roman blinds for the windows from some heavy linen - mid blue/grey would work. Lots of plants and maybe a floor lamp somewhere? I can see you have spotlights in the ceilings - never use them. Don't understand why anyone has them anywhere other than a bathroom or kitchen.

I'd go to Ikea for picture frames. I usually just buy Ribba but I'm sure there are some that are a notch up. www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/picture-photo-frames-18746/

You need something on your fireplace at either end - an interesting piece of pottery or something. Habitat have useful stuff here or try TK Maxx for a chunky looking jug or something. And a big mirror would look better.

This kind of look. Look on Etsy for cheap fabrics. And here's how to make one www.idealhome.co.uk/diy-and-decorating/how-to-make-a-roman-blind-craft-idea-85817

I'm going to try and make some this weekend so will see how good these instructions are

You need an accent colour. I agree with the PP who said duck egg would be good. There is a lamp I can see already in that colour. Tie in your rug and window dressings. Maybe just paint the wall around the fireplace if you don't want to paint it all a colour. We did that in our sitting room. The walls are white tie and the fire place wall is rectory red. I would put up blinds as that is my preference. Plants, candles and cushions/throws to soften the look. What about a coffee table for the centre of the rug?

The sofas are really nice, don't think of getting rid of them!
I think, as someone else said, that you need a mirror rather than a picture above the fireplace. I'd put something on the mantelpiece too, flowers or a plant wold add colour if you don't have/want ornaments.

I notice you don't have curtains -is that a choice? Unless you don't like them, I think the room would look cosier with them, but make sure that they can be drawn back beyond the windows. Panting the room would be a relatively inexpensive way to add colour, but I think blues ( as suggested by someone else could make the room feel a bit cold, unless it is a fairly strong colour. Coloured cushions are an easy way to add colour too, maybe you can find some that include the beige of the sofa but add in a stronger, warmer colour as well.

Personally I’d paint the walls. Something like olive green. And I’d get some Roman blinds in a very luxury fabric, like velvet, in a pale old gold colour.

It needs warmth, the cream walls and bare windows are rhe issue.

I would wall mount the tv above the fireplace and ditch the tv stand. Replace it with the chair. The two items are blocking the window.
Remove the rug it looks very grey.
The wooden floor looks a rich golden colour and would warm the room.

Alternatively put the sofas opposite each other (if it wouldn't block the large window.

Greenery in the corners and/or a nice standard lamp with a warm bulb.

I'd paint the walls and get a new rug. You're lucky in that your furniture is quite neutral so will complement lots of shades.

The artwork is too small imo, I like a mirror above a fireplace.

Cushions could bring in the colour of your walls.

Dress the mantel - a trailing plant (I like string of hearts / pearls)… or some candles maybe.

It's a lovely light room. I think paint on the walls will make a huge difference.

What colour would you paint them?

Do all the walls a lovely dark, rich colour, not just one. It creates space because you lose the edges

Your furniture is nice and I think if you get curtains and some new artwork/mirror it will look great

Looking again definitely new rug also and I think everything else looks great

I think wall mounted tvs are a matter of taste - they make the TV very prominent in a room and give you a stiff neck.

I think that soft blues, greens or even plums if there is enough light, on the walls, would make it a lot cosier.

Its a lovely room.
I would invest in good curtains, which will cost a fair bit if you’re not good with a sewing machine. That may take a chunk of your budget but will make it feel much warmer and cosy - especially as you say you all like to be in there in the evening

If you have money left over, add some cushions, a mirror and plants. And moving pictures around as pp mentioned
The lamps on the sideboard are too close together/big for the space I think, and looking at the fireplace, the space will not take a huge mirror if you imagine it with curtains as well, so bear that in mind. Maybe one with a portrait orientation would work?

I was going to say

• inconsistency in artwork on the walls
• either get frames that are similar or as a PP suggested group similar sized pictures together one one wall
• big mirror above fireplace could work too
• the room looks big enough for a colourful statement piece rather than lots of smaller ones
• agree you need to inject some colour via the walls, a rug, window coverings and plants

Terracotta would look great on the walls. It's a gorgeous room.

I find terracotta quite dated, you see it in a lot of homes that haven’t been touched since the eighties. It’s supposed to be making a come back but not in real life.

I painted a room at the weekend in F&B French grey I just colour matched it to Valspar v700 (although I prefer dulux) , if you get matt it’s identical and we are both surprised how much we love the colour.

Something like that with your cream sofas.

Thank you everyone.

I was finding it really overwhelming not knowing where to start with that room, but now I have lots of (your) ideas and I can't wait to get cracking!

I like the room and and the sofas.
I think an olive green on the walls and a jute or sisal rug (large enough to get the front legs of the sofas on) would look good, plus a large brass overmantle mirror.
FInd some large plants and good sized artwork and floor lamps too,
And I agree about curtains.
A linen mix woudl work well, floor length lined curtains or roman blinds, or a mix of both,
Something along these lines maybe?
www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/447193438001575948/

Oh and while the sofas are nice, I would think about replacing the loose cushion covers with plain velvet in olive/gold/rust.This will update it lots.

Ikea can be very good for cheap curtains too, fancy curtains cost a fortune.

YY to a jute or sisal rug if you go with colour on the walls (again, Ikea do v big jute rugs inexpensively). If you decide to be brave with paint, F&B Bancha would look great with your sofas and a jute rug.

La Redoute is good for large rugs, we have a 3m x 2m rug from there, which works well with our two sofas which are positioned like yours.

Plants, plants and more plants

The first thing I'd do is replace the row of windows with French doors out to the back garden!

Then get the Chimney cleaned

I'd put up curtain poles & get some very cosy curtains. (Then I'd get light ones for summer)

Cushions & throws.

Can I move in please....