Huge decorating job to do... need suggestions.

[FairFriday]

We have been waiting for some building work to be done before redecorating - hooray! It will be completed by spring and the pace is looking very tired.

Kitchen and bathroom are fine - just need a lick of paint and a few new hinges, but the living room, hall and bedrooms need a good working over.

The flat is a very typical 1950s (it must have been amazing when it was first built) - so smallish boxy rooms and parquet floor.

I am willing to just start again - the sofas are getting to the end of their life and we need to get rid of the bedroom chest of drawers and get some tall cupboards in there...

I do like the 50s ‘look’ - smaller sized furniture, wooden legs, clean lines, undisputed prints... I’m a kid of the 70s so can see a lot of my childhood styles there from growing up!

We also have a tonne of books and have seen some shelves that go over doorways so want to get some of these up too (we have piles of books everywhere!

Cost wise - not zillions but I have some money from an inheritance - I’m sure mum would heartily approve of me doing something like this with it!

Where to start, oh wise ones?

I've just started a similar makeover. I invested part of my money in an interior designer who has been brilliant, all done virtually. It's saved me tons of money and she has cone up with some really interesting ideas.
I'm working on a mid century ish style.

How do you find one?

flooring - do you have parquet eveyrwhere? What colour? Dark? pale? It might effect your other colour choices.

Then I would start with something you love. Sofa, or curtains or a picture. Something you really liek and use it as the basis. So, for example, we inherited great sofas from my brother, they are dark red, so that was my base colour and then I started looking for curtains. I quickly realised that I didn't liek the style of most of them, which took me down rabbity holes until I found ones I liked, which went with the red sofas.
Then using the curtains, which had a cream background, I started to work out which paint to put on the walls.

I doubt if red would be your colour the sound of it, but the process is the same.

The flooring is throughout and a mid-brown colour. I guess it needs sanding and re-sealing. I have an amazing antique sofa but I think he might have to go - it’s bloody massive and goes with nothing. I will miss the carved ‘head’ on it though!

Nooooo! Show us the sofa!

This isn’t it but is very similar. Mine has a ‘footer’ and casters on its feet. Is also deeper - about 8 foot long.

Oh no pic? 😖

Oh goodness, you must keep that! No question.

It’s a bloody behemoth! It takes up the whole space on a wall (in between doors etc). I love the carvings though (eagles heads).

And don't worry if it doesn't "go"; you aren't creating a mid-century theme park, it's your home!

Haha true! Its a monster though.

This is an absolutely brilliant design blog to check out for ideas. I can get lost in it for HOURS!

You can always get the sofa/chaise reupholstered so it does go. Not necessarily cheap though as will take a lot of fabric....

One thing she says that I really agree with is to GO LARGE with rugs if you want to use them to help zone your space.

Charity shops and Facebook marketplace are your friend for bits of furniture like side tables etc. Furniture actually from mid century era seems to be much better made than modern furniture in that style. I have a Victorian house so it wouldn’t suit but I often see bits on our local Facebook marketplace , or in a fab local vintage charity shop which are really cheap. Also Etsy have upcycled furniture - some fantastic sideboards for instance

We have large rugs too. Flipping huge ones that we can’t really get rid of.

The chaise does need reupholstering - but bit it’s been loved and used/abused.

Could you do something like this?

Lovely - sadly we are tight for space and there is no ‘spare’ going!

The difference between off the shelf design and an interior designer is that they find those unusual things to take an nice but ordinary room to a unique and personal room.

Your sofa fits that bill.
So what colour is it, and could you/do you want to reupholster?

Same with those rugs, what colour?

Even if they are neutral, what neutral? beige? cream? grey?

Then start looking at colours eg
cream sofa,
mid brown floors
coffee and cream rug.

That is your starting point. So what goes with that?
All neutrals, so only find things in those colours? Or find a contrast colour that will set off the neutrals

and (bit controversial this)
If it isn't an antique, just well loved, would you paint it?
Change the dark brown legs for black/gold/silver/bright red

I love the programme where they recycle things heading for the tip, and they often paint mid century furniture. I always cringe when they say it but 90% of the time it looks amazing when done, so much better than leaving it.

On the same note, you could upholster in elegant cream. Or you could go for a bold pattern, something unusual, and then use that as the base for the rest.

Ah - chaise same colour as pic and rugs are traditional Persians.

@FairFriday

Ah - chaise same colour as pic and rugs are traditional Persians.

colour of rugs?

Mostly blue (dark) with burgundy and white. Traditional pattern.

that is your colour base then.

You will need to work hard to make it more mid century with those rugs and sofa though. (nice, just not very mid century)

I think maybe just a nod to the 1950s with a (painted?) sideboard, and maybe a lamp or two would work.