What else can I do to this room?

[happytobemrsg]

I’ve reclaimed the living room. This is going to be my yoga room & my space for peace and quiet.

What else can I add to it to make it more cosy?

Maybe a rug? I want to buy some cushions but I don’t want them to clash with the hypothetical rug. A throw perhaps?

I have a max budget of £150. Please help!!

See the tv position ???????

You could introduce a little peach or pink to contrast with the grey/green

@Holmfirthrita i think I’m your case I would move the rug over to the sofas, at the minute the living part is almost like a hall to the dining area so I would forget about the fireplace as in move the sofas down a bit and try and zone a living area closer to the door if that makes sense x

Yes it does I will try that thx any suggestions about cushions or my blinds x

Ah @happytobemrsg i missed your question, sorry! I agree that peach would be lovely. I personally would stay away from pink because grey/pink was everywhere a while back and is a bit done, I think. Yellow would also be lovely, but not dark/bright/mustardy. Again grey and mustard is a bit...obvious. A really light, pastel yellow would be very nice, I think.

Great transformation so far. You can get a mantle piece to go above the fireplace- the new picture is much better but it still feels a bit bare. The mantle piece would break up the wall, add dimension and warmth. I’ll try to attach a picture

trailing plant to go on your book case, adds colour and looks great. Floor lamp to add some ambience and make the room cost in the evenings

Fireplace mantle

@happytobemrsg

Your new art is still a bit on the small side. It's a nice print though.

I would hang it at least a foot lower.. I'd have the bottom of the frame at the midpoint between the first and second shelves of the shelving unit to the left of the fireplace.

I think something along the lines of the art here might be nice both from the pov of scale and introduction of colour -
www.etsy.com/listing/669288994/large-original-abstract-oil-painting

I think the dark teal and bright fuchsia in the featured painting might be ways for you to incorporate colour into the room if you keep the art you have. A woven throw or one with abstract design featuring these colours might be nice.

There are other art ideas on the same seller -
www.etsy.com/listing/934060952/set-of-paintings-large-original-abstract?ref=ap-listing

@mathanxiety I LOVE that first painting!! It’s stunning!! I wish I knew how to photoshop it into the photo of my lounge so I’d get a better idea. My kitchen is of a similar style to my lounge but with white walls. I have a large wall behind my dining table which is trying out for something like this. With discuss with hubby in the morning. If we do t go fit it I love the idea of the teal & fuchsia in accessories

There are a couple of issues with the window imo. It’s all too plain, you have no pattern anywhere plus the curtain length is wrong. Short curtains are never I’m afraid going to look expensive or elegant. They’re a very dated look. You need floor length curtains.

The blinds are fine if you need a privacy screen. Personally I always prefer Roman blinds since they look more luxurious and less utilitarian but it’s the curtains not the blinds causing the issue here.

I’d shift the focus entirely. Put the tv in the corner by the window. Have the seating positioned to view the tv with the fireplace to the side.

or put the dining table in that section of the room and have the living area at the back

@Holmfirthrita Maybe curtains like this in a long length, i see nothing wrong with your blinds. www.dunelm.com/product/crane-old-gold-woven-eyelet-curtains-1000157559?curtainSize=W+168cm+%2866%22%29+x+D+182cm+%2872%22%29&defaultSkuId=30668031&ds_c=Curtains_Eyelet-SmartShopping_%5BGOO-LIA-CURTAINS-EYELET%5D&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4SeBhCwARIsANeF9DJ5M2G9D0P3ITVCVS6X_KH2cFE5pFQ_ju53AdHlA5ZurUt_Yzvl-YoaAreZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

maybe swap the sideboard to other side and small nest tables at door then move sofas down to door and a rug in that area. X

That sounds a good idea I will try moving them to see . Like the curtains but as I need 84 drop I am trying to get one of dunelm door curtains and get 6 for my 3 windows be much cheaper than made to measure . Could you look at the triangle range and see what you think xxx

@happytobemrsg i really like what @mathanxiety found too. Here is another one that has different shades of green and a tiny hint of pink x
www.johnlewis.com/maria-esmar-the-ivy-abstract-canvas-print-84-5-x-84-5cm-green-multi/p5325633?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5Lk1lc3NhZ2U=

I looked on John Lewis @Questionsbarisurg , I can’t believe I missed that one. It’s definitely much more in my budget! I’ve done some photo wizardry. What do you think??

Personally I’d be careful with fuchsia/teal - it’s a striking combination with grey and does work very well, but I’d find it much too harsh and jarring in a calm room like that. Just something to bear in mind. It also clashes with green (unless you do it very well, it can work if done right), so you’d need to consider that. The plants don’t count, of course, as they’ll go with all colour schemes. But any other greens in the room might not work very well unless you really manage to make the scheme cohesive.

(However I do have to clarify that I’m not that keen on fuchsia or teal, and the more earthy greens are some of my favourite colours which I naturally find very calming, so I’m very biased!)

That print/painting is still too small, I think. You need something almost double the size, and hung so as to break up what currently looks like a rather odd expanse of bare wall above the fireplace - as it is, it looks (with your photoshopped print and the real one) as if it’s waiting for a mantelpiece of mantel shelf to be installed.

I agree. If you’re not going to put a mantlepiece in you need to go BIG.

@Pillowjoy @TangledWebOfDeception The thing is…. Google is telling me that the art work should not be bigger than the fireplace. My fireplace is just over 72cm wide. So i need a picture smaller than that right? Gosh this is hard 😅

@Pillowjoy i agree, whatever we end up with needs to be hung lower

I don’t think rules like that always apply. You need to look at what your specific mantle looks like. It’s not quite right yet.

Paint it dark - go a dark blue for example, like Hague blue, which will make it calm and cosy. Get rug to warm the room up and a bigger, more colourful picture for the wall above the fireplace. Lamps.

Your fireplace isn’t typical. It’s very small for the space, for one thing. There is too much empty space on the mantle, which looks ‘wrong’ to me, and that effect is actually exacerbated if you use a smaller painting/print, because it emphasises it.

Of course these things are subjective. Again, if you’re happy with something, stick with it! I’m only giving my opinion and telling too what would look ‘right’ according to my aesthetic tastes.

Another way to put it is, IMO the artwork should be the main focus of that entire space and the fireplace would be a secondary, minor feature. Almost irrelevant in aesthetic terms.

Quite often it’s the other way around, because the fireplace itself is a strong enough feature, and/or big enough to fill the space. In that case it only needs something to complement it, and looks nicer if that item is smaller so that it doesn’t look unbalanced at the top.