New house...new challenges. Help with Furniture decisions!!! (floor plan, fireplace, paint) - City-Data Forum

jon&marianne · 03-04-2012, 08:24 PM

Hello all,

We've recently moved back to the US after 4 years abroad, and are looking forward to a more grounded life with a baby on the way.

Last week we took possession of a house in Houston (photos attached) and would really appreciate design & color input before we spend significant money on sofas, rugs, etc for our large living room. The backyard is what made us fall in love with the property, but now comes the challenge of filling the large living/dining room with furniture. The advantage is that we are starting from scratch and do not have any pre-existing furniture to bring into the mix.

I've also attached 2 photos from the previous owners showing the dining/living space & furniture orientation (dark leather on dark red cherry floors is not our cup of tea), and the layout could be changed.

So far we are thinking beige microfibre sofa & loveseat, but would love to hear your input.

Kind Regards,

Marianne & Jonathan

fallingwater · 03-05-2012, 12:24 AM

Yikes the previous owners had horrible taste. The only thing I like is the dining chairs but they don't work. Anyway....Are you going to repaint or work with the existing colors?

golfgal · 03-05-2012, 05:09 AM

I would suggest contacting a decorator in your area. Often you can find them associated with paint/decorating stores and their services are "free" if you buy from them.

You will have a MUCH easier time decorating if you pick out the big things first and then worry about wall color. You can mix pretty much any color of paint but it will be next to impossible to find the exact shade of whatever in a rug to try to match a wall color.

Find something for inspiration, a painting, a piece of fabric, anything that gives you the feeling you like, warm and comfy, bold, whatever. Use that for your color pallet and go from there. Keep in mind that you can custom order furniture so if you find a style of couch you like, for example, ask to see the fabric samples and pick something that you like from there.

I'm not a fan of microfiber furniture personally.

jon&marianne · 03-05-2012, 06:27 AM

Falling Member,

Agree about the previous owner's taste...if possible we'd like to work with the existing colors rather than repaint. If we do go the paint route, any suggestions for a lighter earthtone color for the walls?

TheWayISeeThings · 03-05-2012, 08:08 AM

I agree with Golfgal, if you plan to purchase all of your furniture, hire a decorator. They are more affordable than you might think. Designers can buy furniture at prices greatly discounted from the retail and they either pass that savings on to you and bill you for their design time, OR the designer pockets the furniture savings and performs the design work for free. When you are planning to spend over $5000 on a room, hiring a designer can often is cheaper than doing it yourself and buying retail.

Edit: If you do plan to go the DIY route, I will tell you that for large spaces, it will visually help you to float your seating area in the center of the space, or design two separate seating areas, such as a television viewing area and a second seating group for conversation or reading.

jon&marianne · 03-05-2012, 09:26 AM

I see your point with a decorator but we think it is so much more fun to DIY. It is a nice challenge, and I have quite a bit of time on my hands as I am not working at the moment.

Would it be a good idea to have the conversation/reading area in connection with the fireplace and have the TV and sofa set on the other side of the room?
What would work best; sofa and loveseat or a corner sofa?

Golfgal, what is it that you don´t like with the microfiber sofa?

Hopes · 03-05-2012, 11:15 AM

I like the wall color.

Since your house is modern architecture, you need to stick with furniture that has more modern, clean lines, not traditional styled furniture.

I don't like microfiber. It's cheap looking. It doesn't hold up well. It stretches and sags with wear. It's a wannabe fabric. If you want leather or suede look, buy leather or suede, not something that's pretending.

Get chenille instead. Much better quality. Very durable.

golfgal · 03-05-2012, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon&marianne

I see your point with a decorator but we think it is so much more fun to DIY. It is a nice challenge, and I have quite a bit of time on my hands as I am not working at the moment.

Would it be a good idea to have the conversation/reading area in connection with the fireplace and have the TV and sofa set on the other side of the room?
What would work best; sofa and loveseat or a corner sofa?

Golfgal, what is it that you don´t like with the microfiber sofa?

I don't like how the grain moves on the furniture and depending on how you look at it, it can look dirty and it's hard to move your body around on it. I guess it's like vacuum marks in the carpet type thing.

fallingwater · 03-05-2012, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon&marianne

Falling Member,

Agree about the previous owner's taste...if possible we'd like to work with the existing colors rather than repaint. If we do go the paint route, any suggestions for a lighter earthtone color for the walls?

I actually like the wall color. The previous owners had hard browns against it which made it appear to be a yucky yellow, a clean slate makes the walls soft again. If you don't plan to repaint, I think you have a good neutral back drop to play with it. I have a microfiber sofa and like it. My sofa is a carmel color but my SIL has a garnet microfiber sofa and I have to admit I do not like it in certain colors.

Breaking up the spaces is something I would do. I too would create a conversation area by the fireplace. I would look at area rugs to help define the spaces as well. It really depends on your individual taste. My taste is of the Pottery Barn flavor so my suggestion would probably favor that direction. I generally like to make an impact with bold rugs and accessories. I keep major pieces of furniture somewhat neutral. But I do like to add a bold chairs for contrast.

TheWayISeeThings · 03-05-2012, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon&marianne

I see your point with a decorator but we think it is so much more fun to DIY. It is a nice challenge, and I have quite a bit of time on my hands as I am not working at the moment.

Would it be a good idea to have the conversation/reading area in connection with the fireplace and have the TV and sofa set on the other side of the room?
What would work best; sofa and loveseat or a corner sofa?

Golfgal, what is it that you don´t like with the microfiber sofa?

When you hire an interior designer, you can be as much involved in the process as you want to be. Some clients want the designer to handle almost all the details and others want to be very involved in the process. You can still benefit from the designers experience and wisdom having designed many times before and avoid some of the pitfalls that come from doing something you've never done before.

In your case, I'd think that you could hire a designer probably for 3-4 hours of consultation at a flat hourly rate (likely between $150-$300/hr depending on your demographic area and the designer). They can assist you with a floor plan and some direction on shopping for general feedback on your furniture selections, etc... But it sounds like you mostly need floor plan help in this case.

If you have a floor plan that is accurate and in scale, can post that? When you are talking about the layout for a large room, it can be challenging with just photos to work from. Its hard to tell the scale--especially in an empty space.