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Old 05-08-2012, 07:23 PM
 
252 posts, read 386,148 times
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so, starting a new thread to address my den - although its a far stretch to call it that right now, it's really a junk room/oversized walk in closet until I make some significant changes.

For those who are new to my saga, I am attaching the finished product of my redone living room to get a sense of what my after can look like. I want to do something similar in style to this room, but at the same time I'm not looking to make it into a carbon copy.

My goal is to continue the beachy/country cottage theming, but for it to have a slight flavor that is different than the living room. I think that once this is turned into something more pleasing to the eye and has my personality captured a bit more, I would use the room to read/listen to music/use the computer, etc. in. It's a bit quieter than my living room since it faces the inside of the complex vs. the street like my living room does, so I could see the room functioning as more of a "get away from the noise of the world" kind of place. The secondary objective is that it is a spare bedroom for when I have overnight guests.

The only piece of furniture in the room that I will not get rid of is the daybed, everything else is up for discussion, including the newer furniture that i bought several months ago from Ethan Allen, that probably doesn't really fit what I am trying to capture (the desk and nightstand).

I know this is going to get torn apart, and the very first comment will be to declutter declutter declutter.....believe me, I agree! My goal at this point is to think about a color palatte - the painting won't happen probably till towards the end of the summer, but that will help me get a sense of what kind of colors I want to bring into the room from both an assessory and furniture perspective, and really give me guidance as to the direction I want to go in here.

I'm going to try to start tackling the decluttering this weekend, so that there is more of a blank slate to work from. It is a very small room, I think it is meant to be a child's bedroom from a sizing perspective. I certainly couldn't fit an adult bedroom set in here comfortably.


OK enough of the essay....here are the photos. The first two being my current living room, and the others the hidouesnses that is the current mismatched and cluttered beyond believe den. Have at me
Attached Thumbnails
I hate my Den....part 2-newlivingrom.jpg   I hate my Den....part 2-den1.jpg   I hate my Den....part 2-den2.jpg   I hate my Den....part 2-den3.jpg   I hate my Den....part 2-den4.jpg  

I hate my Den....part 2-den5.jpg  
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Old 05-09-2012, 03:44 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,185,650 times
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As you learned from your living room, decluttering and a coat of paint can go a long way. Pick out an accent color in your living room that you like and use that as your base color in that room, maybe a nice beachy blue-soft, calming pale blue since you want it as a 'retreat' area.

Are you setting up a PC in that room or would you take your laptop in there when you say "work on the computer". If you are using your laptop, get rid of the desk, keep the entertainment center, put your recliner from the livingroom in there, get some fun bedding for the day bed and take everything else out of there. If you are going to have a PC in there, Craigslist for a computer desk with doors so you can close off the computer if you have guests and to contain the clutter.
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Old 05-09-2012, 11:29 AM
 
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Thanks for the initial feedback - I know that its a mess right now and needs to be cleaned out before there is anything that can really be done or offered in way of design movement.

One note, is that I do need a desk. I use my work laptop in that room, and I connect it to the large monitor you see in the photo - so to have a functional desk in a separate area from my personal computer (which is in the living room) is something that is very important to me. I think I made a mistake in the desk & nightstand that I purchased - its actually intended to be children's furniture - and styleistically does not represent where i am now.

I hadn't thought about desk with doors that close - I wonder if that would functionally work for my purposes? I have to be able to keep a pretty larger monitor on the desk, and have a bit of space to work.

Regarding the recliner that is in my living room - do you think the den space is actually big enough to hold a chair like that? I had though the room is too small, and a chair of that size would be overpowering for the space. If that's not the case though I'm not at all opposed to getting a chair that is more in the style of the living room for that space and moving the recliner into the den.

The other thing I hadn't mentioned - I want to keep a secondary stereo system in the den as well, as I'd like to be able to listen to music in there as well. So I would need to be able to hold my receiver, a cd player, and speakers in the room. Perhaps I should look for a piece of furniture that can function as both a desk and can double as an entertainment unit? If such a thing even exists. There is no need for a tv in the room, just audio equipment.
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Old 05-09-2012, 12:42 PM
 
Location: Westchester County, NY
293 posts, read 884,188 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Livinginburbank View Post
The other thing I hadn't mentioned - I want to keep a secondary stereo system in the den as well, as I'd like to be able to listen to music in there as well. So I would need to be able to hold my receiver, a cd player, and speakers in the room. Perhaps I should look for a piece of furniture that can function as both a desk and can double as an entertainment unit? If such a thing even exists. There is no need for a tv in the room, just audio equipment.
Maybe explore buying sonos speakers instead of replicating the system in another room.

Wireless Home Music Systems and HiFi Music Players from Sonos

If you have your music on your main computer, you can control the music anywhere using your PC, android/iphone or ipad. It's a pretty cool system. And then your desk can just be your desk.
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Old 05-10-2012, 09:22 AM
 
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Slightly off topic, but I am an anal audiophile - I am thinking of doing a digital setup in the den, but I still need a good reciever and digital analog converter setup with speakers to get the kind of sound that will make me happy - so yes, I do need to account for stereo space that I want to account for in the overall design.

Similar to the living room, for me the music is the centerpiece that everything revolves around.
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Old 05-11-2012, 02:26 PM
 
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Any thoughts on this color palatte?

bahaman sea blue 2055-40 Paint - Benjamin Moore bahaman sea blue Paint Color Details

I am trying to compliment the deep sea green in the living room, staying in the ocean theme - my thoughts being that as the colors move down to the two bedrooms, they are more ocean blue/green rather than beeing green/blue

Loving how the walls in this photo look with this color too- this is carribean blue

http://www.elledecor.com/image/room_finder/4411?page=59

Here is a great mood board inspiration for my color palatte:

http://student.santarosa.edu/~hcanno...ueWater600.jpg
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Old 05-16-2012, 05:54 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,185,650 times
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I think that will flow well with the living room/dining room. I like those colors.

I am sure you can find a computer armoire for that room that will hold a larger monitor. Maybe get two matching ones, one for the computer, one for the stereo equipment. Virtual tours would be nice to see the full layout of the room but can you put 2 armoires where the daybed is, side by side and put the day bed where the desk is now or something like that for a layout? Take everything else out of there. Get some rubbermaid storage boxes on wheels and put your cassettes or whatever is in the boxes on top of the armoire now into those and put them under the daybed. Get a nice bedskirt to hide them. That way they are easy to get at but out of sight.

The desk you have in there isn't really functional for a work station, is it? You need storage space. Something like this holds a 32" monitor http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Armoi...s_etk_hg_fd__6 . You could also put stereo equipment in something like this quite easily. This isn't your style but something along this for size would work.

Last edited by golfgal; 05-16-2012 at 06:03 AM..
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Old 05-17-2012, 11:28 AM
 
252 posts, read 386,148 times
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I went to Benjamin Moore today and found 2 really nice ocean blue colors that I like, I want to get samples of both to ensure the shade works. I also put them up against my living room wall for context, and I love the way they blend - I'll be able to extend the decor colors & themes to the other part of my condo by going in this direction.

I still have the humongous task of cleaning that room out, which I know I need to focus on first. Hello procrastination......
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Old 05-17-2012, 11:33 AM
 
252 posts, read 386,148 times
Reputation: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfgal View Post
I think that will flow well with the living room/dining room. I like those colors.

I am sure you can find a computer armoire for that room that will hold a larger monitor. Maybe get two matching ones, one for the computer, one for the stereo equipment. Virtual tours would be nice to see the full layout of the room but can you put 2 armoires where the daybed is, side by side and put the day bed where the desk is now or something like that for a layout? Take everything else out of there. Get some rubbermaid storage boxes on wheels and put your cassettes or whatever is in the boxes on top of the armoire now into those and put them under the daybed. Get a nice bedskirt to hide them. That way they are easy to get at but out of sight.

The desk you have in there isn't really functional for a work station, is it? You need storage space. Something like this holds a 32" monitor Amazon.com: Computer Armoire for 32" Monitor: Furniture & Decor . You could also put stereo equipment in something like this quite easily. This isn't your style but something along this for size would work.
You are correct that the desk in there isn't functional, it was a mistake that I purchased before really undestanding my style or my needs. I could say the same thing regarding the armoire.

I'm honestly considering dumping the cassettes, other than the few I want to keep for sentimental reasons. I never use them anymore and they are just taking up space. Believe me when I say the photos I showed only scratch the surface of how many cassettes I own

The idea of a computer workstation armoire is interesting, not something I had really considered in the past. I will look into that, I'm also wondering if a smaller corner desk for just a monitor and laptop could suffice as well, so that the computer station isn't the focal point of the room, but rather I use the digital stereo system I want to purchase as the focal point. I am going to need a new receiver with the latest & greatest streaming technology, as well as a new speaker setup - this is really what I will be doing in this room more than anything else.

I've been obsessed with modern digital setups lately, and how they could be incorporated into this room that I'm about to put together.
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Old 05-18-2012, 07:56 PM
 
3,264 posts, read 5,580,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Livinginburbank View Post
Here is a great mood board inspiration for my color palatte:

http://student.santarosa.edu/~hcannon/images/BlueWater600.jpg
oh i so want to be there! there's only 1 image in your mood board; was it meant to have a collage? the elle page was nice - who knew dark brown would "go" with that rich blue-- it's very today/now. did you try the personal color viewer on the bm site? i made & saved 2 beachy cottage palettes (i know one's a bathroom, but i think the colors are nice for inspiration) ..here they are:
http://bit.ly/T35Re http://bit.ly/uKCQP

ever heard of
Wall Perfect and Flatwire? it might be good for your audio stuff. everything they sell is paintable.
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