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Thanks for the tip about looking at pics. So, you've got a fireplace after all! I would group seating around the fireplace. Place the piano off to the side, but not too far off. Add side tables and lighting, and a coffee table, and voila! you have a nice room arrangement.
Live with it awhile and refine what does not work well.
What you put into you put in your room should service the activities you plan to use the room for. Since you wantvto entertain, you do need side tables and possibly a console of some sort.
From the looks of it, the original poster Will has a layout where the entrance hall is front-right, the living room with the piano is front-left, the dining room area is middle left, the Great Room with the fire place is middle-and-back-right, and the kitchen is back-left. I believe Will is concentrating on the front-left living room to start, which appears to be a 13x13 area with only two real walls, one of which has the piano with the large window; the other two 'walls' are actually archways to the entrance hall and to the dining room.
I will repeat what others have said already-take your time. Look for what appeals to YOU. Shop around. These days you don't even have to leave your house to shop. Check out websites to find something that you like.
My advice on buying furniture, go to auctions and estate sales. You can get beautiful pieces-maybe even antiques for great prices.
I must admit that I am a bit envious. When we moved into this house, I had a WONDERFUL time finding furniture for her. I have no more room so I can't get any more furniture-besides a few certain pieces that I am looking for.
I am a first-time home owner and a 42-year-old life-long bachelor. I own a 2500 square foot house and I want to begin by furnishing one of the two living rooms. I have almost no furniture except a spinet piano, a lazy boy chair, a 6-foot desk, a 55” flat screen TV, and my king size bed. I also possess thousands of books (I am a college professor).
I do not, at the present time, wish to make any structural changes, flooring changes, paint changes, or anything like that at: just furnishings. Something to make the living room functional and an awesome place in which I can entertain. This could mean couches, end tables, coffee tables, art, window treatments - I really have no idea. I am more of a minimalist and like lots of open space, but I do see the need for some furniture. I do not host cocktail parties or reading groups - I do date and occasionally have friends over. When I have anyone over it is usually, at the most, one or two people at a time.
I would like recommendations on what kind of professional I should be hiring for to help me in my current situation. Is it an interior decorator? An interior designer? A jedi master? Someone from the Trump administration? I really don't know.
I am also looking for someone to help me one room at a time –the first room I want to tackle is this room (I’ve attached some photos). The room is roughly 23 feet by 13 feet with entrances into the front foyer and the kitchen.
I have set aside in a special "make my house awesome" account, about $3000 to get started, but I am happy to allocate more (though not much more). I really have no idea how much this sort of thing will cost. I have been to many furniture stores and have seen a wide range of pieces and prices…mostly what happens is I get overwhelmed and frustrated, leave, and find the nearest bar with Guinness on tap.
So, wise readers, how would you proceed?
Highlighting a few things that stood out to me. He has already looked around but is finding himself overwhelmed. I think using a professional to begin with might help him sort out and figure out how to allocate his budget on pieces that matter.
I would like recommendations on what kind of professional I should be hiring for to help me in my current situation. Is it an interior decorator? An interior designer? A jedi master? Someone from the Trump administration? I really don't know.
I am also looking for someone to help me one room at a time –the first room I want to tackle is this room (I’ve attached some photos). The room is roughly 23 feet by 13 feet with entrances into the front foyer and the kitchen.
An interior decorator will meet your needs. Talk to colleagues, friends, neighbors, etc. to get some recommendations. Some furniture stores also have interior decorating services. You will be able to furnish one room at a time if you wish. You just have to communicate your expectations. Good luck.
White carpet, White walls, white shades, what ceilings. 80s light fixture.
Id 100% see if theres hardwood under for some color ( or if anything, add some rugs or something). Paint, spray paint the light if youre attached to it.
Most furniture stores have interior designers on staff and usually their services are FREE. They make a commission on the sale like a furniture salesperson, so they don't need to charge a design fee on top of it.
You are exactly the sort of person that service was made for. You aren't sure what you like and you don't know where to begin. Everyone here is trying to give you a crash course on how to do it yourself. Your frustration and feeling overwhelmed in stores is a hint that it doesn't come naturally to you.
Search out a moderately-priced furniture store where you see a good number of items that are attractive to you. Inquire into their design services and make sure you won't pay extra for it. If they have several designers working there, ask to see portfolios. You may also run into a situation that you just get the designer who is on "floor duty" that day.
Tell the designer your budget and that you are starting with one room. They must know the budget. The designer will help to narrow down your preferences and likes/dislikes. They will take your lifestyle into consideration along with the intended use of the room and plan the layout accordingly. You may not be able to get the room finished for $3,000, but the designer will still be able to direct you to the best use of your funds and the biggest bang for your buck. They can give you a design plan that can be finished in steps when you are ready.
They will probably suggest focusing on upholstery. It is possible that once you have their design plan in hand, you could finish it yourself with sales and finds from Craig's List, etc ... if you can find pieces similar to the plan. Or you could just wait until you can get the specific pieces the designer recommends.
You will end up with a more cohesive look that you will be a lot happier with by using the store designer. You might even have more fun with the process than wandering the maze all alone.
You have very few pieces so you need to decide how your house is going to function. As a college professor, are you entertaining at home? The room you highlighted and had upside down photos on. . . Is the formal dining room. I assume it's at the front of the house. It looks open and I bet company can step right in - It's not closed off. So. Are you going to entertain and use it as a formal dining room? Or as a piano room? How are the acoustics?
Now one picture had the piano at the window. Is that what you want with the sun in your eyes? Or do you want it on an interior wall so visitors can see it right as they walk by? Do you spend a lot of time playing? Would having it closer to your daily areas - Do you wake in the middle of the night, can't sleep, and want to sit at your piano and play to relax and get back to sleep? IE: I have no idea if you are a music major or how involved you are.
So. 1st room: Formal dining.
Either make it a formal dining room or a piano room with chairs to sit in, entertain, and relax while someone is playing. I can see a wall (bookcase) on one of the walls and a nice library / music room feel.
Now. Your budget isn't much. Go visit resale shops. Goodwill. Garage sales. Check the 'For Sale' pages. Craigslist. You can find nice items, it just takes a bit of time. And just because it's used doesn't mean it's awful. For this room I'd get a floor lamp near the piano and see about building some bookcases.
Google 'Room with an upright piano' and check the images. Many of them have bookcases.
There's nothing wrong with a white room. He said he has a lot of books so he can have a wall of books. He also has some art pieces and he can arrange them together. Another thing that room has is the focus will be on what he puts into it. He just needs to decide the purpose of the room and then we can give better advice on what to put into it. Maybe room size, too.
Are you average size or large? People size is important in determining furniture placement and size of the pieces.
I am a first-time home owner and a 42-year-old life-long bachelor. I own a 2500 square foot house and I want to begin by furnishing one of the two living rooms. I have almost no furniture except a spinet piano, a lazy boy chair, a 6-foot desk, a 55” flat screen TV, and my king size bed. I also possess thousands of books (I am a college professor).
I do not, at the present time, wish to make any structural changes, flooring changes, paint changes, or anything like that at: just furnishings. Something to make the living room functional and an awesome place in which I can entertain. This could mean couches, end tables, coffee tables, art, window treatments - I really have no idea. I am more of a minimalist and like lots of open space, but I do see the need for some furniture. I do not host cocktail parties or reading groups - I do date and occasionally have friends over. When I have anyone over it is usually, at the most, one or two people at a time.
I would like recommendations on what kind of professional I should be hiring for to help me in my current situation. Is it an interior decorator? An interior designer? A jedi master? Someone from the Trump administration? I really don't know.
I am also looking for someone to help me one room at a time –the first room I want to tackle is this room (I’ve attached some photos). The room is roughly 23 feet by 13 feet with entrances into the front foyer and the kitchen.
I have set aside in a special "make my house awesome" account, about $3000 to get started, but I am happy to allocate more (though not much more). I really have no idea how much this sort of thing will cost. I have been to many furniture stores and have seen a wide range of pieces and prices…mostly what happens is I get overwhelmed and frustrated, leave, and find the nearest bar with Guinness on tap.
So, wise readers, how would you proceed?
Like many - I would suggest buying previously owned items (resale shops, consignment stores, estate sales, online auctions, etc..). Your current budget $3000 might buy 1 sofa from a medium-priced NEW furniture chain. Might. Maybe a table and chairs, if you're lucky. Yes, you can buy cheaper new furniture (you can find "fell off the truck" - overstock - specials for $1000 for a living room group, but the furniture is usually cheap, and feels/sits cheap).
And I think one room at a time is very reasonable. You'll learn more about what you like as you go.
I'd suggest - if you're a college professor - does your school have a school of design? You might find some students studying interior design who'd be happy to help you. (obviously, you'd pay them - but you might find them more affordable than professionals; plus they could add to their growing portfolio).
I'm not one for using an interior designer, because I wouldn't feel that it was "my" home, but rather that I paid to live in someone else's version of my home. Which, is just a personal eccentricity of mine.
I think that (generally), if you buy what you like, and have a decent sense of scale/proportion/color harmony - most people can do just fine putting a room together.
(Scale = don't hang a 3x5 picture on a wall that is 15' wide, 9' high and otherwise totally blank - unless of course you're going for a "black dot in middle of large white canvas" modern art look and making some kind of statement)
The same thing that makes little tiny 10x10 decks look silly on the back of 4500sq foot new homes.
Since you like minimalism, you really don't need to worry about decor pieces (knick knacks) - unless there are some pieces you already own and like. A few lamps (lighting is important and table lamps tend to give a room a cozier feel than ceiling lights).. a few pieces of furniture.
If you're in a college town there probably is a good market in used furniture.. the trick is you want better pieces, and not necessarily ikea sofas that are being thrown out after 1 semester in a frat. So you might want to look into the furniture resale market in your area.
Also - a student designer, should you choose to go with an interior designer, might know of places where you can get furnishings (new or used) more affordably.
As far as the walls - You said you don't want to paint... they're a bit white for me, but it looks like you have a lot of art laying on the floors ... So once you get furniture in the rooms, and art on the walls, it should look much more comfortable/lived in and not quite so stark. Painting is great (cheapest way to make a huge impact), but by no means necessary.
Best of luck - really, if you lived near by I'd volunteer to take you furniture hunting (I love furniture and it would be awesome to find it for someone else, because my house doesn't need any more!) - sounds like a really fun project!
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