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Old 07-16-2017, 04:30 PM
 
17 posts, read 14,726 times
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Hello,



This is Will.



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?
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Old 07-16-2017, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Denver 'burbs
24,012 posts, read 28,346,006 times
Reputation: 41121
Decide on a reputable and establishedfurniture store you prefer to work with - the styles and prices fit your style preferences and budget. Make an appointment with one of their decorators. Take the pictures (and measurements)of the room you want to focus on and let the decorator help you choose a few pieces - be willing to communicate your likes/dislikes etc. Start there. You can add accent pieces from other places later as you get a feel for the room and how you are living in it. If it goes well, move on to other rooms with the same decorator - or, having been through it, you might feel confident enough to do it yourself.
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Old 07-16-2017, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, GA
1,209 posts, read 2,238,139 times
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Is there a certain look that you like?

Portfolio
I like Studio McGee, found them from YouTube. Modern and clean, but not cold.

https://www.youtube.com/user/themrkate
Mr Kate is more colorful and fun.

https://www.youtube.com/user/HouzzTV/videos
There's an app called Houzz that lets you search for photos (say white kitchen inspiration), or shop, and even hire people. They have interior designers there.

I would say definitely don't rush, see what you like, and then if you feel comfortable tackling it by yourself, go ahead. You can hire an interior designer, and there's even edesign these days.

https://www.hutch.com/
There's even this app which is supposed to be automated interior design.
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Old 07-16-2017, 06:35 PM
 
4,690 posts, read 10,347,349 times
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My vote is to *NOT* buy brand new (at least by way of walking into a store and picking from whatever is on their floor). My vote is to Also not try to do everything all in one fell swoop.

I suggest that you simply look for items that appeal to you. There need be no "design" so long as you are happy with your choices. Start with the needs first, sounds like bookcases and seating for guests. A table too, unless the kitchen has a bar (then bar stools) or you have some sort of outdoor table where you always eat.

As for where to look, one of the posts above does a good job of laying it out. I simply like to look at Craigslist, find old items that are built well and buy them piecemeal.
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Old 07-16-2017, 07:34 PM
 
4,713 posts, read 3,444,390 times
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Wonderful space. Lovely ceilings.

My first thought is, if you didn't put those valances up, take 'me down. You have blinds, so privacy isn't an issue. IMHO, and sorry if they ARE your valances, but they may dictate your choices and not in a good way, unless you like that look. Then you will have a 'clean slate'. If the valances are yours, then maybe you already have some direction in your style and at least in your color choice, which may help.

I, too, am a relatively new homeowner and every time I consider 'doing something with the windows, the clean look of the blinds stops me. I may eventually go with roman shades, but I find the windows to be the least of my concerns in decorating.


Now though I agree that getting expert assistance is key, you do need to have some idea of what your personal aesthetic is, as mentioned by a previous poster. What do YOU like/need? What DON'T you like? It may help you to just do some online browsing. I love HOUZZ.COM. I have looked at thousands (if not tens of thousands of homes, rooms, styles, etc. on the site) and it has been extremely helpful in finding what "I" like.

There are various sections to the site: shopping, photos (of real homes decorated in a certain style), Advice, and Find a Pro. In the search field you can make a query and choose the section of the website (you can plug in your own questions about whatever on the website) to which it most likely pertains and there are lots of resulting links from others who have asked the same or similar questions and responses they've received from other readers/pros. This may give you some ideas as to where to start.

I plugged in your thread title asking for Advice and got a list of links. Here is the URL for that:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/qu..._long-bachelor

I plugged in a similar, more specific query and got this page:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/qu...shing-my-house.

Ask your own questions to get more specific results.

Some good ideas in those links.

One of the first was "TAKE YOUR TIME".

Good luck and enjoy your new house. Soon, it will be your 'home'.
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Old 07-16-2017, 11:05 PM
 
Location: Southwest Washington State
30,585 posts, read 24,942,450 times
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I agree that the valances, and possibly the chandelier date your room. If you adore the chandelier and it is first rate quality, then by all means keep it, but you will probably want to decorate in a traditional style.

You want to keep the room white, so you do have a lot of choices. If watching TV is NOT how you want to entertain in this room, then I'd keep the TV and recliner in the other living space. I like the idea of the piano staying in the living room, but I don't like where you have placed it. Your pics are upside down for me, and it is hard to get a sense of the room, but you do not have a fireplace there? If not, then place the piano where it can be viewed from the seating you obtain.

Generally speaking, one creates a conversation area in a living room, often grouping pieces around a focal point. This is sometimes hard in modern rooms. But I think your piano could be considered a focal point. Since your piano is a spinet, and not a baby grand, you will want to position it against a wall. You could group a sofa and chairs around it, in a C shape. Or, you could place the piano off to the side. That would probably work too.

When you add seating, you have to add small tables and lighting around it. So, you would want to find furniture that fits the space without feeling crammed or being so small as to look forlorn. Most of us like a coffee table for in front of the sofa as well.

As to style, I would think that you might like substantial pieces with a masculine feel. I think people here have suggested places to look. I think looking online is a great way to find out what is out there and what exists in your price range. But if you are buying new, quality pieces, then your budget is far too low.

If you need to stick to your budget, then I would visit consignment stores to have a look at what they have. Personally, I'd buy new upholstery, and second hand case goods. Older case goods, if they were good quality to begin with, are often better than newer pieces.

If you have to skimp, don't skimp on the upholstered pieces! Buy the best you can afford.

As to color, I think the easiest way to decorate a room is to buy a beautiful piece of art and use the colors in the art for your room. You do not have to match colors, or be slavish about copying colors. But a piece of art that has colors you like, could easily inspire the colors you use in the room.

Since your walls are white, I want to caution against using dark woods exclusively in the room. I don't think dark wood and white walls are a good combination. Use medium toned to lighter woods, and hang that beautiful piece of art.

Traffic patterns: make sure you can easily walk through the room, without bumping into furniture.

You can use an interior decorator or designer. You can ask for a hour or more consult and pay for their time, or you can have the decorator handle the entire thing. Obviously, the latter option is going to cost far more than your present budget.

It would be easier to advise about floor plan if you had a drawing of the room like an architectural drawing.
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Old 07-17-2017, 12:16 AM
 
3,461 posts, read 4,657,119 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by silibran View Post
Your pics are upside down for me, and it is hard to get a sense of the room, but you do not have a fireplace there? If not, then place the piano where it can be viewed from the seating you obtain
Once you click on a photo then just click it again once it is enlarged and it should rotate the photo for you.
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Old 07-17-2017, 09:56 AM
 
Location: Minnesota
2,598 posts, read 2,148,596 times
Reputation: 5000
Go to some estate sales in some high end older neighborhoods. Buy a few nice pieces. I have purchased new stuff that all matches too much and get board with it.
Although, saying that, I really like the feeling of some of the rooms set up I the IKEA store, could imagine living in a room like that, but it is to matchy-matchy. How would something totally different that I might like go in this room. I know.... Sounds a bit like a split personality of furniture preference.

Maybe I need help too.
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Old 07-17-2017, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Denver CO
24,204 posts, read 19,038,282 times
Reputation: 38265
I think you need to spend some time looking at home design and decor websites, including online shopping sites like Wayfair. Use Pinterest as a tool, and start pinning things that look good to you. Don't worry about things matching or picking specific items, just pin things that catch your eye and that you like.

Once you've assembled a good selection, then you can start to see what you tend to be most drawn to in terms of style and color, and now you know what your target is and you can then figure out how to acquire what you need - whether that will be new vs. used, local vs. on line.

Depending on what styles you like, buying from estate sales may not be a realistic option because you are unlikely to have access to a full range of styles that way.

I recommend going slowly and trying to pick individual pieces of decent quality rather than "insta-rooms" that are sold by some stores. Those tend to be particle board and low quality that will wear out quickly and need replaced in far too short a time period.
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Old 07-17-2017, 03:06 PM
 
Location: Southwest Washington State
30,585 posts, read 24,942,450 times
Reputation: 50789
Quote:
Originally Posted by emm74 View Post
I think you need to spend some time looking at home design and decor websites, including online shopping sites like Wayfair. Use Pinterest as a tool, and start pinning things that look good to you. Don't worry about things matching or picking specific items, just pin things that catch your eye and that you like.

Once you've assembled a good selection, then you can start to see what you tend to be most drawn to in terms of style and color, and now you know what your target is and you can then figure out how to acquire what you need - whether that will be new vs. used, local vs. on line.

Depending on what styles you like, buying from estate sales may not be a realistic option because you are unlikely to have access to a full range of styles that way.

I recommend going slowly and trying to pick individual pieces of decent quality rather than "insta-rooms" that are sold by some stores. Those tend to be particle board and low quality that will wear out quickly and need replaced in far too short a time period.
Good advice! Take your time.
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