Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Decorating Connie's Living Room

Ho Kay Kampers!!!!

Connie has moved into her new home, so we can start talking about what she and I have been up to.
The first thing to do when attacking a new space is the floor plan.

Let me repeat myself!!!!!

The first thing to do when attacking a new space is the floor plan.

You can't build a body without the skeleton, and you can't plan a design without the floorplan
I've always wanted to do a room with back to back sofas, but never had a living room large enough.
This one 
JUST MAKES IT.......
It almost wasn't big enough.

On the right side of the plan is the built in bookcase.
I have a picture of it from when the previous previous owners who lived in the house.
You know.
the owners 
before 
the people who sold this house to Connie and Chris.
The doors  and drawer in the middle are actually one big door that swings in to access the master suite.
It's a hidden door!!!!!
I think that's pretty cool, but I don't like the look of this bookcase, and I am going to rework it to fit more with the style of our design.

Let me show you how the previous owners had their furniture arranged in this room.
View towards the window, the bookcase is out of this shot and to the left, on the wall opposite the painting.
So, there was a seating area down by the fireplace, but not flanking it.
And there was a seating area by the window.
But a big part of the room was left open as a hallway.
Now this isn't needed as the main central hall is just on the other side of the wall that holds the painting.
The room is pretty, but Connie and I want to go for more drama and a more contemporary vibe.

Now let me show you the owners before these guys.
They had a very different sense of color and style.
Here you can see how the bookcase is situated in the room.
There are a pair of chairs flanking the fireplace, but they really aren't a part of any grouping.
There is still a lot of open floor space.
This is a difficult space to furnish if you don't think outside the box.
Sooooooo.......
let me show you my floorplan again, this time with some of the furniture labeled so you can understand it a little better.
This is the bare bones of the room.
Connie and I can always add small pieces to flesh it out.
Next post, I will show you the antiques we found!!!!!

On that note,
Latah, Gatah
Photobucket

15 comments:

Mari said...

Your floor plan looks flawless...lol....
It's such a beautiful space, and I know when your done, it's going to be amazing!

Smiles~
Mari

Anonymous said...

Here's a Traditional Home story about the Nast's other house that Betsy decorated: http://www.traditionalhome.com/design/beautiful-homes/color-happy-beach-house

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see how you approach the double sofa plan-One of my other highly admired designers( besides YOU :-)) is Jeffrey Bilhuber and he frequently uses that approach too, but his aesthetic veers more to the highly sophisticated and very elegant and thus, less livable for ordinary folks.
Your room will be totally approachable, comfortable as well as beautiful.
Dolores

Anonymous said...

I love, love your blog!!

Donnamae said...

Your design is perfect for the size of the room. This is going to be great! ;)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I love it, and it makes perfect sense, Betsy. I don't understand why the sofa and chairs didn't flank the fireplace with the previous owners, but they didn't have the super duper design queen of the universe to consult!

Love it! Can't wait to see more!

Thanks for sharing...

xo

Sheila

Bonnie Schulte said...

Can't wait to see the finished room. Floor plan makes this large room look cozy.

fixitfaerie said...

First, please paint or do something to that bookshelf thing. lol Like the idea of a hidden door. I really like the idea of the 2 sofas back to back. Your floor plan looks much more user friendly. Cozy. Have fun.

sweet violets said...

Love your floor plan, looks like it makes the best use of that large space........what fun!!!

Unknown said...

Betsy, will you share with us where to shop for good stuff here in South Florida? It would be much appreciated. Thanks, Maureen

Amy Chalmers said...

Exciting! Looking forward to watching this room come together!

Beth C. said...

I'm all for multiple conversation groupings in a large space but I've never warmed to back to back sofas. I have seen them employed many times by top designers, but whenever I see it I think "hotel lobby" which translates to impersonal. If it were me (who the heck cares) I would prefer four club chairs at one end and a sofa/chair grouping at the other. It will be interesting to see the end result here. Whatever happens, it's going to be so fun to watch the transformation! Best, Beth C.

Divine Theatre said...

Betsy,
I hope you are feeling better. You aren't complaining so I am guessing you are !? :)
I love the bookcase idea, as I have the same setup. However, cabinetry costs money, so it isn't going to happen any time soon.
I want to thank you for telling me to turn the chairs to face each other in my family room. It looks so much better! I also bought an ottoman to place in between them. We actually USE the chairs now.
You rock...you know you do!

xo

Andie

Decdreams said...

While objectively lovely the two previous owner's decorators just did not hit the nail on the head..............pretty but NOT inviting, I judge rooms by my desire to plop down in them. The fun part is that I KNOW your stuff, followed you for years and devour your blog................................you will make everyone want to PLOP down and stay forever!!! "Pretty" is so common but the plop factor is rare.................................so excited to see how you do your magic!!!!!

Woodside Park said...

I came back to check out more photos of this big living room - been having computer problems.

Love your plan and layout to maximize the size, fireplace and windows!!!!

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