How do I make this room look finished?
October 13, 2011 6:47 PM Subscribe
What rug, curtain and artwork colours look best with this sofa, these walls and floors?
I'm about to buy a rug, curtains,maybe something to go on the wall behind the sofa, and a coffee table (so ignore the one currently in the pics). I might replace the black lamp in the above picture too. I'm not totally wedded to the throw rug or those cushions (I actually hate the dark cushion in the right-hand corner, but my husband likes it.)
I'm considering this rug, but am not entirely convinced it will look good with the walnut-coloured floor. I would prefer a white rug aesthetically, but I don't want to vacuum as often as I'd need to. (I have a grey cat). My husband hates patterned rugs so it has to be a solid colour. White for the curtains, or should they match the rug? (They need to be heavy/blockout curtains for insulation reasons.) For the coffee table I'm looking for something modern and sleek.
The wall paint and floors are new and I like them, so they aren't negotiable. The wall is actually a very very pale blue, but looks white in the daylight.
A pre-flooring view of the room with the windows included is here. The other end of the room has a study nook where the predominant colours are dark green and blue, with lots of dark wood, if that matters. It's not really visible from the other side of the (L-shaped) room, so I don't feel the need to make it all match.
I'm just having a hard time visualising what colours would look good for everything. I'm generally pretty modern and minimalist in my taste, but I do want the room to look pulled together. Can someone please give me suggestions for colours or advice about whether the grey rug will work?
I'm about to buy a rug, curtains,maybe something to go on the wall behind the sofa, and a coffee table (so ignore the one currently in the pics). I might replace the black lamp in the above picture too. I'm not totally wedded to the throw rug or those cushions (I actually hate the dark cushion in the right-hand corner, but my husband likes it.)
I'm considering this rug, but am not entirely convinced it will look good with the walnut-coloured floor. I would prefer a white rug aesthetically, but I don't want to vacuum as often as I'd need to. (I have a grey cat). My husband hates patterned rugs so it has to be a solid colour. White for the curtains, or should they match the rug? (They need to be heavy/blockout curtains for insulation reasons.) For the coffee table I'm looking for something modern and sleek.
The wall paint and floors are new and I like them, so they aren't negotiable. The wall is actually a very very pale blue, but looks white in the daylight.
A pre-flooring view of the room with the windows included is here. The other end of the room has a study nook where the predominant colours are dark green and blue, with lots of dark wood, if that matters. It's not really visible from the other side of the (L-shaped) room, so I don't feel the need to make it all match.
I'm just having a hard time visualising what colours would look good for everything. I'm generally pretty modern and minimalist in my taste, but I do want the room to look pulled together. Can someone please give me suggestions for colours or advice about whether the grey rug will work?
As far as artwork goes, if you keep your fabrics grey or close to the red of your sofa, then I'd go with something that contrasts entirely in one big piece. That way, it pops. A great big abstract with a splash of bright yellow in it would stand out and not feel so "furniture story matchy" to the room.
posted by xingcat at 7:02 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by xingcat at 7:02 PM on October 13, 2011
I love your red sofa! And the floors are gorgeous too. What do you plan to use the room for? That makes a big difference, imho, as to which color curtains you should get. For example, if it's your media room where you watch movies and stuff, I'd go with solid black or dark grey curtains, but if you use it mainly for lounging around or entertaining guests, I'd suggest a lighter, more playful color (depending on the color of your rug).
posted by LuckySeven~ at 7:37 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by LuckySeven~ at 7:37 PM on October 13, 2011
I also have a red sofa, although I have always had more boldly colored walls. And I have always had floors in the same general range as yours.
If you like that grey rug, I'd probably chose one more color to work with, that also goes well with the red. Since your walls are pale blue, I'd consider a cobalt blue, which is a pretty hot color right now so you'll be able to find things easily, but it's also a very classic shade so it's not like your room would scream "fall 2011" forever.
I imagine this:
Throw pillows patterned in cobalt blue and grey.
Curtains in a shade of grey similar to the rug.
Artwork that includes elements of the cobalt and red.
Accent pieces that include the red as well as various shades of grey and blue (vases, candle holders, bookends, etc)
posted by padraigin at 7:59 PM on October 13, 2011
If you like that grey rug, I'd probably chose one more color to work with, that also goes well with the red. Since your walls are pale blue, I'd consider a cobalt blue, which is a pretty hot color right now so you'll be able to find things easily, but it's also a very classic shade so it's not like your room would scream "fall 2011" forever.
I imagine this:
Throw pillows patterned in cobalt blue and grey.
Curtains in a shade of grey similar to the rug.
Artwork that includes elements of the cobalt and red.
Accent pieces that include the red as well as various shades of grey and blue (vases, candle holders, bookends, etc)
posted by padraigin at 7:59 PM on October 13, 2011
I'm not feeling that rug with the walnut floors at all. I love the gray, but it just seems too cool a color with the warmth of the wood. My instinct is saying if you want a pale color (white) then maybe look at a flat rug (maybe a jute or... something not fluffy) in a "natural" tone, which I think would tie in well with both the flooring and the sofa, but not be so hard to keep up with (it'd hide gray cat hair). I'd match curtains to the rug, and then run with a bold contrast color (lamp/cushions/in the artwork), so you could do black for that.
Pretty minimalist color choices, I suppose, but that sofa is a standout piece (and looks really comfy!). Since the sofa is squared-off and the room is as well, for the coffee table I'd go with something round/oval.
posted by flex at 8:08 PM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Pretty minimalist color choices, I suppose, but that sofa is a standout piece (and looks really comfy!). Since the sofa is squared-off and the room is as well, for the coffee table I'd go with something round/oval.
posted by flex at 8:08 PM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Here's another vote for going with the gray rug. You may want to keep the lamp, go for some black and white artwork or photos on the walls, and use wood frames and some wood accents/artwork or wood frame shadow box artwork, and a wooden bowl or piece of driftwood on the table, etc., to pick up the wood of your floor. I also like the stone vases, etc., from Island Granite Works. I would go for a black coffee table along the lines of this or this. If you follow this neutral scheme, then it would probably be best to pick up the couch color in the curtains, though gray similar to the rug would be ok if you then pick up the couch color in some accent items. Make sure the curtains are a very simple design, whatever you go with.
posted by gudrun at 8:59 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by gudrun at 8:59 PM on October 13, 2011
Despite the colors, this room strikes me as a bit cold and restrained. It lacks the human element.
I'd warm and loosen it up with Dufy, Picasso, Bonnard, the Fauves, Impressionists or similar prints on the walls.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:09 AM on October 14, 2011
I'd warm and loosen it up with Dufy, Picasso, Bonnard, the Fauves, Impressionists or similar prints on the walls.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:09 AM on October 14, 2011
My taste for rugs runs more with flex's. I would match the rug to the floor, giving you much more flexibility in your other furnishings. I would even consider a red rug. I think dark curtains will show any cat hair- my preference would be heavy curtains in a shade matching or slightly darker/lighter than the walls, or something in a pattern that picks up the red. Remember that dark curtains can make a room look crowded, while curtains matching the walls can can make a room look larger and more sleek. I think it's a good idea to print a colored picture of your window with your furnishings and cut out paper "curtains" in various shades to try them out. You're essentially color blocking a section of your wall, so curtains can have a large effect in a smaller room.
Here are some examples of red, blue and neutral color schemes. Not exactly in your configuration, they're just to show how these colors can go together. Here's one that does have a blue-grey rug, but in a more restrained, nubbly texture that matches the blue-grey walls. The overall effect is that the rug blends into the room instead of being as much as an obviously rich and shiny thing on the floor. The texture of this rug is also more likely to hide cat hair. A more natural weave in a lighter blue-ish grey would be a better choice than the graphite shade of your example rug, which is a very dominant texture and color.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:53 PM on October 14, 2011
Here are some examples of red, blue and neutral color schemes. Not exactly in your configuration, they're just to show how these colors can go together. Here's one that does have a blue-grey rug, but in a more restrained, nubbly texture that matches the blue-grey walls. The overall effect is that the rug blends into the room instead of being as much as an obviously rich and shiny thing on the floor. The texture of this rug is also more likely to hide cat hair. A more natural weave in a lighter blue-ish grey would be a better choice than the graphite shade of your example rug, which is a very dominant texture and color.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:53 PM on October 14, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions! There's a lot here to think about and I kind of feel like it's made my decisions harder, but at least they'll probably be better decisions once I make them.
I found the photos of similar colour schemes really helpful, thanks oneirodynia.
I like the idea of a round coffee table.
I also like the ideas of cobalt blue, of using some stone in things like lamps to tie in with the grey (if we do grey), and of weapons-grade pandemonium's prints suggestions for artwork. I agree that the art needs to be fairly lively if everything else is single blocks of colour.
I'm really wary of putting any more red in the room in big pieces, since the sofa makes enough of a statement on its own, so probably not a red rug! And I would never do dark curtains here: the windows take up about a third of the room, so that would make the room too dark when they are drawn. They need to be blockout weight, but you can still do that with a pale colour. I like the idea of a lighter grey. My mother in law claims that anything other than white curtains is tacky, but I've never heard that from anyone else, so I think she's just deluded.
posted by lollusc at 5:03 PM on October 14, 2011
I found the photos of similar colour schemes really helpful, thanks oneirodynia.
I like the idea of a round coffee table.
I also like the ideas of cobalt blue, of using some stone in things like lamps to tie in with the grey (if we do grey), and of weapons-grade pandemonium's prints suggestions for artwork. I agree that the art needs to be fairly lively if everything else is single blocks of colour.
I'm really wary of putting any more red in the room in big pieces, since the sofa makes enough of a statement on its own, so probably not a red rug! And I would never do dark curtains here: the windows take up about a third of the room, so that would make the room too dark when they are drawn. They need to be blockout weight, but you can still do that with a pale colour. I like the idea of a lighter grey. My mother in law claims that anything other than white curtains is tacky, but I've never heard that from anyone else, so I think she's just deluded.
posted by lollusc at 5:03 PM on October 14, 2011
When thinking about wall art, consider odd-numbered multiples in black frames with white mats to get something that seems "large" enough for the wall space or just get something big.
If you're not going to get a side table, I would try for a hanging lamp with a convenient switch on the cord, as in the last of oneirodynia's photos.
I definitely think some natural decorative elements (stone, wood) will help.
Great work so far!
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 8:46 PM on October 14, 2011
If you're not going to get a side table, I would try for a hanging lamp with a convenient switch on the cord, as in the last of oneirodynia's photos.
I definitely think some natural decorative elements (stone, wood) will help.
Great work so far!
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 8:46 PM on October 14, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by xingcat at 6:54 PM on October 13, 2011