Hey there, peeps!  Did you have a great weekend?  I just got back from Colorado where my sister got married over the weekend – it was a little hard to come back to a busy week after such a beautiful weekend!

Anyhoo, I need to get better about posting my design boards as they happen – this one has been waiting around for awhile, so here it is!

Here’s what Tiffani had to say about her living room:

{The room that I’ve chosen is} our living room – it’s huge and empty and I’m at a total loss as to what to do with it. We’ve only lived in this house for 2 months but my vision for this room is a casual, comfortable, inviting place for watching TV and hanging out after work, etc. but also a room that has enough seating that it could be used for entertaining purposes if needed as well.  I tend to like neutral and warmer colors.  I love tan, brown, navy/lighter blues, greens, golden hues (not too yellow), darker red, etc.  I also tend to like to see white used to decorate a room (although I’ve never used this to decorate as I am in no way an interior designer but I always seem to love the look when I see it in magazines, design websites, etc.)  I would have to say I lean toward the traditional design style (think Pottery Barn, Ballard Design, Restoration Hardware.)  If I could have a house straight out of PB I would be in heaven.

We are a newlywed couple and don’t have a ton of extra money lying around but I still want to bring this room together and make it a room we enjoy spending time in.  In the past I’ve felt like I’ve spent a lot of money “trying” to decorate a room but in the end it still never feels like a complete room.  I decided to enlist help in order to achieve that finished look without over spending. This is not our “forever house” (we will probably only live here 5-7 years) so I definitely want to keep that in mind when purchasing new furniture pieces.  We will also probably have kids in about two years so we don’t need top of the line, super expensive stuff (as much as I would love that I’m trying to be practical.) ~ Tiffani

Here’s how Tiffani’s living room looked when she wrote in:

Tiffani has an awesome living room with tons of great potential – with a vaulted ceiling, plantation shutters, gorgeous wood floors and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, what’s not to love?  With just a little tweaking, her living room will be the perfect place to cozy up in front of the TV or relax with friends.  Take a look at her new space!

This plan is traditional with a Pottery Barn feel, but amped up with fun accents like faux bois fabric and gleaming tin panels.  And while this color palette may be soothing with steely blues and cream, it’s anything but boring – pattern and texture throughout the room certainly keep things interesting.

~ Floorplan. With 3 doorways, windows on both ends and the large fireplace, the biggest challenge for Tiffani’s living room is the floorplan – but no worries, I’ve got it covered.  The seating area will be anchored by a large rug in the center of the room, and the sofa and two chairs should be placed as depicted in the floorplan below.

Even though the back of the sofa is facing an entrance to the room, it will not interrupt the flow of the room thanks to a long, thin console table placed against the back of the sofa.  Finally, a large media cabinet opposite the fireplace will balance the room and provide Tiffani with oodles of storage.

~ Rug. Tiffani’s favorite rug was the perfect jumping off point for this new living room, with tons of inviting colors from rust to sage to steely blue.  In a 9 x 12 size, this beautifully patterned rug will fit perfectly in her large living room.

~ Furniture. Since Tiffani recently purchased most of the main pieces in her living room, the majority of the furniture for this space will remain the same – but with a few fun additions.

Chair.  In addition to providing extra seating and balance to the room, this traditional armchair in an oatmeal color {on a huge sale!} will provide a lovely visual contrast against the deep chocolate sofa and chair that are already in the living room.

Media Cabinet.  This grown up living room deserves a grown up media cabinet, and this beauty {no longer available – here’s a good substitute} more than fits the bill.  Its deep wood tone will work beautifully with the existing furniture and become the focal point of that long and previously bare wall.

Console Table.  Since the console table will be draped in a few yards of this fabulous cream faux bois fabric to break up the deep brown of the furniture, it doesn’t make sense to purchase an expensive console table.  Instead, Tiffani could use two old bookcases and a long board {or something similar} to create a makeshift console table – no one will know the difference!  A stack of books and some beautiful vases on the console table will be a wonderful greeting as guests enter the room.

~ Curtains. The color of these beautiful steel blue curtains was plucked straight from Tiffani’s gorgeous new rug.  They will look best hung high and wide to showcase her beautiful plantation shutters.

~ Accessories.

Fireplace Revamp.  I’m pretty excited about the makeover that Tiffani’s fireplace will receive.  The inset above the mantle is just begging for something dramatic – installing these gleaming tin panels inside the entire inset will have a dramatic impact on the appearance of the fireplace {and for a great price!!}.  I would also love to see the mantle and the beam on the vaulted ceiling painted a rich, chocolate brown for a little extra swankiness and contrast – and I think she’ll love how the darker beam accentuates the height of the ceiling {kind of like in our den}.

Pillows.  Pillows in blue and neutral stripes will tie all of the colors in the room together and add a little interest to the sofa and chairs.

Shutters.  The long wall next to the media cabinet is the perfect place to lean a pair of these crisp, white shutters, which are a fun play off the plantation shutters in the room {and are a steal when compared to this Pottery Barn version!}

Wall Sconces.  Pairs of these simple but elegant sconces {on clearance!} flanking each window will add a little ambient lighting and tons of visual interest to each end of the room.

Floor Lamp.  Because of the locations of the electrical outlets in Tiffani’s room, it’s a little tough to add lamps without having cords snaking all over the floor.  However, this simple pharmacy lamp {which is no longer available – here’s a good substitute} placed near the chair by the fireplace is close enough to the wall that it won’t create a tripping hazard, and it will create a cozy nook for reading.

So there you have it!  One more living room whipped into shape.  What do you guys think?

Click on the following link to snag some design advice of your very own – Interior Design Services.