Jan's New Digs

My aunt and uncle recently downsized after raising their three kids in houses with lots of bedrooms and living space throughout Minneapolis. With most of the kids out of the house, they moved to a two bedroom condo and need a little help making things look finished. Because they're downsizing, they still have a lot of furniture and things to fit into a smaller space. My aunt requested that my mom and I make a recommendation for the window treatments and accent pieces since the furniture they have is staying - she's a big fan of deep blues, greens and yellow. With a potential seating arrangement change, this space should be whipped into shape in no time, and then we can focus our efforts on making her bedroom a cozy place.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I was only asked to do this because I'm family, but if I start to get too big for my britches, just email FC and we'll arrange a date for her to smack some sense back into me.  I haven't actually okayed this with her, but I'm counting on her to hold me to my snarky imperfection.  K, glad we've got our checks and balances in order.

1) Color Scheme: The name of this game is warm taupe, navy and bright white. The fabulous neutral wall color is perfect for unifying this open floorplan. Navy blue is a predominant color based on the furniture that is staying, so that will be our focal point. The woodwork and tables that are styaing- represent the deeper brown tones in the design plan. Because the furniture and wood are both so rich and warm, they could overwhelm the small space. I recommend lightening things up by bringing in white accents. The white will bring a lighter and more airy flow throughout the house, which is essential when working with deeper colors in an open floor plan.

2) The existing sofas will stay. The deep blue color works well with the neutral wall color, but the gold tone running through the sofas could dominate the room. So, in order to draw the attention away from the busy pattern, we'll add bright white accent pillows.

3) The existing lamps are very ornate and traditional, and I think this small space could benefit from something simpler. I love these simple, glass base lamps from IKEA with the big drum shade, but if buying new lamps isn't an option, adding a bright white shade to the existing lamps will keep the space unified.

4) Bright white accent pillows are the answer for the sofas - and for the chairs! You can find bright white pillows anywhere from Walmart and IKEA to Ethan Allen, so my aunt can take her pick (or sweet-talk my mom into making some especially for her sister). These are from Pottery Barn.

5) Because the breakfast bar opens into the main family gathering space, I suggest putting a little money into the stools to unify the two spaces - and make that counter a much more comfortable place to eat breakfast or a quick dinner. These IKEA counter-height stools have a great modern X-back detailing and the honey colored wood echoes the gorgeous Midwestern woodwork throughout the house. At $59.99 a pop, they're not free, but they're hardly expensive. But 3-4 of them would make that breakfast bar much more functional and pretty. Until they're ready to take the plunge though, coating the existing stools with a few coats of white paint (paging Sarah and Becca!) would reinforce our white accent color and take away from the addition of yet another wood tone to this space.

6) Because Jan and Bill are using a desk in the family room space, the main priority is going to be to keep this room feeling family oriented rather than letting the office space dominate. A couple of inexpensive white magazine holders and file boxes will bring yet more white to this rich room, and keep cords, files, and bills hidden out of sight.

7 The dining room is open to the living room, so adding a fabulous white runner lengthwise across the table will keep our white accents going strong across this open space.

8) My Aunt and Uncle have already take the first step and added a mirror to the nook above the fireplace, but adding one or three (stick to odd numbers - evens are too predictable) simple white accessories to the mantle - I'd suggest this vase from Crate and Barrel on one side (it's called the Stella Vase - so you have a family nostalgia reason to add a piece to your house, Aunt Jan!), and two family photos framed in inexpensive white frames leaning against the wall on the other side of the mantle.

9) The Desk they have is staying, and as long as they keep the cords and paper under control, will be a cozy place to check email and pay bills.

10) Adding white curtain panels to the windows - and replacing the red valance in the dining room with the same white panels - will really unify the space and draw everyone's eye up. This would be the first thing I would change in the space - so Aunt Jan, run to IKEA and pick up 3 sets of VIVAN panels (2 in each set for only $9.99).

11) The existing round coffee table is reminiscent of a current Pottery Barn piece and will stay to help anchor the seating area. I would love to see a white lacquer tray (like this one from CB2) on the coffee table to keep our white theme going, and be a place to collect remotes, TV Guides, and a cup of coffee.

Now to discuss the layout. My aunt and uncle still have a lot of furniture, and a little switch of the arrangement will help things flow a little better. They currently have three armchairs in this room, which is one chair too many. Relocating one of the chairs to another room in the house, or to storage, will do wonders to open up this room.

Update: My aunt is already in the process of unloading a chair on her 21 year old twins. Love moms who share the furniture wealth.

My first choice if it will work is to place one sofa on the long wall with the window, and leave the other one where it is now - separating the dining room from the living room. This will create the feel of a sectional, but will also open up room from the dining room so no one has to squeeze to get into the living room. The big round coffee table should sit in front of both sofas.

Moving the TV and cabinet into the nook next to the fireplace (if it will fit), or relocating it to a different part of the room completely, will allow both sofas to be prime movie watching spots.

So that's my reccomendation for Aunt Jan. If nothing else, I'd like to see the window panels and throw pillows make it into the room.  What do you think?