You see, I grew up in a home where every few months, the decorations changed to match the holidays and seasons. We had white walls so that they matched every color from green for St. Patrick's Day, to Red/White/Blue for Independence Day, to orange/brown for autumn. There was no permanent decor in our house, with the exception of a few pictures of us children. I currently have a phobia of white walls because of growing up in such an environment.
But now that I have my own house, I realize that I have absolutely no idea how to decorate it. I refuse to change decorations every month (with the minor exception of Christmas, but come on, who doesn't decorate for Christmas?!) leading me to wonder how to decorate for every day purposes. It's almost a year since we moved into this home, and I still haven't fully decorated it. I keep putting it off, waiting for inspiration, or for that perfect color combination to hit me. Nope, still hasn't happened. So now I turn to you folks to help me out. Here is my current situation:
Problem #1: Brown walls, brown carpet, brown couches. Think it might be a bit too much? I do. But since I can't afford to replace either the carpet or couches, wall color will have to change. Only question is to what? Oh, and forgive me for that awful looking pillow on the loveseat. It is a product of Tyler's 7th grade home ec class and as soon as I have my sewing machine I plan on putting a decent cover over it. But that quilt on the other hand. . . I made that summer of 09 and I'm proud of it!
Problem #2: Vertical blinds. These are the cheap ones you find in apartment complexes so managers can say at least something is there for a little bit of privacy. We hate these, but don't really know what to do with them. Curtains? Regular horizontal blinds? And with the windows so close together, how do I do curtains?Problem #3: DVD storage. We have none. They are all currently sitting in a box in our office upstairs. Not the most ideal of situations. Ideas on storage that isn't in the walkway?
Problem #4: Our excuse for a coffee table. It is really a huge box with a blanket over it. But we keep trying to figure out if we should get an ottoman or a table. A little extra blanket storage would be nice, but would it be too bulky?
Problem #5 (and probably the biggest one): this wall. I look at it every day and I have no idea what to do with it. I feel like it's super weird to have it right next to the TV, but it's too bare to leave as is. What on earth do I do with this space? I'm going crazy trying to think of something to put here!
Ok, this isn't a problem, just a shout out to my husband for the flowers. :) Although, there is this window too with those same vertical blinds. . . . curtains? I don't know what to do with this window either.
Well folks, I need help. This is definitely my area of weakness and I feel like I'm out of my league now. Help is greatly appreciated!
You could paint the walls a soft green, maybe. And for the bare wall you could put a whole bunch of pictures there, or I saw someone once hang cool square pillow cases on their wall and it actually looked really neat. I like the idea of curtains although I have no idea how to hang them. You could find maybe a little coffee table at DI or Ikea.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so now that I have seen pictures, here's what I'm thinking....
ReplyDeleteProblem 1: I like your idea of a cream colored walls, just don't go too yellow. I also think a very pale blue-ish grey-ish color would be beautiful. Oh, and you need some pillows for your couch girly! You can make your own, easy-peasy.
Problem 2: I would look into something like roman shades. I love roman shades and since your window placement is weird, curtains might be kind of hard. In the kitchen though, floor to ceiling curtains would look fabulous and make the room so much taller. And I would do all this is a pretty neutral color because I like neutral foundations with colorful accessories that you can change whenever.
Problem 3: Curtis and I have been thinking about DVD storage too because well, we're moving. I think our plan is to get one of those huge CD binders and just throw out all our actual DVD cases. It's hard to store DVDs and it requires so much space so I think this is a great alternative.
Problem 4: I'm more of a coffee table fan than an ottoman fan. You can always get a coffee table/ottoman but those can get pricey. Here, I think I would recommend Ikea. They have affordable things like coffee tables and that way it will be hip, cheap, and fun.
Problem 5: Oh how wonderful blank walls are! I would put some sort of art up, but nothing too overwhelming or distracting since it is the TV wall. I would probably avoid pictures but you could get or make some fun funky art that might accent the room nicely. You could also get some shelfs to put on the wall to add texture and visual interest.
Those are my recommendations. Hopefully it helps! I really recommend going to Ikea and trying to make stuff when possible to keep the spending low. Good luck!!
Problem 1: I think you are right that your walls need a punch of color. Your pillows/quilt have green and red - consider pulling from those colors for you wall color. I'm thinking a sage green. And you don't have to paint all the walls, choose a couple accent walls so you don't make the room feel dark.
ReplyDeleteProblem 2: Get to Walmart post haste and get some horizontal blinds. Additionally, check out this link: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8_VgzBw9Dy0/StSMIQYwDdI/AAAAAAAAEfo/rXxzLqfjHtg/s400/corner+3.jpg for an idea of how to hang curtains on neighboring windows (I don't love the window treatments in the pic, but I do love the concept).
Problem #3 and #4: We have some storage cubes/Ottomans from target that hold all our CDs. We have one for Blu Ray and one for Standard Definition. They are about $15-$20 a pop and you can put them next to eachother for use as a coffee table/ottman. That will keep them out of the walkway but near the TV area. Also, you may want to consider getting a nice, big serving tray or platter to put on top of the cubes so you have a hard surface for drinks or whatever.
Problem 5: You could consider doing a light panel to mimic a window. I feel like there should be a window there. Haha. Honestly, I think I'd put a mirror there. But I do like Chels's idea of shelves. Floating shelves would look great. Or maybe something like this: http://dont.blink.ph/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/leoque-ladder-shelves-1.jpg
Have fun! I've been in my house for just a few months now, and I'm getting the paint itch myself!
K for art, try HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, or Ross. One of those stores should have a really cool, big canvas of abstract art that would go well in your blank spot.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of blue-grey walls. Always wanted them.
As for dvd storage, maybe our Tylers can help each other out, since they graduated in the same major. My Tyler just built and HTPC (home theater PC) and put Windows Media Center on it (comes with Windows 7) and we are currently in the process of transferring all of our dvds to the PC. So they'll all be on the computer and we won't ever have to look at a cluttered dvd rack again. Plus with Jack walking within the next year (6 months or less, actually!) we won't want dvds within easy reach. The HTPC is also a DVR and we will never have to pay for a TiVo subscription!
Good luck!
THANK YOU! All of your ideas are helping me out so much! I would be so lost, but you guys are helping me get some creative juices flowing. I'll keep you updated on what happens next!
ReplyDeleteYou can always try those shelves that you build into the wall, I was thinking those might work for DVD's but on second thought DVD's might be a little big for that, it might look kind of crowded. You could try shelves and put cute little decorations on them?
ReplyDeleteAlso for the wall, you could do a huge collage of cool looking frames or mirrors or framed fabrics, look at these links for ideas
http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/2009/01/frames.html
http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/2010/07/gallery-walldiy-tutorial.html
Good luck with the decorating!