I’m always up the for the challenge of working with what you have. For Katherine, it’s a living room with blue carpeting that she’s not able to replace for several more years. That’s why I chose her room for my “give & take” series. I wanted to show her (and you) that fresh accessories—and a little paint—can change the entire feel of a room, even if you keep all of the same furniture—and carpeting you might not totally love.
>Blue carpeting that can’t be replaced just yet.
>Lack of color.
>Rooms feels too dark.
>Unsure of what to put on walls.
So, the biggest concern is the floor and how the color kind of dictates the rest of the room. Since she already has the colorful, floral curtains, I would suggest layering the carpet with a large stripe rug (which could also be used if she eventually installs hardwoods). I have the same one that I suggest below and it’s a good light weight for layering. I would also move the bookcases to the adjacent wall to balance things out a bit, and add artwork to the TV wall to make it more of a focal point. Other thoughts for more color and light:
1. Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House (photo source), 2. source unknown, 3. Pottery Barn
curtains // artwork // ceiling light // rug // wall sconces // mirror
baskets // fern // plum pillow // orange ikat pillow // gray throw
Read my other “give & take” posts here:
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Love the give and take series of posts!
I love all your suggestions for this space, I think they are so spot on! I understand her predicament with being stuck with a carpet she can’t replace, I have the same problem with a room I am making over in my home at the moment, it’s quite frustrating!
I love this series!! You’ve helped me so much though the years with your posts and emails and carpenter recommendations! One quick question – the rug you have – would it handle an entry way with lots of kid/dog traffic? I’ve been hesitant to get one with white but it is so hard finding something light and airy without white!
Honestly–I don’t think it would be the best for an entry. At least not ours :) I would probably do something a little weightier that could handle high traffic by a door. Maybe a sisal?
I just bought a sisal rug from marshall’s for our entryway (I used to have a mostly black one with white damask and the white QUICKLY turned a lovely shade of ‘dirt.’). At my location, they had a HUGE amount of sisal in various sizes and various patters for great prices. So far, it’s holding up beautifully and I love the texture it adds. Just my 2 cents. :-)
I third the sisal–I bought a round sisal from overstock and it has held up to muddy/snowy/wet Chicago weather going on two years now. :)
Girl….you are so darn good….I looked at that room and got dizzy. You looked at it and created an awesome room so hope she listens to you!
I agree with Sherry! Love this plan!
HA yes!! You are so good Emily!
Thank you for including my seashell wall art!
:))
Of course! Glad to have found you. Love the sets of art :)
Great ideas for this room, the mood board is fantastic:)
I just love this give and take series. So fun to see what you would do with the same room. I love all of your suggestions!
Great suggestions! I love how you were able to tie in what your reader already has with some fun, new things, especially that mirror. Swoon!
Hello! I was wondering what colour walls you’d recommend for a blue carpet? I’m in a similar situation and can’t get rid of these light blue carpets in the living room I despise, so am trying to find a way to freshen up the place. Thanks!
I love your ideas and the gallery wall would look amazing. Your fabric choices would definitely make the carpet feel like more of a neutral. Happy Tuesday, Emily!
Once again, your suggestions are great! I really enjoy this series. The rug you suggested would work well and so would the ever-so-popular Stockholm rug from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80104862/). I agree that stripes would be best and would be a fun graphic contrast to the curtains. A wall of botanical prints would look great around the TV. I second your suggestion for less-cluttered bookshelves with some baskets.
Love your suggestions! Might I add a few thoughts? Is there a way to paint the TV cabinet a lighter color and add legs? It needs some height. I might try to find slipcovers for the couches and wing chair. Anything to brighten the room. Also, I would consider changing the drapes for white and hang them at the height of the ceiling. And last, make sure the rug isn’t too small – that would emphasize the carpet even more. The idea is to cover as much of the carpet as possible!
This is a great feature – hope to see some “afters!”
Love to read what you have to say about these every day design dilemmas! I’d really like to see some of the “after” shots incorporating your suggestions.
Like others, LOVE this series. We all learn so much, Emily.
Regarding losing the fan/light, we did remove ours and it made a HUGE difference in the feel of the room. It felt like an anchor on the ceiling and we rarely used it because the turning of the fan triggered my migraines! But the builder loves them and we lived with it for 4 years. I still haven’t put any fixture there and we don’t need it for light in the room.
I struggle with re-seeing a room. Spot on suggestions.
I esp struggle with combining pillows — patterns, colors, geometrics. I’ve seen many how-to’s online but when I do it, it feels a little off. Those pillow patterns and colors you chose plus the geometric throw are so risky and work so well!
I love this series! You have such good ideas that are so doable for non-professionals! I’m excited to see some “afters”.
Love these posts! This one might be my favorite so far. We had a weather day recently and I did my first gallery wall inspired by you. When my husband recovers from the holes in the wall, I’m doing another one!
I LOVE this series!
This is great! I love how you worked with what she had, like the curtains, when I first saw them I wouldn’t know what to do with them and then when you pulled all the colors together at the end of the post I loved it. Are they going to share the “after” photos? Because that would be awesome. My sister in law, who has to live with blue carpet, will especially appreciate this post.
Great ideas but I would certainly add some new furniture in a lighter shade that will make it possible to introduce blue accents in pillows, artwork etc. And a furniture rearrangement might make the room make a little more sense. Look forward to the next “story”.
Emily you are SO talented! Thanks for another great post!
I love this series Emily! Such a great job.
I like the idea of adding a large rug to cover the blue carpet but my experience with placing a rug over another causes a rippling effect on the top rug. How do you overcome this?
PS I would like to see cornice boards that go to the ceiling.
Loving your suggestions. Thank you for these posts–I am design challenged and I sooooo appreciate these “learning opportunities.” ;)
I kind of wish I still had my blue carpet. I got rid of it because I didn’t know how to make it work. Love this series, Emily!
Emily, I looked at this exact rug a few months ago for our nursery, but I just can’t spend $300 on a rug right now. Do you have any sources for similar types of cotton rugs for less?
I am loving this series! PLEASE keep it up! It is so much fun :)
As everyone else, love this series! Look forward to more. = )
Great series.