Kacie wrote to me about the blank wall in her living room. She has a lot of great pieces but is a little stuck on pulling it all together.
She recently received the rug as a gift, and I think it works really well with the dark gray sectional. Just so you can get a better feel of the overall look of her space, here’s a shot of the other side of the room:
Believe it or not, I’m going to suggest taking away the big pop of color in the form of the coral china cabinet. I think the color is a little too loud and should be toned down for a more sophisticated look. I’d also take away the big ottoman and the matching pillows on the sectional. Too many dark colors are weighing down the space.
Overall, I think this corner just needs to feel a little lighter. I would suggest repainting that pretty china cabinet in a glossy black. (Kacie said she was open to this, so I’m not springing a job on her!) Then I’d add color back in—along with pattern—in the form of pillows. I’d add a trio of art prints on the wall above the sofa and change out the horse art between the windows for a small gold mirror so that it’s not all competing. I also like the idea of adding more metallic touches in the form of an end table and a glass coffee table.
round mirror // coral velvet pillow // floral pillow // blue & white lamp
brass end table // rug // coffee table // art 1 // art 2 // art 3
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You definitely have a gift! This looks like a great plan.
Do you have any posts where you source kitchen island + kitchen table lighting ideas I can refer to? My house is a colonial with cherry woodwork and a fairly open floor plan. I hate my lights! I like some of the schoolhouse pendants but I can’t figure out what kind of light to do over the table.
This is a good one, Emily! I love her built-ins and the new rug. The new pillows and that coffee table will really lighten up the room. I’d love to see the room after she makes the changes :)
How about pulling the sofa away from the wall a bit? I think that would make a huge difference too!
I always enjoy the “Give and Take” posts!
Already a cute room…love, love your “Give and Take” suggestions!
You knocked another one out of the park. Aside from painting the cabinet, Kacie can get this completed pretty quick. Did you notice all the blue & white? Pretty!
Love this! Do you have a favorite way to paint furniture?
I always love these give and takes! Always such great recommendations.
I say leave the coral wood piece, and add pillows and artwork that also reflect that color. That piece is a statement piece and if you take it out you just have another neutral room. I disagree and say she should run with it. I feel like we’re slowly drifting back to the all beige/neutral all the time and then people wonder why their house doesn’t feel like themselves.
love all your ideas and I would add to flip that sectional with the large piece against the wall and the smaller area will just a bit into the opening to the dining room and then move the arm chair to the other side. Looks like tht big old sofa in front of the window is awkward and blocks some light. Love your choices of glass coffee table and I would also paint that coral piece black and move it to another area and cull the collection so individual pieces can be viewed and enjoyed. Would love to see an “aftre” shot.
Right — I do agree that moving the sectional around the room to see if a better location can be found would be my first change! Of course, then move the armchair too — closer to the conversation area.
Then I would paint the cabinet in high gloss darkest blue and add lighting inside too! Look for artworks that include dark blue, gray, gold and black …..and add deep blue pillows to the sectional.
I agree that replacing the end table and the ottoman would be a wonderful change — the new coffee table could be a square-shaped one …. and that the new gold end table would fir better if it was a rectangle …..
Hi Emily,
How do you enter your room for a give and take?
Hi–You can find details here:
https://emilyaclark.com/2016/09/give-take-reader-submissions-wanted.html
Great job, both of you! I love how Kacie has styled her bookshelves. Maybe she can share where she got her lucite curtain rods? :)