Pontiac Road Recommendations
THE GOAL
My goal with both the living room and family room is to create a classic, timeless look infused with modern-vintage elements that are full of personality, visual interest, and a touch of glamour. The looks will be extremely intentional (from the floor plan to the source selections) and will evoke class/high style- while still being comfortable and inviting for every day use and casual entertaining for both kids and adults.
Living Room
I’d like to be more intentional with the color black in your space. With the dining room chairs, stair railings, and Eames lounger being black, it would be a nice deliberate use of the color. Black also stands out well on the amount of wood (floor and casegoods) in the space and breaks it up. One way do do this is through paint. It can be done in a modern, but classic way- very similar to the style of your house. Consider painting the fireplace, trim, and windows black against a crisp, white wall. This will set a clean and classic backdrop for the rest of the elements in your space. The mantel, hearth, and stones around the opening can remain the cement color.
Wall Unit or Shelves
Sofa Table (Credenza)
Chair
Side Table
Small Sofa
Coffee Table
Chair
Wall Unit or Shelves
Existing Sofa
Upright Piano
Fireplace & Hearth
= Plant
Centered above the main living space and with the fireplace, I recommend adding a large scale light fixture or chandelier. This will add drama, visual interest, and some much needed light. It can be classic or modern, but definitely picking up off of the black/white/brass accents in the space. Pictured are two options from West Elm, as they have large scale lighting at an affordable cost to size ratio, and one from Jonathan Adler. I would also recommend putting this on a dimmer so you can set the mood/need with daily life and entertaining. This will give you much more flexibility day-to-day.
Your existing rug should remain in place, but the chairs should be recovered and moved to the other side of the room (see floor plan). I recommend using a fabric that matches (or blends with) the color of the fireplace mantel/bricks. This will make even the decision for the fireplace seem intentional (although you had no choice in the matter). The fabric can be to your preference, but I would avoid anything too velvety as you want it to contrast with your sofa. Perhaps a durable linen or wool. I can help pull more samples and refine this if you need help. I can’t source the fabric without getting a better picture of the hearth and pulling swatches. Regardless, it would be around $275 a piece for labor.
Your existing sofa should be centered on the back wall across from the fireplace. Above it, I recommend hanging a large scale photo or painting. I really loved the one from BluDot; however, depending on the quality of the frame, you might want to reframe it. The colors, though, are perfect with the rug and sofa. Across from the two chairs, I recommend adding a small sofa, loveseat, or wide bench seat. This should be in either a neutral leather or another color in the rug. This will add a ton of additional seating. If you’d like the room to feel more open, consider a wide bench instead, but you will have to lose the sofa table as shown in the floor plan.
Your coffee table should be at least 36” wide and should be a round shape. I recommend it to not have traditional “legs” so as to not compete with the legs on the sofa/loveseat (depending on what you choose), but instead be a “drum” shape. I also recommend that it have a clear glass top so that you keep the middle feeling airy despite the amount of furniture.
On the stair wall, I recommend you accent the height of the room/add storage by adding large scale shelving or wall-mounted units. Additionally, whatever you add to this wall, I recommend adding something the same style or similar to the wall by the lounge chair (see floor plan for where to put your Eames in the corner). This adds storage for entertaining, books, decorative items, etc. in addition to adding some much needed height. The actual source will greatly depend on your budget. You can do all open shelving, shelving with case goods for closed storage, or bookshelves.
In front of the wall unit and Eames lounge area (which is now a prime spot for reading and storage), add a solid, cozy rug to offset the pattern and low-pile of the main area rug. Comfort/texture is key, so consider adding a simple shag or flokati rug. A 5x7 is the smallest I’d go, but not much larger, either.
On the wall behind the Eames lounger, add a swing arm wall sconce for extra light and a series of vintage artwork to your taste and interest. It can be a collage of 3-5 pieces (stick to an odd number). Where your current high boy dresser resides, when the time comes, replace it with an upright piano. You can move the round mirror from above the fireplace to above the piano (and currently the dresser). Both the dresser and piano add necessary height to that wall.
Replace the mirror above the fireplace with something more visually interesting. Consider a vintage, gilded mirror with some character.
Wherever you can, consider adding house plants (three plants designated on the space plan, but also include when styling shelving or top of piano). This adds life to your space and amplifies the style. If you don’t want one to the left of the sofa, consider adding a floor lamp there instead for b a l a n c e a n d additional lighting. For depth, variety in texture, and function, consider adding a side table to the right of the sofa that has a similar color/feel as the mantel/stone on the fireplace.
If you do go with a small sofa versus a large bench, consider adding a bookcase or credenza to the back for some additional storage (more like a bookcase than table). Height/style will depend on sofa chosen. I can help source when these decisions are made.
On the main windows, consider adding some window treatments with a lot of personality & color. This adds some pattern to the back part of the living room. To properly source, we’d need to have swatches to hold up to rug, but it should be something bold that pulls from the rug, sofa art and/or sofa colors. I was very inspired by the wallpaper you shared, and these curtains can have a similar vibe. The drapes can be custom made once we pick a fabric. Ready-made would be hard to find, but I did provide a couple that might work. Finally, curtain hardware should just be black and minimal.
Family Room
Overall, your family room should be cozy and inviting. Since the family room is right off of a highly styled area, I’d like this room to feel vibrant in color, but comfortable and not too formal. I’d like to introduce the monochromatic tone-on-tone vibe in here using shades of blue. Currently, with the wall color being blue and the trim white, it reads very traditional/formal. I recommend painting the entire room white (to blend with trim and keep it fresh/bright) OR paint it all an indigo blue in a satin paint for some drama. Pictured here is Simply White by Benjamin Moore. Note: I went down the blue route, but you can also do sea foam/grayish if you’d like to utilize the color of the living room sofa more intentionally. Just follow the same general rules and recommendations. I recommend the floor to be just recovered in a low pile, neutral color (low enough that additional rugs or textiles can be layered on top).
Large, modular sofa
Table & Chairs
Coffee Table
Wall unit/storage
Credenza or Dresser
Due to the sheer number of windows and the fact that the sofa covers up some of them (in addition to the radiator), I do not recommend adding curtains. This will keep it light/airy and not feeling closed in more. If you DO need them for function, however, I would recommend a simple Belgian linen (in white or blue). In the main seating area, ideally, a 12 x 6 rug would fill the space nicely and anchor the left side of the room. This rug should be comfortable and high pile. This is not a standard size, though, and getting carpet bound into a custom rug might be the best bet. This can be a layering, comfortable neutral or something in the blue/gray color-family.
For primary seating, I recommend a low, comfortable modular sofa. The trick is how shallow the room is AND the fact that the windows are only 22.75” off of the ground. The only sofa I sourced where the back will clear the height for a clean line AND give you ample seating is the one pictured from Bryght. We are about 6” too deep for the wall to eastern door, but I think we can get away with it as the rest of the dimensions are spot on (and you had talked about possibly opening that wall up some time in the future). With it being so affordable, you can consider having it recovered in an indigo linen or blue velvet. This would cost about $800 for labor + the cost of fabric. The depth it would add to the space is great, but also the blue color “as is” will work in the space, too (just won’t carry the same punch).
On the wall above the sofa, add a large scale piece of art. This can be photography or a painting, but the primary color should be blue.
Your television should reside on the wall across from the sofa (like it currently is). I recommend, however, utilizing the height of the wall more and adding some storage with a wall system versus a credenza. West Elm has a couple of systems that will fit nicely on that wall and will be modern/useful. On the wall between both openings, I recommend adding a small scale credenza and round mirror. This is a good “drop point” for things and provides a surface for light entertaining (drinks, snacks, etc.). It would be really great to get something custom painted in a blue color to really pop on that wall (see vintage piece below for color/style example, but will need to find dresser). If you’d rather utilize something you already have, consider moving the high boy dresser from the living room here after the upright piano is in place. Regardless, a vintage piece will break up the modern elements and add personality.
For functionality, I do recommend adding a coffee table, albeit tight on space. A lucite, waterfall table will create the “not there” look while still providing function.
Since the table/chairs get used for homework, games, etc. I don’t really see a reason to change it’s purpose. The style is great, and its functioning effectively. The first thing to do on this side, though, is to add two pieces of art (one on top of the other- can fill whole space) on the wall behind the piano wall. Again, this can be vintage, painting, photography, etc. as long as both are following the blue, moody vibes.
The next thing to do is to add a light fixture centered above the table. I’d keep this clean and modern, but you’d want to get it hardwired to ceiling.
Add a large plant on either side of the south facing window and a number of blue throw pillows for extra comfort.
Finally, add an overdyed rug underneath the table/chairs (approx. 6x9). This will help anchor the space and define it as separate from the living area.
So, what’s next?
Whew! That was a lot of information. Now that you have seen the inspiration/recommendations, soak it all in. Let me know if you have any questions. After processing the information, you have a couple of options. ü Call or e-mail to set up an appointment to discuss your likes/dislikes of the design and how we can move forward together with Hunt & Gather managing the project (we would discuss what items you would like to purchase yourself, what we should be hunting for, budget, and timeline). ü Start working on the room on your own (purchasing items, hunting for things, etc.) and only call me when you need clarification, recommendations, or final styling. Remember, the WHY is more important than the WHAT, so if you don’t like a pillow/lamp/etc. that we recommended, find something with similar lines or a similar purpose (or a cheaper price) and consider purchasing that instead! ü Nothing. This wasn’t what you were looking for, and you would like to discontinue working together. Additional pricing for services would be given at the follow-up meeting that fit your specific needs. Hope you love the design concept! Can’t wait to hear from you!
THANK YOU Kelley Howley Hunt & Gather 740 Curve St. SW design@huntandgatherGR.com