Wimbleton Drive Living Room
GOAL
My goal for your living room is to create a balance between classic, neutral, and sustainable design with pops of modern-vintage flare and personality. I will recommend a variety of textures, shapes, and materials that, when done right, will create a layered and well composed look. Your space will feel timeless, wellcurated, and intentional. Although it is the formal sitting area, it will be incredibly approachable, comfortable, and highly stylized- setting the tone for the rest of your home.
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Side Chair
Side Chair
Plant
Unique Coffee Table
Credenza
Long, Deep Sofa
Sofa Table
Flokati Rug
Wall Unit
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Vintage Rug
Bar Cart
Highboy
Plant
For the main living space, due to the need for such a large size, I recommend a classic shag or flokati rug. This will be confortable for spending casual time in your space and the recommended size (9x12) can be purchased for approximately $550 at RugsUsa (other color options as well). This leaves you with extra money to find a large, standout vintage tribal or Persian runner for behind the sofa. The runner should be approximately 4-feet wide by 12 or 14-feet long and have colors that really speak to you. Ebay is a great source for this (regarding price and hundreds of options).
For your sofa, I recommend going with something boxy and deep. Having the extra depth will be comfortable and inviting, and the low, leg-less profile will be more sustainable long-term (versus choosing something with a leg that can fall in and out of style with the trends). The pictured sofa is an excellent choice as it also has one section without a back. This allows for the corner space to be accessed from both sides as opposed to closing it off (since its such a large room). Additionally, with it being right by the entry, if keeps the sightline even more open.
On either side of the sofa, I recommend adding two matching chairs. With the sofa and rug being so affordable, this is the place where you can invest in two knockout pieces. I also recommend that these be medium to large in scale (as they are balancing out a large room/sofa) and in an opposing material to the sofa (a leather, velvet, etc.). This is also a great place to add a pop of color.
Your coffee table should be in a non-square organic shape. This will keep the overall space from feeling boxy. A live edge or burl wood coffee table would be excellent, but can be hard to find in a long shape (something approximately spanning 5-feet is ideal). Additionally, having a glass element here would be great to keep the space feeling light and airy.
Above the fireplace, add a largescale piece of art. This could be a vintage oil painting, abstract piece, or photography. Peruse Minted.com for pieces, too. They have great art at a large scale for affordable prices. Whatever piece you buy should fill up the space above the mantel as much as possible. I would keep it in a modern frame to balance with the aged fireplace. Art sourcing is very dependent on a client’s personal t a s t e / i n i t i a l r e a c t i o n . We c a n continue to explore options as you start making decisions on your space.
On either side of the fireplace, I recommend adding two black wall sconces (black will blend in well with the windows). Try to keep these very simple so that they will be sustainable long term. Also, I recommend something that has a light color shade or multiple bulbs since lighting is scarce in the space. The one pictured on the left comes in black (but no pictures existed in that form).
To the side of each chair, add a simple round or square side table with a lamp on top of each. This will give you more function/light in the space. Key word here is SIMPLE. Consider a lamp or table that has some organic, natural concrete elements like your fireplace. This will make even that decision seem intentional (although you had no control over the fireplace finish). Then, balance either with black or brass.
On the far wall between the windows, add a walnut credenza for storage and a strong visual presence. The credenza can be new or vintage. Above this credenza, add a large round mirror OR for some added interest/style use a large-scale gilded vintage mirror instead. This will break up the amount of artwork in the room and add some reflection to the space. On the credenza, add a table lamp for additional light and some decorative styling elements. To the far right of that wall, add a large scale house plant.
To the right of the sunroom door, I recommend placing your bar cart. Due to its size, this wall is also perfect for displaying 3-5 pieces of art you have or would purchase (a mix of vintage and modern). Additionally, I recommend adding a unique chair in rattan or wood. Both chairs shown here are from Anthropologie, but these can be found/vintage, too. This wall feature will will really show off your personality.
To the left of the sunroom door, I recommend adding a high boy walnut dresser. This will add variety in height for the casegood pieces. You can add a piece of art above it in addition to possibly putting your record player as well (depends on size. I didn’t get to check yours out specifically). You may also want to hang your mobile over this vignette. For some extra height (and to divide it from the wall system), add a house plant to the left.
For height, visual interest, and storage, add a wall system to the wall to the right of the entrance (when looking out to the hall). The system would be able to hold your records, decorative items, etc. The exact style and size still need to be determined, but it should utilize walnut, black metal, or brass to fit in with the rest of the space.
Exact configuration would be based on your needs, budget, and wall dimensions. This would need to be further developed on whether to buy new or custom (could also be just wall mounted shelving).
Additional wall space can be filled as needed/wanted with art, lighting, or wall textiles (to the left of the entrance). I think the log holder you liked would look great to the left of the fireplace, but consider balancing it out on the other side with a house plant or series of plants (can be casual). Also, consider removing the black fireplace cover (or replace). Decorative elements can be added to table tops, shelves, and mantel as needed (bowls, books, throw pillows, etc.). Additionally, if you think you would need more function at the sofa, consider adding a simple sofa table behind the sofa cushions.
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Plant
Side Chair
Side Chair
Flokati Rug
Unique Coffee Table
Credenza
Sofa #1
Sofa #2
Wall Unit
Register
Vintage Rug
Bar Cart
Highboy
One other layout I’d like you to consider is the idea of back to back sofas or modular furniture for your main seating. This would give you more seating and would make the storage area of the room feel more like an involved part of the space. It would also be incredibly comfortable. We’d have to explore the exact sofa options (can possibly use two of the ones I already recommended, but running back to back), but we’d really need to nail the spacing. Regardless, I just wanted you to consider it and we can discuss more. The vintage rug size would change considerably (see layout), but otherwise you can almost keep the same footprint with everything else.
So, what’s next?
Whew! That was a lot of information. Now that you have seen the inspiration/recommendations, soak it all in. Let us 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 us 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 hourly services would be given at 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