Living Room Mood Board

Hi. Most of you don't even remember me, I know. Because I took a month-long hiatus from blogging whilst the holidays were upon me. Forgive me? No? Rats. But...oh well. We'll both live, now, won't we. :)

 

I'm helping my super awesome and stylish artistic friend update her living room. Like I said, she's a legitimate artist and has a great eye for colors, lines, and textures. She recognizes trends without being trendy, if you know what I mean. The main challenges of their living room are:

 

1) Space. With a large farmhouse dining table on one end of the modest-sized living room, there's not a ton of extra space.

2) Her husband digs contemporary minimalist style, she leans toward eclectic with soul and personality - a little tribal, vintage, industrial.

3) There are five children and a puppy to consider.

4) Budget. It's not inexpensive to makeover an entire living/dining room in one fell swoop. But they're ready to take a stab at it.

 

Without further ado, here is the preliminary (translation: expendable, jumping-off point, could be waaaaay off) mood board for their updated living room design:

 

(pre-script: Walls will be white.)

 

1 - Contemporary sofa. This Avec sofa from CB2 has clean, modern lines, while its grey tweed upholstery adds a bit of warmth and texture. (A similar form could also be replaced with light leather.) 

 

2 - Two-tiered coffee table. I like the combination of square shape (we'd use two), warm wood tones, and industrial vibe of this table. The under-shelf is necessary for a select few of the family's many many books and cool treasures.

 

3 - Red wooden side chair. They have a fireplace, and I envision a vintage chair pair (mismatched would be fantastic) flanking it. This little vintage red number caught my eye.

 

4 - Navy gooseneck barn sconces. Because floor space is so limited, side tables (and, consequently, their table lamps) are a big fat question mark. A couple of wall-mounted lamps will make a big difference in the room's lighting.  

 

5 - Palm frond throw pillow. What can I say? Just for fun. A little unexpected pattern and earthiness.

 

6 - Suzani rug. Tribal meets geometric meets modern meets perfect foundation for eclectic in this bold, graphic area rug. The colors can read as neutral or as great jumping-off points for other parts of the room.

 

7 - Mint velvet throw pillow. Nothing adds freshness to a fairly traditionally colored space than a bit of mint velvet. It's unexpected. I'd add contrasting navy piping.

 

8 - Medium-tone wooden bookcases. Two of these exist in the living room and aim to stay. Great wood bookshelves can almost always be worked with successfully.

 

9 - Leather butterfly chair. Provides a hip, retro vibe while still being classic in leather. Also, what can beat those lines? Nothing, that's what. Breaks up the solid chunks of a living room's inherently larger pieces (e.g., fireplace, sofa, dining table, etc.).

 

10 - Mustard and white herringbone window shades. Paying homage to the love of geometric shapes without competing with the rug or other pieces, this simple fabric adds just the right touch of visual interest and color.

 

11 - Medium-tone wood floor. Looooove a wood floor, especially if that wood floor is authentic and well-lived. A perfect start to a room's makeover, if you ask me.

 

12 - Brass pharmacy floor lamp. This type of lamp successfully bridges the gap between classic traditional and modern. Plus, every living room needs a bit of brass.

 

13 - Newsprint rhino head. A wall-mounted animal head, just for the fun of an eclectic living room. (Actually, upon seeing the mood board, my friend nixed the rhino head. No sweat. I want her to be happy!)

 

14 - Printed throw pillow. We'll vary the prints, patterns, and colors of the throw pillows. Not too many, but enough to bring a little life into the room.

 

15 - Leather armchair. This already exists in the room, which I'm glad about. Classic comfort.

 

16 - Mismatched dining chairs. As I mentioned, a large chunky wood farmhouse-style dining table sits at one end of the living room. It has a significant visual presence. Currently, the chairs are all dark wood like the table. I'd like to encourage a mix-and-match feel with the chairs, leaning toward vintage industrial.

 

This will be such a fun project; I'm excited to get going and will keep you all updated on our progress. Stay tuned!

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