Bright & Cheerful Living Room

There’s nothing quite like a bright and cheerful living room. And that’s exactly what Anne had in mind when she wrote to me. Here’s her note:

What an incredible and fun blog and e-décor shop you have!!! I am somewhat of a new reader and have absolutely loved visiting your blog for all things home design! It occurred to me on one of my visits that you might be able to help me pull together the design I have in my head for our living room. I have a very open floor plan and I need some help with furniture arrangement and selecting furniture to go with a few of the pieces I have already. Also, the place is fairly new and all of the walls have been painted already. I want to go bright and cheerful!! I am into clean lines, floral patterns, crisp colors mixed with bold hues. I love the idea of having my own virtual interior design… help me! ~ Anne

Here’s a little list Anne made:

– Want bright, fresh and ‘spring-like’ look {Light & Airy}

– Would love a sofa and a few chairs {maybe some extra seating if need be}

– Want a cute sitting area in the bay windows

– I would love a new Rug (we have hand-scraped dark flooring}

– I also would love a fun mirror above our fireplace

The challenge is to brighten and incorporate a true ’spring like’ style to Anne ’s space while adding a clean, fresh touch with a dash of whimsy. Luckily she has a whole lotta room to work with. Here’s our design board:

Here’s the design board breakdown:

1. Currently, Ann has Sherwin Williams Sea Salt {6204} in her Living Room, Dining Room & Kitchen. The color happens to be a great foundation for creating the “fresh and ‘spring like’ look” you are striving for, especially with the trim work being white throughout. I would suggest painting your coffered ceiling in the living room the same Sea Salt color to give the room a more completed and cohesive look. Because you have white trim, adding white, turquoise and lemongrass as accents in furnishings and accessories will really provide a dynamic color palette to the room.

2. For an extra burst of color and character, I think you should add these decorative pillows to the sofa. The solid magenta and turquoise pillows will be a great addition and will complement the rug perfectly! Plus, the shaggy turquoise pillow adds texture to the sofa and the different hues add flavor to the group of solid pillows it will sit amongst.

3.Mirror, Mirror! Your fireplace surround and mantel is already a crisp, bright white and with the Sea Salt painted on top, this sunburst mirror {spin-off} will look stunning! I really suggest going crisp white on some of the wall accessories since we have so much going on with the color way in the furniture, rug and accessories. Plus, it is going to give a shimmery reflection during different parts of the day!

4. The classically styled sofa I suggest is the perfect shade of yellow-green, plus it is the right size for large scale room you have. The fabric is quite durable and will lend itself to a pulled together look since the back is tightly pulled.

5. On both sides of the end table {mentioned above & across from the sofa}, I propose these great deep aqua lounge chairs. Not only are they fairly inexpensive, the color is just deep enough to add some drama to the space. Target always seems to have the perfect accent chair!! Essentially we are trying to create a living room that is a u-shape, which is great for TV watching, conversations and entertaining! What’s also great about these chairs is the fact that the fabric has a little sheen weaved in and will look different in diverse lighting situations {day to night, dark to light}.

6. This bright & squared ottoman makes for great extra seating or a side table {in the case you need an extra}. I would by two and place them right on the rug across from the fireplace on the other side of the rug {see plan for exact location}.

7. The floral and oh so ‘spring like’ rug I selected for your living room has the perfect amount of color, pattern and texture to the space. The rug is actually the first thing I picked and was absolutely the jumping off point for every other design decision in the space. The rug is bursting with fresh, bright and cheerful colors
and will go perfectly with the paint you previously suggested. Creating the living room as a floating zone is important when you have an open floor plan because it will define the space. {Since your plan is open to the dining room & kitchen, make sure your rugs in those spaces don’t compete with this one- go solid, textured or light in pattern in those areas}.

8. Between the two chairs {across from the sofa}, I suggest the end table that actually matches the coffee and console tables you purchased not long ago. I don’t always suggest tables matching, but in the case where you have an open plan and many furniture groupings within it {living room, reading zone, kitchen bistro & dining area}, matching is best!

9. As far as lighting goes, since you already have an overhead light in the fan and some upper soffit lighting in the coffered ceiling, I thinking adding a white lamp in the bay window area would be great, especially since this is an area you will most likely be a reading & chatting ‘zone’. Since there are no floor outlets, adding lamps to the other ends tables presents a problem, however, your ceiling lights and one lamp will do the trick.

10. I love a fun pop of color in a unique accessory! This fun bird candle holder is the just right for that unexpected touch of whimsy! Place it on a few books on the coffee table and it could become quite the conversation piece! I also love this clear hourglass with peacock colored sand… place it on an end table for that extra splash of color.

11. The extra space you have with the lovely bay windows in the living room is the ideal spot for a reading / conversation nook. To create the space, you need small scaled chairs and this bright, floral and dressy chair is absolutely perfect for the space. I suggest buying two and adding the white pedestal side table you previously purchased in the middle. The lamp I mentioned {#5} will go on this table to finish off the space.

To finish off your plantation shutters you already have installed on all of the windows, I would add these white, simple drapery panels to each of the windows {one on each side of the window} to create that crisp and breezy look. You already have such high ceilings, so I suggest mounting them about an inch or two below your ceiling which will make your windows look even taller and visually brighter!

Oh… and for some extra ideas and inspiration…

– Add some silver candle sticks to the mantel in a grouping of 3 {go odd} on one side to echo the shimmery quality in the mirror above.

– Add some garden or flower books to the coffee table {under the bird candle holder}

– Accessorize further with graphic picture frames in bold and bright colors.

– Absolutely add some more white in the space in the way of a pillow, candles, and vases with potted plants. {No fake flowers}.

– Add extra colorful pillows and throw blankets to the floor beside the sofa {near the fireplace for another pop of color and comfort! Placing them in a large woven basket will add to the clean and organized look you are striving for!

– Quick side note: Be sure you don’t add too many floral accents into the space; you want to showcase your spring concept without drowning in it.

My note to Anne: I hope you enjoy your space and feel extra cheerful in it! I am delighted to be your virtual interior designer and hope the space I created for you is everything you dreamed of & more!