Yesterday, you saw (and commented on, thank you!) my living room update and boy did you have enlightening opinions. I’m actually going to take the ones that most of you agreed on and well, experiment with them, but meanwhile, I have been secretly shopping for a new sofa (even before I brought this Article one down here…even though now, I’m wondering if I should just keep it?!). So today, I’m going to walk you through my thought process on what sofa might be next, if any, and how that would change the room.
But first some inspiration, and to be honest, I haven’t found enough. I’ve struggled with marrying the traditional style of the home, this long room in particular and my innate love of midcentury. Plus, the fact that we have kids, like “things” and want it to feel minimalist yet interesting. So here are some:
Those people are cool; that’s not up for debate. But what is is how I can bring in that personality without adding even more contrast and clutter.
Classic Windsor + cool art = I suppose that is something I’ll always love, RIGHT?
So while shopping, here is what I’ve been really drawn to, sofa-wise:
This collection is all vintage, and ones that I’ve loved but am not opting for for the following reasons.
Floral sofa: This is a statement and one that also looks comfortable and kid-friendly. It’s in LA so I could go test it out, but it is incredibly expensive (over $10k) so why go try on a wedding dress you’ll love but can’t afford and then cry about?
Blue velvet sofa: I love the curved back of this one that lends itself to the Danish traditional style. It’s so beautiful but again, above our budget (weighing in at $8k). Plus, it doesn’t look comfortable and we need extreme comfort in this room.
Red tufted sofa: This one is more affordable ($1,600) but I would reupholster it in a color that would be more timeless (adding about $1,500 to the price of it). I would put the same colored fringe on the bottom, to match the upholstery but it still feels like a risk as I felt my last tufted sofa was too traditional for me (plus would that low back actually back comfortable?)
Green curved sofa: This one I felt was PERFECT stylistically. It’s simple but special, long and the scale was great, but the cushions nor depth would fit our comfort expectations. Plus, it was also expensive.
So we nixed all of them and started looking at new pieces.
Top Row: Left via Jayson Home | Right via Interior Define | Bottom Row: Left via Shoppe Amber Interiors | Right via Anthropologie
Navy fringed sofa: This lady from Jayson Home is a modern Victorian chesterfield piece that I could see working in here except for the fact that it’s not long enough. We need at least 96″ so we’d have to customize which is an option, but kept me shopping.
Chaise sofa: I love the chaise of the one that we currently have so was drawn to this Interior Define sectional (designed by friend Maxwell Ryan of Apartment Therapy—see it in blue velvet in Arlyn’s living room for reference). I have had the sofa version and it’s really comfortable and deep, and the low back looked great in this room, letting the windows shine.
Beige modern sofa: Amber Interiors makes this simple, deep and comfortable version that has a low arm and low back (a profile we like in this room because it keeps it feeling open). I still love it and think it’s classic for sure.
Curved sofa: The room might lend itself to a curved sofa because of the bay window, so I started exploring rounded sofas. This would open the space from the entry, and still looks comfortable, but I didn’t know if it was something I’d love long term in another house if we moved. But it’s more affordable (around $3k, from Anthropologie) and it has personality. I also feared that it was trendy, and not as comfortable as we’d need but again, I never saw it in person.
Top Row: Left via Modshop | Right via BDDW | Bottom Row: Left via Lawson Fenning | Right via Lulu and Georgia
Green sofa: The top left is from Modshop and the curved back, customizable fabric and relative affordability and fast lead time is attractive. I still feel like I should go check it out in person (they have a store here in LA…and yes, we can choose any fabric which is attractive).
Printed white sofa: The top left sofa is one of my favorite sofas of all time from BDDW. Those feet. Those hands. I’ve never loved a sofa limb before and, yes, it’s customizable, too. It has that mix of “modern traditional” in the edgiest, coolest way which I want for this house. Sadly, it’s over $20k (listen, it’s designed and made in the states, beautifully constructed…a real piece of art) so we are opting for our children’s college education over this one.
Gray curved arm sofa: The bottom left (from Lawson Fenning) is, well, perhaps the winner. I found a vintage version of this once and freaked out about it, in a “that’s my sofa that my soul has always wanted” kind of way. The rounded arms are great for the “visual invitation” that I want for this room (high arms can cut off a room if you are entering from the side of it). The single bench seat is comfortable (I sat on it, it’s a 10 on the comfort level). It has all the shapes that I want—round and square—and is totally customizable when it comes to the fabric. It’s in the $3,500 to $5k range which is a lot. My one big fear is that if I spend that much on a sofa (sure, my dream sofa), that it will be knocked off in 2 years and I’ll wish I had just waited for the copycats to save money. Dark, but true.
Navy velvet sofa: The last one is from Lulu and Georgia and I do think that it’s a modern traditional sofa that fits in this house perfectly. There are some length constrictions (might not be long enough) and color restrictions (comes in a lot but might not be exactly what I want or have the flexibility at least). But it was a strong contender and $1,500 cheaper than Lawson Fenning.
Considering all of that, I went to go sit and see the Lawson Fenning sofa and in not so shocking news, I fell in love with it. So we started playing with colors…
How would she look in my house? With the things that I already love?? Here are some options:
VERSION #1: A medium gray (with a hint of green in it) with vintage black leather chairs:
OH SNAP (the G-rated version of my real thoughts). The chairs that I have currently I love for many reasons, but like love at first site unlike a comfortable relationship, when I saw these black leather ’70s weirdo chairs, my heart skipped, my breath sucked in and from what I read in my teen romance novels of yore, that’s a good indicator that I’ll love it for a long time. Or maybe not because I’m me and being me means a level of furniture fickle that annoys even, yes me. I could give back the original chairs to Midcenturyla or sell them here, and I have a decent credit towards the company that sells these new chairs so they aren’t a fortune for me and would make up the cost ($1,500 for the pair). At the same time, I’m worried about how shiny the black leather is and I’d likely have to refinish the legs which would cost likely $400 for both. RISKY BUSINESS.
So naturally, the next question is WHY NOT A PINK SOFA???
I went fabric shopping on Saturday and brought home a bunch of options, with a rose linen as one of them. It looks soooo pretty and warms up the room so much, but it’s MAUVE and that concerns me long-term. If it were for a shoot or a client that was open to it, I would do/force this, but Brian looked at me with side-eyes and a “kinda grandma” comment and I’m also worried that in 2 years a mauve sofa is not what I will want. At the same time, I’ve always loved pink, it’s just the shade of pink that has changed. But look how good it looks with the fireplace???!!!!
Back to safety for a second:
A light denim gray sofa (it’s bluer in person but not BLUE) with the vintage black chairs. I get my hit of blue (kinda) and yet these dope chairs that as forementioned do in fact make my heart skip that beat. HOWEVER, I haven’t seen them in person, sat on with my butt cheeks, or assessed how shiny that leather is, so I’m nervous. There are risks in buying vintage online. There are.
Next, denim sofa with vintage eclectic chairs:
Last week when I was planning this post, I was like, wait, why am I conforming to symmetry? I don’t believe in a perfectly designed room and never have, so let’s shake up those chairs!!
I remembered that I have this awesome vintage Børge Mogensen chair from the flea market that I can either live with as-is or refurbish/refinish/reupholster to make it the perfect color. And then I’ve ALWAYS loved these Adrian Pearsall UFO chairs that are huge and graphic in such a playful way. Why not correspond the fabric and create a room that is truly UNIQUE. One is more square and visually light, the other is low and round and grounded. They are meant for each other. Sure, there are some risks (they might not look that great in the room). The Adrian chair might be too big. The wheels might prove terribly annoying. The Børge chair might be uncomfortable. The investment in them might not be worth it. But if we reduced the stuff in the back as many of you want me to do then are two eclectic vintage chairs perhaps the most interesting choice? And if your answer is yes, then do I do that blue-ish denim sofa with them or the medium toned gray one? And if you are like Brian, you might not even notice the difference in their color (to quote him: “what the eff are you actually talking about?”…we’ll explain it to him later). Living with a designer who is a laid-back perfectionist is a real treat, I promise.
So what say you? Keep as-is? Medium gray sofa? Rose sofa? Denim blue sofa? Black leather chairs or the charcoal chairs we already have?
I vote rose – it looks so pretty! And, hey, regardless of the colour you’ll probably end up changing it in a couple of years, so why play it too safe? đŸ˜‰
My thoughts exactly!!
I agree! The rose color really warms up the room in a really lovely way and looks great with all the existing finishes.
Shameless hijack here. How does such a gorgeous room kinda not work? I’m totally invested here. I think you are switching out the stuff in it, because something about the bones need tweaking. What if you buy white contact paper to temporarily wrap the beams (sans damage) so you can see if painting them really is the trick. Or, as others have suggested, what if you paint the room a really dark color?! It might fix the heaviness of the beams and messy look of the built ins. I also like the “try out doors on the builtins” idea.
It will be fun to see you tinker with this. And while I like the couch tinkering, I don’t think the couch is the culprit
Ha. I think we will do all of this in photoshop to test it out. dying to see if getting rid of the built-ins is the answer! but hell maybe it is the beams. I also just don’t want it to look like a new build …. but those plaster walls will always be there. And @sam that is exactly what Brian said …
Have you ever thought of just painting the fireplace a dark color? It’s such a cool shape and it would really draw your eye. I know it’s a little crazy, but you have Photoshopping skills on staff and it would be cool to see how that looked!
Another idea for that fireplace wall: Could you cover the shelves with doors, like salvaged, special doors, to make them look like built-in cabinets? That would still have character but it would be less busy. You’d have some concealed shelves for all your styling props and whatever kid toys/ AV equipment we all have floating around our living spaces.
Ooooo! I like that idea!
Keep. The. Beams. Your team has surely considered grounding the room with the basics, a gorgeous, warm colored carpet for fall and winter.
Yes, Rose! It’s the soulmate of the fireplace. And if you recover it in a few years we’ll all be jazzed to see the next iteration. I know they aren’t as funky as they black leather but I am super into the charcoal chairs.
I do think the built-ins are distracting, which as a plaster wall/book lover makes me feel as though I’ve betrayed myself.
I LOVE the beams. I just think they need something to balance them out. The problem with this room is the visual clutter. There’s just too much going on and the eye doesn’t fall anywhere, it goes boing-boing-boing all over the place. To cut down on the visual overload, I would add doors to those built-ins. Maybe heavy, wood doors to tie in the beams and the other wood elements in the room. Something you’d find in Spain or Taos that looks as if it’s been there for 200 years. Or whatever. But yeah, wood doors of some sort.
It’s definitely the beams for me, I can’t see past them. I actually tend to cover the top part of your photos to be more fair in the decor analysis, that’s how much I can’t see past them. Mean no disrespect and it could be very different in the room.
Agree – something with the structure of the room that is tricky, as noted, and I wonder if the long room with furniture lined up on either side creates a tunnel effect that is kind of a feng shui no no….energy escapes instead of gathers. Beautiful room no matter what!
As others have commented I agree there is a lot going with the beams and built-ins. But I think the issues though is the competing curves of the fireplace, ceiling and curved beam support details with the straight lines of the built ins. I wonder what it would be like if you could square off the fireplace all the way up to the ceiling and replaced the curved beam supports with something a bit sleeker or even a bit more industrial. I think it would reduce some of the visual noise and let the eye travel a bit further into the room and allow the built ins to feel a bit more balanced and intentional. Just a thought đŸ™‚
PS -totally vote for the pink sofa
Same!! My heart skipped a beat. It’s so you, Emily, but also so unique. And I love the chairs in that setup so much more than the black leather.
I would still love to see two sofas facing one another, get rid of the two heavy pieces near the fireplace wall, replace them with arm chairs flanking the fireplace and change out the art above the fireplace. Blockshop has beautiful beautiful rose colored block prints that would pair nice with the rose sofa (my vote). I think back to that Spanish style house you designed a while back with the two chesterfields.
Wow. I love the look of the rose sofa, but am so “rosed out” at this point. It’s such a market- saturated color and says deco when Emily, your living room is not deco. I’m also not sure you want to draw out the bricks on the fireplace…seems like too much of a contrast in styles. So and so, we all have our voices!!
Agree with Sam! My vote is for the rose, knowing you will likely change it up in a few years regardless of sofa you choose now. I also think it’d be nice to have a warm color in the room of neutrals/cool colors (I learned that from you đŸ™‚ !).
Also love the charcoal chairs way more than the black leather. Too much black when you think about the chair near your fireplace. The color + style doesn’t feel cohesive with the rest of the space. Perhaps if you reupholstered to a more fitting color when you refinish the legs? I would say go for it, if I didn’t already think the charcoal chairs were great as is.
Hope these thoughts are helpful!
I agree with Jody. I think this room calls for more symmetry than you usually do because it’s sooo big and so much space means everything makes it busy. That said, I do love the recent version the most. I think a post with a bunch of photoshopped ideas would be so fun!! Pretty please:)
Black leather chairs. Hard yes!!
Add a soft throw if you need to lighten them up, but my heart stopped for a moment when I saw them. Remind me of my years in NYC. So good.
I love the current Article sofa, and each of the new sofa colors you picked. Although the current gray chairs and the black chairs you like are gorgeous, I think they are too modern for your room. If you do keep them, I would move the vintage trunk to another room. The vintage chairs are very cute! My favorite version of this room was the green couch with the blue rug and the abstract over the fireplace…so beautiful and warm, and the vintage trunk fit right in! I know you would rather be cool, but cool seems to be more like the Portland house. Although I can appreciate the Portland house, I haven’t been following your blog for years to look at pictures like the Portland house. Why don’t you try moving the cozy hang-out part of your room to the back, around the fireplace, so that you watch tv and snuggle up back there? Then you can play up that beautiful bay window, instead of putting a sofa in front of it.
This sounds amazing! I think the TV / projector forces the hangout spot to stay where it is, but I would really love to see some other layouts… I know a ton of other layouts were debated originally, but we never got to see any of them actually tried
we did so many layout options when we first were deciding what to do in here – https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/layout-new-living-room . honestly since we put a TV in our bedroom this week i’m like – do we need to have the projector in here still? We rarely have group movie nights, could do family movie nights in bed (did that on friday and it was WONDERFUL) and I wonder if there were a popup projector situation that we could bring in for those occassions? The kids mostly watch shows on an ipad anyway. Then orient it towards the fireplace and then do what with the back of the room? I don’t know, but if you take the tv situation out of the equation MAYBE we do just reorient the entire room. OH GEEZ sounds like brian henderson is about to have a REALLY fun saturday rearranging the living room … đŸ™‚
Emily, what about making the fireplace part of the room the smaller, cozier part? Put two comfy leather chairs facing the fireplace, with their back to a console table. On the other side the sofa, which will be facing you as you enter. The TV can go between the 2 entries. Don’t get rid of the unique features of this house, like the built ins and beams.
I like this! It seems like a room that might like being two “rooms”, a fireplace comfy seating area (or lounging…a daybed?!) plus…well that’s where my ideas end.
Did I miss a reference to the “pop of red” conundrum? It looks like you did not try it….yet!
Maybe the rose sofa is the “I work all day with bright colors and many textures and socializing and need a break when I get home” version of pop of red.
Agreed. What about two matching sofas back to back?
So agree! Getting rid of the unique features seems like the wrong way to go!!
Yes yes yes please try it!!
And love the two seating areas idea too … this room is sooo long it seems and really craves some width.
Just looked back at this post from before you moved in with different furniture arrangements. It’s helpful but all done in photoshop. What if you took a weekend or two and used actual furniture to try some of the other options? It seems you have plenty of sofas/chairs to test them all out. You could try each option and live with it for a few days to see how it actually feels. Lots of work for you and Brian, but I think it would answer some of these seemingly unanswerable layout questions. And would be fun and educational for your readers! Take pics of each one and then do some photoshopping for other details (like making bookcases taller, adding doors, plastering over them, etc)
I agree with Molly and others here: creating a cozy area facing the fireplace and then a second more formal seating area with four chairs or two and a settee or something could really highlight the architecture and make the room simpler but more proportional. I also love the pink sofa with the blue chairs, because it is WARM and CALM with less contrast. After the previous post I kept thinking about the mix of styles: maybe there’s just one too many, contemporary, mid- century, and antique are a lot to combine. What if you tried removing one of those eras from the room? I hate to suggest it because I like it too, but while you are experimenting, try removing the mid-century, keep the new/contemporary and the antique. It could unify the architecture and the decor. This is a fascinating dilemma. And as great as Photoshop is, I am a furniture mover around-er, sometimes there’s just no substitute for seeing, feeling and sitting on the furniture in different locations for a day or two, to really get it right.
The projector is the first thing I noticed.
I literally couldn’t sleep last night because I was up trying to figure out why this beautiful room with beautiful styling has never quite reached its sweet spot! I think it has a lot to do with its size and layout. If you keep the current layout, I suggest actually trying a much bigger sofa to fill the room more and not need the credenzas in the back. I’m picturing Restoration Hardware sofas, because I’ve seen ads of theirs with huge furniture in huge spaces. I don’t think that style would likely work with your style, but those sofa options might provide some inspiration. And while I adore your coffee table, I think a much bigger coffee table could also help.
Thanks for letting us be along on the ride! Everything you do is gorgeous!
I’m about to buy a Nebula projector for our living room – totally portable and wireless with speakers built in.
Oh my gosh! Yes! Would love to see this set up. That fireplace should steal the show but it just gets so lost in the room.
I also thought of the “two rooms” idea when I looked at the current LR. In the mockup you had before you moved in, the photoshopped sofas were heavy set. If you go for a lighter feel (lighter furniture), but still do a fireplace “room” and then the second room anchored by the french windows, then it might break the long tunnel effect of the room and give different focal points. Just a thought.
“Although I can appreciate the Portland house, I haven’t been following your blog for years to look at pictures like the Portland house.” YESSS. And I love all the subcomments about what is possible when you don’t have to work around the projector screen any more. I really feel like that change could get this room unstuck with truly new and better options, rather than endlessly trying new furniture shapes in the same furniture spots.
That rose sofa makes everything else in the room sing- it has my vote 100%!
Yes! I love the wood tones and brick with the rose, and those Midcentryla chairs are perfect.
Totally agree!
Rose sofa and like many said yesterday, maybe de-clutter the back of the room a bit. If you removed the furniture from back there or at least a few pieces and dry wall or plaster over the shelves, then you could do one of those cool gallery walls like your inspo photos somewhere in the room. I have always loved this room, but in every photo, there is a lot going on.
The mauve sofa all the way! It totally balances out all the cool grays and ties in nicely with the red brick in the fireplace!
Lulu & Georgia have a blush pink sectional here: ALAINA VELVET SECTIONAL, ROSE and their Maxwell pink velvet sofa is stunning. Both are 95/96 inches.
With kids you might shun the fabric but it’s surprisingly easy to clean and the pink/rose color is perfect with your existing arm chairs and coffee table.
OOH i’ll check it out!
The Rose is stunning. I don’t think it’s old lady at all. The sleekness of the sofa really balances it perfectly
right???
Love the rose!! Maybe with the vintage eclectic chairs instead?
I LOVE the mixed chairs and that Lawson Fenning sofa is perfection in any color.
I, as a reader want to see you work that rose one! In my living room, I would probably go with the grey or denim grey but what are you here for Emily but to inspire us. (Let’s be honest, you will probably want to change the room in 2years anyway and then you will find a new way to repurpose the rose couch.) You’re the best! Can’t wait to see what you do!
“You will probably want to change the room in 2 years anyway…”
Lol! I think she’s averaging a new sofa every 6 months!
I love the sofa you already have together with the vintage eclectic chairs you suggested last. Also I second the “less stuff in the background” vote. đŸ™‚
The rose sofa 100%! It ties all the warm tones in the room together.
With the Lawson & Fenning sofa I think you would need to replace the chairs with something less modular. They look too modern together.
That last sofa is so beautiful, the curve echoes the arch on the fireplace. I’m in love with the green option, but I know that’s not your usual palette.
I’m not sure any of the chair options are right for the room. Chairs are my favorites thing to dream purchase, so I’d keep looking.
I hesitated with the pink sofa, I’ve got to be honest. But when I read about how it draws out the fireplace— I was sold!!
Otherwise, I’d go denim gray… because medium grey feels too safe.
Also, I like the symmetry in the middle of your space because the fireplace end is so asymmetrical. I worry with three different chairs in the room, I will start to feel like a furniture showroom and not a family hang out spot.
Finally, if everyone wants to sit the the existing chairs and you worry the black Leather is too shiny I would stick with the existing chairs.
Agree 100%. With in matching chairs, I think the whole room layout would need to be reconsidered.
Oops. That was supposed to be withOUT.
The rose! The rose! The rose! Then, if you keep the current chairs, and save that part of the budget, if you replace the couch in 3 years it seems like a wash ?
I think you need to be true to yourself and go with the navy blue Lawson Fenning! It’s a statement color and a neutral at the same time, but totally you and timeless.
Rose sofa. I think Brian has to make room for your creativity and expertise.
The rose looks SO good with the brick fireplace…love that! The shiny leather is A LOT but maybe in those pictures the light is more direct and bright than in your house. They also have the “weird” factor that is the EHD signature đŸ™‚ To me, the Børge Mogensen chair looks a little too similar to the incredible ubiquitous IKEA Poang chair at first glance.
I like the rose sofa. Unexpected and makes everything else you have look even better.
Me, too. I l vote for the rose sofa. But maybe I just like the color, I don’t think the style is as important as the color and the comfort! I think the warm color is so inviting in your room and it seems you are excited about it. I just purchased a sofa last week and instead of getting the nice, safe, neutral one that I planned on, I unexpectedly found a beautiful teal blue -in the same store- that looks like velvet but is a synthetic. I was nervous about how it would look so the designer at the store told me they would exchange it for the neutral if I didn’t like it (and they have a ton of neutral sofas)! That is great customer service from an old family owned store that has clients around the country. Fortunately, I love it and am so glad that I took a chance and went with the one I loved that makes more of a statement but is very comfortable and kid friendly.
Keep as is. The new sofas do not appear comfortable or hold many people. The current sofa looks like the whole family could sit together if they wanted. Also, the chaise is a nice comfort.
I love the rose color. I’m thinking of Jenna Lyon’s apartment with her coral velvet enormous sofa. I can see that vibe in your living room with an extra large sofa with multiple chaise sections. Also, I think the wood beams should be white. Can’t wait to see what you choose!
I feel like this room needs a mauve sofa. I feel like the element missing to tie in old world and mid century is pops of the old timey colors and busy patterns.
I love your current grey chairs with the pink or dark green Lawson Fencing. I think the thing holding this back is the clutter of furniture, lamps, and shelves on both sides of the fireplace. Could you go way more minimal with the shelf styling? All covered books or books turned backward and remove the credenzas for just art or something more minimal? The rooms you love from your last house and your inspos is very minimal with more wall art and less object art. I am excited to see whatever you choose!!!!
I think the last board is the clear winner. It looks like there are a lot of votes for rose, but you always seem to gravitate to color tones in upholstery. I am not sure about two of those black leather chairs, but maybe one if you are giving up on symmetry.
I also strongly disagree with losing the built-in bookcases. I would love to have that kind of architectural element in my home. What if you painted the back of the bookcase black and/or replaced the white shelves with natural wood shelves and made it more of a statement in the room? You have an AMAZING collection of sculptural objects and vintage finds that make that space uniquely yours.
I would add to your suggestion about the bookcases that replacing the shelves with ones that have “heft”, at least 2″ on the front face, would make them look more purposeful and architectural.
Rose sofa 100%. Also, as many have said, I’d remove the credenzas in the back – especially the taller one lighter one. I actually think the bookcases are fine, but all the furniture back there is visually distracting AND blocking a good bit of the bookcases. Usually I don’t recommend turning the books around, but in this case I think it might calm everything down. Also, it look fantastic when you did it for (I think?) Halloween one year.
I do love the denim blue sofa option, but I feel conflicted about the chairs. I love the black, but the eclectic mix of chairs seems to really work. Tough choice.
Light denim grey (with hint of blue) or medium grey. I’m leaning to liking the medium grey one better but I’m not sure. DEFINITELY voting on those super cool super swanky black leather chairs. They have the coolest vibe!! Keeping the grey chairs you have now would be too matchy matchy in my opinion if you got the grey couch. (Just a thought though… I really love your couch you have right now in the room with those grey chairs).
The rose color couch is pretty but it’s a wild card and even though you might love it now you may grow tired of it and long for something more neutral.
Those are my two cents! I love your style and your vibe. You inspire me all the time. I copy you a lot.
The one you have, your living is sooo beutiful, or Amber Interiors beige modern sofa.
That awesome gallery wall made me think that I would LOVE to see a post with advice for those of us who are interested in building a cohesive art collection.
The rose sofa immediately makes everything look perfectly tied together
I’d love to see you try out a different furniture layout, rather than constantly switching up the pieces but putting them in the same place. It seems from photos that this room is MADE for a back-to-back sofa layout, so you have one smaller seating area facing the entry and then a larger one facing the fireplace. I’d love to see this! It would also be an opportunity to use a showstopper of a piece, a la: https://www.rogerandchris.com/product/366/janus-dual-sided-chesterfield
I agree with the layout being the main issue. Changing the furniture pieces again within the same layout is not going to solve it.
OOo yes
I’ve been commenting this forever but I think there must be a reason she doesn’t want to do it. Would love to know đŸ™‚
i believe Emily has previously said they have the chairs where they are because of the doors to the back patio behind them
Love the rose sofa for that room!
I don’t know why this particular post got to me but I have to say that it makes me really sad that you ditched the Cisco Bros sofa so quickly, especially since I am sure it’s current replacement is not nearly close to it in quality. I actually purchased the Maxwell from Interior Define after seeing you praise it repeatedly on Instagram and… you get what you pay for. I think it would be really beneficial to not gloss over the differences in construction and quality that create the price differences. I have a sofa purchased through Crate and Barrel and produced by McCreary (at least one step down quality wise from Cisco) and it is light years more comfortable, it looks better even though it is 5 years older, and the price difference was not huge. So really, spending $1500 more upfront to have the sofa you really love is, to me, cheaper in the long run. “Buy the best and you’ll only cry once” and all that.
The Cisco sofas are my dream aspirational sofas.
MAUVE – PINK – ROSE
I think I just said yes out loud when the rose sofa popped up. It FITS. And to chime in–unless you need the credenzas back there for storage, they do weight the back a lot and I would get them out of there. Let the shelves be the star and maybe a chair that has some lightness to it. Someone also said raise them up and when I studied the photo I thought–YUP–they would look better taller. Don’t know if that’s possible or not, but a thought!
Rose sofa and perfect chairs. I think with that level of interest in the seating area you don’t even have to declutter the shelves quite so much. Everything will balance, with warmth.
As someone who IS old enough to be a grandma, pink is not us. We’re still all holding onto our peanut-colored Pottery Barn rolled arms.
This room is just so beautiful…What I’d do to come over and style it! Never commented on blogs but had to concur with a few on here regarding beams et al. While they make the room, the color is too heavy. I would suggest lightening them so they don’t compete with everything in the room. Also, the brick on FP needs to be painted out. Everyone knows my obsession with white, as seen in my store and how I style it, but I am also loving and recommending a plaster looking white washed finish on walls that gives them subtle texture and arent solid white. Did this on my second store. This would work wonderfully in this room and would include FP. The built-in shelving? I’d get rid of all shelves here, save one on each built-in. Lean a painting on each and FP is now focal point. (Take down painting over fireplace and move out the chests). Definitely would layout sofas facing FP and let those beautiful windows shine! And I may be in the minority but I’d stick with a classic, timeless sofa. Good luck with your beautiful home!
The rose! The gray and blue are a little too safe and don’t sing the way the rose does.
This was very entertaining – love to follow your process! Thank you for sharing. I agree that if you’re going to buy the LF sofa, the rose one is the way to go. BUT, since you’re asking, if it was my room, I wouldn’t commit to a sofa change until I tried out some of the many suggestions yesterday. If you give the room some breathing room at the fireplace end, and/or address the bookshelves, and it improves the room in your opinion, you might not feel the need for a new sofa or new chairs. IMHO what works in the Mountain House and the Portland House was the space and simplicity of the furnishings. Maybe that is what you’re missing in this house.
Denim! Like a great pair of jeans you can always dress it up or down. You will get the most longevity out of that sofa, particularly for the money. Either the v. cool black chairs or the mismatched pair. Can’t wait wait to see the next iteration of this room! (Also , I loved the commenters suggestion from yesterday to put some doors on the bottom of the bookshelves and perhaps leave a large niche up top.)
PINK! Get weird with it. It looks fantastic!
That Lawson Fenning is stunning! I also like the curved Anthropologie and the Modshop oneS. Pink in all!
The rose for sure. The others make the room feel more one-note; beautifully texturally, but not enough difference between the pieces.
I think you should look into buying a Herman Miller “Chicklet” Sofa. This is my DREAM sofa, and a know a guy in SLC who is going to sell me his for ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! which I will then recover in large scale, B&W buffalo check. I think a very cool chicklet sofa is the way to go for you!
https://www.chairish.com/product/1924523/1980s-contemporary-ray-wilkes-for-herman-miller-chicklet-sofa?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr6OWhbeP5QIVlRx9Ch13vw33EAQYASABEgIR-fD_BwE
Oh wow, that sofa is amazing.
Right??? I am going to ask around on reddit if anyone has one and if it is comfortable. I just love the bold structure lines of it so much, that i may be willing to give up a lot of comfort – especially in a formal living room without a TV.
Ok, I LOATHE that Lawson Fenning sofa *insert cry-laugh emoji*. I think it looks like a cartoon camel. Something about how close set the legs are?? I don’t know – taste is so personal and it certainly doesn’t matter in the scheme of things. I’ve liked every other sofa you’ve ever had! And, I get that you really want to push it and choose something that surprises and delights and inspires, rather than creating a period set.
But, if you must have it (the camel), I think a classic, deep navy or green might help it live in the style of the home more seamlessly? And I think any of the chair choices would work well if you deepened the color palette! I’m partial to a pair of chairs over two individual ones, unless you want to scale back art and accessories – the chairs sort of become sculpture!
I really agree. It looks very cheap for something that will end up being expensive. And yet, not weird enough for what you are trying to get to in this room.
rose sofa with black leather chairs ?
I like the rose for that room! It would look so good with the fireplace and it’s different in a good way.
ROSE! oh my gosh it warms it up so much and everything else looks bland in comparison. The rose does tie in to the fireplace so well and it still allows for other accent colors, like your blue cabinet by the piano. And I love it with your current chairs. The current chairs are way better than the black leather – the leather and the wood look too shiny and cheap. Which is the last thing you want when they def are not cheap.
I think you should go for the mauve! This room needs some warmth and some contrast with the rug. I also think YOU need something besides a regular gray sectional that half of america has. The mauve is a beautiful tone and makes a lot of sense. I don’t 100% love that particular sofa but I could be convinced. Another thought I had was, what about a pair of sofas? It would give you the seating you need while being visually cleaner and simpler.
I love so much about this room and the pieces you have collected. I was just curious if you might try two sofas to add some symmetry ( sometimes that can simplify a space)? Also, have you ever tried anything with rounder edges above the fireplace or do the straight edges of the art compliment the fireplace’s curves better?