Discovery: Whaddya Got?
Lesson 3 from: Refind: The 1 Day Home Interior Design Makeover CourseJonathan Rosen
Discovery: Whaddya Got?
Lesson 3 from: Refind: The 1 Day Home Interior Design Makeover CourseJonathan Rosen
Lesson Info
3. Discovery: Whaddya Got?
Lessons
Authors Notes
07:56 2Diagnosis: Stop, Look, Listen To Your Room…Hear What It's Saying.
10:27 3Discovery: Whaddya Got?
08:13 4Dismantle: Clear The Decks!
04:44 5Deploy: You Better Work!
20:11 6Review: Take A Pause For The Cause!
06:01 7Recess: You Deserve A Break Today!
13:50 8Re-entry: Only Once Chance To Make A First Impression
07:12Lesson Info
Discovery: Whaddya Got?
Now that you've taken stock of the big picture ie your space and all its fabulous features and flaws. You're ready to look at its contents. What do you own? What do you got? Take out your pad or phone and make a list of all your stuff. Take a full set of measurements that take into account all the furniture and carpets. These measurements will come in extremely handy when you're trying to determine which pieces will fit. Where start by thinking about the largest pieces first, the sofa slash sectional, a media cabinet, credenza, sideboard bookcase or bookcases and a piano. If you own one are generally the largest pieces in a living room, these are the building blocks and foundation pieces in the room. If you can establish their locations first, then you'll be able to build your floor plan around them with a sofa. Take into account its best location by determining where it needs to face. For example, if you're lucky enough to have a fireplace, putting the sofa either opposite or perpendi...
cular to it is optimal. In order to enjoy the very best view, if you have a spectacular ocean, mountain or city view just outside your windows, you may want to orient your sofa in that direction. Generally speaking, however, centering a sofa on the longest wall in the room will give you the maximum amount of flexibility for furniture placement. This should give you plenty of space to build an entire seating plan around. Can a sofa go at the far end of the room? Absolutely. But you'll need to think about what function the foreground of the room will serve and how to balance both ends of the room. It's a little trickier but completely doable in the event that the only place to put your sofa is with its back to the entry of the room, then create an attractive vignette by placing a sofa table in back of it with an attractive pair of lamps on top and either a chest ottoman or large basket below it. This pretty view will distract you from looking at the bare back of a large sofa. Let's take a moment to talk TV. Why do so many people think it needs to be directly opposite the sofa? It's actually so much better if it's not big black flat screen TV. S pull so much focus. We want your room to be the star of the show, not the television. Why not place it discreetly off to one side of the room on an arm so you can pull it out when needed and tuck it away when it's not in use if your TV must be placed front and center. I personally love the Samsung Frame TV, which allows you to dial up the artwork of your choice. When the TV is not on this way, you can select artwork that ties in with your decor. So that when the TV is not in use, you're looking at a beautiful image instead of a gaping black hole. As for size, consult the website's recommendation for what size to get depending on sitting distance away from it. A grand piano is a very dense and usually dark piece of furniture. Therefore, if you're able to, it's typically best to showcase the curve of the piano in order to accentuate its sexiest angle, minimize it size and create better traffic and flow. A large round upholstered ornament on casters tucked into the curve of the piano softens in the density of so much wood with some fabric texture and color. Practically speaking, it also provides additional pull up seating as needed. If you own an upright piano, you'll need to find a wall greater than 5 ft wide and you'll need about 3 ft of clearance to get the bench in and out. Bookcases are great on either side of a fireplace, a large doorway with equal size walls on opposite sides of windows or flanking a sofa. They're anchoring pieces that establish symmetry and create a focal point where are the best walls in your home to place them. If you have built in bookcases, then your work is already done. You'll just need to take into account their location when plotting the floor plan of your room. If your media cabinet needs to live under the TV, then so be it. However, with electric eyes and remotes being increasingly more common, this cabinet could really live anywhere. It could even be in another room. If there are any electrical components, those can get tucked away in enjoining cabinet, a bookcase or a closet, making the media cabinet redundant in that location. If you can eliminate the cabinet, you may find that your space will be that much freer giving you greater possibilities for furniture placement. Perhaps this former media cabin can now be repurposed as a server in your dining room or is a console in your entry. A big part of this process is having the flexibility to reimagine pieces in other locations. It's so easy to get locked into thinking about what you own in the way in which it was originally intended. Try to imagine other ways your things could be used. For example, all cocktail tables don't have to conform to the traditional idea of cocktail table. You could use an oversized upholstered ornament, a large trunk, a long bench or a tea table in its place. This is the time to take an inventory of everything. You've got chairs list the number of chairs you own including club chairs, open arm chairs, side chairs, wing back chairs slipper chairs, etcetera. Tables list the number of tables you own including cocktail tables in tables, drinks, martinis, tables, tea tables, garden stools, et cetera. Also include desks, lighting list, the number of lamps you own including table lamps, floor lamps, sconces, library lights for bookcases, flush mount light fixtures, chandeliers and up lights. The simplest way to take stock and corral your inventory is to start with pairs, pairs, create symmetry and symmetry creates order with chairs. Do you own a pair of comfortable upholstered chairs? Do you own a pair of extra chairs that can be used in the seating area? Maybe you have these in the room you're working on but if not, you may have them in other rooms in your house. How about lamps? Do you have a pair of matching table lamps? Do you have a pair of candlestick or buffet lamps? Those are tall and narrow table lamps. Do you have a pair of floor lamps? Art. How about art? Do you have a pair of prints? Maybe a set of prints? Do you have pairs or multiples of art photos? Do you have paintings that are comparable in size? Are they oils or water colors? How about a series of lithographs? Great. Put it on the list. Finally, let's take stock of your accessories. These are the decorative objects that will add color, texture pattern and shine. What kind of objects do you own? Look for multiples of things that are similar in material and group them accordingly. Ie glass, wood, brass, etcetera as a group to any of these things suggest a theme or are they just random individual objects? Multiples often make a greater impact when grouped together rather than standing alone? There is strength in numbers. Now, let's take another look around and notice what role color plays in the room. What color are your walls? Is it a strong color or is it a neutral? What color is the sofa or largest piece of upholstered furniture? What color is the fabric on the chairs? Is there a theme scheme or a suggestion of? One most importantly, do the colors in the room make you happy. Let's say you have a lot of color in the room but would prefer a cleaner, more neutral palette, buying ready made slip covers or better yet having a seamstress or upholsterer make them for, you can totally transform the look of your home. Obviously, this step would need to be taken care of in advance, but it is well worth the time and expense to create the right backdrop to create an entirely new palette.
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Ratings and Reviews
Isabel Wilson
Love this course! Jonathan makes it sound simple, which makes me want to get going with a living room makeover! Thank you!
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