Our LR/DR Combo Era

I want to take a minute to show a side of my job that I don't often get to talk about -- design planning. While the bulk of my days are filled with helping clients ready their homes for the real estate market, I also help them create homes that they never want to leave.

This week I got the opportunity to help someone tackle a space that has been causing stress amongst homeowners for decades. You've certainly seen it. You may have even lived in such a space. I'm talking about the dreaded Living Room/Dining Room Combo; that anxiety inspiring zone that came standard in nearly every ranch-style home built between 1950 - 1980.

1960s Floor Plan with Living Room/Dining Room Combo
source: https://archive.org/details/WmEPedersenPracticalhomes10thed0001/page/n7/mode/2up

If the current fad of open concept has taught homeowners anything, it is that space planning is hard. But millennials have no idea how easy they have it with open concept homes. An open concept layout is essentially a blank canvas. You can pretty much put any furniture collection -- living, dining, office, etc. -- wherever you want. Throw a big rug down, put comfy furniture around it, and declare the area a family room. 

Back in the day though, we had to deal with the long, narrow, Living Room/Dining Room Combo. I doubt any studies have been done, but I'd lay good money on the likelihood that the reason Boomers are so grumpy is because they grew up in the rigid confines of the Living Room/Dining Room Combo Era. I don't know if Taylor Swift has gone through a LR/DR Combo Era, but I'm sure her parents did. It was an era that grabbed hold of builders nationwide and refused to let them go for 30 years. So it was no surprise to find that my client was struggling with space planning in her own LR/DR Combo. 

Even though I run into a LR/DR at least once a month (two so far this month), hers was especially difficult because it is unusually narrow -- only 11 feet. Compounding the situation, my client fell victim to the gigantic leather motion sofa monster. Not once, but TWICE! In an eleven foot wide space, my client placed two 39" deep sofas. The smallest of the two sofas completely spanned the only window in the room. What view the sofa didn't cover up, the curtains did. 

In fairness, the traditional method of decorating this room is, essentially, to line the perimeter of the room with furniture like the floor plan shown below. So my client did just as everyone has done with the room for decades -- she lined the room with her furniture. But as you can see that did not work out so well. 

When the ranch style home was popularized in the 50's, furniture was much smaller. It fit well in the narrow, alley-like spaces of the LR/DR Combo. But a lot has changed since then, especially furniture size. Now days, nearly everyone has a gigantic, over-stuffed, high backed, leather, motion sofa. That kind of seating may work great in an open concept home, but in a narrow 1960's ranch, it's just too much. 

So the challenge was to devise a plan that would provide seating for at least five people without overcrowding the room. It was also important to eliminate the bowling alley appearance and make it easier for people to comfortably see the television. The strategy had to include easy access to all points of entry, more/better lighting, complement the adjoining dining area, inject elements of style, and convey a feeling of spaciousness. 

Drum roll please . . . 

Now, I am NOT a fan of sectionals. In fact, my hatred of the sectional sofa has been well documented here before; but in short, I don't care for them because most people don't know how or when to use them. They put sectionals in spaces that are simply too small for them. I also dislike sectionals because they claim to offer more seating than they actually do. The sofa depicted in these renderings boasts seating for six. I call BS! Yes, you can put 6 butts in the seat of that sofa, but 12 knees are a different story. Six adults cannot sit on that sofa without their knees touching. 

In this case though, a sectional was the best option for achieving our objectives. I retained the 5 seating spots that the original leather sofa group provided, plus I picked up a sixth seat in the swivel chair located near the door. The swivel chair is a particularly important element in this floor plan as it is compact, it is rounded to provide easy access in a tight space, and it allows the user to converse with people on the sofa and then back to the TV to watch the Vols score!

Another essential ingredient of this space plan is the round cocktail table. Like with the chair, the round table provides easier passage around the seating groups. When working with small spaces, every inch counts. 

I was able to capture even more seating by placing two round upholstered stools beneath the console. When not in use, they tuck easily back under the table.  

To improve lighting, I first opened the curtains so they flank the window and allow much needed daylight into the dark room. Roman shades are hung behind the panels and can be lowered for privacy at night. The 3 stacked mirrors also offer a reflective element to the room. Near the window, a pharmacy lamp was added for lighting beside the chair. Its small stature allows for easy conversation with the sofa group and does not block the window view. A surprise light element was gained via a rechargeable picture light above the art hanging beside the television.  Finally, a tripod lamp serves as both an art element and a height provider to balance the mirrors on the right side of the room.

In the dining room, the client requested a "mudroom" style bench to be placed to the right of the back door. The Roman shades were repeated on the windows in the dining area, but no curtain panels. This gives the room a sleek, clean look. Then new table, chairs, and cabinet in warm wood tones and rug complement the adjoining family room. 

So what do you think? Do these design plans accomplish all the objectives to help the client live spaciously and stylishly in her LR/DR Combo Era? 

Living (and Dining) with a Plan

I don't know how you spent the past weekend, but I spent the long holiday break getting inspired. I took the extra day away from the office perusing design sites and beautiful images. I fell in love with Laurel & Wolf's blog and Pinterest boards. Those gorgeous rooms gave me a spark of creativity to really dream about the possibilities for a recent project.

You see, last week we worked on a home that was in dire need of design help. The homeowners had simply given up on their attempt to get style and function to intersect inside their 1970's rancher. Faced with the same long, narrow living room/dining room combo that many homes of that era feature, the owners had no idea how to create a stylish, dual-function room. So they did what a lot of you do. They panicked and ran to the nearest wholesale club to buy the biggest, most awkward sectional sofa they could find. The space was adequately filled with very comfortable furniture, but style, beauty, and function were no where to be found.

Where It All Began

Of course we helped restyle this room. And the home got multiple offers in the first weekend on the market. I will share some "Before & After" photos very soon, but for today --- I'd like to illustrate the potential a room like this can offer.

Long, narrow dual-function rooms are a very common design dilemma. We see them at least once a week. From a design standpoint, they can be scary spaces, for sure. But with a little planning and help from sources like Laurel + Wolf, Pinterest, design magazines, or wherever you see beautiful things, rooms like this can be transformed into truly gorgeous and functional spaces that everyone will love.

To get started, you need to think about the room's purpose and layout. I decided the best option for this room would be to return it to its original intent -- a living room/dining room combination. The dining room would sit at the far end of the room, closest to the kitchen; and the formal living space would be located next to the foyer. This would give owners the ability to entertain large groups in a single space.

It is also important to consider the type of events that may take place here. With a family room located just a few feet away and a finished basement below, this room does not have to house a lot of media elements. It is, however, the only place in the home that can seat more than three people for dinner, so returning the dining function to the room is a must.

With a new layout in mind, it's time fill the space with the basics, beginning with color. Lightening the room with a soft, sea salt color on all of the walls helps to open the room. Because the ceilings are low, visual space can also be increased by hanging white curtain panels from ceiling to floor.

From there, a dining table and living room seating group are obvious choices. The trick, though, to making this space function well while looking beautiful is SCALE. A huge sectional sofa is not a good choice for this space. With low, 8 foot ceilings and a narrow dimensions, furniture pieces should be kept on the smaller end of the size spectrum.

Finally, to make the dual functionality of the room make sense, the space needs to be stylishly delineated. Rugs and subtle room dividers can help accomplish this task.

Take a look at the new floor plan . . .

You can see that along with the rugs, a storage buffet is also used to separate the dining and living spaces. 

With the plan in place, it is easy to fill the room with the proper furniture and accessories. Starting with a console that allows plenty of room for traffic on both sides, the sofa size can be determined. In this case, a small three-seater sofa was chosen. Sometimes these are referred to as apartment sofas because of their compact size. Along with the sofa, matching chairs complete the grouping. Then a small coffee table with a little metal bling was added to the center, still allowing room for traffic flow. 

A glimpse from the entry. Soft tones, mixed patterns, and some bling from silver and gold elements.

An interesting thing about each of the items in the living area, all of the pieces have skinny legs and open bottoms. This helps to make the area seem more open and spacious. In fact, the only item that does not feature an open bottom is the console, which serves to divide the space. 

In the adjacent foyer, a pair of matching ottomans are tucked beneath the entry table. This is a clever way to add extra seating for large gatherings. The side table/stool beside one of the chairs also  offers additional seating. Now this room can comfortably seat 14 guest without bringing in extra chairs. It's so much better than the 8-person seating offered by that bulky sectional!

Yes -- you can tastefully tuck a TV into a room. 

Once the basics are in place, it is simple to find beautiful accessories to expertly fill the room by simply keep the scale and color scheme in mind with every selection. You'll notice that the color black is repeated in both areas within the room without things being "matchy-matchy". In fact, the look is a bit eclectic with varying design styles, wood tones, metals, and shapes. It works because each separate space has elements that recur in the opposite space. 

Here are a few more virtual renderings of my design plan for a long, narrow living room/dining room filled with traditional, transitional, modern, and antique elements all working together . . . 

A view from the dining entrance. Notice how the soft panels, hung ceiling to floor,  help increase the visual space.

Simple, elegant dining room with a big piece of art. Every room can use great art!

If you're looking to spruce up your living space, but have no clue how to get started, don't fret. It can be easily done, so there's no need to wait any longer. If you're in the middle Tennessee area, contact me for a personal consultation. For those of you not in the area, send me a message and I'll help you virtually layout your dream room.

A Bonus Room - OR - Storage with a Mortgage?

In the 1980's, residential architecture changed significantly as architects began including undesignated living space in many new home plans. They called this extra space a "bonus room".  Clever, huh?

The bonus room revolutionized residential design because prior to that time, most homes lacked auxiliary space. If an office or extra bedroom was needed, owners usually had to add on to the home. Such additions were costly, inconvenient, and not always in keeping with existing design.

The function of the bonus room was purposely undefined by architects. This allowed homeowners to decide how the room could be used to best fit their needs. What architects did not envision, however, was that the bonus room would be a catch-all space for so many homeowners.

A bonus room should be just that -- a BONUS. Unfortunately, most bonus rooms we see during our staging and design consultations are far from being termed a plus. Our experience has been that most bonus rooms fall into one of two categories. The first is a bland, nearly vacant space with little character, scale, or purpose. The second is what we refer to as storage with a mortgage. It is a room crammed so full of stuff that it cannot function aesthetically, efficiently, nor effectively.

Take a look at these rooms and consider whether, as a buyer, they would seem like a bonus to you . . .

Transforming an underwhelming room into a real bonus is not difficult. Really all it takes is some decisiveness. Simply choose how the room should function and stick to it! If the room is to be an office, don't let it turn into an office + workout station + kids kingdom + media room + storage center. And if the room must do double duty, limit it to no more than 2 functions per 1000 sq. ft. 

Recently we tackled a bonus room that wasn't exactly sure what it wanted to be. It pretty much fell into the first bonus room category of bland, unbalanced, and needing purpose. Take a look . . .

Bonus BEFORE

Bonus BEFORE

Because the room was really only used as a hangout for teens, it was pretty much an afterthought to the homeowners. No art was hung, more light was needed, and the room just wasn't in keeping with the rest of the home. Simply -- it was probably not the bonus that buyers in this price point were seeking.

To show off the room's amazing possibilities while at the same time keeping its function as a teen hangout in tact, we had to rearrange and accessorize. First we separated the huge sectional to form a more symmetrical conversational grouping. Breaking down the large sectional AND opening the drapes helped to achieve better balance in the room. It no longer felt as if the room was weighted on just one end.

Bonus AFTER

We counterbalanced the large furniture grouping by adding a console table at the opposite end of the room.

Bonus AFTER

Finally we brought the room to life by adding art, accessories, and light elements. 

Bonus AFTER

The room remains true to its primary function as a teen hangout, yet the design is sophisticated enough to appeal to adults and wow buyers. The transformation is a real bonus that will never be mistaken as just storage with a mortgage.

Don't Be a Lame Duck!

Those around in the 80's probably remember the Paul Masson commercials with Orson Welles and that unforgettable tagline: "We will sell no wine before it's time." The practice of fully preparing a product for market was around long before Paul Masson gave it a slogan, but it still rings true.

One industry that sometimes forgets the tried-and-true practice of thoroughly preparing a product for market is the real estate industry. Understandably, agents are under enormous pressure to sign clients before competing agents swoop in and get the listing. The trouble though with a hurry-up (and list) offense is that performance often suffers due to poor preparation; and the outcomes can be costly.

The most frustrating aspect of our job as home staging consultants is trying to remedy a lame duck listing -- a property that was rushed to market before it was ready. Poor Mr. Welles would roll over in his grave if he could see some of the unprepared listings on the market today.

Those ill-fated listings hit the MLS and the initial flood of prospective buyers begins. Excited buyers and their agents arrive only to find a hot mess. Floors are dirty, walls are cracking, lights are broken, 1980's décor is all around, and pet odors assault the senses. Buyers waste no time in moving on to a market-ready property and their agents. . . well. . .their agents talk. They tell other agents and buyers of the property's need for repairs and updates. Then the listing begins to sit, and sit, and sit some more. As it sits, people start wondering what is wrong with it. The early surge of potential buyers has passed and what remains is a LAME DUCK!

In most cases, a lame duck listing is the result of a rush to market. A For Sale sign shouldn't go in the yard before the house has even been cleaned. Buyers should see the best example of your home the very FIRST time they visit. You wouldn't wear a t-shirt and shorts to an interview, then hope for a second interview so you can wear your best navy suit would you? Of course not. So why would you do that with the sale of your home?  If you want to avoid being a lame duck listing, you must properly prepare.  Here's how . . .

Clean. Clean. Clean. Before you ever hire a realtor, prepare for the sell by making needed repairs, declutter, and eliminate any issues that buyers may perceive as negative. But don't overdo it! Sometimes owners get so into the decluttering process that they throw out key furniture, lighting, and art items. Just get rid of the clutter like papers, trash, broken items, and unused things.

Hire a great real estate agent. Don't just go for the agent with the flashiest ads and best website. Interview the agent and seek referrals from people you trust. Your home is often your largest investment. Don't trust it to just anyone. Hire an agent with exceptional character; one who makes your interests their priority. If you feel excessive pressure or get a gut feeling telling you to move on, listen to it. Ask lots of questions and choose the realtor who best fits your needs.

Talk to a staging consultant. If your realtor does not offer staging services, ask for them to do so. Request a true consultant who will sit down with you and explain WHY you need to remove the 70 inch television from the dining room entryway. Let them help you develop a game plan for making your home as presentable as it can be. Don't just get someone to come over and start moving stuff around your home. Go with a staging professional with a proven track record of verifiable sales and quick turnaround.

Trust the professionals. Don't just have a staging consultant into your home to satisfy your realtor. Do what they recommend. The more willing you are to follow the staging plan from the outset, the better success you are likely to have. Buyer expectations have changed significantly in just the past five years and the professionals know it. Agents and staging professionals do not enjoy telling you your home smells like cats or that your collection of 10,000+ antique bells is too much. They tell you to make changes or remove items because it will sell your home. Trust them.

Price it right. If your home is over-priced and you are uncompromising, don't venture into the market. People view their homes much like their children. They don't often see its drawbacks and realities. Listen to your agent who knows the market. They want to get as much out of your listing as you do. It's how they are paid. The more money you earn from the sale, the more they earn. What you think is a low asking price is usually a thoroughly researched, realistic price designed to keep your home from being a lame duck.

Stick to the plan. After your home has been readied for the market, a good stager and real estate agent will provide you with a list of things to do before each showing. Do them! Remember showing your home is like an interview. It is the first and sometimes only chance you have to make an  impression on buyers. Whatever the professionals have instructed you to do, this is the time to do it.

True, there are exceptions to these rules . . . but not many. You may have sold three houses in 40 years with the same cuckoo clock and velvet Elvis collections hanging on the walls, but most likely it 1.) didn't happen quickly, 2.) wasn't close to full price, and 3.) wasn't after HGTV began educating the house-buying public. Today's buyers are more educated and more sophisticated than ever before. Simply sticking a For Sale sign in your yard and expecting great results is poor strategy. If you want to sell quickly and for the most money, you must properly prepare. Surround yourself with true experts and do as they recommend. If you put the time (and a little elbow grease) into it, you can avoid being the next lame duck listing.

A Home Living Project

Last post I promised lots of before and after photos were on the way. I haven't forgotten. Today, I give you round two of The Summer of Before & After . . .

A warning first: This project is NOT before and after images from a home staging. This is a home living project. A few months ago we helped the homeowner's sell their old home. So when they moved, they asked us to help them create a design plan for their new place.

Creating a space for a client to live in is vastly different than helping them stage a home to sell. Design for living must take into account the homeowner's personal tastes and belongings. Great Aunt Helga's crocheted doily that we made them pack away when the house was on the market is probably going to be on display in the new home. Or bold wall colors that would never fly when selling a house, will now have to be incorporated into the design plan. Essentially, designing for a client long-term involves taking their conglomeration of stuff and personal taste, and finding a way to tie it all together in a pleasing fashion. This project is an example of doing just that . . .

 

We first visited this sweet couple just two days after their move. Things were still in boxes. Nothing was on walls. There was no lamp light. And it was really hard to see the home's potential. What we did notice, though, is that the client had unknowingly established a color palette. The primary color they inadvertently chose was a very deep blue with grey & green undertones. They had also established through upholstery and paint choices the secondary colors of brown and green. So even though things were in total disarray, we had a starting point -- Blue, Brown, and Green.

We gave the couple our thoughts about furniture placement and items they still needed like rugs, bedding, and a pair of club chairs. (Every home should have a matching pair of club chairs!) We also established a budget and list of shopping items that we would source in order to make their existing items come to life in the new home.

Dining BEFORE

In the dining room we started out with their existing, very traditional Thomasville table, chairs, and china cabinet. The client also had a small antique buffet. The mirror was a bit of an afterthought. It was a piece they'd had for years and nearly forgotten. It sort of stood out among the accessory items stored in the garage, just begging to be hung in the dining room. The rug was a purchase we asked them to make before we arrived for the final installation. Look at the detail in the rug. Without realizing it, the homeowners kept choosing the same blue/grey color to establish the color palette.

 

Dining AFTER



To complete the dining room, we purchased a large pair of complementary botanical prints. It's difficult to see in the photo, but the mats in the pictures repeat the colors of the rug. We also added the skinniest pair of buffet lamps we could find in all of Nashville. The size of the buffet and the two-tone mirror dictated the need for skinny, gold lamps. We were thrilled to find those amazing lamps. Up close, the posts look like gold beads. They were the perfect amount of bling to dress up the dining room. Finally, we added a pop of bright berry and green colors to table through a floral arrangement the homeowners already had. With that floral, we reinforced the secondary green color, and added a third secondary color with the berry tone.

In the family room, we tackled one of our most hated obstacles -- THE SECTIONAL SOFA! Our regulars know why we abhor sectionals. If you missed it, you can find out why here.

Family Room BEFORE

Despite our distaste of a sectional sofa, it was staying and we had to deal with it. There was no moving it to a better location. It was in the only place it could fit in the room. Really, the only thing to do was to break up the massive brown span of knobby upholstery -- but how? A RUG and PILLOWS! We lightened and visually separated the gigantic brown "L" with a light rug and pillows in natural tones. Then we added some accessories to the table, brought in a floor lamp, and dressed up the bookcases with the client's favorite things.

Family Room AFTER

 

Family Room AFTER

Opposite the sofa, there was this small, plain, boring wall. The homeowners had an extra dresser, so we told them to place it on the wall when we were there the first day.

Family Room BEFORE

The homeowners also had a pair of really cool lamps, but the shades were old, tired, and PLEATED. We purchased new shades for the lamps, a potted plant, and an amazing piece of art. With just three accessories and a nod to our blue, brown, and green color palette, we completely transformed that little boring wall.

Family Room AFTER

The huge breakfast room is one of the most used rooms in the homeowner's new home. Their existing table sets a Chinoiserie tone in the room, yet the other antiques are very Americana. We needed a way to tie the various furniture genres together.

Breakfast Room BEFORE

Breakfast Room BEFORE

We removed the chargers, placemats, and mirrored tiles from the table. Then we played up gold metallic tones on the accessories -- the Chinoiserie hurricanes on the table, the lamp on the console and the picture above it -- to tie the room together. We are still on the hunt for some art for the back wall, but you can see how the room is coming together.

Breakfast Room AFTER

And now for my favorite transformation . . . The Master Suite. Basically we started with really dark walls and tons of furniture lining them. There was nothing soft or relaxing about the room. In fact, it was kind of depressing.

The first thing we did was advise the clients to buy softer & lighter bedding, a rug, and a pair of club chairs. When we returned for the installation this is how things looked.

Sitting Area BEFORE



Bedroom BEFORE

Bedroom BEFORE

We wanted this space to be an inviting, relaxing retreat for the owners. It already had a very dramatic color, so we needed to match the drama while softening and lightening the room. We also wanted to drive home the drama using the secondary palette colors of berry & green. Remember the dining room? Those same colors were ideal for adding a dash of pizazz to the master suite.

 

Starting in the sitting area, we had the clients purchase a pair of matching club chairs. Fortunately they chose a light, almost white, upholstery. It worked great with the monochromatic accessories in the room, but it was tough to make it work with the existing skirted table. We solved the problem with multicolored pillows. Those little accent throw pillows introduced the berry color, green, and a pale yellow. That's how we arrived at the color on the table skirt. We repeated the blue and berry color using a lamp that the owner already had. We gave it an updated appearance by replacing the dated, pleated style shade with a more on-trend barrel style. Then we moved the owner's undersized art from above the bed and placed in the sitting area to once more add a pop of green. A little table top accessorizing with some berry & blue hardback books and the sitting room was complete.

 

Sitting Area AFTER



Around the television cabinet, we repeated the soft cream, pale yellow, and light blue colors with artwork and a plant. So simple, yet so impactful.

Bedroom AFTER

Finally, we finished the dramatic transformation of the master suite by having he homeowner buy a new bedding in a soft, creamy white tone. We repeated the berry and blues on the bed with throw pillows. We further softened the look with a pale grey and cream rug. We added bling and more color with those gorgeous abstract prints and mother of pearl lamps. Then we tied the bed area to the sitting area by filling the odd shelving unit built by the previous owners with simple all-white accessories. The result is soft, relaxing, and beautiful.

 

Bedroom AFTER

 

Bedroom AFTER

If you'd like to learn more about achieving a cohesive and beautiful design using your existing furnishings, please send us a message. We can help with all aspects of interior design needs.