EDF - furnish my house!

[asofel]

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we are going to need pics of teh house to be able to really help

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Why? I will probably be repainting several rooms anyway. It's all hardwood floors as of now, so really any color schemes or styles would be appropriate for discussion.

James

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Pics may still help for choosing furniture size, layout.

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if no pictures, at least an MS Paint...

[B00T]

get at least one LoveSac for the living room or basement area. Anywhere with a big TV works nice. I have 3 of them, one "Big One" and two "Moviesac" they are awesome.

[AZK]

while they look like they'd be comfortable...kinda frumpy.

[steel108]

I love doing this type of stuff and everybody tells me taht I'm really good at it too. Give us a few nibits of info:

(1) Color of hardwood floors (a dark finish is vastly different to a light finish when it comes to furniture style and color)

(2) What color will the walls be in each room (makes a huge difference)? I prefer neutral colors like dove grey, etc...

[AZK]

west elm has some nice stuff that is a little bit more expensive than ikea but is 10x better quality. a while back i had an apt. furnishing thread where peopel listed a ton of links to really nice expensive stuff too...

[El Diablo]

AZK,

Yeah, West Elm is basically the "modern high-end" version of Pottery Barn. Design Within Reach http://www.dwr.com/ has some cool stuff that can be a little pricey, but not insane.

James, you should also just wander around SoHo and walk into a bunch of shops there. Tons of cool unique stuff. Ranges from reasonable to absurd in both style and price.

[MaxPower]

James,

I'm going to program myself to dream about your space and then I'll get back to you.

But seriously, I have no clue. You might want to think about hiring an interior decorator. I talked to someone recently who used one. I don't think the cost would be too bad.

If you want to waste a lot of time, you can spend all day watching various cable programs that feature people decorating rooms. That could give you some ideas.

Good luck and congrats on the house.

[burningyen]

Is OP in NYC (ElD mentioned SoHo)? If so, ABC Carpet is a good place to browse for ideas and to see if they have any special deals going. Their prices are normally unreasonable, but every once in a while you'll find something priced to move. I found my beat-up country-style dining table/chairs set that way. Another really nice store is Miya Shoji in Chelsea. This old Japanese guy makes everything by hand in his workshop. He uses no nails or glue. Everything is made with tight-fitting parts and pegs in a semi-traditional Japanese style. The coffee table I bought from him is like a work of art. His stuff's not cheap, though.

My non-baller friends recommend Room and Board as a good catalog for stuff that is a couple of notches above Ikea in terms of quality.

ElD's idea to just walk around SoHo is a good one, too.

[Aloysius]

James - do you have a sense of the aesthetic you're going for? Either way, I'd recommend looking at interior design magazines for ideas, and in general to sense check what you do and do not like. Something like Dwell.

Of national chains, I've actually found West Elm stuff to be somewhat cheaply made (it's less expensive than Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, fwiw), but as Diablo mentioned it's a younger / "modern" aesthetic. Between C&B and Pottery Barn, I find C&B to be slightly better value.

-Al

[gilper]

I think it is really important to consider the size and style of the house when selecting finishes and furnishings.

You mentioned hardwood floors, so start with area rugs. It is much easier to choose a paint to match a rug than a rug to match paint. Find some rugs that fit your taste and the house style. Wool rugs are expensive but wear like iron, nylon rugs are cheaper. Some nice rugs here shaw rugs.

When selecting wall paint it helps to have an idea on the direction you want to take the house. If you want a lot of different colors consider what can be seen from one room to another. Use the same trim or ceiling color to tie things together. Bright colors make rooms feel bigger and dark colors make rooms feel smaller. Lights, furniture, art, etc can counteract the affect of wall colors. If possible get large samples of paint colors and look at them in the room and on the exact wall you intend to paint that color, don’t underestimate how different lighting can change a paint color. Don’t be afraid to paint walls different colors within the same room.

For furniture I feel the style should be consistent with the home. A bungalow calls for Stickley or Limbert while a modern loft would look better with Nelson or Eames. Regardless of style, typically you want light furniture in small rooms and heavier furniture in large rooms. By light furniture I mean pieces with less visual weight, open to the floor, thinner legs, and generally more delicate proportions, think feminine. For large pieces like sofas avoid busy patterns in favor of neutrals and accent with pillows. Smaller occaisonal chairs can have bold patterns.