Designer Solutions

Living Room Makeover

Want to recreate the same looks you see in home design magazines? This month's edition of Designer Solutions helps you do just that.

washingtonpost.com readers Jill and Tim Mahoney installed new hardwood floors in their living room, which completely changed its look and feel. Now, the couple is clueless about how to redecorate. With three active young sons, functionality is as important as style.

Charlotte Morris, a designer with the Springfield, Va., design firm Shea Studio Interiors, redesigns the Mahoneys space and makes sure it can handle "child's play."

The transcript follows below.

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washingtonpost.com:

Good afternoon and thank you for tuning in to the December edition of Designer Solutions Live. Today's guest designer is Charlotte Morris. This month she helped tackle a living room makeover for Catlett, Va.'s Jill and Tim Mahoney. The Mahoneys were in search of a design theme that was both stylish and functional.

Charlotte, how did you come up with your design concept?

Charlotte Morris: My first priority was to keep with the style of the home. All I really had to go on was the fact that the home was a Cape Cod in a rural area. I went with a slightly nautical theme, which still contained the traditional stylings seen in their current furniture. I tried to keep the colors and furniture pieces timeless, so they would grow with the family.

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Alexandria, Va.: I've retired and am moving to Holly Springs, N.C. (a suburb of Raleigh) early in January. I plan on buying new furniture for my bedroom, living room and dining room. I know N.C. has lots of furniture warehouses near Greensboro. Could you suggest a couple places to look for traditional furniture? I really don't like the black laquer furniture and metal eagle lamps I've seen in stores lately. I'm more the comfy sofa and simple cherry wood type. Hope you can help. Thanks!

Charlotte Morris: I am actually from NC... so for my own reputation, i hope I can be of some guidance with this question. There is no exact place that comes to mind. however, if you just take a trip to the area, you will see tons and tons of furniture discount stores (especially the closer you get to High Point). At this point in time, many furniture stores are going out of business and are desperately looking for new clients.Some great vendors without an extreamly high price point are Vanguard, Kincaid, and Taylor King.

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Rockville, Md.: We have this sectional in our family room -- an olive/taupe color. It's very nice, and it goes well with our walls, which are painted oyster (or something like that). We are trying to find a slipcover for my husband's grandfather's old chair -- a wingback chair with an ottoman. Every swatch I've found has not exactly matched the sectional, understandably, so we're looking at a completely different color. Any suggestions as to which direction we should go?

Charlotte Morris: Since it seems to be too difficult to match the exact taupe color... i would play off the olive by going with a red/maroon slip cover (red is the compliment to green). Not only will this play up the drama in the room, it will add a new element to the color scheme.

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Green on walls: I really liked the overall look you gave this living room, but was a little surprised by the minty green on the walls. I've always thought that one of the "rules" about mixing colors was to stay in the same "tone" family? Use mostly warm colors or mostly cool colors, but not both. Using a pastel green with the warmer yellows and reds just seems a little off to me. Did this client implement your ideas? I'd love to see how this actually looked.

Charlotte Morris: I actually am not sure if they decided to go with my suggestion. However, the green/sage derived from the idea of using casual, warm colors. Since I knew the client liked red, I decided to use a light green on the walls (the compliment to red) to make the red pop and become more dramatic. If I were to put a simple tan on the walls, it might make the yellow/gold upholstery look washed out.

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Southern Maryland: The furniture alone in the room you did for the Mahoneys cost over $5,000. I'm not that wealthy. Couldn't you have reused some of their original furniture to achieve the same effect?

My question: My living room is pine paneled with a light gray wall to wall carpet. I hate the pine paneling, but it was in the house when I bought it. I'm thinking of having the floor re-done in hardwood and repanel the walls. What shade of paneling would you recommend with a medium shade (light oak or maple) of hardwood flooring? I don't want it to look too dark.

Charlotte Morris: Good Afternoon... I am also from Southern Maryland :)

I would suggest painting the paneling. This would not only save cost, but it would lighten the area and disguise the wood paneling (which has been a tip from real estate agents for resale value).

I personally really like painted paneling because you are still able to see the knotty wood underneath. This would allow you to still have the natural element shown on the walls, without having to worry about the flooring and paneling clashing.

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Washington, D.C.: I really need your help! I rent a studio (no bedroom) apartment and am in desperate need of additional storage place. I was thinking of buying an elegant-looking armoire for the living room. What do you think and do you have any other suggestions? Thanks.

Charlotte Morris: Am armoire is not a bad idea... but it will not provide you with the most ample storage.

I suggest buying a tv unit, and flanking it with bookcases which can be filled with books and baskets (for small items). Be sure to keep them all in the same finish so they appear to be one unit.

Then, when you move... you can always reuse the bookcases somewhere else.

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Stanton Park, D.C.: Hi there. I am interested in painting my bedroom walls a cobalt blue, the blue that is so popular in mediterranean design/style. Do you know of any good cobalt blue paints? I tried a couple of Benjamin Moore paint samples (Costa Rica Blue and Utah Sky), but they're not quite what I'm looking for. The only ones that I've been able to find that hit the mark have been extremely pricey artists' paints. One alternative that I'm considering is to buy cobalt blue pigment and make my own paint, but if I could find something similar that was ready to go, and didn't cost an arm and a leg, that would be great. Have any ideas? Thanks!

Charlotte Morris: I can not suggest a particular paint at this time... but I can tell you that Duron is a brand to look at. They are less expensive than B. Moore and S. Williams... but have the same quality level (most painters use Duron, as well). Also, one key tip is to pick the color you are trying to acheive, and pick the color one shade lighter. People usually look at a paint swatch in the light... but most of your walls do not receive such great lighting so they appear darker. I hope this answers your question. Don't rule out talking to the employees at the paint store about custom mixing... they do it all the time so I'm sure they could help.

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Washington, D.C.: Benches directly near the fireplace? Isn't that a bit dangerous, especially considering the couple has kids? What other ways could they "child-proof" the room and specifically near the fireplace? I've got three kids of my own and there's a fireplace in our family room that I'd like to keep them away from.

Charlotte Morris: The benches were covered in leather and paddded, so they were completely safe for the children.

As far as child-proofing the room, using smaller scaled furniture which can be moved when it is "play time" is always more functional than heavy/bulky furniture. Also, the upholstery fabric on your pieces can make a huge difference. Make sure the fabric you choose has a lot of texture. Also, make sure the fabric has many colors when you look at it up close, but looks like one consistant color if you look at it from a distance (this helps hide stains and spills).

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: I live in a typical small N.Y. studio with two Persian cats and two French Bulldogs. I have a second-hand Murphy bed and recently bought a 1951 lime green vinyl loveseat and two mid-century mod chairs (vinyl) on eBay. The cork floors haven't faired well through the years, but its a rental and I'm not paying to cover this N.Y. landlord's floors. Any thoughts on pet-friendly moveable decor?

Charlotte Morris: It sounds like you've found some great furniture... so I am guessing you need no guidance in this department.

However, with the flooring, I can make a few recommendations. The most obvious option is to find some great area rugs. One other option is to find some carpet tiles to place around the space. These have commonly been used in commercial settings, but they have been moving slowly into the residential field. You could purchase different color carpet tiles, and use those to help create different areas in the space. A great advantage of using these is that they are moveable. You can carry these with you when you move, or feel free to move them around the space if you rearrange your furniture. These will also help cover the spots where the cork looks really bad. I hope this adds some guidance.

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Mantle question: I have a gas fireplace in my family room, which is a fairly open space. The fireplace sits on a wall that is about 20 ft high. It has just a standard builders grade mantle with some black marble surrounding the actual fireplace and the wood is painted white. What can I do to make it more interesting ... stone, brick, bigger more attractive mantle. The mantle shelf is probably only six inches in depth ... should you go bigger to display more. Since I have such a large wall I found this piece of iron scroll work that is about foot square that I have hung on a diagonal ... it is quite striking which probably makes the mantle look that more blah. Any thoughts? Is there an Internet site to look at purchasing a mantle?

Thanks for your help.

Charlotte Morris: I would suggest tiling the fireplace all the way up to the ceiling, to show off the ceiling height. You could add some intersting accent tiles (metallic or colored dots) randomly throughout to show off the customization. I would suggest using slate all the way up to the ceiling, with bronze or copper accent pieces. Then, i would find a unique mantel which matched the style of your furniture (rustic, traditional, etc.). Either way, make sure you put your stamp on the project. "Builder white" is out... along with anything else boring!

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Washington, D.C.: I have a room that is a blank slate right now. It use to be a porch and then the original owner enclosed it. It's right off my kitchen has two bay windows and big metal gas fireplace. Not sure where to start. Help!

Charlotte Morris: It sounds like your space is bordering on a sun room (Lucky You!). I would do as much as possible to make this space feel like you're bringing the outdoors in. Start by painting the walls a dramatic color (maybe coral to play off the dark fireplace?).

Then, I would begin to fill the space with smaller scaled, comfortable upholstery. Since you have the big metal gas fireplace, it sounds like it could take on the "mountian lodge" feel. This should be considered your retreat.... so make the room comfortable for you. You could think about placing a small chess/checkers table in a corner, lots of throw pillows and blankets, floor cushions, etc. Try to make sure that the room feels less like a porch by providing lots of cozy, comfortable details. Otherwise, the room may appear cold and uninviting.

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Need space saving ideas: I have a modest-sized condo and lots of furniture and accessories. Could you give some general ideas for space utilization?

Charlotte Morris: Use your furniture to create different conversation aras. One trend I've noticed amongst my clients is the desire to put all of their furniture up against the wall (to gain more space). This literally backs people into a corner. Use your upholstery pieces to create little conversation areas throughout the space. Also, rugs help do this same thing.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello, Charlotte. I live in a two-bedroom apartment and have a large, sage colored sofa. I am looking for an entertainment center for a 27" TV, compact stereo, VCR and DVR machine. Since the room is relatively small (20' x 15'), should I get a two-piece entertainment center with a separate TV stand and audio tower or one wall unit?

The TV stand is 53" wide x 24" tall x 24" deep. The tower is 21" wide by 19" deep by 42" tall.

Thanks.

Charlotte Morris: I would look into finding a single piece which would accomodate all of your equipment. I say this for two reasons.... #1- your space is small so you want to limit the amount of entertainment furniture you have, or your room will begin to look like a media room instead of a living/family room. If you were to find a larger piece which has closed storage, you could hide your epuipment while you are not using it.

#2- even if you found two pieces that were smaller and served the same purpose, placing them near eachother may look a little off. I recommend finding one piece that can serve the whole purpose, if possible. Two pieces may cause you headaches by trying to figure out how to space them in order to acheive a balanced look (VERY difficult with only two different pieces on the same wall).

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Fairfax, Va.: Would love your help: I have a red couch from Storehouse (hope to replace it in a year or two with something nicer), just bought two nice yellow with a little red pattern chairs to bring some more color into my first apartment. I have an armless chair that I want to recover and a skirted table that I would like to redo as well. What would you suggest, color or pattern -wise, for the chair and skirted table? I don't want to overload on red right now, but if I change the couch color in a year or two, then red would be ok, I think. Thank you for your ideas!

Charlotte Morris: I would say your best bet is to introduce a new color. On washingtonpost.com, I actually used a light green to set off the red. This is a very common color scheme right now so it is not hard to find. You could try using a green, yellow, red fabric on the chairs or table, and then use just green on the other. Tying the whole color scheme together would mean just adding some sage accents around the room, or perhaps adding an area rug with these colors. Either way, the same can be done with any color.. not just green. I just try to find a rug or large item with all of my colors in it... and then add touches of each color throughout the room. The main rule is to have one large piece which will tie it all together.

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D.C.: Armoire or flat panel TV? Looking for chic yet French-country style look. Would pine armoire look OK? Is it OK to mix pine with walnut, etc.? Thank you!

Charlotte Morris: I love the look of mixed finishes/wood species when it comes to furniture. If things get too matchy,matchy... it begins to look like you went and got a room in a bag! As far as the tv goes, this is your decision. Flat screen tvs are definately the new thing... so it may be a better investment. homedecorators.com has a lot of great, and affordable, units for either choice.

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Renter that needs help!!!: Stuck with boring beige walls in my bedroom w/ modern bedset that's pretty close in color scheme. Have a olive/sage/gold-ish comforter set. What accent pieces could I use to liven things up a bit?

Charlotte Morris: First of all, get some fabric on the windows. This is going to automatically make the space appear more inviting. As for the accent pieces, this is really up to you. I love to go to small antique/thrift stores and find unusual "conversation pieces". For instance, I have an 1891 victorian armchair in my living room. This may not fit entirely with the style of my other furniture, but I still like it.

These items are what makes your house a home... since not only did you find it yourself, but it makes the space unique to you.

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Powder room ideas: Love this chat! My question is about my very small, very boring powder room with a white pedestal sink and white toilet, and brass hardware. I really don't like brass, so I'd like to replace it with nickel or bronze, and introduce some color on the walls. Any suggestions for me?

Charlotte Morris: I love bronze... it's the new finish everyone is using!

I would say just switch out your brass hardware with bronze, and then paint the walls.

I would go with a coral color... and even add stripes if you're feeling like a daredevil :) The stripes will make the walls look taller, so people will feel like the room is larger than it really is.

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Ashburn, Va.: Are there simple ways to create a urban, modern loft-like feel in a condo living room without going through an expensive renovation project? The condo is new. The living room, dining area and kitchen are all one open space. The ceiling is eight feet and the flooring throughtout that area is wood. I haven't painted so the walls are still eggshell white and I haven't changed the miniblinds that came with the place.

Charlotte Morris: There are a few simple ways you could acheive this. First of all, make a trip to Ikea. They have tons and tons of sleek, modern furniture. Also, they are usually ahead of the States with modern design since Ikea is from the Netherlands.

Also, you could find some pictures of your friends and family, blow them up, and create interesting groupings on the wall. Consider the thought of not even using frames. Go to kinkos and blow the photos up on foam core. You could also do this same thing on a larger scale, and hang them from the ceiling as art behing the sofa (which would double as a room divider). Hope this helps!

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Gainesville, Va.: Could you please recommend a wall color for a long kitchen/family room? Kitchen is mostly white and family has maroon leather sofa and recliner chair. Looking for a cozy color with some drama to it. Any suggestions?

Charlotte Morris: I would recommend either a soft green... it will play off the maroon and gold, but will still look great with the white. Another option is to just switch out the hardware in your kitchen with bronze or copper. Hope this helps!

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NoVa: I'm in the middle of redecorating my small living room. I've found a couch I love, but its too large. THe Company makes a smaller version, but its two cushions instead of three and is special order, so they don't have pictures. Should I take a leap of faith that I'll be OK with the two cushion version.

Also, I am having the hardest time finding small-ish rectangular coffee tables. Mine is the traditional 48x30 and is way too large. Any ideas on where to look (something that is only 26 deep would be great), Already done PB, C&B, Marlo, Macy's. Thank you!

Charlotte Morris: I would go with the small sofa as long as the dimensions work. If it is loveseat size, only two people are going to sit there anyway, no matter how many cushions there are.

JC Penny actually has some very affordable, but quality pieces. I would look there or Ballard Designs. Home Decorators has solid furniture as well... just make sure you check before you order.

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washingtonpost.com: That's all for today. Thanks to Charlotte Morris for joining us and being our guest designer. And if you have a design problem and need advice, submit your room for consideration.

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Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.