UPDATE: Dying to add some character
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I love my home but it seriously lacks character. I love country farmhouse/craftsman style but am unsure how to incorporate those styles into my decor. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance. FYI we have dark furniture because we have young children lol.
20 answers
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Since both of the styles you choose can be very different you may want to choose 1 room with a style and run with it. Your living room has the groundwork for a craftsman look with the fireplace and even the dark furniture. In the living room the mirror could be replaced by the larger picture I see in the picture above the couch. when using mirrors, they should reflect something beautiful in the background (ie the outdoors or another wall that is beautifully decorated -from what i see reflected is a staircase). You need to add curtains for and with some sort off patterns/textures and use the picture as your color guide -warmer and earthy colors are used in craftsman decorating. the vases on the sides of the mantle should be on top of the mantle to give some height since your mantle appears to be tall in the picture. Find a tall vase about 3' tall for the floor and if you could find a piece taller than the horse and shorter than the tall vase then put them as a "trio" next to the fireplace screen. (Even a green plant would work beautifully). Your kids artwork: my kids are older now but I had chosen many years ago a couple pieces and had them matted and framed which brought them to life. I think you could do this with the artwork you have taped to your cabinets. to save money, see if ready made cut mats in colors to contrast and bring out the colors in your kids' artwork and inexpensive frames in black and hang them above the couch in the living room. the kitchen is very traditional and using the top of the cabinets to put in your country touches would work great. I would also see if you could put in some inexpensive lighting up on top of the cabinets too (in another home we had I used the inexpensive fluorescent under the counter lights on top to light up my decor). The door to the pantry or basement? I would make a communication center with a piece of thin plywood/board cut to fit the door and attach to the door with a bulletin board, calendar, pockets for papers, etc. Paint it with chalk paint, dry erase paint, etc to create a custom board. As parents we always want to encourage our children to create so why not find a small area or wall where you can turn it into a "gallery wall" for them to hang their creations and each month or so change the pictures? I see you have a dining room off the kitchen and maybe one wall you do this with? I would create a large decorative frame that would be about 6'x6' and corkboard so they can tack up their pictures. When they get older, you can take it down and have your dining room back. changing out your knobs in the kitchen to more of a country look and using a tension rod above the sink and finding/making a valence out of gingham, lace, or even themed if you are in to roosters or other country scenes. You could also change out the light fixtures to make them more country or even craftsman style (right now the pendant lighting is much more modern and traditional and the ceiling light is just builder's grade). You have a beautiful home and a great palette to work with.
The Garden Frog with C Renee
on Feb 18, 2014
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@ C Renee Fuller Thank you so much for your input! I love your ideas! You gave me small budget friendly things to start with. I do have a question though...what do you recommend in place of the "boob" light in the kitchen? Also we are planning on retiling our fireplace with some type of stone. Do you have any suggestions for tiles? Should we tile all the way to the ceiling or only the surround? Thanks again!
Heather Bastianelli
on Feb 18, 2014
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I love love love framed children's art...so yes frame their art and put it elsewhere! See this link for an easy way to frame and to change out art easily: http://www.huckleberrylove.com/2013/03/diy-childrens-art-gallery.html But other than that...i would start to hunt antique/thrift stores for egg metal wire baskets &old wood boxes for the kitchenstorage to give that farmhouse feel. See here for ideas: https://www.etsy.com/market/french_wire_basket. I would look for vintage enamel ware to place around the living room...pitchers are really cool. You can use some for flowers or even for other fun farmhousechic kind of collections...like 12" rulers, wooden spoons, or even cool look twigs/branches. Hope that helps. You have a great starting point with your place. I would also add color with more colorful (big pops of bright) throw pillows, some more colorful items on the mantel. I would go with a color theme...bright buttery yellow and light blue are farmhouse chic-ish. Also I would change out the art above the couch...it is too dark. Might be a great place to do that children's art project!!! o) Good Luck!
Sfg178760
on Feb 18, 2014
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Hi Heather! You have a great space with lots of potential! I would suggest DIY ceiling tiles from Ceiling Tiles By Us! Very easy affordable lightweight and can really add some personality and help complete your room. Best of all, it's out of reach for young children so it's a perfect solution. We have tons if styles colors and designs!
Ceiling Tiles By Us
on Feb 18, 2014
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I'd love to see mission in your house, it seems made for it!
KathrynElizabeth Etier
on Feb 18, 2014
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I am liking the redeemed pallet wood coffee table. Did you do that yourselves? It looks great!
Redeemwood
on Feb 19, 2014
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@redeemwood yes! We made that :-). My husband put it together and I did the rest. Thanks!
Heather Bastianelli
on Feb 19, 2014
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Ever heard of Uppercase Living??! Inspirational adhesive vinyl expressions and prints that let you make your living space a direct reflection of you! Check out my website at BJ.uppercaseliving.net! I'd love the opportunity to help you live life outloud. 😘
Brandy Junell
on Feb 19, 2014
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Crown molding in the living room would look great. We just added some in our dining room. The light in the kitchen looks very close to the pendent lights, so it's hard to tell what would be best there. We just redid our kitchen & got rid of the old light box. Rather than cut out holes for pot lights & rewire the whole ceiling, we got a single light with 5 halogen lights which can be pointed in any direction. I'm not sure if that would work for you.
Teresa Mahnke
on Feb 19, 2014
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Your windows and the fireplace scream Federal or Colonial for your home's architectural style. Think classical, not craftsman. Crown molding would be a great start and go with lighter, leggy-er furniture - not necessarily light colored upholstery, but lighter as in less solid/chunky furniture.
Laura Romanowski
on Feb 19, 2014
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I got tired of painting and no extra time to do it so I went with just accents. My kitchen is cream cabinets with Black counter tops so I went with red accents. LOVE it. Since I have an open concept layout I went with cream walls too. I change out my pillows and throws for color. Right now they are blue and green. In the fall I use red and orange pillows! So much cheaper and less work! I can do the same with paintings.
Raslockwood
on Feb 19, 2014
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@Teresa Mahnke I would love to add crown molding to the living room but my ceiling is weird. I'm not sure how I would do it.
Heather Bastianelli
on Feb 19, 2014
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Heather - if you search the internet for "farmhouse/craftsman style decor", there are lots of pictures to draw inspiration from. C Renee Fuller has given some good ideas, the first of which is replacing the mirror. We would to see what you decide. Good Luck.
Liliana Wells
on Feb 19, 2014
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Have you looked on pinterest for inspiration? Lots of decorating boards there and many of them are country, country chic, farm style.
Sparkles
on Feb 19, 2014
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So I've decided to move the mirror onto a blank wall in my kitchen and put the painting above my fireplace (at least I will see how it looks). I found these curtains and liked how they had my favorite blue in them. What do you guys think? Too busy? Not busy enough?
Heather Bastianelli
on Feb 21, 2014
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A favorite painting on the mantle with a frame light above it and a bit of greenery could go a long way to enliven your fireplace and make it a focal point. Also, a very inexpensive way to add character to a room is to choose one extra color and splash it around the room. I used turquoise and you can see it on the back of the bookcase (which is in need of decluttering at the moment). Pillows are also an option.
Tupelotulip
on Feb 24, 2014
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Crown molding is beautiful and adds so much charm to a room. Easier things to change would be your drapes. A different style with a pattern. I always am moving my furniture to get a different feel ( away from the wall). A room should reflect things you love. Don't be afraid to experiment. Pentrest will help you get new fresh ideas.
Mary Laniewski
on Feb 26, 2014
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Hi Everyone! Just thought I would do a little update. I removed the boring drapes and added some color. Some might think it is too much color but I am needing some color pop after this horrible winter. I also removed the mirror above the fireplace and replaced it with the painting. Please give me suggestions on how to arrange my mantle! I have no idea what to do with it lol. The one canvas I have between the two sconces is one of three I'll be placing there (maybe) to display my kids art work. What do you guys think? Any suggestions?
Heather Bastianelli
on Mar 03, 2014
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This is a very nice room with a cozy feel. On the mantle, I got nothing. Maybe leave it for now and move on the rest of the room. I would suggest you put a large area rug just under the sofa coming out past the table about 3-4 feet to bring your color out into the room. Something traditional but with the colors you want to incorporate into your room (teal, blues) then I would use textiles (napkins/place mat/runner) on the table and spray paint the redish lantern that is on the table the teal color of your drapes and place a charger or tray under it. I think you need something larger on the wall above the sofa, maybe iron work. Also the curtain rods I would spray paint a dark bronze color. The kitchen is lovely, maybe paint the lights hanging down blue or stencil something in blue to bring in the color. Keep posting your changes!
Opal
on Mar 04, 2014
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A large area rug with some color would be nice as well as some "in scale" art work above the sofa. The one very small picture is lost on that wall.
Janet Smith
on Mar 04, 2014
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