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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 8:40:38 GMT
Did anyone put together a plan for the layout and design of their living room?
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rayge
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Post by rayge on May 22, 2020 9:24:46 GMT
Only in so far as completely rejecting righ angles, minimalism, neutral colours and the vile sterility evidenced in that photograph. Jeez what an abomination. Living rooms are for living in, not as display of materialism and a complete lack of personality, or as exercises in OCD. Nothing looks remotely comfortable or particularly functional. What's the point of a 'coffee table' so far away from the seating that no-one could comfortably reach it? Droplets of coffee are going to end up on that 'pristine' carpet within moments. Where's the dog or cat going to sit? All those place settings mean constant dinner parties or kids. How are all those sharp angles going to jibe with kids running about and falling over? Where's the colour and visual interest (one abstract landscape 'feature' blob does not cut it at all, just shows up the sterility of the rest)? Where are the plants, the history, the comfy chairs, the bookshelves, the TV, the lamps, the odd bits of inherited or sentiment-drenched bits of furniture, the chaos, the LIFE? So tastelessly tasteful it makes me want to puke. All my living rooms have eventually reflect my personality and that of whoever I happen to be sharing my life with. I do constantly shift things around, make little displays for photography and so on, so I do actually do design, in homes and gardens, but it always emerges organically. I wouldn't be comfortable visiting a house like that, let alone attempting to live in it.
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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 9:36:08 GMT
I LUV it
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rayge
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Post by rayge on May 22, 2020 9:44:42 GMT
Why? It's the same question as the brutalist architecture, really. You can admire its bloodless geometry, its symmetry, its sublimity, but could you live in/with it? I know this doesn't really apply to you, John, but could you be drunk or high in it? Or slob around in it in your underwear eating Pringles and watching Homes Under the Hammer or Countdown (assuming you could find the TV?) Again, nothing personal, but I think interiors like that are designed for people with no personality, no rich interior lives, an aversion to messiness verging on pathology.
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Post by hippopotamus on May 22, 2020 9:46:41 GMT
I did sort of try. I'm very new to idea of MY home rather than a shared or temporary space. So it seemed like the thing one does. I bought a set of sofas from a nearby charity shop because I loved them and they were pretty cheap... But then I sort of had to make them fit with the room.
When I bought the house, the living room had been painted really aweful, clashing colours that actually offended me every day. It's also got a beautiful Victorian fireplace with original colourful tiles that didn't really match my sofa set.
So I looked into Colour combinations, and styles that could work. What we've ended up with is teal and white walls, red and gold sofas, with mustard curtains. It's pretty much like the pictures I'd been looking at... Apparently it's a "colourful, vintage, eclectic" style which suits our personalities. I still need to hang my pictures. I keep wondering if I've gone too far, or not far enough. Just like life.
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Post by hippopotamus on May 22, 2020 9:49:11 GMT
Why? It's the same question as the brutalist architecture, really. You can admire its bloodless geometry, its symmetry, its sublimity, but could you live in/with it? I know this doesn't really apply to you, John, but could you be drunk or high in it? Or slob around in it in your underwear eating Pringles and watching Homes Under the Hammer or Countdown (assuming you could find the TV?) Again, nothing personal, but I think interiors like that are designed for people with no personality, no rich interior lives, no messiness. My sister in law is an interior designer and really made a truly beautiful "designed" space for my brother and her. They are extremely tidy people, and it really works for them. Me, I'm a person who likes a bit of untidy, and slobbing around but you can design for that too... I think.
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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 9:54:03 GMT
Believe it or not, I completely understand what you mean, and sort of agree, but at the same time I really like the look of the room, as impractical and 'characterless' as it is. Maybe I'm schizophrenic.
The whole 'lack of personality' thing I get, but at the same time there's a certain aesthetic that looks 'impersonal' and 'minimalist' (it's a cop-out to put these terms in quotes because I don't know better terms) which very much appeals. It's a bit like those brutalist buildings, yeah. I find them much more visually attractive than a place which you've put your own stamp on, because that tends to imply it's cluttered, and there isn't just one style to guide it all, and I don't like that.
More generally, and this is probably true for most of us, you can enjoy two quite different things without it being contradictory. I tend to live in a bit of a mess, but if I go to a gallery then I always feel happy being in big empty spaces, then I get home and want the same. And it's fine for a while.
blah blah blah
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 10:24:58 GMT
Only in so far as completely rejecting righ angles, minimalism, neutral colours and the vile sterility evidenced in that photograph. Jeez what an abomination. Living rooms are for living in, not as display of materialism and a complete lack of personality, or as exercises in OCD. Nothing looks remotely comfortable or particularly functional. What's the point of a 'coffee table' so far away from the seating that no-one could comfortably reach it? Droplets of coffee are going to end up on that 'pristine' carpet within moments. Where's the dog or cat going to sit? All those place settings mean constant dinner parties or kids. How are all those sharp angles going to jibe with kids running about and falling over? Where's the colour and visual interest (one abstract landscape 'feature' blob does not cut it at all, just shows up the sterility of the rest)? Where are the plants, the history, the comfy chairs, the bookshelves, the TV, the lamps, the odd bits of inherited or sentiment-drenched bits of furniture, the chaos, the LIFE? So tastelessly tasteful it makes me want to puke. All my living rooms have eventually reflect my personality and that of whoever I happen to be sharing my life with. I do constantly shift things around, make little displays for photography and so on, so I do actually do design, in homes and gardens, but it always emerges organically. I wouldn't be comfortable visiting a house like that, let alone attempting to live in it. This post says says everything I feel when I saw that photograph. 100% agree.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 10:29:16 GMT
Believe it or not, I completely understand what you mean, and sort of agree, but at the same time I really like the look of the room, as impractical and 'characterless' as it is. Maybe I'm schizophrenic. The whole 'lack of personality' thing I get, but at the same time there's a certain aesthetic that looks 'impersonal' and 'minimalist' (it's a cop-out to put these terms in quotes because I don't know better terms) which very much appeals. It's a bit like those brutalist buildings, yeah. I find them much more visually attractive than a place which you've put your own stamp on, because that tends to imply it's cluttered, and there isn't just one style to guide it all, and I don't like that. More generally, and this is probably true for most of us, you can enjoy two quite different things without it being contradictory. I tend to live in a bit of a mess, but if I go to a gallery then I always feel happy being in big empty spaces, then I get home and want the same. And it's fine for a while. blah blah blah I think the thing with minimalism is if you are going to go in for it then you really need to add objects of real design quality in order to bring it to life. Something that I don't think the photo does.
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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 10:32:04 GMT
You know, I just googled 'interior design' and chose an image. I don't even like it that much, despite what I said earlier.
It's really all about having space, for me. And yeah - nice-looking things can be HELLISH expensive
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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 10:37:02 GMT
People just fill rooms with stuff. And then later you get 'bijou' or whatever as justification
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 10:40:47 GMT
And yeah - nice-looking things can be HELLISH expensive People think that,but it's really not true. You just need to look.
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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 10:44:38 GMT
CAN be...
I mean, you can chance upon a great piece of mid-century modern furniture at a reasonable price but you have to dig through a lot of crap.
Items that are new and designed to impress are often very pricey
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 11:28:48 GMT
Go to auctions, charity shops that sell second hand furniture,boot fairs where you get the house clearance guys, even ebay. With a bit of effort you can get the look for a fraction of the price of buying new. And you can get something of real quality too. It's a no brainer really, but most people are too unimaginative and lazy to do it. They just want to go into a store and get a prepackaged look. I'm not sneering at them because I did it myself when first furnishing my flat because I didn't know any better. I think this auction is fairly near you. They put their past sales on-line so you can look through and get an idea of what things go for. hhauctionrooms.co.uk/
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Post by Crunchy Col on May 22, 2020 11:56:32 GMT
Thanks G. I'll have a look.
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