The Challenge
The living room looked very post-dormitory after
Tracy Chester, a 25-year-old legal secretary, and her boyfriend,
Adam Tracey, a 24-year-old proofreader, moved in together: two
large stained sofas, a swivel recliner, and gray industrial
carpeting over a poured-concrete floor. Although no windows were
added and no walls were removed, the room now appears to have more
light.
The Fixes
1. Stretch the truth. You can buy floor-length curtains to create the
illusion of a taller window, or simply sew a panel of fabric to the
bottoms of the old ones. Lowe's Graber Structures European bracket,
$6; round pole ends, $6:
www.lowes.com for store locations.
2. Bring the outdoors in. Patio furniture replaced the TV, which
blocked the only window, and the TV was moved opposite a new
slipper chair. Pier 1 Casbah chairs, $69 each,
www.pier1.com for stores. Room & Board Dome floor lamp,
$199,
www.roomandboard.com.
3. Cheer up. Behr Yellow Dahlia paint helped brighten up the formerly
gloomy space, bringing in the color of sunlight, if not the real
thing. The doors between the rooms, which Tracy and Adam never
closed, were removed, and the brown trim around the pass-through
was painted white, which further softened the look. Behr paint,
about $22 a gallon,
www.homedepot.com for store locations.
4. Hide away. A messy kitchen — and the gaping black hole that leads to
it — disappear when white shutters are added to the pass-through.
Custom basswood shutters, Carisbrooke style, $473, Kestrel
Shutters, 800-494-4321.
5. Tuck and cover. The wheat-colored couch needed some help. The ecru
shade worked, but too many stains marred the cotton fabric. A new
slipcover gives a clean, streamlined look. A wooden dowel tucked
behind the back of the seat cushions holds the slipcover in place.
Sure Fit brushed-twill slipcover in stone, $129,
www.surefit.net.
6. Define the area. Although a light-colored 9-by-12-foot wool rug
doesn't cover all the office-grade carpeting, it covers more than
enough to unify the room. Crate & Barrel Lamont wool rug, $165,
www.crateandbarrel.com.
7. Edit the furniture. The previous coffee table was too small for the
sofa. The rocking chair and ottoman crowded the seating area and
were moved to the den. They were replaced with a tailored slipper
chair and a long bench that can hold guests' drinks or, in a pinch,
guests themselves. The side table was refurbished with white paint.
Pottery Barn Farmhouse extra-large occasional table, $149,
www.potterybarn.com. Storehouse Rio chair in olive, $525,
888-786-7346.
