Chaise, you're driving me crazy.

chaise longue [sheyz lawng]: noun. A chair, with or without arms, for reclining, having a seat lengthened to form a complete leg rest and sometimes an adjustable back.

Basically a chair and ottoman combined, this piece of furniture is too cute not to be a focal point but just awkward enough to make for difficult placement.

Ok, let me explain.

I've been tasked with incorporating one of these bad boys into one of the secret project rooms (mentioned here). As mentioned earlier, it's a great piece with a great shape which is why it totally needs to stay. The problem I'm having is that I've never designed a room with one in it before which is why I think it's driving me insane.


To make things even more interesting, the room itself is full of obstacles - two entryways, a giant bay window, a narrow floorplan and half a wall that's being used for the upstairs railing. The room is located directly to the right of the front door, the space typically used for one of those formal living rooms your mom used to (or maybe still does) not let you walk through or go anywhere near. Instead of having one of those rooms, the family decided to use the space mainly for reading, relaxing and just vegging out after a long day - a function I can definitely relate to.
 
So per usual, I put on my little thinking cap and checked out google and pinterest, design books and magazine clippings, trying to find some inspiration or a way to turn madness into a gorgeous room. As you'll notice below, majority of the images I found were cropped photos of a chaise looking all cute and adorable but with no other inclination of what else is going on in the room. For example, is it part of a sitting area? Is it near a couch? IS THE ROOM ACTUALLY LARGER THAN A SMALL CORNER?

Bottom line: the search turned out to be not that helpful. Here is the recap.

looking cute in a corner (@ little green notebook)

and by a dresser (@ pawleys island posh)

and in an empty room (@ belle inspirations)

and by a door (link to pic)

So back to square one. What is this room supposed to do? Answer: provide a place to relax and enjoy good company, a good book or good glass of wine. While the chaise, in theory, may seem like the most perfect piece of furniture to accomplish this, I think the primary issues are 1) defining a focal point to keep the chaise from looking too lay-on-this-and-I'll-feed-you-grapes and 2) creating a balance in furniture arrangement to keep the room from looking too look-at-all-of-this-random-furniture.

While I don't have an answer to the space just yet, I thought I'd share my progress (using floorplanner of course) on finding the perfect arrangement for a relaxing room that contains an adorable piece of furniture.

original: the current furniture arrangement consisting of a chair, chaise,

bookshelf (in corner) and glass top side table (in bay window)

option 1: make a more defined seating arrangement with circular coffee table,

treating the chaise like a couch and featuring it in the bay window, 

adding consistency with another bookshelf and another chair,

leaving the back wall for artwork, shelves, etc.

option 2: more open, less defined but anchored by the addition of another chair,

adding a small side table and moving the bookshelf behind chaise to create reading area

option 3: saw a piano in their garage that could maybe use for focal point,

added an additional chair for consistency and kept same reading area

option 4: created small seating area, making the piano the focal point,

moved bookshelf to open wall but kept at close proximity to chaise

Slackin' off, makin' lists and paintin' chairs.

If I had to summarize the reason for my slacking off with this blog, I couldn't. The excuses vary from great weather (yes, that one time last week) to terrible sinus headaches to crossword puzzles to Janet Evanovich. What can I say - it doesn't take much to get me sidetracked.

Anyway, I did make some progress on my room these last couple of days. I figure I'd make my to-do list and show off my latest DIY. For those that don't remember the before and progress shots (featured here and here), this is what I am working with as of today. Being the giant list maker that I am, I've completely nerded out and categorized (yes, categorized) my list into three sections: to buy, to find and to DIY. As you can see, I haven't quite made up my mind on some of the pieces.

First up... the chair. I love the shape but it's definitely the wrong color. To do this, I first taped and covered the silver metal (couldn't figure out how to dismantle).

Then I picked up a can of glossy white spray paint that was made to specifically work on plastic. From there, I sprayed evenly, taking small breaks in between coats, until completely covered. And voila! The perfect "new" chair for an otherwise empty corner.

Total investment: $4 (Krylon glossy white spray paint for plastics)

Word from the wise is to improvise.

After searching through my apartment for a piece of furniture to convert into a TV stand, I began to think about what other pieces of furniture can be easily substituted by something else.

One easy substitution is the bedside table. By changing up a bedside table with something a little more unexpected, you create visual interest and, in some cases, works of art. Here are some ideas for this easy yet attention-grabbing piece of furniture:

1. Paint a planter or tall barrel and put a piece of glass or serving tray on top. The color will draw attention to the bed while adding texture and definition to the space.

2. Stack books to create a table. If you're a collector, grab some of the larger books you've already read and start stacking. If the table begins to get a little wobbly, grab some hot glue and connect the books together. If you need a larger table top, try the serving tray on top idea for this as well.

3. Move your square ottoman into the bedroom. A square ottoman can add another level of comfort and softness to a room, giving it a more relaxed and less structured feel. Add a punch of color by making a slipcover in a bright pattern or solid fabric.

4. Cinder blocks. For a lower sitting bed set, try contrasting a soft, over stuffed bedding set with a couple of concrete blocks as tables. This juxtaposition will add visual interest and a modern twist to the space. Use a hanging or floor lamp to amplify space.

5. Use a chair, stool or wooden crate. Like the ottoman, this substitution can add a more relaxed feel to the bedroom by making the space less structured and lower the feeling of "completion". It gives off that anything goes impression and can be a perfect substitution for beds positioned in a corner (allowing for only one side table).

6. Hang a suitcase. I've seen this done for shelving units but think the older suitcase could look really sharp as a side table. Place pieces collected while traveling throughout the space to give the room a sense of adventure.

top to bottom: wine photos france, trumpetvine, galessa's plastics, joelplutchak, rune t, magpie's fancy

All photos courtesy of flickr.

Location Spotlight: The Grand Antique Mall

Feeling down in the dumps one day, my boyfriend thought that the perfect way to cheer me up was to head out the the Grand Antique Mall. Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first but went along with it because he's never steered me in the wrong direction before. As soon as we walked into the building, I was immediately overwhelmed with excitement. As seen in the pictures below, the overall decor of the building is not much to look at (unless you like clutter and pegboard) but the treasures that are displayed are absolutely gorgeous.

The mall is set up with 4-5 primary aisles that are thousands of feet long and hold numerous booths that contain anything from side tables to Nancy Drew books. Each booth is designated a specific collector and they can display the antiques however they would like. As mentioned earlier, it seems as though everyone's decided on throwing as many things as possible in the space and hoping for someone to dig out what they'd like. The prices are not yard sale-esque, but if you go in there looking to make an investment, you will not be disappointed.

Along with furniture and home decor, the place is filled with jewelry, purses, hats and clothes that will keep you searching for days. Sharing a love of vintage... well... everything, I took my friend Steph there a couple of weeks later to enjoy the eye candy. Here are some of my favorites. I apologize but I did not get a close up of the price or the vendor for purchase. 

A few things that would look great in an entryway. As mentioned in an earlier post, it is the first impression so you need to make a statement.

Some amazing sofas and chairs that don't even need to be reupholstered! Incorporate into your current living room arrangement to get that eclectic style that gets talked about.

DIY OPP: Sand, prime and spray paint any of these side tables a bright color (coral, aqua, lime green, etc.) to add some excitement to an otherwise neutrally designed room. Use that color as a guide when picking out throw pillows, artwork and other miscellaneous accessories to tie the room together.

A gorgeous TV console with timeless details neutral enough to go with any style. A very lengthy piece, position along a bare wall, hang or stand your TV in the center and pair with some artwork to help make your media center a beautiful composition.

Some miscellaneous pieces that can breathe life and add character to any room. I would use the library card file as a jewelry and hairpiece organizer, make the suitcase into a shelf and use the barstools for a kitchen island.