Carpet is light brown,, walls white (can't paint) , need inexpensive window coverings. Sofa, loveseat, end tables could be contemporary or traditional. I lean toward trying to incorporate both. Will be buying new lamps and accessories. This room is used as a living room/family room.I definatly need ideas, if not a complete plan.
How about a nautical theme? It would probably appeal to the guys in the family and I find it soothing. Maybe blue and white striped window treatments with red trim and coordinating pillows for the sofas. Some ocean or boat prints and perhaps seashells your family has collected in an attractive container. Pier 1 has beautiful, inexpensive accessories that you might find inspirational.
If the kids really love the red furniture, put it in their play area or the garage. If the loveseat fits, put it in one of the boy's rooms. They can even alternate months on owning it if they are so attached to it! Then you can redecorate the family room as you like!
Choose a palette of earth tones and browns, to tie the sofas into the floor. That means you can use some nice wooden furniture for end tables or coffee table. And then choose an accent color, such as any type of green that you like-except really bright or really pale green; black and white is very modern and very nice. An area carpet- if chosen first- could be your source of accent colors- a warm, Mexican inspired carpet might be nice. Frame your family photos and put them in a grid grouping on the wall. Ikea is a great source of bright and inexpensive pictures.
ok first off i would suggest that you go to yard sales, thrift shops and flea markets. Make you a list of what you need to go into the room and start looking, it could take you a few weeks to get it all. If it is wood you can paint it in any color you would like. Now what i would do, from what i read this is your FAMILY room, with that being said, and your parents of twin boys that are 7, they are in school. why not do the primary color scheme. You know blue, green, red, brown, white and black. You can get a coffee table from a thrift shop for about 20.00 paint it black, get curtains or fabric in a color, get some hobby paint and let the kids do handprints in the colors. there is alot you can do. When they get older you change to a more older boys thing.
If you can't fight 'em, glorify 'em. That's my motto when faced with decorating givens, especially the ones that are huge. So, in this case, you have red! And you're leaning towards eclectic ... a mixture of time periods. Great! Make it obvious. Here are some ideas: ... a very traditional frame with a modern artwork in it, one that has red. Like an Andy Warhol flower print in a gold Rococo frame. ... a lovely brass lamp with a white shade that has a band of red around the edge. ... an area rug between the couches, that contrasts their style. If they're modern, put an oriental with some reds in it there. Top that with a modern coffee table. Match the end tables to the coffee table, put your lamp(s) on them. ... if the furniture is all modern, get curtains in a more traditional pattern. ... add some varied accessories... if you go with the oriental rug, you can add a chinese-style vase with black and red in it, perhaps go overall with the oriental + modern theme with your picture, rug, and accessories being oriental and your furniture modern. That might be a lot of fun!
