Dark Trim Gone Wrong and Living Room Mood Board Inspiration

I’ve been in hunter-gatherer mode for living room decor these last few weeks. When I started painting the living room, I made the mistake of not really thinking about what was going to hang on the walls, what some of the other new pieces were going to look like, and so on. Not a suggested method, yet, I’ve done it time and time again.

Here is how the room looks at the moment after painting. See the before here.

The two main problems are:

1) I decided to go with dark trim on the three windows and although I like the dark trim, I think the trim color is too dark.

2) I definitely don’t like the blue chairs with this color dark trim, so I will probably repaint the chairs, too.

So, while I’ve got the whole room painted, I am still going to have to repaint some trim and the chairs.

Hunt and gather from my own decor

Meanwhile, I decided a better direction to go in with my plan design is to start by gathering items I already have that I plan to hang on the walls and decorate the room with. Then and only then will I move on to making any more paint color choices. See list below.

I also finally learned how to make a mood board to help me stay focused. I used Olioboard, which is a free app, to make my mood board. If you’d like to learn to make your own mood board using Olioboard, here is a great tutorial from Remodelaholic.

Find inspiration

Before I show you the mood board, I want to show you this lake house living space that has become my inspiration piece.

You are probably wondering why I didn’t just pick a castle for my inspiration choice, when you compare the grandness of this lake home to itty-bitty cottage.;)

But big or small, what I was drawn to in this room is the rustic feel, the dark trim accents, and the calming wall color among a few of the features.

Create mood board

Here is my inspiration board. And while I’m not trying to copy the lake house entirely, I think there’s a few similarities. Below is the basic plan of attack. And I must say, being able to put this all down on paper, so to speak, and out of my head, is a big relief.

Note: None of the items on this board are mine, but I was able to find enough items similar to my own to get a visual of the look I’m going for.

Already have:

Couch

Chair (might be changed or painted {or cleaned, lol, it’s really yellow?!!}

Ken’s cuckoo clock (brown wood)

Several pieces of framed family mementos in neutral tones

Knit throw blankets in neutral tones

Purchased

2 wall mounted lamps with white shades (eliminating table lamps)

Purchased, but need to update:

Dining table

Dining chairs

Dark wood bench seat for dining area

Ken needs to build:

Due to our small space I’m asking Ken to build these pieces to fit our space.

2 multi-purpose end tables

1 clover shaped coffee table, inspired by the one shown in the mood board

Still have to purchase:

Hallway cabinet, mirror and light (Ikea)

Curtains and rods

Pillows (I do plan to purchase several of the pillows shown here.)

Ceiling light (already chosen)

Hanging light for dining table

Corner light

Baskets

Photo frames (for framing making a family and travel photos project)

Choose paint colors last…

The wall color I chose is PPG Antique White, see post here.

The trim is currently painted PPG Phantom Mist and once painted, it wasn’t working.

I will be repainting it PPG Clam Shell.

The dining chairs are currently painted Krylon Anvil Gray, see painted chairs post here.

I may be repainting these, too, but I’ll wait until I have more of the room done to make the final paint color choice. Although a dark brown may work the best.

I was really down after I thought I was finished painting. I did all that work, yet I knew I was still missing the mark on what I had in mind for the space.

I knew that putting Ken’s cuckoo clock back up on the wall was a must, but I didn’t think it would look good with the dark (almost black) trim. So, after having a short pity party, I regrouped and reversed my order of thinking.

Gathering what I had, searching inspiration, doing a bit of shopping and then creating a mood board for the rest has made me feel so much more relaxed about the whole make over. And I’m feeling confident that it will keep me from losing focus on what I really want this space to become.

Are you someone who can just pull a room together. What tips or process work for you so that you love what you have when it’s done?