Just a wild thought , but maybe some colour ?

A painting would be one idea , or maybe see if you can get a red modem ? You could even get a flashing neon arrow pointing to it . . . . . . . .

Agree with Pottsy.
Add a painting with some colour. Nothing else.
It appears that the shelf may be in the way, when entering the kitchen. Maybe remove it and put the router around the corner, with a neat cable extension.

We really need a floor plan with dimensions to properly advise. If you want storage I would keep it to table height and do painting on wall above

Nothing but art. Move the router out of sight.

What ? No-one likes my idea of a flashing neon arrow , pointing at the router ?

Thank you all for your valued advice 😊 including pottsy, of course 🤭

I am going to remove the shelf and router, tidy up the cables and make a room for a beautiful painting.

As to the shape of the artwork, do you have any suggestions?

I was wondering if a square will do - rather and a rectangular.

You want a picture you LIKE , that is the first thing . It has to look 'right' , too small it's almost an apology , too big it'll look wrong there , but you liking it is even more important .

I'd say it ideally wants to be 75-100mm in from each side , so say its 500 wide there , you want to be around 300-350mm wide . Look at pictures or prints you really like , if there's one that is 320 wide and it is 320 tall , or 500 tall , that'll be the one !

Thanks pottsy for your detailed advice! It is very helpfu and I have already started to measure the wall to find the right size ☺️

@julie, I've never thought about placing multiple works on the wall there and your sample photos look so beautiful. Thank you as always for sharing your amazing ideas with me😊

I love the idea of a painting, but if you also want to keep your bits and pieces, you could design a small unit for the bottom half, with some drawers (keep it the colour of the wall), including say a charging drawer. Whatever you most need there, but definitely a painting (or more) that you love. And then, if it needs it, paint the wall behind a colour that enhances and shows it off. (For years, over several houses, we've lived with terracotta behind several paintings that stand out from it like an art gallery.)

Thanks for your practical advice Jennifer!
I agree, a painted wall enhances the paintings and makes the room look so special. Must have been so nice to living in such a beautiful houses 😊

As for the type of the painting materials to be hanged on the wall - would these generally need to be the same materials that are used in other paintings in the same room?
e.g. if we use canvas for paintings behind the couch, shall we stick to canvas, as opposed to framed painting etc to maintain the consistency?

Lili - I'm not sure it matters - we have a gallery of art, from the front door (entry) through the dining room and up the three steps to the top floor corridor. They include two oils on canvas, a large Australian watercolour, on a heavy paper, a lithograph on paper, one print behind glass, a seven foot tall brass rubbing on linen (tan and rust in colour, not black) and two Aboriginal originals, one on paper and one on canvas. They look great together, so I guess it's just choosing what you like and then, if possible getting a coordinating them or colour, what suits you.

Perhaps a long painting with colour in it, as everything in the background is White on White.

Some colours to incorporate the floor colour, dining frame colours. Or a theme like a Vinyard, something with green in it against the white will always look fresh. Or even a weaved mat with colours you love, the weave creates texture. Your Table setting can then have the same colours in them or your glassware. And a centre piece on the table with the same colours as the Wall Art to bring it together. Let me know what your's and your partners favourite colour is, have some fun and enjoy.

Regards,

Karen D

Interior Design Colour Specialists.

Thanks Jennifer for your advice. It's great to know that it's okay to chose artworks from different materials so long as they go well together (probably that's the most difficult part for me to nail...😊).

@Karen, thanks for sharing the tips too! I like your idea of linking the colours of the wall/floor to the artwork and other small accessories. I'll keep that in mind when adding more decorations for my living/dining room. It sounds like a fun process to pick every piece and I am excited ☺️

Hi there!

It looks like quite a heavy spot for foot traffic so I would try and refrain from putting any furniture there. The space is looking a little cold, depending on your budget, why not warm it up with light. This is quite an artistic expression so I have put in a link for some options, but a warm light would bring in interest and just give the space a lovely glow for low light and some nice variation.

https://www.litfad.com/wall-lamps-sconces_23c-p3.html

On furniture, I also thought it looked like one of those places where you come in and dump things. Like keys, letters. So a narrow (in depth rather than width) shelving or drawers, with a top that is just big enough for dumping, is what I was thinking, not anything that impeded the traffic. I also designed a wall unit beside out front door and had it built (in Victorian Ash) that is narrow, with a slightly wider bottom, and holds magazines (on the bottom), and clock, light and pottery/wood boxes on the top open shelves - acts as somewhere to dump things as we come in and separates the lounge from anyone coming in. It's how you live, how you like to do things, and designing or buying, something that works for you.

Thanks all for your advice ☺️ Much appreciated!

We are still debating whether to keep or remove the shelf unit. The idea of having a small shelf unit with a small pot plant on top (hiding the router as the back of it!🤭) sounds nice as well.

If we were to keep a small shelf unit there, as recommended I'd find the one with table height and narrow in depth.

As for the colour/material of the side table if we decided to have one, what would you recommend?

We have white walls and dark grey carpet. Most pieces of furniture are light beige/white/black, and the dining table (near the wall which is the topic of discussion) has a glass top.

I am wondering if something like a tray stand or a narrow (in depth) hall table will suit there.

Also as for the colour, while white will brend in with the background wall, black/dark grey aligns with the colour of the carpet - but it may be overpowering..
Would love to hear your thoughts ☺️

And it does seem to be difficult to find a piece of shelf unit for this particular wall and @Jennier, it's amazing that you can build your own piece of furniture!

Thanks all for sharing your inspirations.

I didn't actually make my own (although I'm good at bunnings and Ikea) but I designed one and had it made by a local company.

Hi Lili,
Thinking of maybe a small table or black metal shelving would look great, Ikea, Kmart have there new homewares catalogue , they have some nice pieces that may suit, out,or Bunnings you can check to see what is available,

Thanks for your advice julie!
I checked those websites you've mentioned and found some nice shelves wiich would suit our place. Thank you!

I really liked your second photo of a black two tier shelf with pot paints. It's nice to have some plants there ☺️