Thanks for the thought provoking questions and comments. The door between the kitchen and living room is open most of the time and there is a lot of traffic between the two rooms, so I think that I need to coordinate the color schemes. On second thought, it may be the boldness of the print in the kitchen which I dislike more than the colors. I prefer a softer look. The living room is painted paneling. I wonder how it would look to put up a chair rail in the living room and paint the wall below the chair rail a green, blue or taupe which matches the wallpaper in the kitchen but maybe in a lighter tint? A chair rail might look strange with the vaulted ceilings though. There would be one-third color on the bottom of the wall and two-thirds off-white on the top. Is the chair rail a good idea or do any of you have other suggestions? If I go with green, blue or taupe wall color beneath the chair rail and keep the off-white color above, what color sofa would look good with each color -- green would look good with sofa color? -- blue would look good with sofa color ? etc. When I look at the maple furniture against the off-white walls, I think that has a harsh look. I would like it to look softer, but am just not sure what color would accomplish that. You may be getting the idea by now that I'm color challenged -- LOL The current rug in the room is taupe and burgundy (it does look a bit gray in the picture). I do intend to replace the rug with a much larger rug -- probably 9 X 12. I like the maple furniture because it's what I grew up with. My mother and aunts have this type of furniture in their homes. But, a friend of mine recently suggested that the furniture is a little dated. So, I just wanted some other opinions about whether I should think about replacing this. I was looking for solutions to the fireplace and came across a web site called Brick Anew -- http://www.brick-anew.com/. Any opinions or experience with this product? I like the suggestion of covering over the brick, but it's probably not in my budget right now. Maybe Brick Anew would be a short-term solution and later I can box in the fireplace.

Can you post a sketch of the floor plan with dimensions? That would be helpful. What is the opening over the sofa? Is that to the kitchen? Am I to understand correctly that you want a dining space as well as living space in this room? I think it's a grand space and can yield a fabulous room. I think those sofa's can stay and I love the rug.

I love fireplaces personally and yours looks so nice. In addition to having that ladder shelf on 1 side, I would put a tall potted plant on the other side, right in the corner. I googled "tall potted plant living room fireplace" and so many of them look similar to yours! White is in now. I think your couch is too short. Work with the length of the room and get a longer couch (3 seats instead of 2 or whatever) If you can remove that shelf above the fireplace, you can place your tv directly on the fireplace. That will help with the height. Definitely keep the end tables! I would put a tall lamp on/near the end table closest to the window maybe TBH I would reupholster or swap out that side chair just because I don't think it goes with the decor of the fireplace and other things. You can get chair covers from IKEA and stuff that's cheaper. Just my thoughts :)

The ONLY way I would buy a 300.00 chair, would be in a teen dorm, to toss the old teddy bear , or the clothes that the kid refused to hang. Why? Because I don't fill the landfill - nor do I waste a clients money. ( Note: there is no free in life, and there is NO free shipping. It's IN the chair pricing in all of this stuff ) On what planet do trucks not need fuel, does a worker not get paid to pack and wrap?! What dock worker is hauling this container of junk off a ship for FREE? ) I understand resources, and the urge to finish a space. But you are being unrealistic about price points that would get some longevity and quality. Unless you are buying this to throw out, or to NEVER sit down. West Elm........ 799.00 ...and yes 6 weeks and their shipping. There are others, and other colors Even Better Quality? Room and Board... A sampling of choices... You don't want me to tell you that a decent chair starts at a grand or close. I would wait, save up. Room and Board ships for 75.00 dollars. Ask yourself how soon you'd like to be replacing an Amazon or Wayfair chair.