Any input on paint color, rugs, window treatments...anything. All blank slates.

So you can get a better idea. This is walking in from the front door.

Left half of the room. Living room side.

Right Half. Dining room.

Now you can see how crowded it is. The shelf at the top is just holding all the photos and frames I have unpacked so far so definitely not their final resting spot. I would love something awesome up there, a mix of items.

Living half

Will the military store some of your items, even tho' they were shipped for use? If so, I'd store 2 of the 3 big leather pieces, and keep just one of the sofas (depending on which fits better) and the ottoman.

Then I'd fill in with very inexpensive Ikea or vintage chair and area rug. Also you could try a slipcover for the sofa, or if if it's too difficult to find a size, just toss a nice large throw in a lighter color on the sofa. The dark color of the leather is partly what makes it seems so bulky.

Your table and chairs look good - at least half the room works for you!

We'll have to pay to store anything on the economy, but I am not even sure where storage facilities are around here. If we could get something up or down stairs, we'd put the chair upstairs in the spare room/office or that and a sofa down stairs in the man cave (which is bigger than the living room what crap haha. Going from a huge living room...to this...is interesting.

I am not a fan of furniture on the diagonal...look at the wasted space you have in the corners. Could you put your TV on the long wall with the sofa facing it. It will partially cover the entrance to the dining room but a tall plant behind it will take care of that. Then you could put your love seat on the left wall, facing the window/door with the chair on the diagonal with its back to the pole. If you could put your chair some else, your room would look less crowded. You may have room for a floor lamp by the loveseat and chair with your ottoman in front of the couch.

That brings up another hurdle with this room and house in general. Outlets are scarce and with our young clumsy kids that get hurt on the simplest of things, we don't want extension cords everywhere. We still have to get rid of all that satellite cable. Two outlets in this room. One where the tv currently is, to the left of the window, and the other on the short wall behind the longest couch across from the window.

You said, "If we could get something up or down stairs, we'd put the chair upstairs in the spare room/office or that and a sofa down stairs in the man cave" -- I'm not sure I understand - is that an option?

Also, it looks like a patio outside your dining area, but outside living area looks like it drops into a recessed area? How long is the wall opposite the living room sliding doors?

We're not sure yet if it's a possibility, but we really and truly hope it is. We have to get some men and see. The movers who unpacked our household goods from the shipping crates into the house weren't very adventurous, to say the least. For now at least, it's all stuck here. :(

And yes the window/door in the dining room goes to the patio and the one in the living room is over the stairs that lead to the basement from outside. The dining room one swings open to walk through while the living room one does not open in that manner. No danger of opening and falling out, luckily...because my kids so would.

These are the stairs that are a huge pain.

The wall across from the living room window is about 6'.

A couple of examples of using throws to disguise or complement a sofa. Normally I wouldn't block a window, but I could see your sofa in front of the window, with the TV on the 6-ft wall. Just for a start. OTOH, would your kids be likely to bang into the glass?

B-T-W, I think the more colorful modern look that you want will be easy enough to accomplish. But arrangement of furniture comes first. Are you allowed to paint the walls?

Here is a link that might be useful: [houzz link[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/victorian-living-room-victorian-living-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~217428)

Bang on the glass of the window? No, they don't. And yes, furniture is priority right now, both in arrangement and trying to figure out how and where to put some of it. Yes, we can paint the walls, but none of the trim, ceiling, or the column of course.

I can't wait to get back to The States and buy so we can do whatever we want to our home. 4 more years to go ;)

We spent some time overseas in an even more crowded country with our large furniture. The movers had a hard time with my large one-piece computer armoire. They were going to hoist it from the outside, over the balcony into our 2nd story apartment. Finally they figured they could just squeeze through the stairwell. Three guys using straps to get a good grip on the piece. Slow going, but they got it into the apartment. This was a corporate move, so they probably spent quite a bit on the movers. Doesn't sound like your movers were too motivated to do more than the basics.

They did what they had to get the stuff in the rooms that made the most sense at the time, and nothing more.Get in and get out, leave the rest of the configuring for us. They were also not the most able-bodied guys, but it could have been worse. Military moves don't seem to go well for most people. Ours had a bumpy start, but turned out seemingly okay.

Hopefully whenever the husband makes rank, we will be moving into a house that better accommodates us. So probably another 12-18 months in this house.

Photos can be deceiving, but I'm not optimistic about getting your chair or sofas up or down those stairs. If you want to know for sure, I suggest asking Harry Lipsky at allexperts. He will need the exact measurements of the piece, including the diagonals. Remove as many cushions as you can before measuring. You'll need measurements of the stairs - width, heights in various places, info about the landing and turns. If it can be done, he'll know how to do it. Ask about the chair. That's your best shot.

Another thought: could the television go in a different room? That would make things much easier.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moving Furniture at allexperts

Can you still get the the basement through the dining room door or another door? In front of the window would be good place for the long sofa and the tv opposite where the other outlet is and the chairs to the side. I agree that room is too small for putting the furniture on the diagonal.

I'm a military brat myself (a long time ago). I don't know why, but when my father was transferred overseas, my parents put ALL our stuff in storage, and when we arrived at our new destination, the military rented furniture for us. Was the only time of my childhood when we had 'matched' furniture, or new furniture, plus any color of drapes that we wanted for every window in the house. Neither here nor there re: your situation -- just brought back a distant memory of military moves. I hope you enjoy your time in Germany!

As a former Army brat all I can say is STOP - Don't do anything! You have the opportunity to furnish your home with European finds. You will travel to different areas of Germany, Italy (ohh so many pretty things), France, and Spain. Take advantage of being able to tour and see and buy nice things cheaply. We traveled almost every weekend, somewhere. It was AWESOME. Wait, don't buy anything, just let your European stay guide you to some lovely times with your family and some beautiful household finds all over Europe.

Sincerely,

Former Army Brat who has now inherited many beautiful things from her mom and dad. Thanks mom and dad.

Trancegemini, yes. You can't even go out that window/door in the living room and there is also basement access inside the house by the crazy stairwell.

Mjlb, I can't imagine living 4 years on military furniture. I know some of our potential locations we would HAVE to store most of our household goods. I would only hope those locations have more comfortable furnishings than the things the military provided us here until our things arrived. Think...doctor's office waiting room or something equally uncomfortable. I am thankful, though, the military does provide for us and everyone with something until our own things come.

Geogirl, I know. We are so happy to be here and have these opportunities. The antiques here are gorgeous. We have committed ourselves to one big furniture purchase a year here (which is what we did in the US as well), looking for great quality sturdy things preferably antique but open to anything as long as its well-made and can survive many more mili moves.

In the meantime, we have to make our space work for us and make it feel like home. That's something we never really did in Texas, make our house a home.

I agree with putting your TV on the 6 foot wall (with plug-in) opposite the window....couch in front of the window. Looks like TV would be far enough from window to prevent glare...but you might have to pull the drapes at certain times of a sunny day. Love seat on side wall(opposite dining room) and chair against the pole. Might be room for an end table and lamp between the couch and loveseat.

You're right that as an adult, I would hate to live with military-issue rental furniture. But as a kid, it was memorable. Same for living in a hotel for a couple of months before we found housing (no military housing was available); and living in Bachelor Officers' Qtrs for a few weeks upon return to home. I guess I was a more resilient kid than adult. My father always said that travel was the best education, so I guess that entered into it.

Mjlb, our boys LOVED the hotel living. They were very angry when we got a house. Our 3 year old kept insisting we go back to the "brown house" which was the temp lodging on base. Our oldest still wants to go back to TX to the house we lived in on base. He thinks we own it for some reason.

Anyway, we succeeded with a few bumps and bruises at getting the loveseat downstairs for my husband to use in his space and free up some up here.

Any updated pix for us?
You have nice furniture to work with & the room has great bones, which is great.