Everything looks beautiful & you have made great choices:) Your hard work shows. It is hard to work on our own rooms - for me, anyways.

I'll try to make a few suggestions....
A soft comfy creamy throw for the sofa. The brown pillow is lost on the brown sofa - try a blue/white one. The blue/white plate looks very nice.

The pictures on top of the ET - they are really too high for anybody to see them. Any possibility of hanging them in a hallway somewhere? then maybe get a blue/white big container & put a big fern or something alive looking up on top of the ET.

Just try the window treatments without the valance. It might let in more light, too.

Smiles:)

How would you feel about changing the window treatments to let in what natural light you DO have? I would definitely paint the entertainment center, and also paint the ceiling trim white so that it blended into the ceiling, bringing the eye up, or consider removing it altogether.

And please don't take offense, but removing the photos, the floor statue blocking access to the doors, the doily under the plate, and the afghan on the side chair will "de-grandma" the clutter. I would keep the large vase on top of the entertainment center, and re-arrange the furniture to create a conversational grouping around the rug.

While adding mirrors can help bounce light around a room, I'm not feeling the gold so much, but that's just me. I picture the mirror throwing things off balance, unless you put something with equal visual weight on the other side.

Prairie, definitely no offense taken, I want any ideas you all have to offer. You guys can see things with fresh eyes and tell me what is wrong here. I tend to over-decorate thinking if I do so, it will create more "warmth".

Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming...

How about some artwork on the bare walls?

We recently re-did our den and our wall colors seem close.. our room faces northeast also..Since our all our trim was all white, we also painted the built-in wall treatment white.. it certainly brightens up the room.. just thought i'd share our den since our wall colors are similiar and we also have brown leather furniture! Just before the holidays, i purchased a large photo collage frame because i love to put family photos up also.. i intend to put it on the wall just to the right of the entertainment unit, perhaps you could do something similiar if you move the photos off your unit!!

I'm also going to suggest that the window treatments aren't working. I think they definately close in the room making it more cavelike. I think you should panels on either side in a solid colour or stripe. Hang the rod closer to the ceiling to open up the space. Hang the panels on small black rings. Some nice bamboo blinds would coordinate with the sofa.

I like the idea of a light coloured throw too.

I know you're trying to lighten up, but I'm seeing the e. centre painted black. I'd remove all the pics on top of the centre and frame them in matching black frames and hang them on either side of the centre. Then you could do 3 substantial ceramic jugs or vases in varying heights on top of the centre. Even the 2 brown vases that are already there would work well with a third item thrown in.

You could also paint out the thin wood trim that runs against the ceiling. Its adding a 3rd colour and chopping things up uneccesarily.

It looks like you are moving the style of the room to something casual and slightly masculine, but the holdover elements - the lamp, drapes, end table and dish display don't seem to fit because they are more delicate and feminine looking. The drapery panels might look better without the valance.

Can you post more photos of the room?

I agree with the others that the family photo display isn't doing much for the room.

I'm in agreement with everyone. Like Budge1 would like to see the entertainment center black.

If there is a Home Goods close by, they always have some interesting pottery. Just buy 3 pieces that are appealing to you. They don't have to look alike but they should have different dimenstions size wise. They also have interesting metal art for the walls.

So you guys are leaning more towards me painting the EC black? Would that go ok with the wall color? Like another previous poster, she was concerned her EC would look like one big black blob in the room. I was thinking maybe a chocolate brown, but maybe that would be too much brown?

I would worry about other more important things than the EC to start with. There is a skill involved to painting wood furniture and a lot of prep work and time involved.

First of all, do you have a budget to sink into your plans to change the room? Or are you looking for "no cost" decorating?

The first thing I would change in the room is the blue slipcovered recliner. That would have the biggest impact. If you cannot afford a new recliner, at least change out the slipcover to a dark neutral color. You said you want blue and brown in the room, but the blue chair is too light colored and huge. Just use a lot of deep blue accents in the room and keep the furniture neutral.

The photo is dated from 2007. Have you made any changes to the room since?

Before I would paint that whole EC I would try changing out those plain wood knobs to something with more bling. How about some ceramic knobs? Or ORB?

Remove the photos. Put them in a grouping on the wall if you wish them to remain in the room. Put just a few decor items on the shelves. That ceramic cat looks like someone is going to accidentally kick it. Put it up on the shelf.

I would switch the two chairs and have the one with the ottoman on the other side so that it does not block the entrance to the room. This will also put the ottoman in a position help break up the view of the light wood EC.

It looks like the couch is on an angle or is that just the way it photographed. It looks like it is angled for better TV viewing and ther is a headprint in the pillow. Maybe a completely different furniture arrangment is needed to make the room more functional?

You say the room is very dark and lacks light. Removing the valance and just having hanging panels will help with that. The drapes don't really work well with the modern carpet. Solid color panels in one or two tones, would add more of a 'wow' factor and not look so fussy.

Sometimes its the "little things" that take away the beauty of a room. Cut the white tags off of the pillows. Move the floor plant away from the couch.

Choose a richer color blue for the room. There is some light blue in the rug and that is good, but light blue scattered throughout the room is too chaotic. Because of the gold in the rug and on the walls you need a deeper richer blue, not a pastel.

This:

Choose some pillows that bring in the blue in a subtle way with a mixed in a print with th brown. At least one pillow on the leather couch should be suede or tapestry - something 'weighty'.

This? LOL.
{{gwi:1558630}}{{gwi:1558631}}

Some wall art will make the room sing. Maybe you have something from another room or stored away? The mirror that is on order sounds nice and is a good choice if you say the room needs more light. A little sparkle will brighten it up.

I'm in agreement on taking down the pictures on top of the entertainment center and puttin something more decorative up there to draw the eye up.

I can't see your entire room so don't know if there are any other options for furniture arranging. Sometimes just repositioning furniture can give a room the pop you are looking for.

Mom2girls - can you please tell me where you got your beautiful curtains? We've just moved to a new house and I'm desperately trying to make the new house colors fit with our old furniture without spending a fortune. I think those curtains may work for our family room! Thanks!!