I suppose one could chastise you for all of the things you have done wrong, but you asked for advice so I will throw in my two cents. You were (are) in a marriage that is failing and you are choosing to put that failure all on yourself - stop right there. Neither one of you was putting your full effort into the situation. He doesn't follow through with his promises to land a job and then won't follow you to your next job? He needs to stay with/follow you. There is no reason for him to stay behind (no job and your daughter is not in school, yet). Yeah, you cheated. And he is taking advantage of that instead of trying to get things back on track. You are both at fault here. You both decided to 'take a break and see other people'? That is not marriage. And you allowed yourself to believe that the only job you could do is one that takes you away for weeks at a time. You both need to change careers - yours is actually a career change; his is getting off the couch. You need to think about what is best for your daughter. And that would be a stable home life. Not mom or dad gone for 6 weeks at a time. If the marriage does end, then you will surely be forced into a new career if you have any hopes of raising your daughter alone. Would that be so bad? To put your daughter over a career? Careers/jobs can come and go. Your daughter is not so expendable. Do what is best for her.

Wow, lots of great suggestions! Responses/clarification: gwbr54, does your suggestion include just a single panel per window, pulled off to the side? That's what it looks like in your sketch (thanks for that btw). I won't have room for art above the TV, as it's quite a large TV. I do want to get a nice wide canvas above the couch however. I was also planning a barstool at the bar area. I like the idea of a console table, or I could also fit a couple of small colorful ottomans between the window wall as suggested by some. Not crazy about turning the rug though. sueb20, I could probably paint that wall in between the brick. I can always paint it back if needed when I move out. What color were you thinking? mclarke, yep, those are small radiators under the windows (very common here in NYC). If I were to cover them, I'd almost need to cover the entire opening from the window sill to the floor I would think. Where do you get perforated metal like the picture in your post? I kind of like the idea, but I'd need a lot of metal and would have to come up with a way to make nice cuts and mount it properly. Not to mention, there's a knob to control the amount of water being fed through the radiator and I'd be blocking access to it unless I came up with a design that allowed for easily removing the covers. pricklypearcactus, the only opening to the room is a wide opening from the kitchen from where the pics were taken. There isn't much more room for anything but the couch and floor lamp I already have on the couch wall. I could probably fit an end table if needed, but it would be cramped and my coffee table is probably sufficient. I also don't want to put the couch on the opposite wall, as it would look funny b/c the center wall (white wall) between the brick juts out about a foot. I'm guessing there used to be a fireplace there or something. htnspz, I'm worried that 2 leaning mirrors might look odd. The room is small and I wouldn't want to be able to see any possible reflection of myself while seated on the couch. The room already gets a lot of light during the day and the mirrors would also block a lot of the brick which I like. General comments (in response to items that have been suggested a few times): There's really not room for a chair in the room - it would be really cramped between the coffee table and the wall. I could however fit a couple of those small colorful cube ottomans that I've seen at stores however (or one slightly large one). I also don't know what kind of effect blocking the radiators below the window would have. Also, I have a hanging lantern (asian style) floor lamp in the corner. It looks more like the "sun" in the pictures I posted, but those pics were taken at night. It seems like everyone likes the curtain panels idea, so I'll do that. Do I need 2 panels per window or just one hanging down on each end of the room like in gwbr54's sketch? I'll also definitely be getting a large canvas above the couch and I like htnspz's idea of going with something abstract and organic vs. harder geometric shapes since my rug already has plenty of that. Something similar to the picture teacats linked to (which I like), but longer/wider and on canvas. I also like the idea of a colorful bowl with pebbles or something in it for the coffee table. Now, the big question is, do I go with 2 small cube ottomans on the window wall, a bookcase, or a console table? I probably need something to bring some height into the room more than I need the additional seating an ottoman would bring. I'm already planning on getting a bar stool over by the bar and in all honesty, I probably wouldn't really have more than 1 other person (i.e. a date) in my place at any given time and we can both sit on the couch. So, bookcase with storage vs. a leaning bookshelf (no storage but I like the look) vs. console table with something on it to add a little height (maybe a plant on the table since several people liked the idea of a plant)? I could probably do a bookshelf or console table AND a couple of small colorful cube ottomans to block the radiators a bit as well if need be. Thanks again for all the suggestions!!

If the extra accessories are really high quality, I'd leave them up. Brass won't be 'out of fashion' forever, and they really are very pretty. If it were my bathroom, I'd be off to the fabric store to see what fabrics jumped out at me for a shower curtain. NOT to say you want a busy, patterned shower curtain -- or even to change what you have, which is a classic. But sometimes fabric shopping will inspire an idea and you'll know just where you want to go with the room. If you're not a fabric lover, shopping for artwork can have the same affect -- suggesting a direction. You've got a decided old-fashioned bent to the room with the clawfoot and brass -- so you have a time. All you need is a place. English garden with a few ferns an botanical prints? Tropical, with a slightly more exotic plant and prints? English chintz with some pink and floral accents? Lavender could also be lovely with the green, though you'd need to be careful not to overdo it.

Thank you for the terrific suggestions. Unfortunately the bedding and paint are both fairly “new”...a couple of years old (read: husband will not understand necessity to buy new again at this point) but then I got “stuck”. I really like a farmhouse style, including clean and simple lines, but I’m not necessarily married to that. I’m a big fan of navy, but I’m struggling with whether that will work with the bedding. I will definitely add curtains once I determine what will look right. Thanks so much for the great tips...any others would be greatly appreciated as well.