A very nice home. I could be comfy there for sure. Was the family room a later addition? Nice job in the kitchen, and I like your fabric for the chair. I have some thoughts, going to just throw them out there. More, perhaps than you want to do, but some ideas that might get you started. I would think about moving the dining room into the hearth room. Setting the table up in front of the bow window would make for a wonderful view while eating, and give you room to have all the dining chairs in the space. You could then put a pair of comfy chairs facing one another in the dining room with a small round table between them. A great place for someone to sit and chat while someone else is working in the kitchen, or a nice place to just have a cup of coffee and still enjoy the fireplace nearby. I would completely re-orient the family room. Move the desk to the niche where the tv is now. MOve the tv to the wall where the desk is now. Put your couch facing the tv in the new location, back to the windows. Orient the seating around the TV and fireplace, espeically because you are planning to dress up that area with stone. The chair can be facing the fireplace, back to the desk in the niche. If you don't use the chair by the fireplace in the hearth room once you move in the dining table, I would bring that into the family room as well, putting it on the left side of the fireplace. I don't know how soon you are planning on doing the stone in the fireplace area, but for now I would take down the shelf and art and just paint that inset wall an accent color, or do a faux stone finish. The shelf and art are nice, but back behind the stove look a bit like someone forgot to take them down when the fireplace was put in. Once you move everything into place, then you can place art. Personally, I don't think you need a rug in the family room. But it could be nice in the new little seating area where the dining table was. By the way, great job taking pictures. You provided a full view of the spaces so that it was easier to see what might work.

I think with the chocolate curtains and reddish brown chair, greenish couch and newly painted white bottoms of tables AND white kitchen cabinets, using the butter color will definitely give you the light and airy you are after. I can visualize it, but maybe someone can photoshop it for you? I think that color will be a knock-out especially with the brown curtains right next to it and in contrast to the mahogany you're talking about. Finally, in my opinion, if you adore a color you will most likely be really happy to have it around. If your cabs were staying the same color they are now I'd agree with parma, but with white it's a whole different ball game. (get some sample size and give it a try on the wall!)

Rachel - here we meet again :) We're actually struggling with this same issue now. I don't know how serious you were but I did note a question of whether you even wanted a TV. We haven't watched TV for over 2 years and only a handful of movies. I hated the idea of having my livingroom centered around something that was not only unsightly, but also rarely used. The current arrangment we have, which I think would look wonderful in your livingroom, is we have 2 loveseats at a diagonal to the fireplace and have the sofa where yours is now. In your case though, I would pull the sofa out and create what in essence would serve as a sofa table/pop up TV unit. You can still keep the picture you have above the sofa and the TV would rise out when "needed". Visitors have often commented on how they love the arrangment (without my saying a word). It's so easy to converse with everyone who is in the room. At least four people (more depending on any additional seeting) could comfortably watch TV. Your home is BEAUTIFUL!!!

I'm waaay late to this party AND my taste is not what one would call *mainstream*. With that proviso and the understanding that what follows is of course MHO and is not at all meant to offend anyone, I: Think the chair and sofa in the Tomato are FABULOUS. I am pleased the upholstery guy darkened the wood as it needs the depth of color to carry that scrumptious color. Think the FC is a totally unique neat piece of furniture which needs to be fixed 'proper like'. I cannot see this detracting from its value but in fact adding to it providing it's done correctly and not some hatchet job. Think also the FC is SO unique it needs a bold *here I am* fabric, not some whimpy paisley kinda fabric. The fabric Sujafr posted would be super. If your concern is to it's hardiness if you will, then try to find something tougher but very similar. That wonderful Tomato insists on something equally bold and beautiful to compete with it. Think I'd like to see your dining room as it appears from your floor plan drawing the living is open to that room - yes? The FP remarks you have laminate in the DR. Whatever the flooring material in the DR - you need to continue same material into the LR and all the way down the hall. Alternatively, you rip up the DR flooring and replace the whole 9 yards. You'll need to find a area rug/carpet that will co-ordinate the whole (both LR + DR) and if you've a window in the DR, then you'll need the same or very similar WT's on both windows. If they are open to each other as it appears they are, they can't be treated as separate entities without totally chopping up your spaces. Think the stripes definitely need to go with all painted a background color. What that might be should be a decision delayed until after the FC has a chosen fabric. Think the FP also needs to be redone - something very background not *here I am* so it's a good thing that's easy peasy for ya. :-)) Again not done/chosen until after the main furniture pieces are completed. If you were fortunate enuf to find a neat mirror piece as ?? came up with, then likely it should be the star and the FP itself should be very similar to or the same as the wall color - whatever that ends up being. WT's should be pretty much last on the list although they will need to co-ord with your wall color. Being as I am, I wouldn't even consider that item until all the other pieces were pretty clear to me AND the FC was recovered and back home. Think coffee table definitely needs the deeper stain but you seem quite willing to do so and certainly have the talent so really that is a non-issue. Think I'd like to see the (fully repaired) wonderful FC in front of the window also, particularly once it has a dramatic punchy fabric on it. It really is a *star piece* and should be the first thing one sees when entering the room. Think I'd like to see the wood on the half wall stained darker with Tomato Sofa against that wall. Well I've said enuf -- likely you're thinking *more than*. BG's I absolutely LUV LUV that Tomato fabric! On our gloomy (and presently extremely windy here) PNW days, that color is going to be soooo warm and friendly/cozy. I will suggest that you don't have a Victorian home so use this yummy unique furniture as a bold statement rather than an attempt at truly period stuff. I don't often weigh in on threads because my taste is surely not everyone's so pay me no mind at all if it doesn't suit you. :-)) Happy Xmas Holly