Your home is very pretty! I especially love that fireplace. I think either chair looks fine next to the couch. I like the round table, and think the lamp wpuld look nice on it. Would it be possible to center the rug with the couch and the window? Also, the dresser that's tucked into the corner looks lovely...could you bring that out, maybe put it over in the opposite corner next to the tv, kinda nehind/next to where the other chair is. Then maybe find a new home for the little lighter wood table...is their anywhere else you could use that?

My 2 cents is that your room might look a little 'off', in your words, because of your rug placement. It appears that your hallway might be the reason you didn't center it with the sofa?

The bigger wing chairs seem like they wouldn't leave enough room to the side of the sofa and the smaller ones might be better.

Cute lamp and pretty rug.

Why is the dresser in that corner with the side table blocking access to the drawers? The side table next to blue chair is too small. What's in front of green chair? Is it a table or an ottoman? A long low entertainment center would look nice in your room. Do you need the small kid size chairs? The fireplace and lamps look good. You have a good start in your room.

I have the same question as threed -- something is strange about the dresser in the corner. So first thing I'd suggest is moving that elsewhere. Could it be placed between the two doors in the first pic (where the little chair is)?

The larger chair looks better across from the sofa. It's too large for the corner next to the sofa.

However, even the smaller chair looks too cramped next to the sofa, especially with the large round table next to it. Do you have a smaller table you can put there? Maybe the small table that is to the left of the TV in the first pic?

I'm also confused by the position of the rug. It should be centered on the sofa, and I also wonder if it could be turned the other way?

The table/ottoman in front of the smaller chair -- if it's an ottoman, it really looks too tall. Can it be used elsewhere? It looks like an interesting piece, but as an ottoman, to me it's not working.

I also think the little light-wood table doesn't seem to belong in the room.

You have lovely furnishings. Would it be possible to float the sofa on the edge of the rug so it's directly facing the fireplace, if so you could then put a chair on either side, put the t.v. in the right corner next to the fireplace You could put tables and lamps next to each chair and really bring the seating area closer together. The rug would then be centered properly. You'd still have room for a coffee table, I think an oval would work best. Love those little chairs, a live plant on each would work well.

I love the light in your pictures; it reminds me of a lazy sunny day, very relaxing and peaceful.

I too was wondering why you have an endtable up against a bureau with drawers? I love the children's chairs - they are adorable and hope they remain in the room.

You have something - I'm not certain if it's a leather topped table or ottoman that you have placed as an ottoman next to the chair with a white pillow. It appears to be too high to be used as an ottoman and it doesn't look comfortable. It looks like it might make an interesting side table for the chair instead of the light color wood one that you have near by - and then who ever sits in the chair could use it as an end table or ottoman depending on their needs. The one chair that has a matching ottoman probably should be the only chair with an ottoman in the room.

Have you thought about using a narrow sofa table behind the sofa to hold lamps etc. and then losing one or both of the end tables? I believe it would make the room feel less crowded with furniture. Don't worry about not having a coffee table - personally I hate them although I do have one now because my living room shape demanded one. For years I didn't have one - as long as people have a place to set a cup down you're okay. Better to let the kids enjoy the space in a reasonable and respectful way as you're currently doing.

Near your tv you have a little table that was once for keeping a telephone on top and the telephone book in that little drawer like thing - I swear I had the same one as a hand me down from my inlaws and I only gave it to Goodwill 2 years ago - did you, by any chance get yours from Goodwill??????? Mine even had some stain damage on it (when I was given it mind you) where someone left a drink or something that stained the top.

Sky

I like the suggestions you are getting, everyone has great ideas. I should clarify that I think the dresser itself looks lovely, not the placement of it in the corner :) I like the idea of putting it between the two doors in the first pic. I also like sky's suggesting of putting a narrow sofa table behind the couch and losing a table or two. Also, we don't have a coffee table either and I like it that way :)

I really like the eclectic mix of furnishings and the lamps are lovely. I tried to eyeball the dimensions of your room figuring that your rug was an 8x10 so roughly 7'6ish by 9'8ish(I don't know why an 8x10 is never 8x10.) At first I pulled your sofa away from the windows to put a sofa table behind it, but the room looked heavy on that side because I think your fp is slightly off center. I then tried the other side. I tried the rug the other direction, but furniture placement wasn't working out for me. The corner tv placement may not work for you depending on what direction that window faces(nobody wants to sit across from late afternoon sun,) but this looked the best.

One of the kid's chairs is by the fp. You would need a new piece of art or something behind the sofa. One of the lamps could go on the sofa table with some other tablescape items.

I realize this is a stab in the dark, so feel free to ignore all my musings. I've been getting used to some new software and have been enjoying playing with it.

I think lax supermom has got it.

I agree with the other posters too. Your rooms and furnishings are great - just something is not quite right. It has to do completely with the placement, not the room or furnishings. My first thought was that it looked a bit like you had moved everything off the rug and into the corners to have the rug cleaned. Having two young kids myself, I know that this works pretty practically, but aesthetically is not so great.

Also, just a guess, but are you trying to keep the kids out of the chest of drawers? Otherwise, it really does need to be displayed. Either where lax has it, or as another poster suggested, between the 2 doors. It would look so lovely under the picture with a vase and some old books on it.

If the version lax posted doesn't work, I still think you could come up with different scenarios with the sofa (and it is an amazing sofa) pulled into the room a bit and centered on the carpet.

Please post pics as you move things around.

Excellent work LAX!!! Really well done with the new software!

Yes -- the room and the furnishings are really lovely!
And there have been some wonderful suggestions all around!

Jan

Thanks to everyone for their input so far. YouÂve given me some fresh eyes / good ideas about what is not working.

To answer a few questionsÂ.

I never even thought of centering the rug on the sofa  I was always fixated on centering it on the fireplace, without thought to the other axis of the room! But now I see if I do that it will leave a big gap between the fireplace and the rug. Hmmm. IÂll have to try it to see what it looks like. IÂll also try moving it to the other direction, as sueb20 suggests.

I rearranged in a hurry, so now that I look at the pics and hear the comments, I realize yes it looks odd with the end table next to that dresser (game / puzzle / book storage). I will move the dresser somewhere else, as suggested. I think its too big to go btw the doors but I could try.

My kids use the chairs, so they sort of float about, and donÂt really have a set place.

Now that you all say it, yeah, the little table is not really working. What do you think about this little metal one (IÂve been eyeing it for a while now also  IÂll stick the pic at the very bottom of this post).

I have been using that black leather piece as an ottoman  but it was stolen from my guest room where it served as a vanity bench of sorts, so based on comments it should go back to the guest room.

Sky  that table you are referring to, I picked up at a little junktique / antique store, not Goodwill  but who knows maybe the store owner got it from there. What state was the Goodwill store where you gave your table??

Laxsupermom  thank you so much for your work the floorplan. You are very right  the room is not a perfect square, so the fireplace is not centered per se (the wall on one side is wider than the other), but when you enter the room from the pocket doors (the main point of entry) the fireplace is perfectly centered on that.

Originally the TV was in the corner, but we never really liked it there. And that comment about the furniture looking like it was pushed back off the rug for cleaning, that made me LOL. Yes, it does look that way doesnÂt it!? I think that is my biggest beef with the room, but I'm struggling with how to fix it.

I do like the idea of the table behind the sofa, as IÂm a houseplant fanatic and that window gets great southern light. But I worry it will close off the space too much and we do need all the seating when we have guests over. I will play around with that also.

Oy, I have some more work to do!!

As I read through the posts i was thinking the same thing as Lax. I thought the tv should go in the corner. Another option if you like the couch across from the tv, is to float it in the middle of the room. But I like Lax's picture a lot. Hope that works for you. I think its a much better arrangement and opens up the pretty picture window.

I'm not good at arranging, but wanted to chime in to agree that your furnishings are really lovely. You've got a good eye. Can I ask for details about that beautiful rug?

Lots of great ideas as I skimmed through this thread. I will throw something else out there that I don't think was suggested. If it was, sorry to repeat.

I would take the dresser and put it down on the right side of the fireplace. Place a lamp on top, and stack the two pix one over the other beside the lamp. I think that would be a nice balance to the weight of the window on the other side of the fireplace.

Place the wing chair and ottoman on the left side of the fireplace, and use the table that is currently on the right end of the couch over on the left side of the chair. The little light colored table/stool is too small and too short to be an end table there. Floor lamp there.

Take the smaller upholstered chair and move it down to the end of the couch where the dresser was. Move the couch down toward the fireplace so that you can still access the dresser once it is there. No end table on that end. Use the round table between the small chair and the couch, with your very cool lamp on it to bring light to that corner.

You should be able to find a pair of inexpensive narrow bookcases to put behind the couch (some are about 10 inches deep) to put plants on behind the couch and take advantage of that great window. You can even just construct something simple with plywood and paint it the color of the couch, or wall-mount a couple of shelves below the window trim level Just make it low enough that it won't show above the back of the couch, and you are set.

Slide the tv/stand to the left a bit so that the floor plant isn't crowded into the wing chair/table/floor lamp grouping.

Try turning the rug the other way to work better with the couch and tv.

Once you get the furniture set, come on back and we can play with art and stuff, and the mantel arrangement.

After re-reading, I realized your tv needed to stay on that wall, so I played around some more. I tried the dresser between the doors, but that put both large un-upholstered pieces(tv stand & dresser) in the same corner of the room. I ended up with pretty much what Les suggested(Way to go, Les!) I like the way the taller piece balances out the window and I like her suggestion for the lamp and art above it.

I figured the other swing arm lamp and maybe a plant stand would go in upper right corner, I just didn't put them in the pic.

I'm in Pennsylvania - LOL it would be really funny if it was indeed my old table.

Sky

How fun to have a JFTB post this morning! Love it. And since it's Jenny, I am dying to ask.......why are there itty bitty question marks where all your punctuation marks belong on your post? I've seen this before in others' posts and wondered?

I cannot even keep up with the great strategizing from others who have offered ideas for arranging furniture. I am good at arranging, but definitely not without hands-on physical movement, so I will leave it to the experts.

I wish your photos had higher color resolution because I know how beautiful your fabrics and rug are in that room. I think your corner velvet chair is the one that finally tipped me over the edge to have my old chair upholstered in velvet. Yours is lovely. (BTW, got my chair back last night, will update later!) All your stuff is so pretty. And I well remember how it was when my children were little. I still wanted pretty things and antiques and nice accessories, but I had to rearrange my THINKING to accomodate Legos and Barbies and fingerprints on glass-topped tables. A room's decor has to take small hits when you have little ones. I had a couple of little antique chairs too. I get why yours are floaters..........your children enjoy their chairs!

For years, I only liked antique lamps or similar, but right now, I am really liking your 'egg' lamp. It's cool. Have fun working with your things and trying out suggestions. With all the good bones in that room, you can't go wrong and your taste is excellent.

Red

I would love to know where you found those egg lamps. They're so unique. Your room is beautiful.

Popping out of lurkdom to say how comfy your room looks w/ well loved pieces that give it a real family vibe. I know the ladies here will have you fixed up w/ the perfect design that answers all your needs.

Pretty please -- what is the source for those wonderful egg table lamps?!?

I love the little gold table! where did you find it? And I am not that great with furniture placement in cyberspace or on paper. I just wanted to chime in and say what a lovely space and what a nice job you are doing. I think you will find that once the rug is moved it will look just fine and the space in front of the hearth will look right.

First: the lamp is *fabulous*. I want to touch it. I know I'd be running my hands all over it all the time. (I'm a bit tactile :))

And a practical note re tv placement: tvs placed opposite windows tend to get a lot of reflection in the way of the image. It's not considered an optimal location for a tv. Either in a corner facing away from the windows (I know you don't like that) or perpendicular to the windows or on the window wall itself is considered best for picture quality.

Another vote for those great lamps!

If OP doesn't get back with an answer on the lighting, I've seen some nice egg lamps at Restoration Hardware.

Thanks everyone for the kind words and suggestions. The little metal table is from the Wisteria webpage, my rug is an English Manor from Karastan, and yes, the lamps are from Restoration hardware. I haven't bought one yet (I'm waffling over the price) but I'd like to.

I work full-time outside the home and have 2 little ones, so it may not be til this weekend til I get to do some heavy rearraging. I have started tugging the rug over to see what it looks like centered. I'll post again when I get more pics. PS - Skypathway - I am in PA also and I tried to email you thru gardenweb. If you don't get anything from me, please let me know.

Jenny

Love your furnishings - I too will leave the rearranging to the experts - Soon I'll be running my own "arrange the LR thread"
- Just felt like you have lovely pieces that need more breathing room 1st thing my eye went to and scrolled back to was the chest of drawers - I wanted immediately to move it under the owl pic -
- NOt sure if this was mentioned - but I think the mirror over the mantle is not the right scale - Would that work over the chest? seems like the mantle needs a long narrow piece or no art & just some differing sizes of interesting things - collection

- If you shoot more pics try to do it when there is not so much light flooding the room - it sort of distorts one's sense of the whole pic (i know fr. experience)

- I really want to peak in the 2 rooms surrounding the LR cuz I just feel like I would be swapping pieces around ;)

- I would consider some lighter shades for the 2 floor lamps
also - getting some pops of red perhaps - another color from the rug - either red or light -

The leathertop nailhead ottoman in front of the chair to right of fireplace looks out of scale too - it doesn't look functional if I were to sit there -

I LOVE those egg lamps & have the same thought as fly - I want to touch them - BUT.... .I wouldn't purchase anything for the room until you are happy with the proper configuration - I would see a bigger bang for the buck in purchasing a long low profile (30"high) narrow 15"deep or less cabinet or shelving unit. I do notice that you are limited by the register to the left of TV -
I purchased one on Ebay relatively inexpensively, put it together w/ds & it was a huge improvement to the prior arrangement

Lets see the neighboring room/s - i think we could swap
GL -

I think your room is comfortable and safe. If it seems off to you, it's screaming more color to me. Your collectible pieces are lovely, but dark; and don't add anything to the room. I'm referring to that funny little footstool/table with the leather and the little chairs. They just don't work in that room. That blond side table isn't working either. The first thing I would do is get rid of all the pillows and put something in their place that coordinates and change the cloth on the round table. Get rid of the unnecessary furniture. I'm sorry, but it looks like your collecting furniture pieces rather than decorating your room. (I'm guilty of the same thing, by the way and pictures make it abundantly obvious). I think your draperies and rug are fine together, for starters; but the rug needs to be better positioned. Punch up the color in the pillows and table cloth - remove some of the unnecessary furniture pieces- and possibly coordinate some end tables and I think you will feel more comfortable with the room.
That's just my opinion; but you did ask.

Hi Jenny, just wanted to say that I've been watching your thread and see SO much potential in your room. It's going to be gorgeous. So many of your things are wonderful, and right now it looks like everything is pushed into the walls. You've had some wonderful suggestions and I can't wait to see your progress.

I havenÂt had a chance to do anything but center the carpet yet on the sofa, so I donÂt have any new pics yet. For whomever asked above, here is the adjacent "sitting room" that is in one big space with our kitchen. I still have stuff I need to hang on the walls here and also need a bookcase where the dollhouse is. IÂm satisfied so far with this arrangement. I don't think any of this stuff really could work in the LR.

Oh, I love that room. You have such great taste jenny and I love how you've made beautiful decor work with the practical kids side of life as well - something I'm always struggling with.

The sitting room is charming. The only thing I would change is to flip the plant and the end table/lamp. The corner where the walls meet looks empty, and I think having the lamp and table there would fill and balance it. The lamp kind of looks busy at the other end, competing with the staircase.

I feel like this is cheating since this isnÂt the room I originally posted about ;-) but I changed the table over to the other side, because it was a change I could do quickly!

Even better! Did you try the plant and stand on the left of the loveseat? I'm a sucker for greenery.

That loveseat is soooo cute. Do you remember the manufacturer?

Hi Jenny, I sent you an email back with my current email addy.

Sky

ok in the last picture i think the new grouping is nice on the right side but the table onh the left is a bit crowding..maybe remove it and put an inch or so between the love seat and the table pulling the love seat a tad to the left..to help balance..a small piece of art will finish the table grouping on the right near the table and lamp so the lamplight warms the art..a small square or round just a few inches above the top of the table with the plant just barely in front of the bottom right hand corner of the art...remove the bookcase in that room, it just doesnt go, everything else is ok..

back to the living room, the sofa doesn't properly balance being over by the window..it would be better facing the fireplace with the chairs on either side of the fireplace like you have them works well, however there are some balance changes that will work out well for you. first on the right side of the fireplace use the same chair and lamp and plant on pedestal, but take the art that is right of the sofa and put it on the wall right of the fireplace (not same wall, small wall by window) and put a table under it a few inches..put a small plant and some other art or something on that table..i think the round table is fine there, but any dark wooden table would work well too, or even that footstool would work as a table there well.

the black shades work well with the chair and the black matted art..they tie into a theme..don't use white shaded lamps or anything too light in there..they won't balance.

do a similar thing with the blue chair on the left of the fireplace..leave the chair and lamp and stool, but use a dark wooden table or something else there, not the light wood, and if you have a picture that goes with the dark matted one use it in a similar way as you do the other side..or you can use matched art from beside the fireplace stacked with bottom one a few inches above the table..not on the fireplace wall but the wall next to it..

a chest or coffee table will work well if you face the sofa toward the fireplace..but one of those other dressers or desks could be placed behind the sofa as a sofa table as well which would work nice so you don't see the back of the sofa..and the childrens chairs would be nice under the window with a small table or footstool between them..

these rooms do NOT call for the lighter wood, it just isn't needed with all the nice darker pieces that you have that go well together..that little dark desk would work well under the owl print..with something to tie them together, art or a lamp or something..

Hi all - Okay  I rearranged. The rug is now centered on both the FP and the sofa. Better, worse? The sofa is pulled out far enough from the draperies for a sofa table to go behind it. The lamp and round table are borrowed from my sitting room as placeholders. Does the sofa end down by the dresser look too empty? Do I need something bigger where the dresser is? (the little blond table is just there for utility right now)

For the poster who asked - the cream loveseat in the other room is Mitchell Gold - I love that the slipcover can go right in the washer.

ronbre, thanks for your suggestions also. I'm glad to hear you think the black shades work. Awhile back I tried the sofa facing the fireplace, but I didnÂt like the way it blocked the view of the FP. And a flatscreen I donÂt know if that would look okay in that corner next to the fireplace  too competing. I am thankful for the suggestion, but for now I am trying to make it work with the TV where it is.

I think you did a remarkable job!! Good work staying tuned to your instincts and keeping in touch with the forum that offered up suggestions you could work with! Your room looks great!!

Looks so much better! Good job!

The more I look at your antique chair, the more I think it is the match to mine. And my velvet fabric looks almost grey in some lights, even though it's a mocha brown. Yours is grey? At least that's the color on my monitor.

BTW, I just read where your wall paint is Sherwin Wms Dover White! Good pick! I have steered away from whites for the last 10 years, but that room makes me want a gallon of the Dover for my entry. (Which I still haven't painted...)

Red

Things are headed in the right direction, I think! How do you feel about the new arrangement?

A few tweaks. Pull the couch down toward the fireplace end more, so that the armchair is not sitting in front of the couch arm. Round table looks great, and that with the chair will balance the couch being off-center from the window. I know you said the couch is pulled out for a table behind it, but be sure that you are allowing enough room for the drapery to open and close smoothly as well.

Get the rug centered with the fireplace (it is a bit off to the left) as well as moved down closer to the fireplace a bit and then get the front legs of the couch on the rug as well as the front legs of the chairs.

Move the wing chair out of the corner, so that the arm of the chair is about where the front left corner of the hearth is, and then the ottoman in front of that.

If you will be adding a sofa table behind the couch, think about adding lamps on that, and taking the lamp off the round table. Do add a lamp on the dresser, once you rehang the artwork.

Regarding the sitting room, do you like the change of the table into the corner? I think it is much nicer there. However, I wonder if you could do a wider table there (perhaps the one in the LR with the drawer that is next to the tv) and move the barley twist leg table into the LR in the space between the doorways. I love the legs on that table, and think the whole thing deserves to be seen - plus, that table is narrower and would be less of an obstruction in the LR than some of the wider tables. I would also put the plant on the leather topped piece that you have by the wing chair, and use that next to the staircase with a plant on it. Space out the furnishings there to give some breathing room between them.

One other thing there - have you tried running the rug the other way in the sitting room, to define the sitting area?

Down the line I would love to see pillows with more color and pattern in the LR.

Oh, and for sure, keep that adorable little girl in the room!

i like it ok but the rug looks like a huge bowling alley girl, you gotta get some of that furniture out onto the rug..rule of thumb, always have at least the front legs of your furniture onto the rug as the purpose of an area rug is to anchor the seating area and give it it's boundaries..i would pull some of the furniture away from the walls and out onto the rug..and you really need a coffee table yet..
another decorators rule is to have a table for every seat, which you DO have..but the furnishings are a bit off balanced being pushed up against the wall..set that sofa on the rug first..and then arrange the rest of the furniture comfortably around it..use one of your tables as a coffee table at least for the time being, you have a lot of tables..use one..pick one of the lower larger ones for a coffee table..it doesn't have to actually BE a coffee table..you really should never have more than about 8 ' between the front edges of all of your conversation pieces..otherwise your conversation area is not cozy..you have way too much blank space in the center of your room..use that space up girl..move your furniture off the walls !

Looking better for sure. I wonder, which of the two chairs is more comfortable? The wing back or the velvet? I'm thinking of TV watching; and the most comfortable seat in our house generally faces the TV. If the wing chair stays where it is now, I like Les' suggestion to bring it forward slightly.

I do think the space is crying out for a coffee table of some kind, but understand where you're at right now with your kids, and that is so important. This brought to mind a pair of small tables that my mom had in front of the couch when we were kids. They were a matching set and we did our homework, drawings, games, everything on them. The fact that there were two of them made them so versatile, and if you needed a big surface you could always put them together. Anyway, they were nice looking and proved to be very practical for a family with small kids. Ours were Heritage Henredon, but I'm sure there are others out there.

Love your sitting area; it's great. You have a wonderful home

Thanks red! The velvet is sort of a grayish-green  it looks more green IRL than on the camera pics.

IÂm liking the new arrangement  I feel like things look better-placed now, so a huge thank you to everyone who chimed in. IÂm still going to tweak a bit based on this last go-round of comments, moving things onto the rug more, moving the sofa down closer to the dresser and so on. I'd like to get an ottoman, or a couple of smaller tables as suggested in front of the sofa. Those ideas would work better, functionality-wise, than a coffee table at this stage in our lives. DH is going to cut me a round top so I can make a table, and that other one can go back to my sitting room where I stole it from. IÂm going to get a bunch more pictures on the walls, and keep playing a bit. And I do agree Les  I would love for my barleytwist table to be out in the open more, so IÂll play a bit with that. IÂll be looking to try a table behind the sofa, and eventually get something decent to put the TV on. IÂll post more pics at some point when I feel like IÂve made enough changes to make it look significantly different. Thanks again.