OOOOhhhh Laundry, I have 2 boys (3 if I count dh - and yes, I'd better), and it seems I have to do 1 - 2 loads per day, if I skip a day then the load quantity seems to compound itself! I miss our old tiny rental, the laundry was in it's own room off the kitchen and it was so much easier to keep up. Now we are in our new (dream) home and the way the layout has turned out, laundry is in the basement (along with the 2 kids's rooms) or I could have hidden it upstairs (where the big people live). Half of one or half of the other. I used to know a girl who is mom to four boys, and she said if they ever could afford a bigger home, she wanted a laundry room that could also house all the boys' clothing (in closets and dressers). They go in to dress, dump the dirty laundry, and it would be quick and easy to launder and put away since it's all in the same room. Makes sense to me, instead of carrying from bedrooms to laundry room, then back again. It will be a while before our home is completely finished, and I get shelves and drying bars in my laundry room, but I am appreciating all these new and modern ideas/accessories that I did not know were about, to aid in that chore. Thanks so much for the ideas and links.

Butternut, my suggestion would be to take another look at the garden photo and stay true to your vision. You have something you like and I think you are getting closer to it than anyone so far. I think your post with the PB photo and the one that began with the navy blue couch are taking you in that direction more than anything else here, but you can do some editing. I would probably only use one of the florals -- they are too similar in pattern and scale. I like the one with the linen background -- it plays well with the other elements in the room, especially the stone and doesn't wake up the orange in the wood floor like the predominantly yellow one (though I do like that print for another use). Leather doesn't have to be paired with tapestries and heavy things. Sure, it can be - if you want a club or lodge look, but seeing leather only that was would be like only wearing the balck dress to a funeral. You can play with other textures: linen, chunky knits, faux fur nad more. Do keep in mind the dye and finish of the leather. Not all will wear as well for family use and some are more rustic looking. You want the family friendly finish without a lot of the rustic (the room has enough of that unless you want the lodge). If you don't go with leather, slipcovers, outdoor fabrics like Sunbrella and Krypton. I've had microfiber and liked it (cleans with distilled water), but I wouldn't put it on the main piece in a family room with kids. It is still fabric and wears. Main issue we had was snags from pets or possibly other things. I haven't done slipcovers except one I bought to go over a sofa when we were about to sell our house. Using them all the time seems like a pain -- taking them off, washin, wrestling them back on -- wishing they looked pressed. Maybe that's just me, but leather held up to 13 years of boys and pets growing up and now my son is taking the ends of the sectional to grad school to be his sofa. That's durable enough for me. I like the blue sofa or sectional idea. Blue and red are complimentary colors, so it's going to work better with the wood floor and it compliments the grey stone in the fireplace too. The Mont Blanc Storm goes flat for me -- acts more like the backdrop. That's not what you want when you are tryng to change the feel of the room. The blue stands up to the wood and stone and still commands attention without shouting. It is also one of the main three colors in your photo. Go with it for one of your major pieces. I like it as a sofa (and loveseat if you like them matching) or sectional, but the slipcovered sofa and blue smaller pieces look good too. If you are open to changing the rug, you might find a way to bring in some of the greens or purple in your photo. I'm out of time, but I'll check back......

Benjamin Moore has a paint colour "Espresso Bean" which I think is the closest colour I could find but it's available only in the Aura paint line and I needed cabinet/furniture paint. So, I tried "Bittersweet Chocolate". This is so close to my Ikea Hemnes dining room table colour you literally can't tell the difference. It only comes in satin finish which was perfect for the dining room hutch I painted. Looks like a matching set now with the Ikea table and chairs.

that is a lot, lot of wood! It's nice, but it's just a lot. would you consider painting the window/door trim and the baseboards in white? it really would look so nice, especially w/the pine ceiling and the oak floor. here is a before/after here's a wood ceiling and floor w/white window trim so you can see another pic w/your pine ceiling next to white trim (ignore the coffered ceiling beams) If you'd like to put in a few beams, do them white: (notice white trim again!) I'd have the floors stained in a walnut shade. Oak is beautiful in that coloring and if it's red oak, it will hide the natural pink tone. this tone. If you need to put in shelving, consider something like this w/a black background. notice the white trim/baseboards. actually, if you will be doing flooring, consider removing the existing smaller wood baseboards and replacing them w/the taller white ones, like in this pic above and the one showing the wood floor, above. As for ceiling fan, since you don't need the light, pick something in a sleeker type of fan blade, less bulky than what you have.for the storage issue, I don't know what the budget is, or do you have DIY skills? plenty of built-in type of cabinets you could do. Even doing an Ikea hack w/the Billy Book cases would be an option. pine ceiling and walnut stained oak floors, white trim and baseboards. gives you an idea for your space. nice fan too or, if you had thoughts on painting the ceiling