In the past we have used the living room mostly for formal entertaining with just adults. When we include the children at parties, we usually do something more casual in the family room, where we have totally kid-proof leather upholstery. Also, we have always had our den/office area set-up as a sitting room rather than an office, and I'm thinking of going for a darker, sort of english-men's-clubby look in there. For some reason, my big fear is dye transfer from blue-jeans, more so than the daily-wear-and-tear thing. I have to kind-of chuckle when I think of deciding which room to invite guests to sit in based on their attire.. I was thinking I could have a pretty throw on the white sofa for the occasional family member who might wander in to sit with a book or something. Also, the room is large enough that there will be other seating, in darker colors, so anyone with apprehension about sitting on the white will have options. Do I sound like I'm trying to talk myself into it? I suppose because it seems to me that white looks better than any of the other lighter-colored options, and also, I wonder if the concerns with stains/dirt/wear would be much less, say with pale blue or gold, than they would with white? I do not see a very dark color in that room, so the colored options are almost as light as the white. Funny, I heard a comment on "The stagers" on HGTV, where the designer was using a white sofa, and made an aside comment that they "never recommended them for their design clients"--only for staging, as they would look grungy in a few months. I thought when I posted this, that I might hear from people who had white, and then regretted it after living with it. However it's interesting that the people who responded who said they actually have a white sofa, all said they had no problems and loved it. Any more white-upholstery owners want to weigh-in? (So far only 5 white-sofa owners have responded.) It would be interesting to hear from more--I wonder if I'm needlessly concerned about the white, as those with experience living with it, (so far) unanamously seem to love it!

I realize this would mean moving the connections, but we did it in our house, and the cable company charge was minimal, and because they were able to go through the crawl space, it was not a big deal. I agree that the armoire and the mirror on the other side are both fighting with the fireplace for attention. I would be inclined to move the armoire to the wall where the console table and round mirror are now. That area isn't really great for much else, because you have the doorway to the outside right there, so your traffic pattern has to stay open. That wall is large enough to handle the armoire flat against it, without overwhelming the wall space. It is hard to play with layouts, because depth and size can be hard to judge in a flat picture. I have a couple of options once the tv is moved. The first would be to place the couch on a diagonal from the fireplace to the window wall. I am not crazy about the couch against that half wall - it feels kind of like looking a someone who has on an overcoat and shorts - you don't really know what behind the couch because it is completely hidden, and takes away from the interest that the half-wall creates. Coffee table in front of the couch, and a great floor lamp behind it. The demilune cabinet might be nice on the wall to the right of the fireplace, with an art grouping over it and a small lamp. I would then put the two matching chairs on the half wall with a table between them and a lamp. The beige chair and ottoman could then be angled with the back of the chair to the corner where the small demilune cabinet is now. Move the console table and the arched mirror to the wall to the left of the doorway at the end of the room opposite the fireplace, which will balance the armoire on the other side. I did think about the option of filling in the half wall, and honestly I think that would be a great place for the tv. But that becomes a much more expensive alternative. What you could do there, rather than filling it in with a wall, is to put in a grid that creates a feeling of a window matching the opposite wall of windows. Putting the armoire up against that would work, as it would break up the view of the back of the armoire. One other alternative, tho I don't know how viable it is, would be to buy a flatscreen tv and have a lift installed in that half-wall, so that you could bring the tv up to watch when desired, and then lower it the rest of the time. Then the armoire could still go on that end wall, but the placement of the furniture in the room wouldn't have to be in relation to the piece. Once you rearrange the room, you may want to turn the rug 90 degrees to match the furniture layout. It is a lovely home - enjoy it, and don't let it drive you too crazy.

Really, thank you so much. So many great insights, and the best of all is to clean up the room, and live with it for a bit. My mind was stuck in the 'got to make a decision while the tape/plastic is up' track. It never occurred to me that I could remask--don't ask me why. My only excuse is I'm feeling overwhelmed. I recently moved to Germany, I don't speak the language yet, and the simplest tasks are difficult. The paint store is so foreign. There are about 20 pre-mixed colors (which look universally ugly), tons of white, and little bottles of concentrated color--you get to mix your own colors. I'm sure this is a delight to a real artist, but for those of us who flunked kindergarten art class--it's a challenge. Oh the things I've learned here (wish I would have known the primer trick on the first coat....) NHB room gave me hope that a vibrant yellow can work beautifully. I'll put up some pictures and see how I feel. I'll probably experiment to come up with a soft, universal color to eventually paint the whole house. Another amazing thing is their paint is not washable. It's more like a milk paint that washes off when scrubbed. As the owner of 3 dogs, I do wash walls, so they will be repainted one way or another. In the meantime, I'll investigate the possibility of glaze because I HATE edging so much that I was about to paint everything white. I so liked the fabric choices Les came up with, that I'm going to post my sofa and see if someone can work some magic there. You people are fabulous. I appreciate the help and all the honesty. Walkin-- kak dela? and prost from the Fatherland. I went to a gathering last week and met a number of people from the old Eastern Blok--all old enough to speak Russian and lament that the next generation was going to be divided; in the next breath, cursing the Motherland--gotta love those Slavs. I knew whom it was immediately from your greeting. I've spent the last several years helping take care of my father who had Alzheimer's--what a horrendous disease. I had no energy left to even think about any projects. But, it was all good. I have no regrets, I spent precious time with my family, and my father and I grew very close on a new level. I feel fortunate that I could spend that time with them. I have a feeling, I'll probably be asking for a lot of help. I have acquired a new look: a very contemporary house, I mostly brought things that I wouldn't regret losing, and they are more traditional in style. I guess we could call it modern rummage sale: nothing fits, most of it is a cast-off, and it all needs to be done on a budget. (We had the WORST, most expensive move possible--nightmares upon disaster). So, doesn't that seem like a good challenge for the decorating milieu? I'm glad to see you here and I'd love to see some pictures of what you've done to your place.

First a HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU. Omg I can not imagine my life with GW. Everyone here is beyond kind helpful supportive and understanding. NO one has ever judged me on GW. And this was hard for me to post images of my home. Insecurity is my middle name. I wish I could change this room this second. Like betwitched. Nose twitch done!!! I have no magic. I am going to really study all your suggestions and implement them. Stir the pot and see what works and does not. Truly GW is full of amazing minds, voices, ideas, inspiration and supportive people. Les917, Only in the heat of the summer do we like those windows covered. We have electric controlled blinds. Right now they are closed but I love them open. Everything you describe is exactly as I have been thinking I plan to paint the rest of the built ins White. I have thought about moving the cornice all the way up. It should have been done years ago. But the red sofa may be going to another room along with the chair. My DH has suggested we either buy new leather pieces for this room or we move brown leather from the basement up to this room. We use the red in the kids media room and figure out that space later. We could move the TV to one of those adjustable wall mounts. My best friend said I need to reconfigure the fireplace mantle and mount the tv there. I need to convince DH on this one. Loribee, YES, I love stripes too. Kiko, Yes, I do like the drama in those drapes. And I love the cute pooch on the porch. Vampiressrn, Wow, I feel so honored to have you respond to me. I think your style is amazing. I read all your posts like a groupie. I love your posts. I do like brown. I used to have my kitchen painted this medium brown color called Camel coat. The slight problem with the brown walls is do I paint everything? Or only the brown on the wall with the built ins or maybe three walls, all the walls move open to other areas. Something to consider. Paintergirl, Great ideas. I do need to embrace the space. I need to frame more art. I rarely paint my dogs. Too Hallmarky. I love those images you suggested. Especially the paint color. Notice how much in the image above. Gwbr54, Thank you for your sweeet words. I get very confused with the terms modern and contemporary. I wish the term Modern did not connote the style in the 70s with plastic, metal and clean lines. Or maybe I am a complete idiot and the term is Modernism and I am getting that confused. Send me back to class. And is it possible that we change our style as we grow up? Which means some of this rubbish about me was bought with the understanding I was a French provincial girl. I could flush that style. It is not me at all. But the table in the kitchen so French, I like it painted white. Organic modern or contemporary look? I like it. I have never been a fan of Bamboo or even natural fibers but the images you posted could work for me. I love the chunky candle sticks the rich rug and the drapes over shades. It is ironic you have the Ethan Allen image, years ago my DH and I got into a huge fight because I wanted EA sofa and chairs for the same room. He felt is was too fussy, This coming from a guy who would be happy eating off a dog crate. SandyP, I agree more in the fireplace area. Definitely need to hone in on that space with drama My budget is maybe a few $1000, yes I am limited in this frail economy. I have sentimental only to the vases and the vase picture. I could toss out everything. Including the floors. But that would be a $100,000 budget. Gosh, I wish I were a Rockerfeller or Kennedy or even Gates. I do not like black rod iron, never did and never will. I am searching today for some better tables. As for Naked windows. I love naked veggies, never thought about the windows. I think for this room to come together the windows will be a key to pulling the room together. Ideas so far and feel free to add any more... Option 1: Sell the red and repaint the kitchen. Buy something in brown leather, bag the hideous end tables and put up drapes from ceiling to floor. Repaint the built Ins too. Option 2: Keep the red sofa, paint the walls, , bag the hideous end tables and put up drapes from ceiling to floor. Repaint the built In. Option 3: Get lazy and hire someone which in turn angers the DH as he thinks I should be able to do this. It would anger my oldest daughter as she says I am constantly changing all the rooms in the house I would need to hire a designer on retainer. And that could only happen if my last name were Rockefeller. Rooms I love and maybe I could make my own, but how? Yes, Plants, Trees that is it I can see this could help along with repainting the walls to a possible white color... The rug helps too but I have a similar rug. I think I even saw chairs like these at Marshalls I like what they did with making a corner conversation area. I like the drama on the wall. I might be able to borrow these ideas.. Why does this room work? Could I paint one wall like this? Or is this a bad, bad decor plan? I like these colors but the wing back chair is not me, I wonder if I use more crisp white with navy blue could that be a direction. And the kitchen could be painted the navy blue... would this work with the dark floors?