pudgybaby,
I love your fireplace and the art you have hanging on it now. Maybe add one item on the mantle to the left.
I also like the fan you linked to and I would stay with ORB finish.
I cannot help with furniture placement, so I will leave that to more talented people here.

The only thing I'd do is remove the carpet and lay down a large area rug with color.

I happen to love the mantel along with the FP. Beautiful rooms!

I love your room. The only thing you might try is to put your chaise diagonal into the room (Back toward the garage door). You might have to move the small cabinet closer to the fireplace but your chaise in that position would be perfect for watching the fireplace and the TV.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments/advice and compliments!

lyban: Our current art is a Klimt and we like it too, but it seems like it needs a frame (it's just on a stretcher now), but it's already too large for the space. We could squeeze a frame in, but barely. We were thinking of framing it and putting it on the garage wall, perhaps above a large buffet or sideboard, but that would just add more wood to the room. If we were to use the old art (the 3 pieces), we would just use the frames. The sepia flower prints would go and we would get something that has colors that go with the gold paint better. I will find something to try on the left side of the mantle. I just put that fake plant on the right to break up the long line of the mantle. I was thinking the ORB ceiling fan, too.

oakleyok: The color of the carpet does not go well at all with the gold walls. The carpet is a taupey color. Any suggestions on the area rug color?

grandmaof3: We've tried the chaise on the diagonal like that, but it has to stay clear of the door to the garage, so it can't be as close to the perimeter as we'd like. It's a really comfy chair! I'll move it over there again for a while and see how it works.

Thanks again, everyone!

You could visually extend the fireplace to the edges of the long mantel and hearth by painting the wall space between the mantel and the hearth a grey/brown color picked from one of the slate tiles.

I tend to like white fans without lights that blend into the ceiling: I think they create more glare than pleasant light personally, and the room would be better suited to table or floor lamps, but if you are set on getting one with a light in it I would get the ORB.

You could use another large scale chair and an end table as well as some art on the garage wall. That small chest is dwarfed there.

I do not know if I agree that the art there now needs framing.
Because of the wood in the room and the color of the FP, I think this time the art is OK on the stretchers.
But maybe in real life you see something that I don't.

Like your screen name, pudgybaby!

That's a long TV-viewing distance from the kitchen. I wonder if there is a way to add a small TV in the kitchen or breakfast area, in order to free up your options for your family room. Because the room is large and the fireplace defines one area, I would be inclined to do two seating areas -- something like below -- with one area by the fireplace and TV, and another area for reading in front of the beautiful bank of windows.

I would just suggest that you bring your furniture in closer to form a conversation area for the TV and maybe another conversation or small game table and chairs in front of the fireplace.

Thanks, everyone! The wheels are turning in my head with your ideas and suggestions!

pal: Interesting idea with the gray/brown paint between the hearth and mantle. Mentioned it to DH and we are strongly considering that. I don't like ceiling fans, and I hate ceiling fan lights, but we use both, although we don't use the light much. I will think about how to eliminate the light, but we will need a furniture layout that has a light in the middle of the room.

lyban: You may be right about the picture not needing a frame. I guess without one, it kind of blends in to the wall and makes less of a statement. We've had it hanging there frameless for over a year now. I think I'm struggling with what to do with the long mantle and wall on either side, where with the old art, it's spread out more.

gwbr54: You know, you're right about the TV. It's more like listening to the TV while preparing dinner. OTOH, I can see it from the kitchen when there's something on that interests me. Putting the TV on the garage wall would solve a lot of problems. I'll see what DH says... Thank you for taking the time to post that furniture layout! I love the seating area by the windows. I hope DH's back is feeling good today, because we are going to be moving some furniture to try things out!

Nanabella: I will try this later today - thanks!

braider: Thank you for the 12x12 info. That's very helpful. That color site is interesting - will poke around there later when I have time. The rug is really carpet in a taupe color. It doesn't match the wall color at all (or the furniture, for that matter). We really messed up when picking that color. The good news is that it is not expensive to replace that smallish piece of carpet. So, I can place rugs over the carpet, but not really get rid of it, unless I am missing something. We also like the softness of the carpet w/ padding, and our 2 dogs like it as well. I will think about the color for the chair, but I think it's time for a new sofa (yeah!).

Thanks again, everyone!

I'm not a decorator, but I love your room, and if it were my room I would try this...Put the tv on the garage wall
with a chair to the left of it between the tv and garage door. Eventually, you can get a bigger unit for the tv.
No chair on the other side in front of the FP.

I love your chair with the ottoman, try it in the
bump out window in the back on the left side, with a small
end table and lamp, That would be a nice reading nook with a view of the backyard. The wall to the right of the FP
is a great wall for a large bookcase filling
most of the wall -- for both books and
decorative items.

The sofa and chair should face the tv on the garage wall, like in gwbs drawing, only three to four feet furthur back...If there is room, another chair
on the other side of the sofa, but, more in front of the sofa, closer to the coffee table.
As other suggested you need a rug with some color, I think a 8 x 11 or 9 x 12, would be a good size for your room.

I hope you'll show us more pic's after you move things around.

C_and_j: I LOVE your idea of putting the red chair and ottoman in the window bumpout. It's prefect there in size and style. And I think I'll photoshop bookcases on the wall to the right of the fireplace, another good idea.

I know that the TV on the garage wall would solve a lot, but DH is not going for it, and I'm uncertain, too. We really like the TV where it is. We will consider a wall mounted TV on the garage wall if we can find a pivot arm so that we can aim it towards the kitchen. I'm pretty sure that we will be able to find something, so it might work out.

Thanks for your help!

Pudgybaby, I have a bumpout window in our family
room as well, only ours has a sofa in it, and my
chair and footstool is next to it, overlooking my
backyard. My son calls it my command station, as I have a small end table to the left
(with my books piled on it) and a computer table to the right with my laptop.
As soon as I saw your bumpout in the back, I thought.
oh wow, what a great spot for a command station.

You could always have a big bookcase on that wall with
a space for the tv, but then the sofa would have to stay
where it is. Have you ever thought to putting a tv in your
kitchen? We have a 23" tv built into a cabinet in the breakfast room, and it gets a lot of use, as we like to
watch the cable news shows and cooking shows.

BTW, I don't object to where your sofa is now, it's the rug
throwing things off. The way the rug is entirely under the
sofa, cuts the room off visually. If the rug was smaller,
only partially under the sofa I wonder how that would look?
How big is that rug? I think if it was two feet smaller
both in lenght and width (showing more of your gorgeous floor) it would look nicer.
Also, if the tv stays where it is, think about putting
the big bookshelves across the garage wall.

c&j: Your command station sounds wonderful! My windows are nearly down to the floor and I hate to block the bottoms with a sofa, though.

We just remodelled the kitchen and purposely didn't make room for a TV, mostly because we can see the one in the family room just fine, and often someone is watching in the family room while I cook (or vice versa) and I don't want competing TVs. I think it's going to have to stay on the wall it's currently on. Your bookcase w/ TV idea is a good one, as well as bookcases on the garage wall. DH really likes the idea of bookcases on the garage wall.

It's not a rug, it's a carpet inlay in the hardwoods. The hardwoods do not extend under it. It's 12 feet wide and 19 feet long. I'm thinking that I will put rugs on top of the carpet to define the space. Does that sound like it will work?

Thanks for your help!

Pudgy, I didn't mean for you to put your sofa in the
window, I had no choice as my room is only 14 ft wide.
I would just like your chair in the bumpout.

So, I'm glad you like the idea of a big bookcase on
the garage wall...your tv wall unit is very nice, maybe
just a nice wall clock to the right would be a nice
addition, if you are keeping the existing tv... However, if you're getting a larger
flat screen tv, you'll most likely need a longer piece of furniture under the new tv, and the
wall space will be filled with the new tv.

Looking at your FP again last night, I realized that
you changed the art above it. I do like the original
art above the FP, more than the three prints, as I think it
looks rich and unique. I like the way you decorated
the mantle and the big branches as well.

If your changing the sofa, have you thought about a
brown leather sofa? I think it would look smashing in your room.
Could you move your sofa down a bit -- about 12 to
15 inches (towards your dog) and then move your lounge
chair a little more to the left as well?
Your space is lovely.

Exactly what others have said: the room is large and could use multiple seating areas. If you are willing to consider moving the TV, I think a placement like gwbr54 designed would be really wonderful. Right now the fireplace is sort of ignored and the "weight" of the furniture in the room is unbalanced. By creating a TV watching / lounging area by the fireplace and then a separate seating area in the window, you help balance the room and open it up a little bit. Personally, I would do something similar to what gwbr54 shows. I might try flanking the fireplace with two chairs as an alternate (and then moving the sofa over a little closer to the kitchen). In any case, I think you have a really lovely, spacious room with great potential. Love the windows and the fireplace.

c&j: a brown leather sofa would look nice. I've never had leather furniture - is it hard to keep looking nice? I'm glad that you like the original art above the fireplace - we do too.

Pricklypear: I will try to get DH to move the cable over to the garage wall (shouldn't be too hard since he can route it through the garage). There is definitely consensus that the TV should go on the garage wall, so I guess we should at least give it a try. Thanks!

Pudgy, leather sofas are easy to keep. Many people here
have them and love them. We have young grandchildren
and grandpuppies as well, I don't worry about food spills
and juice drinks etc... Also my hubby loves to garden and
is always digging in the backyard then comes in and plops
on the leather sofa with his dirty knees.

I'm glad you're open to trying the tv on the garage wall.
Hey, you can always move it back if you don't like it.
I think the bookcase on the FP wall would be lovely.

Then you could try the sofa facing the tv etc...
Since that wall is 18.5 feet wide, it looks like you
have about 12' of available wall space (after subtracting
the garage door and FP hearth) That's enough for a big
tv, a chair on the left and perhaps another chair
(smaller chair)on the right. I only have a 10' wall, before
I hit a doorway and have a 52" tv and two small chairs.
You have much more room.
Joann