Hi again! I should mention, that room's not really a "lay around" room, ala sectional. I'm thinking of it more as a sitting/reading room with butter-comfortable chairs and really superb lighting. I just haven't a clue how to get there. :)

I'm having a hard time imagining the room in the context of your whole house. Is it the only room with a fireplace? What other rooms do you have for lounging? What does the fireplace look like?

I absolutely love your DR chairs!

Do you have kids or teenagers? A table for playing board games or cards or sitting and drawing by the window, with two chairs might be nice.

One chair in front of the fireplace seems forlorn. How about a smallish loveseat right in front with a sofa table behind it--nothing massive and Restoration Hardware, but something comfy and cozy, where two could snuggle or one could reline with a good book. Then another smallish comfy chair on the wall where the sideboard is.

The side board doesn't do much for me, but if it's not too high, maybe it could be behind the small soft.

Rather than bookshelves, maybe some floating wall shelves.

Thank you! The dining room set was purchased many, many years ago, and makes me feel much "grander" than i really am.

OK, a few photographs for context.

Looking down from one side of the top floor landing is the family room and breakfast nook. The kitchen is to the left of the photograph. Although this is also an angled fireplace, it's a larger space, so it was easier for me to envision furniture placement. Note that the chair in the picture is now damaged and has to be reupholstered.
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On the other side of the landing is the front entrance, which is flanked by a dining space, and what i suppose is intended to be a "formal" living space (never used, and remains unfurnished even after nearly 4 years living here).
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As i mentioned, i'd like to turn it into a "read a good book by a sunny window in a cozy chair" space.

This is a close up of the fireplace in that space, which will look a little better once it has plants and such around it.
{{!gwi}}

Most of the "lounging" is done upstairs in the bonus room (where i am now!). The computers are up here, the TV, a flop couch and so on.

So that's it! This is where i live ... :) ... my "work in progress."

Thank you for the suggestions, ideefixe! Your message came in while i was fussing with photographs.

It's kind of a smallish room, so i'm not sure if even a modestly sized loveseat would work with a chair and ottoman. I really should tape it out, because i agree, it would look much "warmer." And that's what a struggle with. I'm told i have a "sterile" style, but i tell myself it's just because i haven't gotten artwork up yet (which will be a lifetime pursuit). :)

First add bookshelves (painted white) to the room -- maybe along the main wall and the other wall. Check Ikea's "Billy" bookshelves for ideas ......and see how those bookshelves come with an additional "top cabinet" to make them even taller.

THEN add a couple of leather comfy armchairs with a table between them AND a large ottoman to share. Add a patterned rug in spicy tones.

Add standing lamps.

Add a long thin console table (that will look like a desk) across the front window. Add two large buffet or even table lamps. This is your "library table"

Hi, teacats! So if i'm visualizing what you're suggesting correctly, you'd actually have shelving on the two blank walls, with face to face seating in front of both shelves? So no seating at all by the window itself?

By the way, the one "next step" i'm sure of is to paint those wooden inserts on the stair pillars white. I'm not sure why the builders left the wood unpainted there, and i've been meaning to "fix it" for a while.

Wow, very cool house. I love angled fireplaces and it's nice to be able to see more of the house.

I think you were on the right track in the beginning. This could be the room where you dispel the idea of your decorating being "sterile".

While I do think a warm area rug would be great in the room, I don't see the need for duplicating bookcases from your other room. Textured window treatments, leather chairs and game table, a chest for keeping the games and a library table on the opposite wall. Lots of art, the larger scale the better, especially if you have 10' ceilings.

You might even want to go a little deeper in the paint color there or change to a muddy green (though I like the paint in general).

Very fun room to work on. Good luck!

Yes -- there would be main reading chairs with a central ottoman.

Well -- perhaps bookshelves along the main wall? And then add a loveseat along the other wall? The desk at the window (with a nice chair of course!) would really set the tone (and image) for the room. The chairs would be angled toward the fireplace -- or even each other!

As for the staircase -- how about painting the ends AND the top railing in black -- for a really dramatic entrance!

Oooh, black...that's a great idea!

Then you could incorporate some of it into your game room, too. Lamps or frames, etc.

I love that idea, what a grand entry and it would cut down on some of the white.

Oh my gosh! It's so funny to hear you talk about black for the stairs. I had the same notion myself, but couldn't get hubby to "see it." Now that you guys have also mentioned it, maybe i can repackage the suggestion. :)

Thank you for your thoughts ... (and keep them coming!)

Greedy. I know. :)

I would move the DR into the fireplace space, and use the current DR as a library-reading space. Having a fireplace in the DR would be very nice!

I love Les's idea of swapping the dining room. A fireplace in a dining room is wonderful.

Swapping the rooms might be cool, but I don't know how close this room is to your kitchen.

Why not move the buffet to the opposite wall, and then put in a small sofa on an angle to face the fireplace directly? Then you can put in a small coffee table in front of it, and a small comfy chair to the sofa's right.

That IS an excellent, and very creative idea. However, the dining room is "linked" to the kitchen right now. Swapping the rooms would make the relationship between the kitchen and dining room awkward (picture me and my Flintstone feet trudging diagonally from one corner of the house to the other with hot dishes in hand - it's an accident waiting to happen).

Excellent thought though, and tempting, were it not for my clumsy nature. :)