Love your house! Thanks for posting the pictures. I *think* that there would be enough room for a round table there pulled out away from the wall where you could go around it from the kitchen and it not be in the way of the front door. I think it could even be a helpful thing to have coming in the front door, if my eye is right. I think a round table would just look so much better. As far as the high chair, I would just leave it there by the wall like you have it and pull it up every meal. That's what I do with the high chair I have for my grandchildren. Of course, you may just want to leave it around the round table, if there is room.
I am not a fan of white walls, but your house is absolutely stunning in white. I think the problem is that all your furniture is a neutral color. Unless you want to get new furniture, what I would do is paint an accent wall on the one wal behind the sofa with those gorgeous windows. Not too dark, but darker than the trim color, maybe a darker shade of the green in the rug, and use that color throughout the room - on the lampshade, pillows, and some accessories throughout. Color the wall on the picture you have first to make sure you want to do this, but I think it would bring in some color without losing the feel of your fabulous home.

I had the same thought as holleygarden -- altho' it is difficult to tell whether the table would then be too close to the woodstove. I think your home looks great with white walls, black accents, and wood floors -- very graphic. Would like to see some red accents -- maybe dining chair seats, throws on sofa, pillows -- something along those lines.

Great as your home is, I can see arranging furniture isn't the easiest. If the budget is there, I'd say replace one of the sofas with two lounge chairs and ottoman (placed in front of gorgeous triple window), and remove the recliner.

And since it's in plain view, a wooden high chair left over from schoolhouse days:

Here is a link that might be useful: wooden high chair

Since you said you'd welcome any suggestions about your overall decor I hope you won't mind if I give you my impression about what might optimize your very nice space.

Your living area which includes the kitchen is visible at all times. My first step would be to declutter the kitchen as much as possible, including taking everything off the refrigerator top, front and sides. I think you'll notice a big difference just from that one step. The very large clock over the snack bar does not add to the decor. I think art of some kind with quite a bit of color in it would really bring your space to life.

Your living area looks cramped with the overstuffed furniture, even more so since the sofa and love seat touch each other. I'd at least move the sofa so it's correctly aligned under the window. The small table and light colored area rug might be better replaced with a regular coffee table (round or oval so it doesn't hurt the baby) and a more vibrant-colored rug. If you were to pull the table out from the corner, which I think is a good idea, perhaps you could use the living room rug under that.

I don't know what the dark object is behind the love seat leaning against the wall but can you remove it? It detracts from the pretty piece of furniture beside it.

I don't agree that the spare black and white look is best, especially when you have a baby in the house who would be very much more stimulated by a more colorful, warmer-appearing environment. I would use colorful wall art and more colorful pillows on the couch. If you could remove the recliner and replace it with a smaller upholstered chair that would also open up your space considerably. It would be nice if you could find a chair that has a pretty and colorful pattern. The stand to the right of the couch could use some decorative touches also. I would fill it with books and have some greenery on top next to the lamp, assuming you need the lamp.

I hope I haven't offended you in any way. I know from posting some of my rooms that having your space critiqued is not terribly fun but I also benefited greatly from the suggestions and I hope that at least some of my ideas might be helpful to you. Whatever you do, I hope that you'll post "after" pictures for us.

Your house is so charming I just swooned. I love what you have done to make it look so comfortable and soothing. I think the white walls are the best choice for the house. Whitewashed walls are historically accurate. With the texture to the walls, the light and shadows from all the light flowing in from those huge beautiful windows really play up nice. Using the cream color for the doors and taupe for the trim adds enough detail and contrast that you do not get a "washed out" look with all the white. The white walls really make the floors and wood furniture stand out.

The floorplan is quirky and difficult, but you have done a good job making the space functional. You ask about the dining arrangement which does look to be a 'trouble spot' blocking the ease into the kitchen. Since the kitchen is probably the most used room for you this should be addressed. Have you tried putting the table to the left of the stairs? Not scrunched against the wall, but pulled out with some breathing room around it, more out in the center of the room. A round table would work better of course but the one you have now would not be bad. You mention hanging a chandy over the table and this spot would look good anchored with a chandy. Maybe move the little table stand that is there now, over to the right of the door to set keys on and such. Having the dining table to the left of the stairs would free up a pathway from the door to the kitchen without having to shimmy around the table and high chair. It would seem more open coming from the living room too. The problem with that of course is the recliner would have to be moved to another spot and I have the feeling that your DH wants it right where it is across from the TV. Are you willing to give up the loveseat in the room and put it elsewhere maybe?

The place really looks lovely without looking like a museum. It looks like a real family lives there. As a PP has pointed out, the kitchen clutter is what draws the eye when looking into the kitchen and I do understand not having enough storage space to hide things. What I did with the top of my fridge was to get two rectangular baskets and put them on top of the fridge. I keep cluttery stuff in them, and can pull the baskets forward and tilt them down to retrieve items as needed. To add more storage for kitchen items you could used the space under the counter where the two stools are. There does not seem to be much overhang there and the counter height does not look comfortable for the stools. Put a nice cabinet with doors there - something that does not have much depth like maybe bookshelf depth. I'm sure CL will have something cute, functional and cheap. You could build one in, but it may be better to keep you options open in case you decide to add a larger overhang to the counter at a later date. I would avoid doing a lot of structural changes to a historic building without the advice of a historical restoration expert.

Thanks for sharing photos. I must have missed them first time 'round.

I have seen your room before on here, I think. I don't have any suggestions but I wanted to say I love your floors.

Thank you all very much for your helpful constructive criticism. My husband and I are both young educators, just starting out on our own. We've had the house three years now and are slowly trying to improve it. Our budget is very limited so we're trying to work with what we have and switch out things as we go. Our next "big budget" item will be a round dining room table with chairs. I went ahead and moved the dining room table by the stairs. It looks better there, but a round table will definitely fit the space better. I also decluttered the kitchen, and immediately noticed a difference! I am still putting away the clutter left over from the mess, and when I get that put away I will post some more pictures. Keep those comments coming and again - thank you soooo much for your help!!! I'm very new at this.

Fabulous! It sounds like there did not have to be a fight over the placement of the recliner and there was enough space around it to leave it there. Sometimes photos are deceiving in how the space in a room plays out.

That dining set with the MCM chairs is really cute and the simple lines to it make it perfect for the house. It will be interesting to see how it fits in the new spot.

I want to add that I love that you used the same curtains in all the rooms throughout the space for continuity. It keeps the space from seeming too broken up and disjointed. You have some good design ideas. The floral on the curtains adds some gentleness and a touch of whimsy, without being fussy and
"grandma".

Waiting for new photos with the new look.............

The table should be pulled out more. Really. It is too scrunched against the wall and does not look to be part of the rest of the space. It is dwarfed by the stairwell. No table cloth either.

I love your space but wouldn't you like to at least add an accent color, like red? Have you looked through the living rooms and the cottage decor threads in our Gallery?

Have to add...charming house and I love that the walls are all white! Enjoy your home and your little one. :)

Okay, well I seem to be in the minority, but I really think the walls need a warmer colorer. I wouldn't do anything too dark, but a nice tan. Just to give it a punch of color, you could do a green with brown undertones in the kitchen. The perfect green might look good in the rest of the house also. I'd love to see your rooms photoshopped, but unfortunately I don't know how.

Laurie

To me,I think your schoolhouse is crying out for a couple of two color patchwork quilts like a schoolhouse pattern,churn dash, ohio star. i.e. a clean graphic but traditional pattern usually white for background a color for the design.Or a couple of patchwork pillows would add color and pattern.
If you sew it is possible to find a "cutter" quilt very cheaply at yard sales or maybe ebay to cut up to make pillows. They are ones that are so beat up, part of it may be ripped and a pillow etc would be a way to salvage a bit of patchwork. They can even be handsewn if you dont have a machine. can you tell I used to quilt? LOL
I do love the clock on the white walls. Your thoughts of a round table and chairs is a great one. And I do remember your house from before- I love it! That front door is amazing! I knew someone that lived in an old schoolhouse- it was adorable, and I was drooling!

I'm going to agree with Laurie. The white walls are too stark next to the dark furniture and floors. It looks a little blah and needs some warming up to make it cozy. I'd stay away from browns/beiges,but a pale green or yellow would subtly warm things up and you could add accents to complement the new wall color.

I really love your home!

I have to say i really like your clock, and I love how it works with the wreaths on the windows.

I'm with cooperbailey on the quilts -- I immediately thought of that too! A big one on the wall would add a graphic punch, or even thrown over the sofa or sofa pillows would be a way to add some color.

I'd also compliment you on your existing dining chairs, and possibly even the table, assuming all are sturdy. I'd be inclined to recover the seats, and polish up the wood and just keep them -- they look great!

Instead, I'd think about updating the living room furniture with something less overstuffed.

Not sure this is a good idea or not -- but I throw it out there for consideration... Since wool is fire resistant, you could fit a 100% wool rug around your wood stove, which might serve to better link the two areas of your room. If you used wall-to-wall bound remnant, I think it might be fairly inexpensive too.

With carpet (left blank color for now)

Without carpet:

mjlb, They are on a budget. That living room set is brand new. She had a different couch in her previous photos. Garbovt has recovered the dining set chair seat and also made matching pillows for the sofas out of the same fabric. I wish I were that talented. I couldn't sew a pillow with piping if my life depended on it. I happen to love the fabric she used, but even if it does not appeal to everyone's taste, it is obviously what Garbovt loves.

I also happen to love the big clock in the space and I usually hate them when I see them. It seems to be a nod to the previous life the schoolhouse had. It's kinda cool. I love quirky buildings and spaces that are transformed into interesting livable spaces. It is an art and takes talent to work with a quirky living space and you can't pound a square peg into a round hole and make the space look like something contemporary right out of a JCPenny catalog, or an Amish museum with a tribute to quilts, nor would one want to. I think garbovt has done a fabulous job so far. It is a work in progress. On a budget.

Hazard of not seeing the much earlier post (altho' I did search for it; it had dropped off). Sure hope I didn't offend -- I do in fact think your home has a huge amount of charm (something I sometimes lack -- sorry!)

I like the way the wreaths echo the shape of the clock. My favorite, though, is the little reader busily arranging the books. Before little reader gets more active, consider installing a cable raceway to hide the cables and power cord from the HDTV. A raceway is relatively inexpensive. You can probably get everything you need for less than $15. There are raceways that are self adhesive to attach to the wall, and can be painted to blend in.

Here is a link that might be useful: cable raceways

I was curious as to the "before" look that I guess I missed the first time 'round so I searched for it before I posted.

Here is the "before" from 7/08:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg061857093367.html

Here is a link that might be useful: The

Just curious....I noticed the floor vents, are they for air conditioning, or for heat, or both? Is the wood stove functional?

I love the uniqueness of your old home and how light and cheerful the rooms look. Some bright prints for accent would work well anywhere in this space. A cheerful square tablecover, laid on the angle so that the wood table corners are uncovered, might soften the appearance of your wood dining table until you can buy the round one that's been suggested.

Do you really need the wood stove? For one thing, I would imagine it's rather dangerous with your little one. I think its placement is what is making it difficult to find a good spot for the dining table. Your house has enough charm that the wood stove really doesn't add anything and it just seems to be in the way.

I love your space!!

I would look for a round gate leg table to keep where your current table is now.....you could pull it out fully extended when you entertain but the rounded edges might make it easier to enter the kitchen than the square one you have there now - antique one - already distressed cuz the kiddo will add more distressing to it :)

The high chair years don't last very long......one thing I would consider is extending your bar area - I hear that Ikea has inexpensive butcher block - that might be a consideration down the road. Dh & I love to grab lunch at the bar. You can put a booster seat on a bar stool when your child is a toddler & get rid of the big old plastic high chair - babies just come with alot of plastic:) Or they have chairs that attach to the bar - they are kinda neat.

Smiles:)

I dont have a lot to add except that i agree about the wood stove, it's in such an awkward spot and I think it's the crux of the problem. It looks like there would be a lot of space for your table in front of the bar there except for that wood heater. I know youre on a budget but down the track I'd be looking at getting it relocated to another spot out of the way because I think it's always going to be a problem where it is now.

What a charming space, and how cool you're living in an old schoolhouse. Love it!

Just a few minor suggestions:

- I think the green/tan chairs are too squished together and contribute to the "overstuffed" look. I suggest moving the rug a bit to the right and back towards the window. Move the couch towards the left so there is space between the couch/chair and you can see the end table. Also, place the couch/chair set so that the front 1/4-1/3 of the couch/chair are sitting on the rug itself (does that make sense?). The lazyboy can stay where it is.

- Consider moving the dining table closer to the stove/living room. I think this will make the stove fit in more since it's close both spaces and not in "no man's land". The stove adds a lot of character, and I'd kind of miss it if it were gone. I would keep the table oriented as it is now but with the end centered with your bar.

- if there's room, move that dining hutch to the wall where the dining table was. This will open up the dining room. Love the PP's idea of a quilt. That wall would be a great spot for it. If you don't move the hutch, then hang the quilt where the table is now after the table is moved.

Just my initial thoughts. HTH!

I mean moving the hutch will open up the living room, lol. I wish we could edit our posts!

I was thinking about something to disguise the cables also. I think I'll need to do something like that when I move... I hate the cables...

I can't see the fabric on the chairs very well (haven't looked at the pics from before yet tho). Is there a color in there that could be used on the walls? a green maybe? I think I'd like color on the walls. tho, I do like the white also. I've never sewn anything with piping (too chicken to try) but maybe another color in the cushions could also be pulled out to use for some accents?

being that it's an old school house, it's bound to have some quirky spaces - that's part of the charm!

gotta love those windows - I love windows and the light coming in - and you've got lots of them - lucky you!

had to laugh at the clock tho - I can read it w/o my glasses! that's a good thing. like in a class room.

maybe a BIG pillow or 2 for the little one to curl up on the floor to watch tv etc? (actually - I like big ones myself!). They're good for behind your back when you sit in front of a chair/sofa too. That could bring some color into the room. you could bring color in with a larger color photo/print on either side of the doorway (1 would be over the table)? and 1 on the blank wall of the stair landing.

I would leave the walls white. Since you are on a budget my advice would be to edit your furnishings down and rearranging the stuff you have.

If this was my space: I would move the dining room table out from the wall. It looks like you have enough space to float it in the dining room. You aren't using the woodstove at the moment right. Does the high chair fit into the space between the woodstove and wall? If so I would store the chair there. Put a pretty washable tablecloth on the table. Ebay has some great/cheap vintage ones. Then add a mason jar or large jar full of wildflowers on the table.

Could you move the cabinet with the bread drawer out of the kitchen and put it in between the door and window where the dining table was? Would there be enough space? If so I would then ask dh to help me put up some basic white shelves in that space for storage. Move the garbage can back and that white rectangle (is that a fridge?) underneath. Reorganizing and decluttering the kitchen would really open that space up making it more functional. You could store the pantry type items in the cabinets and move your dishes out where they could be seen on the shelves for a clean modern country look.

Where does that door lead in the living room? Is there anyplace you could move that wonderful china cabinet. I would move it to another room or upstair's and use it in a new way. Storing linen in a hallway or craft/office supplies in a rooom, etc. Store the china in the cabinet in the hutch that used to be in the kitchen that is now in the dining room.

I think the idea of using quilts is a brillant one and I would put it in the area where the china cabinet was. Take the frames off the walls and repurpose the small bookcase and table in the middle of the room into other rooms. Again not sure of proportions but I would move the couch where the love seat is and the love seat where the recliner is and the recliner by the window where the couch was. Adding lots of large basics for toys and clutter.

You have a lovely home. Can't wait to see what you do.