Thanks! At this stage of the game w/ more permanent larger ticket items on the horizon I needed to be sure. It's easy to write off the cost of a pillow cover, not so much a sofa, more rugs and curtains. After really looking hard at the inspiration pics and doing what is best for the LR, I made a sudden decision to forego the Ektorp sectional in lieu of the Karlstad sofa w/ long white slipcovers that I already have. That was a big change but the sofa is the last piece of furniture that we need and I'll be done furniture hunting. I have the last few things outlined and on paper so the hunt for things is mostly done. It's a matter of slowly and surely crossing them off the list week by week. I do plan on a bit more accent colors - those colors are represented in the hydrangea. I happened upong an awesome greenish-blue leather ottoman for $30 at our local thrift store. Perfect condition! How'd someone know what color range my soft textiles were in?! That little leather ottoman completed all of the seating that I would require in the house for when we have get togethers. Allison - I didn't realize the wooden box was something that you did! I thought that you pulled the pic from a magazine somewhere. I've toted around a bunch of old boxes for 15+ yrs. that I use to hold artist paint brushes, TV Remotes and kitchen paraphenalia. So useful! Here is my NTM ottoman:

I'm too lazy to redo it (I make beautiful big squares and rectangles...ie drapes and quilts LOL) and never attempt anything with curves heh heh Actually I really like the worn finish. Our walls have a bit of a soft rose copper (not pink or red really, but copper leaning towards rose verses orange if that makes sense). So the worn rose, which appears on camera more pink that it really is, looks great against them. There's a lot of the underlayment coming through (a taupy tan color) which softens the rose just enough to really work. I actually have two of these settes (they were on sale really cheap so we took them both). I plan on sending one down to the PT house for a bedroom as well. I forgot I was supposed to take pics and share the cat hair LOL (They're actually doing really well in that aspect). I'll have to see if the contractor is out of there so I can take them. I've had a crazy busy day with painters, window coverings and finally, finally...DOOR KNOBS!!!! All being done today. Door knobs..can you imagine the luxury? We've been without for three years LOL (Yes even on the bathrooms). I may just open and close doors all night...cuz I can heh heh

We have to start renoing the upstairs by next summer so we will eventually be using that door. Also the nearest outlet is between the patterned chair and the sofa which is quite far from the tv as it is. We sat in there this afternoon and watched a movie with the kids. It was fine. The person in the patterned chair would either have to turn a little or turn the chair and they are light enough to not make it an issue. I'm hoping to find a small tv stand that is pretty close to the ground. I think it will be fine in the corner. Like k9arlene said, casters will make it easy to move it if I need to. I can't flip the furniture around because I have issues (phobias) regarding beam stability and even though we levelled the floor quite a bit, it still dips slightly toward the doors. It freaks me out even though logically I know it's fine. There's no way I'd be able to sit on the sofa with it so close to where I imagine the house will collapse from. The more furniture I put in, the more bare the walls look. I can't wait to start shopping for art! I want to thank everyone again for the input. It's been a really big help.

I think the rug is fine, just pull the sectional away from the wall so you don't have that expanse of space to the left. Furniture shouldn't really be smack against the wall anyway. Another suggestion- Have you thought about painting the back wall of your shelving unit another color than brown? Right now it looks very dark. Why not take some posterboard/chipboard, you can buy huge ones for a dollar at the dollar store and paint them them different colors and cut them to fit the back of the shelves (not the shelves themselves.) Also see what you think about your wall color, some of the colors in your carpet, too. You can also use the same chipboard and cover it with wrapping paper, fabric or wall paper, something rather neutral so your children's artwork will shine. This way, it will be temporary and you can change it up any time the mood strikes, and you can involve your children in the project, too.