Honestly, if you're a "decorating dummy", then I'll have what you're having! Your home is absolutely gorgeous, and you've done a super job of choosing furnishings and artwork that complement it perfectly! Since your look is definitely uncluttered mission, I don't think you really need much else to complete this room. Since I have such a "rug fetish", though, I would personally like to see an area rug to ground your living room furniture. Stickley makes some beautiful rugs, as does Jax.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jax Rugs

Beautiful start! I agree that an area rug would make the biggest impact by far. Other smaller items you can accumulate over time - maybe Arts & Craft style pottery? And it would be nice to punch up the room with some unexpected, (non Mission-style) accessories that you love.

Lovely room! Yes -- another vote for a rug to bring the conversation area "together"

Mari is our resident expert on Arts & Crafts and Mission decor -- hope she sees this thread! She has a great list of online places and shops and sites for ideas.

IF there is room -- perhaps a sofa table behind the sofa might work too? One with a shelf for books? Maybe a nice pottery vase on top?

I like to see the clock in the middle of the mantel -- perhaps a copper or dark bronze pot would work on the hearth to hold firelogs or starter materials or even a large mum!

A tapestry would also be in keeping with your style -- and would be lovely above your fireplace. One with more a vertical line would break up all of the horizontal visual elements on that wall -- and would literally raise the viewers eye. Or an artwork that is a bit taller would be nice -- or a tall mirror. None of these would compete with your lovely clock in the middle of the mantel.

Here is a link that might be useful: William Morris

I also adore your house Jaymie and you're doing a great job all by yourself. I kind of said the same thing on the dining room post but I'd like to see a bigger piece of art above your mantle. It doesn't have to be fussy, just bigger and taller. Only my .02....

Another decorating dummy here too!

Lindy

I love everything you have so far. Great fireplace! I agree completely with everyone else -- you need a rug to warm up the space. The other thing that seems missing is... well, any indication that humans live there! It all seems a little sterile. Maybe a couple of framed photos, a few books stacked on/under the coffee table -- not too cluttery, but enough so that the room feels a little more "lived in."

auntjen, Beautiful rugs! I'm drooling here. We had a rug in our old home, but I wasn't fond of it and I was loath to cover up the new hardwoods with something I didn't love, but your link gives me inspiration. The arts and crafts inspired rug would really add warmth.

mjlb, I love arts and crafts pottery, but I haven't ever been able to justify buying it before since our previous home was colonial. The pottery would be much more at home here, though. My inspiration for the fireplace tile was exactly this. Maybe I can find a good deal on eBay... Great suggestion!

teacats, shelves for books is one thing that got displaced in our move. There is no wall space, so our bookshelf moved to my office. a sofa table is a great idea though. I'll have to go measure and see if I would have room. I moved the mantle clock to the center again and moved a small vase to the right as a filler until I find an arts and crafts vase to replace it. I love the idea of a pot for firelogs and starter materials. I was wondering about something higher above the mantle. The ceiling is so high, I wasn't sure what was appropriate...

Thank you for all the suggestions! At least I know I'm not totally off the mark now!

That's the most beautiful fire place I've EVER seen!

lindy, You are NO decorating dummy. You're home is beyond lovely! A bigger piece of artwork.... Hmmm. Artwork is so hard for me. Almost everything we have "relates" to us in some way. The church we were married in. Old pictures of our home towns. The reason, I'm also an artwork dummy. ;-) I do like the suggestion though. I'll start searching.

sueb20, LOL! I was just thinking that today. When we sold our last home, we removed all our "personal" stuff to stage. It ended up in storage and I haven't retrieved it yet. However, I will add our family photos back into the room in the next few weeks. There are actually a bunch of magazines under all three of the tables. I love to cook and it is the only place I can find to stash all my mags. I used to have some historical books about our hometowns there as well. Maybe I will move them back. They landed in my office when we moved.

Thanks again guys!

I really like the simple and uncluttered look myself. I think your home looks fantastic.
I would maybe get some coordinating frames and put some personal pictures in them and arrange them on the fireplace to add a touch of "someone lives here" to the room.

You might be able to use existing artwork, in a larger frame, and with a wider mat. Sometimes it looks right, sometimes not. And if any of the artwork is scannable, you might be able to reproduce it larger.

I have similar furniture in my living room, and one thing I've noticed is that I needed to add some rounded or organic shaped items in the room to balance all the rectilinear furniture form. Also, I needed to add metal, glass, and pottery to balance out all that wood.

The scale of the furniture is such that you might consider more substantial pounded metal and alabaster or mica lamps (assuming your Mission style lamps can be used elsewhere in your home).

Nice home -- good luck!

Well I just have to give yet another compliment on your fireplace. I freaking LOVE that! Is the brick painted green or is it green brick..

mammie and lorriekay, Thank you so much. The surround is actually a green tile. It matches my kitchen backsplash and (hopefully) ties the rooms together. It is kind of a weird color. It is mostly green, but it has a little metallic/bronzy cast to it, if that makes sense.

robin, Another great idea. I will retrieve our family photos from storage ASAP and scatter them around the room.

mjlb, Great point. I had never thought of the hard lines of the furniture needed to be balanced, especially with the rectilinear trim and leaded glass windows. When I go shopping, I'll be on the prowl for some soft items.

Your suggestions are all giving me great ideas! I'm having a tapas party on Friday, so I'm on a mission to appropriately accessorize! ;-)

If you have the space, nice inside wood shutters would dress up those small windows on either side of fireplace, see pic.
{{!gwi}}
They also make the bi-fold kind

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

susieq, thank you for the link. It is really hard to tell from the above pictures because of the sun streaming in front behind the windows, but those are actually leaded glass windows we recovered and restored from a 1920's Craftsman home. In person, the space doesn't look so unfinished and like it needs a shutter. Thank you for the suggestion though!

I love your home. It looks like new construction(?), but with some well-done arts & crafts details. The mantel is lovely, as is the tile (Motawi?) You are really making me miss my bungalows of the past!! And I had one of those Chamber-of-Commerce engravings (mine was a repro) of my city, also -- it was great in a bungalow.

I agree that less is more in an A&C design. I think you're battling with the low, spare nature of A&C vs. the high vaulted ceiling of newer construction. Consider a Navaho rug over the mantel. It will give you something of size and height, but will go with your A&C aesthetic. Something in black, white, grey and tan or red would look great.

Also, two or three smaller pieces might work in the areas under the windows/near the sitting areas. Small woodblock prints, mottos, needlepoints, etc. Or if you have some old family photos in B&W/sepia, a grouping of them there. Keep them low to be viewed from the chair, and it will read as a unit.

Here is a link that might be useful: some nice rugs

Oh, excellent suggestion for a Navajo rug over the mantle! I'm partial to Navajo pieces myself, and if you don't mind my sharing a link as well, this is the trading post owned by some wonderful folks out in Bluff, Utah who have become our friends over the years. They work directly with the weavers, and always have the most amazing pieces. You might enjoy just browsing here, if nothing else. ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Navajo Rugs @ Twin Rocks

I love it! What a beautiful room. The windows are gorgeous as is!! The room is warm and cozy, but not fussy at all! It is my kind of room. I go for "more is less" as well. I just feel like I am a calmer person that way.

You'd mentioned that your pictures are of personal importance. I noticed a few of them on the floor in one picture. Perhaps you could arrange those ones with the one that was on the mantle in one picture as a grouping over the fireplace, since they are important to you, as well as don't have much other wall space to hang pictures. I couldn't tell what the other pictures were and if they could all work together, but I thought I'd mention it as a possibility for you to rule out.

jakabedy, Thank you. It is new construction, but we really tried to pay attention to the details and add a lot of arts and crafts elements to the home through the cabinetry, tile work, fixtures, etc. The tile is actually custom. I couldn't afford Motawi! I think you have hit the nail on the head. I'm really struggling in the living room because of the high ceilings. I love them and the staircase. They allow the house to be light infused, but A&Cs furnishings are usually so low. All of your ideas are wonderful. Thank you (and also auntjen) for the links!

Keep the style you have going. The simplicity is beautiful. A larger picture on the mantel with your clock, or a Navajo rug, are both good ideas. Cosy up the sitting area by moving the loveseat (and table) by the stairs out toward the other sofa; it looks like it is in exile now. Same with the chair in the corner. If you move them just a bit closer together it will feel more like a conversational group. I think the suggestion of a sofa table behind the sofa is a good one too. You might want to add a large plant in there, maybe behind to loveseat or over by the chair. You have a fabulous room! Arts and craft pottery could be added to the mantel if you need it after making changes.
Diane

I LOVE your room!!! Especially the fireplace and staircase!!! The tile is so beautiful that it proves you are NOT a decorating dummy!!

I also love this forum because people have helped me so much and I am sooooooooooo decorating challenged!!! I have a similar staircase in my home up to a loft and got the idea from a magazine I found at the library and just had to have it even though my house in not arts and crafts. I love the boxed newels!!! I hope to get some help with my living room soon from all of you too!!

Regarding the A&C pottery, you can get the look without spending the money. Don't think you have to spend thousands to get Marblehead or Newcomb College. I collect Brush New Art Vellum from the 1930s. It has a great A&C look, but the pieces can be had on ebay for $20 to $100 each, depending on the scaricty of the particular form. I collect the green, but there is also a nice blue. There are some rose and beige also, but much fewer and far between. I think I have 19 now. (It is an obsession, clearly).

We sold the bulk of our antiques when we went from a 2,600 square foot Spanish bungalow to a 2,000 sq. foot MCM glass box. But I couldn't part with the pottery. It is now on floating shelves in the guest bedroom.

Jaymielo -- wow did your home turn out beautifully! (I "know" you from the Kitchens Forum.) I love how thoughtful your home's interior design is. Sorry if this has already been covered, but do think of etsy for interesting, affordable pottery. Granted, it's not pottery with an A&C provenance but it is being lovingly made by potters today the world 'round .... I found a charming, personality-filled turquoise raku pot there and it makes me smile!

I'm also a sucker for looking at rugs and our house has quite a few, but I do find them annoying to clean around (I don't mean literally around -- I swear I vacuum under and atop!). So while I agree that your gorgeous room could certainly show off a rug beautifully, I do understand how they mightn't be someone's first choice ....

mpmg46, I tried some of my displaced dining room pictures on the mantle, but I couldn't seem to get it to look right. I do think I need to find a larger piece for there. For now, I've arranged the pictures going up the stairs. Hopefully this looks OK.

powermuffin, I tried to pull the furniture in a bit, if I move the loveseat in, there really isn't room to pass between the loveseat and sofa without banging your hip. (I know, I have massive furniture). I can pull the chair in a bit, but then I need to relocate the ottoman, which is doable... Do you guys suggest that?

jakabedy, Again, thank you for the hint on the Brush New Art Vellum pottery. Yours is beautiful. I couldn't have parted with it either!

rmkitchen, Hello and thank you. I will go and browse through etsy for some pottery. I think I need everyone's help on rugs though. Can you believe we have 2400 sq foot of hardwood and I don't have a single rug? I can't even pick out a rug for the front door! Right now I have a carpet remnant there! How pathetic is that?!?

The artworks look wonderful going up the stairwalls!

Well done! :)

Did you end up doing the magnetized chalkboards in your kitchen? That's how we "chatted" -- you were interested in mine. (I have the all-white kitchen with lots of white marble and the two magnetized chalkboards on either side of our fridge and freezer, if that rings a bell.)

Listen, don't sell yourself short! 2,400 square feet is a lot of flooring and (to be redundant) a lot of cleaning. I can see how rugs mightn't be tops on your list ....

That being said, last weekend on HGTV's Find Your Style they did a Craftsman living room and used this rug in the Jewel colorway from Room & Board:
{{!gwi}}
It's definitely a modern goose on Craftsman style and unfortunately, none of these photos do it justice but in the episode it looked wonderful!
from the episode:

I don't know how much you want to do True Mission, and (caveat) I really like like a modern twist thrown in to keep it fresh and current, but what about a leather Moroccan rug or a Turkish kilim? Warning: you could be lost for days searching for those! (there are so many and it can become positively addictive -- I started to look for you but snapped to when two year-old Li'l Bit demanded a cuddle)

This is the vase I got from etsy, just so you can see what I was thinking:

I know you just hung the pictures in your stairwell, but do you think you could hang both of them together? I like them but think, in the photo, they appear kind of lost. In my mind's eye if hung together they wouldn't look so salt & pepper. (Don't change the one by the lamp, however!)

Have a wonderful tapas party this Friday!

rmkitchen, I LOVE, LOVE your chalkboard and your kitchen! I don't know if you followed my cabinet saga at all, but in the end, it was too much to coordinate one more thing across the distance, and I gave it up, but I have the perfect spot for it and am planning on hanging a large magnetized chalk board on the end of my fridge after the fact. Definitely not as good as yours, but a nod to the idea.

That rug is interesting. It looks so different in the picture and the ad. Isn't that always the case?

The itsy vase you have is adorable (and I don't mean that in a deprecating manner). I really like its shape and texture.

I will play with moving the pictures together. That was actually my first thought and then as I headed up the stairs, I saw the extra wall. ;-) The pictures aren't the same size or frame, so I thought it might be better to seperate them, but now that DH is home, I can have him hold them up so I get an idea of how they would look.

Thanks so much! j.

Beautiful home...Amazing fireplace. I agree with everyone's suggestions on accessories and such. One other suggestion, that might not have been made. How about switching your love seat and your chair. The love seat looks a little forced in that area by the stairway..also the 'pass through' between the loveseat and sofa I see, is close. If you put the chair there, and put the love
seat to the side of the sofa where the chair was...with room behind it for the doors to still open..that might help. It's just a suggestion you might try. So far, you have made stunning choices. I also saw your DR thread...beautiful room and color as well..

slinkey, Thank you! You know, when we initially set the furniture, we thought it was too shallow to set the love set along the french doors, but that was eyeballing it and that may not necessarily be true. I'll do some measuring tomorrow and see. It might balance the room much better. Thank you for the suggestion! I appreciate everyones help so much! j.

wow,,that is a gorgeous room already! but you asked,so this is what i'd try...
move your clock to the table in the corner and hang something big over the mantle,,maybe a beautifully framed mirror.
i also like the idea of a great rug to pull it all together.

I love love love arts and crafts/mission style. It's second only to Victorian. In fact the wood work in our Victorian Revival is late Vic which I believe was more of a transition between Vic and Mission.

Your room is beautiful. Would love to see your dining room. I either missed it or have lost inside my head. The last couple days of migraines has a habit of doing that.

~Becky

Ok-had to read all the posts to see if anyone suggested some large plants. I would put one next to the fireplace and one behind the right door as you face it. BIG pots and fern/large green live plants. Maybe one tall and one shorter. To me, that is the what is missing. Love your space/and everything. soothing and lovely.

fallingwaters, Moving the clock to the corner is a good idea also. If and when I find a large picture or mirror for over the fireplace, I will consider that.

Becky, Thank you. Here is a link to my dining room post. It had already fallen to the second page. I hope your head is feeling better this morning.

noodlesportland, I'm an infamous killer of indoor plants! However, this is the first time we have lived in a house with this much natural light, so maybe I've turned over a new "leaf". That would also meet the organic bill as mjlb suggested and might be just what the room needs.

Thank you again to everyone for their help! I'm feeling a lot better about the space.

Well if you are a decorating dummy than I want to be you.. LOL I also think a soft rug would help draw all together, I would love to see more accessories on your mantel and a larger painting or mirror above the fireplace. I also would like to see some kind of soft window treatments.. nothing to much. just something to soften the light coming in..maybe a few plants also around the room.. If not live then nice silk ones.
huggybear