Lots of nice pieces in the space, but not sure that they are in the best place. The entry to the living room feels blocked by the chairs on either side of the doorway, and the basket chest on the short wall.

I would move the armoire to the corner where the black chair is now. Put the couch on the end wall where the console table is sitting, and put the basket chest in the corner to the right of the couch(the corner by the window), with a lamp on it. Put the end table on the left side (toward the dining room) with another lamp.

Put the beige chair and ottoman on the wall where the couch is now, angled toward the armoire in the new position. Put the black chair in the other corner. Try the console table between them, with a lamp.

Honestly, the rug feels small as you are using it. Try it with the two chairs in the new arrangement, or in front of the couch (perhaps with a coffee table or ottoman in the future).

As for the wall color, using a soft grey with the beige leather will be a great, sophisticated palate. Look for something that is about the background color of the rug.

Your drapery appears to be brown on my monitor, and not full enough for the size of the window.

I would think something with a white or off-white background and some pattern would be great in there, especially against the grey walls. This one is possible,in the colorway Âcoal blackÂ.

greenwich back tab panel (no valance)

The other thing you might want to do is pick an accent color for the room. Perhaps the red from your entry hall and door, or maybe a shade of turquoise or teal.

I should mention that there is a loveseat to the set as well. This room is a challenge for me as far as furniture placement goes because of how narrow it is. I LOVE the big window and therefore haven't placed anything in front of it(is this how it should always be?)

As far as the curtains go, yes, they are dark cocoa brown and when closed they cover up the window completely with fabric to spare. The material is rather thin.

I have absolutely never thought of moving the furniture as you suggested. I will definitely give it a try. One question about the entertainment center. If I put it in the corner you suggested, I'm pretty sure it will extend beyond that wall into the walkway. If that were to happen, would it change your mind? I only ask before trying the arrangement because the piece is incredibly heavy.

Are you suggesting I leave the red on the wall in the entryway? That same red is also on the back wall of the dining room. I'm all over the place with colors. My fear with gray is that the room becomes drab or uninviting. I guess I'm limited due to the color of the leather.

I respect your opinion based on your other posts, so I'm curious what you think about the corner next to the front door. What would you put there? A corner table? Something like the first pic I posted? Nothing? And if I take the rattan(?) drawer chest off of the entry wall, should something replace that?

sorry for all the ?s. I'm filled with them. lol!

I prefer not to put furniture in front of windows, but sometimes the furniture placement works better that way. But I'm seeing something that looks like a vent below the window. If it is an air vent, leave some space there.

Once you get the furniture arranged, I would like to see end tables and more lamps. I am a big fan of pole lamps and the wonderful light they give off. Yours is a bit plain; there are more attractive ones out there that would add some style to the room.

Pictures on the walls generally should be at eye level. Pictures above the sofa should fill most of the space. The two you have there are placed too high and would do better on a smaller wall, maybe stacked on a short wall in the room.

I suspect the foyer wall was painted red to carry the red door color into the room. Not a bad idea, but I would rather integrate the foyer with the living room. I would get rid of the red accent wall, especially since it doesn't match anything else in the house.

I don't see any color connection between the honey brown leather furniture and the blue/gray/white area rug. I would look for a different rug. For both the walls and rug, I would go with warm tones to go with the warm tones of the leather furniture, even if it is just a pale cream color.

Cute kid, cute dogs!

I see a return air flow duct under the window. It's OK to place furniture in front. How about putting the 2 larger chairs in front of the window on an angle with a round table in between with a lamp. Move your large corner piece to where the small table is. Find something rattan type to put in front of the sofa creating a conversation area. Brown, gray, green, and red don't go too well in all those places.

Paint in a more neutral/gold hue to go with your wood floors and furniture and make everything flow better. Put the above sofa pictures someplace else and find a large picture or print above the sofa. Have fun. You don't have to do everything at once. Color is everything though. You can choose either cools (greens, grays) or warms (tans, golds, etc.) Your floors are warm as is your furniture so I would pick up on those colors for the walls.

How about putting the armoire where the couch is, place the loveseat and couch facing each other and perpendicular to the windows and armoire, so you can look in either direction. Put the table on the far wall behind the loveseat near the entry as a sofa table (so you don't walk in to see just the back of the loveseat) with something decorative on it (I always have a vase of fresh flowers from the grocery store-you only need a stem or three to make it pretty) and maybe a bowl or other item for keys. The chair and foot stool could go in the far corner as a reading spot with a side table and/or floor lamp. If I did it this way, I would move the hall table with the baskets to the wall behind the door where the pile of stuff is right now (looks like a corner of my bedroom-lol!). That way, you wouldn't have too much furniture right there as you enter the living room.

Agreeing somewhat with the others:
I would stay with the warm colors; go with a light shade of tans/golds of paint.

Place the armoire in the center of the wall to the right of where it is in the photo.

Move the brown chair to the right side of the window, angle slightly toward the sofa.

Move the black chair closer to the left side ofthe window, angle slightly toward the sofa.

Place the long table between the two chairs in front of the window. It shouldn't block much of the window since it is linear. A floral arrangement or plant and a couple of candlesticks should keep it light and airy.

Use the ottoman as a coffee table for now. If there is room with dogs and that cute kid. Or move it to the corner behind the black chair, or to the right of the armoire as extra seating.

Remove the rug. Sorry it just doesn't go. Once you are satisfied with an arrangement, then concentrate on larger pictures/paintings and accessories.

Enjoy the process of making this comfortable and yours.

Let us know how you like or dislike the arrangments; perhaps we can come up with something else.

Here's my 2 cents...center the cabinet on the wall shared with the console table. Try the sofa in front of the window and then bring in the loveseat, placing it in open area facing the cabinet. Making an "L" shape. Put a table and lamp in the space between the sofa and loveseat. Put your console table behind the loveseat. Use the ottoman as a coffee table and keep only one chair in the room. Put the chair in the corner where the cabinet currently is. Oh, my, I hope that made some sense. My brain is fried and I jumped on here for a quick distraction. Didn't read all the comments so I'm sorry if I "stole" someone else's suggestions.

Just so everyone knows, I haven't redone the living room since we got the different furniture. So the present wall colors are based on previous furniture, etc. I had always planned to paint over the red. I am including a few more pics to see if this changes thoughts on furniture placement.

moved the sofa table in front of window

paint sample painted behind couch. too dark, don't ya think?

the dining room which shares a wall with the living room

just another view

Wall color looks great to me! Not too dark at all. With the light floors, tan leather, and the small amount of wallspace and large window, I think you need something richer like that. Also, gives a more modern edge than a lighter color. I think a tan, while workable, would not have half the impact.

How would these lamps work in the space?

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea lamps

I would pass on the lamps. For the floor lamp, you want to shoot the light up to the ceiling, like the one you have now does. And both of them are too delicate for the leather furniture, IMO.

Ok, that was my first thought on the lamps too. Good to know my instincts are correct.

Thanks!

The gray paint looks lovely to me. Not too dark at all.

Looks like you've exhausted the dogs! LOL!

I like the gray also.

I love the gray sample on the wall! Looks great with the rug -- and the dogs! LOL! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I was the one who should've been lying on the couch! They only watched me paint and move furniture around. Am I to assume that this is just an accent wall or paint the whole room including dining room?
Thanks! :-)

Kelli

I found this section on Pottery Barn to be interesting reading and great inspiration.

You have a great start .... make sure you post "after" photos!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ballard Designs Style Studio

Perfect table for the window. I'd buy a beautiful (but easy to grow) plant for that space, and adorn it with little knick knacks or small pictures.

Paint the whole area! :)

You can accent the various wall spaces with artworks -- perhaps a mirror? Or you can create a photo gallery wall -- with black wall shelves -- and various black-and-white photos -- mat in white (or pick a color) and black frames.

Love the gray color with the leather furniture. Looks like you are on the right track. Good luck!

Ok, so update. There is no update. LOL! sad, but true. I did paint 1/2 of the couch wall with the gray sample(Kingsport Gray by Benjamin Moore). I like it but fear it will be too dark on all walls and make me feel closterphobic. I feel the area will also be void of color or just drab. One other frustrating note is that the paint on the couch wall shows up COMPLETELY different than when on the other walls. I hate living like this, I want this project done but I'm in paralysis analysis. If anyone can calm my fears or give an encouraging word, that would be great! Thank you so much. I'm envious of those that know exactly what they want and can walk into a paint store grab a can of paint and go for it and have the finished product look amazing. Am I the minority here?

Ok, so update. There is no update. LOL! sad, but true. I did paint 1/2 of the couch wall with the gray sample(Kingsport Gray by Benjamin Moore). I like it but fear it will be too dark on all walls and make me feel closterphobic. I feel the area will also be void of color or just drab. One other frustrating note is that the paint on the couch wall shows up COMPLETELY different than when on the other walls. I hate living like this, I want this project done but I'm in paralysis analysis. If anyone can calm my fears or give an encouraging word, that would be great! Thank you so much. I'm envious of those that know exactly what they want and can walk into a paint store grab a can of paint and go for it and have the finished product look amazing. Am I the minority here?

Kcc - Don't know whether or not you're in the minority here, but you are not alone! If you're concerned that the gray is drab and will make you feel claustrophobic, listen to your instincts. Just because gray is the chic color of the moment does not mean that it's right for you or your room. Gray is a very difficult color. It will make a room look like the interior of a submarine if the furnishings and other colors are not close to perfectly done. In addition, you have that large beautiful window. What kind of climate do you have? Gray days, rainy days? Imagine being in a home with dogs and a small child on a gray drizzly day with gray walls (and brown drapes) framing the view.

I would paint all the walls, except for that nice red one in your dining room, a rich, deep cream - or, as others have suggested, a gold that would look good with your tan furniture. Those colors would keep the room bright and cheerful.

Are you very attached to that rug? Could you put it somewhere else in your home? IMO it's the one element that's throwing everything else off. The colors and style don't coordinate with the rest of your furnishings and wall colors. Could you try going with bare floors for awhile? Then eventually get an oriental rug that contains all your colors - gold and tan and red and some blue/green. This would pull everything together and warm up the space. And it would also better hide what the doggies and baby might do to it!

If you really love the rug then you will need to tie in the colors, and paint is the easiest and most economical way of doing that. Do you like lighter or deeper colors? It seems you must like rich colors because of the red walls and the richness of the sofa and chair. I think most paint colors look different from wall to wall because the light is different. Thats not a bad thing, it gives a more dimensional look. I don't think there are too many people who can put together a room without a lot of thought. Its a learning process. The gray color is a rich gray. It will darken the room, but it will also make it cozy.

So you aren't loving the gray...as someone suggested, maybe a rich, deep cream or a pale gold, like LA gold #2 or 3 for all of the walls.
I'd move the rug to the dining area and get some pretty throw pillows that will tie all those colors together. Hunt for an inexpensive, plain rug for your seating area~
You can do this.... :)

What about SW Hopsack or SW Latte?? Would this be too dark? I guess the reason I have the bold color on the walls is for the fact that it's a cheap way to get some color. I really would love to accent with pops of color imstead. Would the best way to do this be to paint in a neutral and get some shelves to fill up with accent pieces in different shades of my chosen accent color? I am literally surrounded by like 100 paint chips as I type. I'm so overwhelmed and I try to keep telling myself that it's just paint but I also want a 'pulled' together look. Right now the color behind the couch is Bungalow Gold by Eddie Bauer and is in the front door entrance area. Should I just paint all the walls that color(including red walls)? I would REALLY love to get a color picked and painting done by Sunday. I will stay up as many long nights as it takes. I'm so sick of living with 5 colors all over the walls and not loving any of them.

I love the Kingsport Gray color and think you should use it to paint the whole room including the dining area. If you're worried about it being too dark, take a look at BM Revere Pewter. I have it in my home and I don't feel it's too dark at all. I like your idea of painting with a neutral then adding things (pillows, artwork, etc.) in shades of your chosen accent color.

BM KingsportGray

I would paint sample boards before deciding on a color - what if you paint and still are not happy with it - I've done it and painted over twice within a few months! I just don't see that rug with your furnishings. I like the suggestion of moving it to your dining area if it is big enough. Using a neutral color would certainly make it easier to change up when you want to.

I LOVED Kingsport Gray on the chip too. That's what I painted above the couch in one of the pics, but I am really afraid of it being too dark.

Ok, so in all honesty, I got the rug at Lowe's marked down for $88 and it was a steal for the quality!! AND it was love at first site. The true color has yet to come across in a picture but it is super neutral. Creams, gray/brown undertones. But I guess if it just looks odd, I could move it to our bedroom. I can't put a rug in our dining room because it would be destroyed by my 3 kids at meal time(5,3&1) and cakes.

What if I did the two red walls and couch wall in BM Davenport Tan(HC-76) and the others with the Davenport Tan mixed at 50% or something?? BM's HC-77 Alexandria Beige is almost an exact match to one of the sets of leaves in the rug. I could use that with the same idea in mind in place of Davenport Tan. Are these considered warm colors?

Be honest, is the rug just hideous in this space? Or would wall color and accessories make all the difference?

Trust me, I have paint samples all over the walls.

I think your rug is nice : )
BM Revere Pewter would go great in your home.
Try katrina_ellen's idea of painting a couple sample poster boards.

I don't think the rug is hideous and I agree on Revere Pewter. For some reason I picture a nice soft color on the wall and then you can add your pops of color with your accents.

Laurie