I missed your earlier post(s) so maybe this has already been explained, but is there a reason that the furniture is all on one side of the room and the whole right side is empty (except for the cage)? I would have the sofa facing the fireplace, centered, and then maybe two chairs on either side of the fireplace, angled, facing the sofa. Or, keep the sofa oriented as it is now, but pushed ahead a few feet -- then two chairs facing it, with a coffee table in the middle -- the table would be centered on the fireplace. Hope that makes sense.

The TV also seems very high to me -- ?? And, I'd add a mantel.

You can add color with the chairs -- maybe a print fabric that incorporates your browns as well as some other colors. Then pull those colors into some pillows, maybe a throw blanket for the sofa, some art, and finally some colorful accessories displayed on the built-ins.

If you have white built-ins, I'd go with curtains with color and pattern.

Pillows, art, photos and pottery in your built-ins.

Plants - big ones, not fussy little ones, by that window.

April 2011 BHG has a great makeover for a living room that starts with and keeps a big brown leather sofa like yours. Lots of color, drab turns into a beautiful, bright soothing space.

Your room is so large it would be cozier if you broke it up into functional/conversational areas.

More vertical elements - right now everything is very horizontal and low to the ground - you need something to lift the eye. The curtains will help with that if you have color and pattern in them, otherwise they disappear.

You can stencil on the rug with latex interior paint.

Yes -- for now -- switch the sofa to face the fireplace and the TV. Place the front legs of the sofa on the new rug (which is really nice and a great texture!!!)

Yes -- the fireplace needs a large thick dark-stained mantel that reaches each side .... and a good set of fireplace doors OR a fireplace screen (maybe a glass one?)

Yes -- the size of the TV seems a bit small for the space and visual weight of the fireplace -- perhaps consider a larger one in the future ...

Have you checked your local Craigs List for chairs? Keep checking it most days -- it can be a great resource. Have you checked Pier One or World Market for chairs? Or perhaps Ikea?

Color can come from pillows, a throw (both can be stashed away from a chewing puppy! :)

Other colorful items can come later when the bookshelves are built -- then you could add some glass vases along with lots of wonderful books ... plenty of color there! :)

Add color in the kitchen by placing a large dark wood bowl on the breakfast bar -- fill with fruit.

Hope this helps! :) You have a gorgeous home! :)

I love your house! I would introduce color with different curtains and/or with color/pattern on the chairs. I think two chairs opposite the couch would be perfect. Maybe a large, square "center" ottoman that serves as a coffee table. You could add that way, as well (ottoman fabric).

Thank you for the suggestions so far. The room is 11x23, which is why I have the sofa where it is. There will also be a banquette and kitchen table off the peninsula, hence the wide open space now. The door you see in the back, that will eventually be a wider passage way to the dining room. That space in front of it needs to be left open.

When I had the sofa in front of the tv, the coffee table was way too close to the fireplace. Which I agree needs a screen. (the tv is high, the mason who did the fireplace has promised to come back and lower it).

I love the idea of patterned curtains, but would so many windows throughout the area will it be overwhelming?

while I love the softness that an ottoman/coffee table brings, it just isn't practical for our needs.

I also plan on bringing the sofa forward a bit, I think a console behind it would work well.

As for the chairs.. is there a style you think I should stay away from? or I should look for?

Do you mean that you are going to place a banquette with table in the space we see here, in front of the large window that's off to the right? To me, it looks like it will really eat into your living space if that's the plan. A banquette w/table takes up some serious room. I've had one custom made and it's functional but sure did eat up the space. Add to that built-ins flanking the fireplace, and you'll be seriously squished. Is the secondary eating area a done deal or can you rethink it? Is the bar area with stools not enough in addition to the dining room you mention?

I think your room has terrific bones. The floors, fireplaces, and windows are gorgeous. That being said, it's terribly off-balance. You need to work on making the fireplace the focal point. To do that, you need to situate the furniture around it. The rug should be run the other way and centered on the fireplace. Since you don't want the sofa facing the fp, just pull it forward a few feet to run perpendicular w/fp, then put 2 matching occasional chairs angled in slightly to face it. My concern with this set-up (not having any furniture facing fp) is that tv viewing must be uncomfortable.

It doesn't always work, and some people probably think it never works, but I have a wide window in my living room that has a patterned panel on each end, and four cream colored panels in the middle.

All patterned would be overwhelming, all cream would be boring. It works for me. Weight, texture, tabtops all the same for consistency.

Blondepegasus, If you look in the second photo, I attempted to take a panoramic picture to show you more of the space, the space to the right of the blank space between the two windows. The banquette will be under the set of 2 windows, not the set of 3. I might end up changing the peninsula out and putting in an island. I had a table there recently and there is more than enough space.

Birdgardner, do you have a picture that shows the mix of patterned/plain?

I would add a table in front of the window with chairs on either side, preferably a slipper type of chair w/o arms. The table is a great place for family pictures, but add a 'decorator touch' with a couple of large, chunky candle sticks. Picture frames should also be a heavier style rather than thin, metal frame type.

You've gotten great suggestions on the addition of color. I think that the orientation of your sofa and rug, too far to the one side of the room, besides not being oriented to your focal point(s), FP and/or tv, is making the entire space (which is a great room BTW) look off.

I would re-think the placement in favor of placing the sofa in front of the FP, lowering the tv and adding a substantial mantel. You could easily add two other chairs. I understand you have a door that accesses your DR, but you really only need to leave enough space to walk, max width 3ft for access to the DR.

From your posted pics, it looks as tho you would be able to accommodate a small banquette at the double window and still make use of the space in front of the triple window as part of your LR, i.e., moving all of the pictured furniture into the middle of the room, forming a more balanced look with a tv viewing, conversation-friendly area.

If you really want to keep it as is, I think you need to turn the rug so that the sofa's front sits facing the side of the rug, rather than at the end of the rug.

I love your floors! I think a more colorful rug would look great, or even a white one to contrast with the floor. The existing rug doesn't do much for the room. I would also consider adding 2 chairs to flank the other side of the fireplace and bringing the sofa out from the wall to create a grouping around the fireplace.

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will try to bring the couch up but keep it in the same orientation as blondepegasus suggested. It really does not work the way most you mentioned. With the sofa in front of the tv in the opposite orientation The coffee table ends up crammed up against the hearth and the back of the sofa is partially against the wall, leaving no space to access the left side of the room.

Once I bring up the sofa I will repost some pictures.

Just a thought ~ buy a roll of blue painter's tape to mark the floors where you would want to put the furniture. You can get a pretty good idea of what will/won't work, without alot of wear and tear on your back.

IDK, perhaps it is the way the photo is taken, but it looks like there is alot more available room to turn the sofa to face the FP. I see the wall (which would be behind the sofa to the L), but I still think the room would look much better if you could create a conversation, etc. area facing your focal point (FP). If not, I would consider moving your TV from the FP to one of your to-be-added built in shelves for ease of viewing if for no other reason.

You have a beautiful room and magnificent FP. The challenge is how to make the most of those pieces of furniture you have work with, creating one or more conversation areas. Forgive me if you've already posted this, but what are the dimensions of the space?

I know you're probably sick of us who want you to move your sofa to face the FP, but the current location of your sofa is just much too far from the focal points, and really makes the space look odd.

Lastly, having your leather sofa right up against the bank of windows is going to discolor the leather and potentially dry it out.

Can't wait to see the pics of your last posted proposal for the sofa movement.

Oh, okay. I didn't get that there are two sets of windows on that wall. Super! Thanks for the explanation! Here are a few general pics of your furniture layout just to get your juices flowing (not meant to reflect your style at all):

Another

Here's one showing 2 sofas facing each other. You might want to consider this. It even has the built-ins flanking the fp like you're going to do.

Also, you asked about occasional chairs. Yes, I would go with 2 matching. There are tons of them out there, just do an onine search for "occasional chairs." I found a few that would go well with your sofa just to give you an idea, but the sky is the limit. You will know immediately when you see it that you love it. I'll do the pics in separate posts because that's the only way I can figure out how to do it!...LOL

Another

Another

Another

Final chair and I'll leave you alone!

Just checking back for pics, lol.

Love the pics blondepegasus posted with the sofas facing one another. That would be a perfect solution for you to consider in bringing the sofa more "into" the room.

Thanks work in progress.... I for one hate the TV above the FP. It is a sticking point with my DH, who generally has no opinion on anything home decor related. I would love to move it to the future built ins. Perhaps when we get around to building and installing them he'll change his mind.

I do think that this all comes from the fact that the fireplace is not centered in the room.

My posts seem to be delayed.

Thank you for the inspiration! I LOVE the idea of the two sofas, but I really think another large brown sofa would make the room depressing.

I'll continue my chair search. Hopefully one of these days I'll be happy with what I've put together. So far it's still a struggle to find what I like, what I can afford, and what works in my space.

Here are some chair ideas. I think either one would look nice as a matching pair. It's mostly the lines I like, you have choices on fabric.

twn - I think the idea presented by blondepegasus was to scoot the sofa out away from the wall and place either another sofa (not a twin to your existing sofa) or a couple of chairs, all facing one another to make a conversation area or grouping to make the most of your gorgeous FP.

Have you tried moving the sofa away from the wall, or more in line with FP in the room (similar to the blonde's pics)?

I will be moving it tonight, although since I don't have chairs i'm not sure it will make much of a difference just yet. I do like the second chair jterrilynn posted, but am worried about too much tufting in the room.