Great job dody, love the transformation. The only other thing I would do is lower the clock on the wall, its a bit too high.

Amazing what you can do to change a room. I think the family pics need to be lowered. They are pretty close to the ceiling. Otherwise I think you have done a great job.

Yes...I'd lower the clock a down a little and move it to the right a bit so that visually, the clock is centered between window and the corner bookcase.

I have to say, I liked how you had the three pictures near the piano 'before'. Now, they don't seem very anchored and are floating too near the ceiling.

When I look at the 'before' picture of your two cabinet arrangements, what I like about it is that you had blue items on both. To me, in the 'after' pic, your room looks heavier on the left. I'd be tempted to mix your two collections together (across both cabinets) or add a couple blue items to the owl collections so they don't look so visually separated.

You're doing a good job, though! It's fun to change things up.

I really like what you've done. Are you happy with it? Like the other posters, I still think you are hanging things too high. Are you a tall person? My hubby is 6'3" and is always hanging things too high. He put the towel bars in the kid's bathrooms so high that the kids couldn't reach them!

Wonderful job!

Other than a few things to be lowered, it is looking great.

Nice job on your cabinets.

I might suggest the following:
1. The plants by the TV look very busy....can you remove the tall one and relocate it to another room? Actually, try moving both out, removing both stands they were on, would visually open up that space.

2. Remove the throws from the matching burgundy recliners and find a spot to "hide them" (maybe in the bottom of the corner cabinets) and get matching cushions for the chairs, will make it look more cohesive.

3. Can you put some of the beautiful blue & white china in the other cabinet as well, will pull the two cabinets together. Think - matching cabinets vs. one cabinet is china, one is owls. A bit of both in each.

Thank you so much for posting the before and after pics. It helps us all to learn. I really really like your changes. I don't think you should change your shelves, they are perfect the way they are. (See, we all have different opinions but that is ok). I do agree that the wall pieces are too high and I too would like to see the family pictures lower and closer to the piano. I love throws too. I think they add to the homey feeling but when it was suggested to me by posters to remove mine I tried it and the results were great. I rolled mine up and put them in a basket. Most of the time they are just thrown over the sofa's where ever they land because we use them everyday but when I am cleaning up or company is coming they go in the basket. Give yourself a big pat on the back, lower your pictures and clock and sit down and enjoy.

Dody,

Your home is very warm and inviting. I think your editing out has helped open things up. I know you are hearing opposite opinions on your collections in the bookcases, I'll put my vote on keeping them together. The only thing I see in the owl one is to perhaps put a few books on the top shelf to balance that out.

A thought on the BW photos, perhaps the ones with two children flanking the mirror and the third propped on the piano instead of the books? Or all three on the piano?

New lampshades on the lamps by the couch would freshen things up. The iron work and wood on them is interesting and new shades similar to the one on the metal lamp by the owls would pull things together. Off white or cream would also go with the candlesticks on the lamp.

So do you feel like you opened up a can of worms here? It's kind of like that old commercial where if I move this here then I have to move this here, and if I move that there then I have to move....

You are doing great so far. Isn't it fun to change things up now and then? Guys don't get it, they'd keep everything the same forever, the old if it aint broke don't fix it.

Jill

Very pretty, Dody! Your house just says "home"-great job!

I like the changes and what you've done with the bookshelves. Having your collections together is more dramatic. The three candlesticks look nice together. I happen to like grouping of three. I enjoyed seeing your owl clock - very unique!

I love the arrangements on the piano. You have done well!

Okay, I am back with some more changes that I have made. Jill is absolutely right, you cannot move just one thing, without having to change 3 things. lol

I moved the owls out. I have had them for years, but it was never MY collection. One person bought me one and next thing I knew, I had a collection going. I felt because they were gifted to me, I had to display them. (I am wrong on that idea, aren't I?) I am quite happy to have them out of the room.

As far as moving the plants out, you may as well drain the blood from my body. They HAVE to stay, or I will shrivel up and die. haha

Here is a picture of the end of the room with the two cabinets. I love how they are looking, it makes my heart sing.

Here is the cabinet with the new sit-up. As you can see I have moved my precious children's photos over behind my chair.

I did make some changes in the other cabinet, but nothing too major:

I took the throws from the chairs and you can see Margarita's reaction to that idea:

I could leave them out just for the picture taking, but this is how we live. Soooo, I thought, maybe, folding them would work better, and I think that idea is a keeper. At least the girls are happy:

Hmmm - what else did I do? Oh, yes, I hung the painting that my dear deceased baby sister did and brought over the table I had the fern on and put it beneath the painting. Lowered the clock and I think that pretty much sums it up.

I thank you all for your help and if you still have ideas for me, don't hesitate to let me know. I love doing this and having my own private 'decorators'.

When I am done here, I want to move onto the entry way and dining room.

dody

You are quick and it looks great!

I have another suggestion - if the plants are staying there, does the tall one need to be on a stand, or could it be on the floor? Also, would a dog bed fit the bill for the dogs? My doggie has his own bed on the family room floor & he loves it, and when I sit on the couch he sits on my lap. Just a thought, might not work as I know "it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks!!" (:

Dody,

Busy gal! Lookin' good! I like the kids' pictures moved and the table and painting next to the piano. The bookcases, great change. The whole room feels more balanced now.

Glad you kept the throws for the fur babies. Like you said, it is the way you live. I had to laugh when you talked about the owl collection, it seems to happen that way, doesn't it?

Jill

Another idea that I never would have thought of was to put the dracena on the floor. I think it might work, but now it looks to need a bigger pot. I have one outside that I can try tomorrow, but it may be too big and I will have to wait until I get to go shopping to buy one.

I tried actually putting a doggie bed on the couch and the boss, whoops, I mean the girls would have none of that. I know they are spoiled, but they are my reason for getting up in the morning. (I know, it is because they have to go outside to go potty. lol)

dody

One more idea...try putting the blue vase under the picture where the owls are now..that will bring some blue to that part of the room...

Reading that your shelves make your heart sing made mine sing too. That is what decorating is all about. Good job. Plants and pets, my kind of gal.

Your owl story reminds me of something I heard once. Someone received something at a shower and exclaimed, "oh great, I love ______ (fill in the blank)", and after that day this person received _______ from everybody they knew. People would bring them back from vaction spots, etc.

Your place is really looking spiffy, and you do work fast!

I have a big brown country jug like one you have myself Dody, and I wouldn't take nothing for it.

....Jane

Dody, you did a great job! I love the way your cabinets turned out too. The blue just brightens up the whole space and gives it the punch of color it needed.

"Glad you kept the throws for the fur babies. Like you said, it is the way you live."
I agree. and put them in beds on the floor? ha! mine would laugh at me! they'd put me on the floor...

I think it looks really good! I really like the pics of the kids behind your chair.

I think if you have anything else around that was a gift - not your special choice, change 'em out for something you'd rather look at each day! it's your house and your eyeballs!

I have so many things over the yrs that I'm forgetting who gave me what. I also forget what I give people - so I probably wouldn't remember I gave my sister x,y,z to note if she had it out when I visit her. except the jade tree i gave her... I did look for that - but she bugged me for it so I finally gave it to her. not to be hidden away like it was at my house. yeah, I didn't appreciate it like she did, better she has it. lol! (it's a small gold ('tone' I'm sure - well, I think - I didn't really care) oriental tree with jade stones for the leaves)

your place is looking fine!

What a cozy and charming room you've created! I would love to come over and have a cup of coffee and visit. That, to me, is the bottom line in decorating a living room - people should want to stay there and feel serene and happy and know that they're in a well-loved space.

I like that you added some books to the one display case. A few well-placed books add a certain "tone" to shelves, cases, hutches, etc. And am so glad that you kept the throws for your doggies. If I moved the various pillows, throws, and woobies that we have around the house for our two cats, they would feel betrayed.

Good work!

Very cozy indeed and I LOVE your shelves....perfectly balanced and they look amazing!

Dody, I love your room and I bet the rest of your house is just as cozy. It reminds me of some of the nice old farmhouses out here with the beautiful paneling.

I love throws on our chairs too, and we use them every day. I keep them folded on the back of the chair. To me, it adds more color to the room. You could always get two matching throws to fold over the chairs.

The blue on both shelves is perfect, IMO.

I could not live with the plant on the floor. After half an hour, I had it back up on the stand. I may look for a stand at half the height when I am able to get out.

Now I have to deal with the mess I made in my summer kitchen. I have another cabinet in my sewing room that I can display the owl clock on, most of the other stuff I will just pack away.

My next project is my dining room. It is very small and is open to my kitchen. My sons are coming over soon, I hope, to move my china cabinet out of my entry way into to my dining room. I hope I don't have to set on my hands too long. haha

I want to thank every one for your help. It has really made my living room so much prettier.

I remember one time, Mom asked my sisters and I to come up and restage her living room. You should have heard the discussions we had as we all had different ideas. We did finally manage to declutter her room and it was looking pretty good. I think by the time we got back home, she had everything changed back to the way it was before.

I made up my mind if I asked for help, I was going to try the different suggestions. I am so glad that I did. I just love the way it has turned out. I guess I really did not believe that I could get away with not using everything that my kids and stepchildren gave to me over the years. Thanks you again.

dody

Dody,
The tweaks you made had a tremendous impact of the end result! Way to go!

FWIW, I thought the dracena looked better off the stand. If you went for a larger pot and then planted some smaller, lower-growing houseplants around the base of the tall, dramatic dracena, I think it would be stunning. Just a suggestion.