Well, Polka, you must be delusional....it photos beautifully!! It looks warm, inviting, cozy & beautiful & very tasteful. I think you have made wonderful choices.

You made a very wise decision sticking with neutrals on your drapes instead of going with the floral or stripes you were thinking of. The drapes look very well made.

I like how you have mixed in more contemporary feeling lamps in a mostly traditional room. I might think about leaning a little more contemp for a coffee table when you get ready for one or maybe straight metal legs with a rustic wood top - square.

Smiles:)

It is a beautiful room. I can't believe what a huge difference the drapes made.

From what I can see, the main "problem" with the room is the fact that it is huge. If it were my room, I'd re-arrange the furniture into a couple of different conversation areas. For example, you could try to group the brown chairs in front of the window with a table in between and then move the striped chairs across from the couches. Bring them in close so the area appears/feels cozy. When the time comes for new furniture, whether it be a coffee table or new chair or couch, think large scale.

And if budget wasn't an issue, I'd love to see a game table (not a poker table) with two or four chairs tucked in there some where.

It looks really nice. The drapes really change the whole room and make it look so elegant yet not stuffy.

Johna, brody miasmom, and dilly,
Thanks for the comments. Brody, you are right, it is a huge room. I have tried a bunch of different arrangements and trying to enable tv viewing from the kitchen has taken some things out of the running. When we moved in seven years ago I planned to get a game table, then I went away from it. I kind of wish I would have gone that direction.

Thanks for the feedback. Any thoughts on pillows?

I got so distracted I forgot about the pillow! I like it or at least I will once it is stuffed.

I love your room! Our huge room is semi-done, so I'll be experiencing the same problem.

Okay, I'd switch the sofa with the two striped chairs. Put a table and lamp between the chairs, and get a smallish area rug to put in front of the chairs which will "designate" it as a conversation area. Then you can get a matching area rug a bit bigger to put in front of the sofa.

Unless you have a big family who sits and watches TV together, there's no need to have all the chairs facing it.

I did have to LOL when I saw your curio cabinet. That is number one on my list when the room is finished!

I think the beautiful new drapes have given your room a very updated look and having the picture over the mantel hanging up looks so much better. I don't know if you read much but books do give rooms a warmer look and if you have any I would stack some of them on the coffee table. Even a few glossy magazines would be nice. Additionally you could have a ceramic or porcelain bowl next to them. I would look for a small table to put next to the leather chair and also place some objects you love on top of them. Look in flea markets or antique stores for items that speak to you. I think the room needs to show a little more of your personality to make it come alive. It already looks very nice and your window is beautiful. Have you ever tried a different furniture arrangement with the couch facing the fireplace? For the future on area rug that has deep pink, brown and beige in it would tie your furniture together beautifully. An Oriental rug in rich colors might look very elegant there. With all the light you have by the window a tall ficus benjamina would look wonderful. You don't have to buy a huge one, even a smaller one will grow a lot in a year or two. I think you need another accent color in the room and since you already have some green touches I would use that color. In addition to the ficus plant you could have some green pillows on the couch and even a chair or two, a warm, yellow-green color, definitely not a bluish-green. In the crystal cabinet I would put something with color for a cozier look, glass can look cold by itself. I would have floral motif plates on stands that have pink and green in them in the cabinet, again from flea markets. You can often find pretty porcelain pieces of various kinds quite cheaply.

I've gotten a little carried away because I like your room so much and it has such great potential. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you will all these suggestions. Please post more pictures if you make any additions, I'd love to see what you've done.

Ingrid

okay, I'm confused -- I found the TV, but where's the kitchen?

Beautiful room -- those windows, and their new drapes are absolutely stunning. You're right that the grand architecture doesn't connote easy coziness. But I think it would feel more cozy if your main seating area was compressed -- i.e. pull the sofa, two gold chairs, and small brown leather chair closer together and closer to the fireplace. This might mean people would walk behind the gold chairs, rather than through the grouping.

Alternatively, you could place the gold chairs opposite the sofa, and add the small brown leather chair across from the fireplace. In either case, the brown chair with ottoman would remain an 'away' area, to borrow from Sarah Susanka.

You didn't ask for furniture placement advice, so hope you don't mind. And yes, I do like that shape of pillow, and think it would look great!

The paint color did wonders to the room and the new drapes are perfect!

oakley, ingrid, mjlb: thanks for all the comments. I am open to any and all so keep them coming.

The kitchen is where I am standing when I took the second after picture. There are two openings in the room, one to the foyer and one to the kitchen.

Ingrid, I appreciate all your thoughtful comments. Several of your points about adding personality and color are good ones. I will try some books. I never though about adding color to the curio cabinet - that is interesting. The color of the furniture doesn't photograph that well. The couch is actually a red color. It is a little bit of a pink red, but I am really trying to downplay that part! It always looks so pink in pictures.

I have tried the couch facing the fireplace. Les suggeted that last year. In a way I really liked it because it made it feel more cozy. But IRL it didn't work that well because it left a small pathway to walk behind the couch and the small wall and it just seemed awkward.

I have considered placing the striped chairs across from the sofa and haven't done it because of where the TV is. Now, if at some point we move to a flat screen, we could put that on the small wall where the round mirror is and try that arrangement. The only thing bad about that is that my DH won't be able to watch the morning news while eating his breakfast!

Thanks again for the comments. All are appreciated.

Hi polka. Very pretty room. Could you share where you got the pretty gold chairs? TIA!

I remember your earlier thread so it is wonderful to see the results. Your room is just lovely and the changes you've made so far are just perfect. A larger room needs a larger coffee table. I'd prefer to see something larger--either square or round--perhaps even a tufted ottoman. I know you say a rug is not in the budget now, but t here are some amazing deals out there if you look hard enough. Try your local Craigslist for rugs or even overstock.com. If you have even as much as $200 to spend, I think you can find something you like. Also, look on CL for your coffee table or ottoman.

Polka, I know in your previous post we had discussed moving your armoire across from the FP with the sofa & 2 chairs across from each other - desk behind the sofa - game table where the armoire is now - reading chair where it currently is now .......still with me???? if your DH watching the morning news is holding you back - get him a small wall flat screen that folds for the kitchen to watch from the kitchen table for his Christmas or whatever your celebrate or don't(being so PC here:)) present. Whew.....major run on sentence.

Smiles:)

robyn, auntie, val and johna: thanks for your thoughts.

auntie, the chairs are Sherrill and the fabric is Hurst Gold. It is a gold, red, and sort of a bronze color stripe with a little bit of green that you can only see close up.

Val, I have been checking CL for about a week now for coffee tables. Would love to find something there. Haven't even started thinking about a rug yet - not sure I can handle the stress of that now!!

Johna, yes, I completely remember that and follow you - I think that could work well. Probably need to live with this for awhile and maybe try to throw that idea out there down the line. It probably would be a great answer to the issues of this room. I didn't remember the part about a game table at that end of the room - but I love the idea and think we would really get a lot of use out of that (we love games, puzzles, could even be used for one of the kids to do homework!) OK, that's an angle I can use...:) Thanks!

Polkadots - Johnatemp directed me to check out your post since I'm back at my LR window again. :) I really like your drapes. Your room is lovely. I like everything from the furnishings to the paint. If you don't mind me asking, how wide is you window and what size diameter is the rod?

Hi Shee,
Thanks for the feedback. Our windows are 100 inches wide. The rods are 2 1/4 inches in diameter. I am very happy with the size of the rods. The drapes are a width and a half of fabric on each side. They ended up a little narrower than I was expecting once they did all the pleats. They are lined and interlined. The pleats are deep so that makes them look more substantial, but it did narrow them a bit. I also planned to go out from the windows a little more, but the installer cut the rods too short and once they were up I decided to stick with it (have always wondered if I should have made them order new rods...).

Good luck with yours.

The room looks great. I really love the picture over the fireplace.

If you put a pillow in the middle of the sofa, won't it have to be moved everytime someone sits there? I guess I don't think it needs one there. I don't think it would look bad, though, just in the way.

Hey polkadots! Glad to see you back. I have thought about you over the months (worried about you and the racoons. Hopefully, that is over.)

I LOVE your room. I think the drapes are perfect! I love the shape of the pillow on the couch. I am definitely thinking of getting one, too. I love the contrast it brings on a solid color sofa.

I do think a rug would be great in the middle of the room at some point. I think the coffee table wouldn't seem so lonely. Maybe a circular rug? (Rugs are hard. I have been putting off getting one for over a year.)

Good luck. Nice to see that all your research has paid off.

Your drapes look fantastic and substantial! You just can't get longer length, interlined width and a half panels off the shelf! Sometimes it pays to do custom! Its like jewelry on a woman or icing on a cake!

Happyladi, yes you're right, the pillow would be in the way, but the sofa actually doesn't get used that much.:)

Downsy, thanks for the vote of confidence!

kitchenkelly, great to hear from you! Thanks for the comments. The racoons are gone, thank goodness, but every once and awhile the smell is still there! How are things at your place? Done anything more?

Lovely! The drapes are wonderful. I think the fabric choice is very nice - I like it a lot better than some of the patterned fabrics we had looked at before.

I think the extra pillow on the couch would be nice, but I would like to see a lighter toned fabric that reflects the lighter feel of the two chairs, perhaps even a needlepoint with a lighter background.

One thing I would try is moving the couch closer to the fireplace, rather than putting it smack dab in the center of the room. I think it will create a cozier feel as a grouping with the leather chair, and will also open up that walkway in front of the two chairs a bit. Also, you will be able to get a smaller area rug to define just the space containing the leather chair, couch and coffee table, and let the chairs feel like a bit of a separate seating space. I think the room will feel wider that way.

I would consider a round coffeetable, to put some curves into that area and also compliment the round mirror and london arms on the chairs.

One more thought. Take the glass display cabinet that is by the entrance to the space, and angle it in the corner. It has glass sides that will not seem too bulky when it is turned, it will be a visual compliment to the tv on the opposite corner, and it will fill the space better, imo. And if that has lighting in it, use it. It will add warmth to the room over there.

Les, thanks for the comments. I see what you mean about moving the couch. I will try that out. My kids currently use the space between the couch and fireplace as part of their running pattern, but I'm going to try it out. I just don't want anyone running into the sharp edge of that fireplace as they try to squeeze through! Interesting to think about the two chairs being off on their own a little more instead of with the grouping.

I saw a round tufted ottoman on CL (new, from a model home), but it was only 31" I think so I thought it was too small. Do you think a leather tufted ottoman would work or would it be too much leather? I may check on it, it's probably gone.

Good thought about the curio. I'll have to empty it and try that. Of course right now I have the Christmas tree to work around. :)

Thanks again for your help.