I think your sectional choice would look great if you keep the dark wood. If you are at all thinking you might want to paint the shelving to tie it into the fireplace more and lighten the space, then it may be a little dark and heavy. But if you darken the back of the shelves like the 3rd pic I posted, or leave them as is, then I think it would look perfect. Some people here seem to be anti-sectional, but I love them. I would take some blue painter's tape and draw the outline dimensions on your floor where you would want to place it, just to see if the scale is right for the room (since you say you are new to decorating). It will help you see if it's too big or too small or just right and where it will fit best. Also think about whether you will get an area rug and what kind you might choose and make sure the sectional would work with that, too.

Penny - I typically love some of the more outspoken opinions here. I'll see a post and be like "Ohh, wait til Sophie sees this!" usually because I agree with her opinions! I'm sure I would be really sensitive to hear it about my own room, but that wouldn't make it untrue. :) I was reading and considering everyone's input, but I've realized it can be difficult to reply to suggestions from multiple people at once! I really, really, appreciate all of your input. I definitely think you're right about no more furniture with drawers. It makes a lot of sense in many cases (and in the pics that people posted). Unfortunately, with 73" on each side of the fireplace, a standard chest would look miniscule, and that would leave me with putting a full-sized dresser there. With three dressers (counting the Hemnes my TV is on), it would just look like I had an elaborately furnished closet and not a family room! I actually had both chairs and the round table at the entrance for years. Since they both swivel, the table kept getting knocked down, and I grew tired of having to shimmy between the chair and the endtable all the time. Maybe I'll go back to that arrangement, but I'm liking them flanking the FP for now. cawaps - Ikea is definitely where my budget is currently - but I get the feeling I probably need to de-Ikea this room as I'm able to. :) I'll be on the lookout for consignment and thrifting bargains that might work. Anglophilia - You're so right, flat fireplace walls ARE a PITA! My last home had a diagnoal FP, and boy, I hated that, but this is still a pain! I think you're right, the ottoman has to go when we can replace it. We don't mind having a few toys here, since the bedrooms are upstairs. We hang out here frequently (and it's off the kitchen). He's a bit too big for a playpen at this point, so we choose which toys to keep in here, and we have a place to put them away, and we keep the rest in the playroom. It's a balancing act! Suezbell - Thank you for all the ideas! I will definitely be finding a home for the owl. Storage and a desk would be useful additions, I will consider those. The bookshelf is up for sale, since the height and color don't really work in here. I'll likely be replacing the TV dresser when I can to something with more interest or color. The Hemnes dresser was really only meant to be temporary - and here we are 5 years later!

No matter your decision, I do think you could add a little more interest to the room, bring in some color and activity. It feels very "safe" and predictable to me. But I've got a mean streak of quirk, I'd be hanging a vintage ten-speed or a bunch of random clocks in that wall.

Groveraxle's arrangement on the mantle is perfect! Can you remove and/or adjust the shelving, e.g. maybe only two shelves on the left and three on the right? On the top left shelf you could have then have two objects and on the bottom shelf three taller (a single and a pair). On the right shelves two objects on top, one in the middle and two on the bottom....or something along this line to keep it really simple and give each of the items space for visual impact against the the wood backdrop. You have lots of nice items to choose from and it would be fun to see things displayed a bit differently.