This is the kind of space I love! I'm a muralist and fine artist and I specialize in difficult spaces. There are a couple of ideas I'd recommend. Either an entire wall mural done in very subtle monotone. Or a stretched canvas which is built to fit the proportions of the wall. The benefit of the first choice is that it eliminates the expanse of flat sheetrock. A subtle scenic mural can be done in any color scheme that works with the room but would not overpower the space, rather it would draw you in and warm up the entire environment. A stretched canvas can be built to any size and can depict anything you like. Rather than searching for the piece of art which will never be quite right, you can provide an image or a design can be created to meet your needs. Everything I do is hand painted so there is nothing you can't have. Below are a couple of examples for dificult spaces. You can see more ideas at my site www.muralworks.com

That room will look fantastic when you get it right. IF, and its a big if, you don't want to put decoration above first floor height, you could run a frieze or moulding around the top of the first floor height. That room could do with MUCH higher skirting boards and pretty elaborate moulding around the door opening. I like the colours you have there already. I think that if the room is not doing it for you at the moment, the problem is not the wall colour. It is something else. Find the something else(s) or you will be disappointed with the results of the BIG effort to paint the walls of that room.

As for furniture placement, show us a floor plan and show us 360 degree photos. And what's with people tickling you just as you're taking the photo? I hate it when people do that to me. Or did they put ice down you back? Hit you in the head with a pillow? Vicodin in your coffee? Glue your rollerskates on? Did the kidnappers gaffer tape you to a teeter totter and jeer as you tried to sort out your decorating? I bet that's what happened.

Barbara Griffin's idea is spot on. Good advice.

P.S those little paintings in the last shot aint never gonna do it for you.

I had a home with 2 story walls. I found that i preferred to go to other rooms with lower ceilings whenever possible. Discovered that it had lost its "coziness" with the extreme wall. A great book that explains how humans are programmed to prefer certain proportions is The Not So Big House by Susan Susanka. She's been so successful that she has followed up with additional books re gardens, etc. Her website is http://www.notsobiglife.com/

To address my tall walls, i painted the walls and ceiling the same color and it made the space warm and inviting - in my case it was a rich gold (Wheatfield by Benjamin Moore), which is not a color i would recommend today and for you given your lovely color selection, but you get the idea. I do think the advice you are getting to paint the ceiling and upper half a darker warmer color will cause you to feel better psychologically in this space. At least it did for me - and it was phenomenal to me the difference it made. I would exercise some caution about gray however as psychologically i believe our minds transfer high spaces into a sky and in my case it would be depressing to live under an eternally gray sky. Perhaps the designers here can recommend a color that would not provide that effect.

Also i think it would be effective to maintain the horizontal line established by the top of bookcases around the room to the adjacent wall and consider hanging anything (pictures or rug) below that line. Our minds fill in even when a line is not solid so the uneven line of the hanging pictures currently there clashes with the line of the bookcase tops and causes some discomfort psychologically i believe. Not sure that the dark brown frames enhance your light blue / gray color scheme with its punch of black - would different frame colors address this? Seems like carrying your established theme into those pictures or a single large picture would be very nice - something graphic like the pillows are graphic?

I admire your color scheme, furniture, its arrangement, and the cases beside the fireplace. Good luck!

Any color on the ceiling generally reads just a tad deeper than the same applied on a wall. But I doubt a very very very pale grey.... perhaps one quarter strength of Benjamin Moore "Wish" or something similar, would feel sad, and could be very effective at visually lowering the ceiling, and adding a dose of cozy as well. Walls toned in, but a bit deeper.

Love the rug just turn it the other way and center it over the tv.

The rug looks great with the furniture, but it would look better on the floor. It would anchor the space. The shelves on the bookshelves are too close together. There should be more space between them with some larger interesting items on them. A good large contemporary piece of artwork would add interest to the room. The items on the mantle need to be upgraded.

I am with Sally in Vienna. Built a house with 2 story great room and very high ceilings in dining room and one bedroom and lived in it for 16 years before downsizing to a cozy little condo less than half the size and I feel so comfy here. After 6 years in the other house we paintined the ceilings medium gray blue like the sky because that seemed appropriate and the walls a muted yellow green - to mimic the outdoors. It improved the space and brought the ceilings in closer. I think if I still lived there, I would put beams across at about 10 feet, or perhaps redo the ceilings in a dark wood - I dont know. I do have an antique quilt collection and hung two on the biggest walls in the living room which helped to make it seem less like and echoing basketball court. I had wood floors which I eventually covered with almost room sized rugs to muffle the echo-y aspect.

As a painter, I definitely agree with several of the comments here that, if you do buy art, buy it in a larger scale that would fit the space. Commissioned art that fits your color scheme is easy to find online. I have an etsy shop as do many other emerging artists.

Before looking, it might help to measure the space exactly. I have a small studio and prefer shipping canvases on stretcher bars, so 30"x40" is my largest size right now. But, other artists go larger and typically ship your painting with the canvas rolled in a tube. A framer can re-stretch it for you, though that can be costly. Or, there are online videos if you prefer stretching it yourself. Hope this info helps. :)

I think you have a wonderful room, and I apologize if I'm about to repeat previous comments since I have not read them all. The room appears to have a problem in terms of scale - with that nice high ceiling, the built-ins and fireplace appear small in relation. Probably an expense you're not planning for, but that wall would be great if you added some custom woodwork to tie the fireplace and shelves together - creating one large unit so to speak, giving it appropriate scale. (similar to the photo of built-ins added with houssaon's comment)

The art work is all very nice but needs some order - try creating an even line across the bottom of the grouping, and if possible all around. You can sometimes achieve that by adding a couple of small mirrors, of other wall art objects (with similar frame colors) to the group where you find there is a gap - it may round out the whole thing. Also, try to have a group with an odd number of pieces as you do now. Make brown paper templates of the art pieces and tape that to the wall to find your best placement - then mark on the paper where you will put your nail, and hang the piece right over over the paper - removing it later. And I agree, the rug on the floor - the size/scale of the rug is also exaggerated by the smaller things below it.

Paintings coming down..will need a handyman for the rug! This is helpful! Here is the other side of the room..

Okay WHAT A VIEW!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!! I could get sorely tempted to rip the bookcases, which feel a tad dwarfed, extend the fireplace out wider and heftier, and hang something totally fabulous above. Add tv to the wall where the small pic were. Not standing in there,and wish I could!

The extra pictures give a whole new perspective! Wonderful space!

I agree with Jan that the bookcases are a tad dwarfed and underwhelming. But instead of ripping them out, I would have a finish carpenter install some additional mouldings and integrate the design more with the fireplace and space above for the TV... The space above the fireplace for the TV could have a paneled wall unit look... This would make the units and fireplace a bit richer looking and better for your grand room.

Then maybe I would keep the hanging rug but rotate it 90 degrees and hang it level with your side window.

If this were done, the bookcases, TV, and fireplace new "wall unit" would balance the large bottom windows and the rug oriented in a horizontal position would continue the line of your upper windows and balance them.

Rehang the other pictures on your sidewall lower...about a foot and a half lower.

Just a question.... whats outside on the other side of the fireplace wall?A close neighbor? Trees... ? I ask of course because I have been known to add a couple windows in my day.....: )

mmlos has a very good point as well. You could trim out the fireplace wall, and take it to the height of the casing trim at the bottom of the window on the very tall window wall. Done well, you'll get a luxurious look, and a prettier proportion, and yes, the television would appear a bit more custom contained.

You have a beautiful view. Turn your couch and back the chairs up to the window. The rug would look great on the floor. If your bookcase shelves are removable, a couple of your traditional paintings would look nice in there and make the bookcase look less busy. Priceless view for zero dollars!

Sitting back, I see you all have been working...........................now that we have the other side of the "picture" here's what I think

Leave the bookcase

Don't ad any windows (sorry Jan)

Relocate the section, floating it out from the "rug wall" a little ....it will work!

Use the rug on the floor depending on the size: in front of the sectional or near the two chairs

What do you'al think.........

Your home layout is strikingly similar to mine. The difference in ours is that the stone continues to extend all the way up the wall - drawing emphasis to the tall ceilings. I believe this helps bring cohesiveness to the lower and upper level of the wall. I have attached a picture for you to get an idea (though it is dark as it was taken at night with my cell phone.) Above the bookcases, I have wrought iron decor.

I would love to see the fireplace wall a deeper color and put an interesting iron or art piece above the tv to finish the look off, maybe even something r ound and big would be nice to add interest with everything being square in the room.

I am going to lead what I'm sure will be a one-woman crusade against the TV above the fireplace. It's not good for fireplace gazing it's not good for TV watching, and it just kills so many nice design possibilities. These rooms aren't built for watching TV. They're too big, they're too bright. When I think of all you sacrifice to get that box up there, it just makes me sad.

I totally agree, jen, and said so above - so it is a two woman crusade. Some things are done out of fad that just make little sense - like porous granite counter tops, dark floors that look all dusty, stainless steel appliances that need to be wiped for fingerprints every 30 minutes, subway tile that is seriously boring. To me this looks like a gorgeous living and entertaining room, and the TV should be somewhere else or at least off to the side in a cabinet that has doors to shut it up! Sunset Magazine has a fabulous article this month about a technology free home and how it frees up so much space as well as time! That said - I am getting off here right now to go read :-)

If I had to guess the dimensions in the room, I would say it's probably 16' wide x14-15' deep max.
So that's a LOT of height for a room that size. I'd definitely add a larger rug, maybe a sisal in 10x14, and then use the fluffy rug as an accent on top, under the coffee table. It will visually enlarge the room, and bring the chairs into the "conversation". I would look into trimming out the book cases, around and above, adding height as well. I'd watch for some art of scale for the other side, after I painted the entire room a soft pale grey with just a hint of beige in it. Possibly Sherwin Williams City Loft. As to the rug, check out Prestige Mills "Pueblo" in platinum. Fabulous texture, and strikes a nice note in between gray and beige. Totally forgiving of crumbs, doggy hair and the works! And you can customize to a size that is perfect. And then I'd sit back and relax.
http://www.prestigemills.com/prestigemills/index.cfm?icolor=0012&imfgr=M05&IPATT=S05013&dn=PUEBLO%20II&page=sizes

Seeing the other side of the windowed wall solves the mystery here: you"ve got a serious case of Rectangle -itis ! Everything is rectangle= sharp lines!!!! Everything except the lamp shade ! Take a minute and count which items are round or even half round... Versus items which are rectangle or square. Round softens up the harsh lines. Since onlynthe tallest window is half rounded in this space, there is litttle balance. Items which CAN be round are the coffee table, end tables, or a mirror above the fireplace. Even an ottoman. NEXT---- swap the sectional positioning with the two chairs. It's blocking access to that wooded area view and balcony. Do not assume your seating has to focus on the TV ( which is too large for the fireplace and steals attention away a from it, and dwarfs it). And either get a similar larger rug for the floor and rather than placing it at an angle like the ivory one you have now, position it flush with the fireplace. Then, as in adrimama's comments, run brick all the way up above it to continue the height. Consider taking off the horizontal trim above the bookcases and putting on a half round trim that mimics the window in the middle. Remove one shelf in each book case and put a few books in there And a few well chosen objects . Lastly some mercury silver bottles or vases or bowls to decorate your table behind the sofa would glam it up -even better if you can put some small lamps on it for warmth. Don't go too gray or taupe on the walls, per someone's comments. I made this mistake myself and instead use a "Greige" which is a combo of grey and beige. Don't worry, it will complement the grey items you already have. Also consider some small pots of cone shaped Topiary shrubs at the foot of or on either side of the hearth. Your little ficus is lost and dwarfed by the big outdoors. Take it out to the deck where it will do best. Lastly (again!) consider some soft cream colored silk or faux silk drapes to break up some of that continued parade of big windows in that room. They can be 84" or 95 " length. Don't feel obliged to start them at the top of the ceiling unless you have the grand budget for that. In Summary, soften the straight lines and warm up the floor and physically open up the window side side if the room so the emphasis is there and not on the TV idea.

It's hard to tell what metal is on the coffee table and end table but I would stick with silver like the nailhead on your chair. Then swap the wood candle sticks on the mantle with silver..and add some silver knobs on your cabinets... Get a lamp or three ( is that your only one? ) with a silver base and ivory shade . The silver will glam up the grey. But painting the walls gray will be too much with your already gray furniture. Ivory and silver pops with your grey. That lovely gold frame painting collection should find a spot elsewhere in the house... It's too vast and gold and colorful for that space. Perhaps a round mirror in champagne silver tones will look nice there instead and it will reflect the light and foliage coming from the opposite side ( windows). Consider adding molding around that door less opening . Let the outdoor trees do the talking instead of squeezing some of your plants in the bookcase.

Just noticed your other light source; a dome light HIGH above the 40 ft ceiling fan :(
Unless you live in a hot climate and need that fan to circulate warm air to assist your air conditioning, consider swapping it out for an elegant chandelier in brushed silver tones and maybe ivory shades and several bulbs. It must get incredibly dark in that room at nite. Are there pot lights in the ceiling? Do they make an impact so high up.?

If you can't reverse the sectional to the other wall, consider shoving it over more to the Center alignment to the fireplace and lose the glass end table. You will not miss it I promise as you have a coffee table to hold drinks .

I skimmed so forgive it this has been suggested. Go gray as others have said on the wall.

Because of all the symmetry here I would love to see the rug stay on the wall but hung at an angle halfway between vertical and horizontal. Kick it sideways. You may need to attach pieces of wood lathe to do this but it will energize that space above the bookcases and bring a hipper contemporary kick to the room.. As a former gallery owner this is a trick most often overlooked when hanging textiles that really can liven up a room.

I think one of those clocks with no face might work above the tv. That's a heck of a room though.

Hi Imolen

I'm with Imdriana, I'd remove the rug and to make a purpose to the space above the fireplace. Lift the stone all the way to the top like a chimney stack. I would keep the built in's .

This is a photo of my builders solution for molding and scale for the fireplace. I love the deep mantel and rich molding. My tv is on an old vintage dresser (excellent storage by the way) and there is a bookcase freestanding on the other side. I got the picture frame from a friend throwing it away because there was an ugly 1970 horizontal picture. i knew a wood frame this size would be big $$$. I turned it vertical and painted my own right on the existing canvas (free). I also filled in empty space on an adjacent wall with 2 24x24 historic ceiling tins for texture. Walls are divine paints- mocha. Hope I gave you some ideas. It also stumped me.

I am ot strong enough to help you, but I think you can use dark paints for cieling, and use Thick colored lines parallel to the cieling, on the walls in dark colors
and please remove all of the tall objects, that stands vertically on the walls (like tapestry)

Here are a few art example you may like. Everything is custom built so you are able to choose the desired material, size, framing, etc. Let us know what you think or if had something else in mind.

http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/361

http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/3990

http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/681

glass mosaic tiles is a good selection for fireplace wall.

RoMan Tone
So sorry!!! but no. In a couple years, when the mosaic looks like total fad and dated as all get out...( It already feels tired) she will do what? Timeless/classic/ trimming/elevating/ of the bookcases and mantel, will stand the test of time, and acknowledge the height of the window wall, without undue expense in a rip-off and re-do later.

I agree with Jan. Put your money and efforts into re-scaling the fireplace and leave your decor options open.

The rug is too large for that area. Move the rug to the wall with all the smaller framed art pieces. The rug is competing with the TV and the bookshelves. You need to anchor the other wall.

Kelly that what I first thought, however I now think it is best used on the floor

Well, If money is an issue it will work for now until you find the right thing!

At first glance, the thing that strikes me as the most out of scale is the set of built-ins. They appear to be painted MDF which doesn't agree with any of your more natural woods and fabrics. Consider removing the molding at the top of the built-ins, too matchy matchy with the mantle and they accentuate the height of the wall above them. Paint the units and shelving to match the walls and remove one or two shelves on each so you can display some larger scale pieces for balance. Use some antique pewter door hardware. Paint the mantle a darker wood tone like your sofa table and bring the art collection down below the door height, varying the heights so the top two are not even, creating another line to follow.. Put the rug on the floor. Unless you can get hubby to agree to take the tv down, leave the upper walls alone. You just need to fix what is at eye level and you will be fine.

Here is a better picture of our room which is almost identical to yours.

Having the full-height fireplace design will help a lot with getting full height decoration. Not that that helps much in an existing house. That is a lovely space adrimama. Nice to see the dark curtains work well.

With all that exposed glass, I think your room needs warm color to make it cozy. Although I love grey, I think you have enough of it already. I'd like to see you pull one of the colors from the fireplace brick -- a very unsaturated/muted terracotta, a 'barely there' color but deep and warm, and put that on your walls. It would work with the fireplace and work with the floors and work with your grey furniture.

IMHO the harsh white of the trim needs to go and be replaced by a soft bone or off-white.

I'd like to see: the bookcase top molding go entirely and the bookcases to be painted the same color as the wall so as to recede and let the fireplace be the single focal point; the mantelpiece be replaced by something darker and more rustic looking as it seems incongruent with the style of the fireplace; the rug on the floor, defining the seating area, perhaps over a very warm dark 'griege' or darker muted terra cotta plain pile rug.

Furniture arrangement: two problems with the TV over the fireplace. The first is that you already have too many focal points on that wall (fireplace + TV + bookcases + knicknacks). The second is that sooner or later you'll start to get neck problems watching at that height -- the center of the TV should be at the level of your eyes when you're seated.

Accordingly, I'd like to suggest that you: move your sectional back; move the grey chair to where the foam cube is now, angling both chairs in front of the bookcases and flanking the fireplace; put the TV on the wall where the grey chair was, perhaps on the table which is now behind the sofa?

Personally, not that you asked, I'd like you to lose the glass tables. Too much cold glass in this room.

As for the artwork, I think those are too much all together if for no other reason than the heavy frames. However, even framed as is, I could see the two smallest ones paired up somewhere, and ditto with the two mid-sized ones, with the largest going solo. I think on warmer walls they'd work quite well.

A note on alignment: although I think the idea may have been dropped once you revealed that window wall, it was suggested early on that you carry the molding over the bookcases through the room and over the doors. It appears, however, that the door is higher than the bookcase molding, and that, in fact, any number of things don't align in any way which I think the eye wants. I'd suggest you consider this when you place the artwork. If there's already a line nearby which is at an appropriate height, align one edge of the artwork first with that, and then if you're hanging a group of artwork, align frame edges with each other in some way.

How about a simple, large, deep-bevel-edge mirror over the fireplace?

I would definitely create some interest above the fireplace all the way to the ceiling. Could be something as simple as a board/batten look or maybe just panels. I'd use large art pieces as well. The room that is similar to yours is a good example. I'm not crazy about the stone, sorry, but I think something wood and painted white with a nice wall color behind it would be flattering.

The eye needs to be brought down. I love the third paint strip..the one to the right. I think its the warmer greys that will play off your art the best. I would say to not be afraid of darker colors than you think you might be comfortable with. You have allot of open space, I think it would feel good to bring it into a more intimate space.

Adrimama, your visual is priceless in terms of what we are all envisioning for this post. Very niiiiiice!

I didn't read everyone else's ideas but no doubt I would order a huge wall decal a clock decal in black and white photography . they can be found on line. Just type in wall decals.

Adrimama, I am seriously considering taking the brick all the way up as you showed yours is. I had that option, but was concerned it cut the room up...but now see with your iron how it works. Then my rug could go on the side wall lower? I am really wanting to get this right. Thanks for all of the help!

You can try the rug on the side wall placed lower if you'd like. If I did that, I would just make sure that all the edges of the rug are completely "tacked" down to make it look more finished. Also, I love your pops of YELLOW and think you should keep that going! For example, the large glass hurricane you have, fill it to the top with lemons (real or faux).

For furniture placement, have you tried reversing the sectional on the side wall where you currently have the chairs and then maybe trying the chairs on the window wall? Not sure how large the sectional is, though. If it juts too much from the wall, you can always try to "float" the sectional more in the center of the room instead of straight against the side wall.

Lastly, a massive area rug would look great in unifying the room as well. Your room is gorgeous though! Keep it up!

I like the idea with painting the room gray, just be sure to do a lighter gray. You really should take your rug off the wall and put it under your table, and perhaps extend your book shelves to make them taller, but you have to consider your budget, this is a good place to figure out your costs. http://budgetmybuild.co/about-us/