Another vote to remove. They look too clustered up there and stop the eye from moving around the room.

After seeing your before photo with the armoir, I understand why you feel the new break front needs height., but it really doesn't. One suggestion I would make is to lower the pictures so that the tops are even with the break in the breakfront. I think that would help balance the new height difference better.

I would like it better without the vases...but I love the vases. Just an idea to try: How would the large vases look placed on the floor in front of that gorgeous side table with the ships on them - you could see them from both sides and the colors look like they go so well with your rug and that gold chair. I want to see those vases used somewhere :).

I'd remove them. They're distracting.

Remove them all. I want to say that I agree with blfenton that you don't really need anything there. The wall is a statement all on its own.

Looks so much better without them.

Remove them. Live with nothing up there for a while. You are use to having a taller piece of furniture, it will take a while to get use to something shorter. Pretty room.

Definitely better without them! Not that you asked, but I think the two little pieces next to the cabinet -- the chair and the stool -- should go elsewhere, too. Sorry, usually it bugs me when people complain about something the OP didn't even ask about, but I can't help myself. ;)

I would take down the two large ones and use on the floor. But I like the smaller ones and would probably add a couple more smaller ones. But that is my style and I like vases and have a big collection.

I would start with removing them all. I would also either lower the artwork as others have suggested or how about stacking two in each of the outer panels? It appears that the middle two pieces are not centered within your trim but rather between the trim and the edge of the breakfront. That's bothering me. Live with it for a while before adding anything back on top. Beautiful room!

Those in particular yes, but I'm not adverse to a matching pair on each end and maybe something coordinating in the center, but I happen to like layering.

I would not have anything on that breakfront due to the crown it already has. If it were not there..then maybe. Something on the side tops..maybe but the vases aren't speaking to me.

No, nothing! That is an exquisite piece, and the gorgeous carved wood at the top needs to stand alone. You can accessorize the interior all you want! :)

They are too close in appearance not to be perfect pairs.

OK, well they are coming off since vote is overwhelmingly in favor of remove! They are heavy so I need help, otherwise I'd remove now and post an updated pic :)

I will see if I find other vases I like and try them either on the sides or along the top and sides. In the meantime, I will live with nothing on top and see if I can get used to the shorter furniture.

I will move those other vases to a floor somewhere in the house if I can find space. I don't think they would work at the base of that other table b/c the base of that table has beautiful carvings and I don't want to cover them.

I attempted the lowered picture look this afternoon, but they looked really funny because they are centered with the picture frame molding right now. My mother-in-law held them up for me at the lower height and they looked really off due to no longer lining up in the center of the picture frame molding (which my father-in-law was happy to hear since he's my official picture hanger and he was going to be moving them!)

I also tried it w/o the chair and stool and I definitely think that wall looks empty (and I can't move the breakfront but it's brand new with nowhere else to go so it's not getting moved anyway)... I guess I err on the side of more furniture rather than less :) The stool was also a gift and I have no place else to put it so I wouldn't want to get rid of it!

Thanks to everyone for the comments- looks like I did get massively out-voted since me and my mother-in-law were the only ones in the family who liked them up there and all of you guys said no too :)

You should ultimately do what you like, the masses don't live there!

Your FIL will be thrilled to know that I wouldn't touch the height of the pictures. The tops actually seem to line up with the top of the swoop-down of the break front (Like my technical terms?) They don't line up with the top of the sides but rather the next level up which I think looks good. It allows everything to fit together.

You have a great eye for placing your furniture. (I tend to err on the side of less furniture).

The trimmed walls and the 4 wall hangings are linear and evenly spaced so I can see why you liked unexpected height provided by vases. But I'm in the small camp that thinks the beautiful break front shouldn't be there as the wall with pics is enough. BF armoire looks "heavy" to me. Maybe something narrower and tall like a grandfather clock might achieve what you were going for. But maybe you don't have a GF clock.

Also not loving diff color cases, might be better to be all blue like in this pic

rats anybody else unable to download pics from phone

Bumblebeez SC Zone 7, most of the family didn't like them... so I was going to post here and see if I could get reinforcements for my position of liking them... which failed, LOL :)

blfenton, that's what my MIL said, that they line up better where they are b/c they line up with the swoop thing.

bossyvossy, we have a grandfather clock in the corner of the kitchen and we love it there... but don't want another one b/c this room is right off the kitchen so we'd have competing chimes!

Glad you will be removing the vases, which are loverly, btw. The juxtaposition between their hefty, solidness and the light and delicate breakfront is not a positive one. I love that gorgeous piece in that location - looks fabulous, and I can see why you've given it a home. I also like how the curved back of the sofa is echoed in the breakfront's curved top.

I know I'm late to the game, but my vote would also be to remove them. It looks took cluttered, like you ran out of places to put them and just stuck them up there. They're beautiful together. I'm sure you can find another spot for them.

So glad you decided to remove them. IMO they are just too big and off scale for the furniture. I would leave it without anything. In my previous home I had a more country style cabinet and it was always decorated on top but in this case I say your beautiful art and moldings speak for itself.

Poor Beagles! Sorry we didn't back you up ... next time give us a hint if we should vote a certain way so that the men don't get the idea that they know how to decorate!! ;-)

LOL, chispa, I didn't want to rig the game.

My DH beat me on that color test that someone posted a while back on garden web so I've learned not to actually show him any threads any more :)

Here it is de-vased:

And what do you guys think of the vases here in the corners by the columns? I'm not sure if they are too small for this space or if they don't work b/c they don't match each other?

I think I would leave it de-vased. The beautiful wall detail is more noticeable and you notice the pictures more as well.

For the vases by the columns, I would swap them and repost the photo. I think the blue will pop against the white on the left and the white stand out on the left

Looks soo much nicer without the vases on the breakfront. I like the vases near the columns, but I agree they should be switched with each other.

Off

too cluttered by the columns

Beautiful home. Much better with the vases removed from the breakfront. Could you try the two vases next to each other on the floor by one of the columns? Put one in the back on a small book or something to make it a bit taller. Just a thought. Maybe even add a smaller third one. Good luck!

The vases came from my parent's house (which has been sold). There's probably not a good place for them here, but I wanted to try to find a spot.

Maybe I can move them into other rooms. We're running out of space!

Put them back on top, hehe.

No vases by the columns, they'd look so much better in my house. :)))

I always love getting glimpses of your gorgeous home.

I think both by the columns look too much, but one will likely look fine. I would use it as an umbrella/walking stick stand since I currently use my vase which about that size for that purpose, and I love how it looks.

I think I would like the vases beside each other somewhere (near a hearth? or maybe both by the right hand column?) but I think your room looks much more crisp and pleasing without them atop the breakfront.

LOL, bumble and anitamo.

I will try one by the columns, and also see if I have room by any of the fireplaces for the vases to go. Maybe they just don't have a place here and they can go down to the Florida house or something...

put the vases on the sides of the sideboard in the DR ... and put some tree sticks in them. Wah Lah!!

I'm gonna split difference hear the photo without the base give perfectly straight line with the art ( a little predictable). The vases on the breakfront broke that contuous line. Have you tried just the 2 large vases with " white space" between them

Breakfront is sooo much better with a clear top!

Those pictures just to the left & right of the breakfront, though... off center & cramped up against the breakfront. Also, they all look hung high - I'm a big believer in hanging pictures at eye-height, so if your family is very tall... maybe. They all look high to me, and the two closest I'd hang just below the ones on either side of them.

Love the breakfront topless. Also, although not asked, I would either lower all four pieces of artwork, having top of frame level with top of side windows in breakfront, or leave at the current height and stack the artwork. Currently you have a very thin horizontal line of artwork displayed on a long wall of wide vertical pieces/spaces your breakfront and trim work. I think lowering or stacking your artwork would look more cohesive with your breakfront. Lovely room in a loverly home....

Thanks :)

I've tried the art in different locations along the wall (height wise) and I don't really like it anywhere except centered with the picture-frame moulding boxes. In person, it is also more apparent that it lines up w/ the top swoop of the breakfront... so I don't think it looks as off in person as it does in pictures. I don't have enough paintings right now to stack, but if I find more, that might be a possibility in the future. With only one in each of the molding areas, though, they really do need to be centered height-wise with the molding or it looks weird!

They look best where they are because they're framed within a frame. Move them and yes it will look weird.

I prefer it without the vases because they distract from that pretty crown.

I tend to be a more-is-less type of person. Looks to be a better than average ceiling heigh, so maybe that's your concern? I could envision a blue/white ginger jar on each end, or something similar, at least 14" tall, and not too thin. Definitely in a blue/white color though.

The tall pieces -- would look good on the floor somewhere, or on a low shelf. There could be another home for the smaller vases, too. This will bring out the lovely breakfront. When I saw the first photo, I just pictured those vases tumbling off and breaking.

I don't agree with lowering the artwork on the walls. They're nicely centered. Leave them be!

Much better without. Looks great!

Yup, the high ceiling and low(ish) cabinet was my concern. I've pretty much gotten used to the lower height now and it doesn't seem off to be any more w/o the vases on the top.

What if you stacked the photos in the "outer" mouldings? It would mean leaving the "inner" moldings empty, but that will eliminate the need to hang the art off-center to accommodate the new wider breakfront.