Looks great! What a relaxing, lovely room.

Very inviting and quite elegant.

I do like this layout much better :)

Looks so fresh and colorful! Love all your things how you've carefully layered and arranged them. We have the same style fireplace, did you notice? Albeit two VERY different takes on that theme. But I too have a collection of Asian antique-ish art from my mom, although mine is Japanese. Anyway thanks for sharing your journey!

What a gorgeous home. Lucky you!

Glad you found your design! Looks wonderful. I can see what a great layout you've created for conversation.

Nice! The artwork over the secretary looks really good, too, sets it off well. I really like the round table between the love seat and the chair! It lets you angle the chair if you want for conversation with sofa-sitters or to gaze at the fire.

Don't you love it when you just "know"?

No kidding, it looks so much more open and in fact a bit larger. Nice job! Isn't it amazing how we can't see our own trees for the forest sometimes?

Lovely, lovely, lovely!!!!

I could just hug each and every one of you! Thank you so much for your supportive comments and admiration. I'm so glad you agree that it looks best this way. It somehow just feels absolutely right. Since the pictures I've moved the small table by the chair to the left side and I think it looks even better that way and I switched the figures by the lamps at each side of the couch from one side to the other, which I also like, but this is just minor fun tweaking. The basic layout is finally what it should be.

pink, I never noticed that your fireplace is similar to mine since I was concentrating on the couch, but the wood surround on yours does make it more elegant. I love the foo lion/dog on the hearth, but I wasn't able to see your Japanese pieces very well.

Perfect! I love the way your room is designed for conversation. It looks like a wonderful place to visit with family and friends; the way a living room should be. Very cool vibe too; doesn't look as if it's trying to impress; yet it does.. It's hard to achieve that, and you have done it!

It looks really good. Maybe center the desk under the abstract? It's off by just a bit.

Very, very nice. Classy, casually elegant, functional. Love the colors.

Ingrid, it looks awesome, and i'm mostly happy that it was *you* and your perspective of the room. We can offer our advice and you can give it a try, but in the end, you(and DH)are who live in the space. Congtatulations on a job well done! ;)

jjam, I'm so impressed by your comments. I hate meaningless ostentation, which I don't have the budget for anyway, but want this room to express who I am and what I love. What you've said and the way you said it shows that you understand what a room should be, and that you think I've achieved it. Thank you.

hoovb, you're quite right. When we had the rug installed things weren't moved back quite perfectly afterwards. Unfortunately my husband has pulled some muscles in his chest and that secretary weighs a ton. The chairs are off too, but I'm waiting for the poor man to recover before I put him to work again. He single-handedly moved almost all the furniture in this room and the two bedrooms, including a king-size bed and heavy dresser, so the carpeting could be installed.

nosoccermom, I love every word you've written. Many thanks.

Very nice, indeed!!

It looks beautiful, Ingrid. You are always so patient and helpful with others and I'm glad you got it all right in your own home.

Oh, well done, Ingrid! This arrangement is so much better and actually seems to open up the space and invite you in more than the old one. Looks like a wonderful room for enjoying friends and family, or just some quiet solitude. It's lovely!

Ingrid, you really nailed it! I love that you took your time and mulled over each choice and how open you were to suggestions, but in the end you found the perfect look. It is so serene and comfy and I feel like I just want to sink into one of your chairs and have a cup of coffee with you!

Thank you, both of you, and Linelle I'm touched by your gracious comment. I've received so much kind assistance here myself that I'm only too happy to try and help others.

I made a few changes as mentioned; the small rectangular table is now to the left of the chair, which makes for ease of access from the other side, and I found a rectangular porcelain tray that I thought might look better than a round plate to go on it. It's one of my favorites, and a rather rare piece. I also moved the ram, one of the Chinese zodiac signs, next to this lamp, along with a Tang nobleman. Both are figures excavated from ancient burial sites. Sorry about the electrical cord hanging down, must remember to tape to wall.

Yes, yes, yes! That looks marvelous. Well done. Now, sit down, relax, and enjoy. A glass of champagne would not be too much of a celebration. :-)

Very nice, Ingrid! I can see why this new arrangement makes you so happy.

Much much nicer. The other thing is that the pictures on the wall used to just hang there but now they're supported by the strength of the length of the sofa whereas before there was just a chair. I know it's a walk through-way but sometimes illusion is everything!

Very nice and welcoming!

Looks wonderful!

Oh, my yes! What a difference small changes can make, right? It looks much more cohesive and put together and welcoming. Really great.

I love what you have done. It's such a calming, elegant and inviting space. I prefer it without the area rug--your amazing art and china collections are really the stars of the show now. Well done!

Your new room makes me smile, it is very inviting. Great work!

Dear people, I treasure every word you've written. I can't thank you enough but consider yourself hugged tightly!

Bravissimo!!! I love it when the light bulb goes on and we figure it out. Well done and beautiful

Hi, Ingrid! I've followed your decorating dilemmas but always found the discussions well after you had received a multitude of feedback responses.

Your home is beautiful and I'm so glad you've discovered a solution with your existing furnishings. I hope your hubby recovers quickly. Enjoy your "new" spaces. :)

patty, TurquoiseRose and Holly-Kay, I somehow missed your comments the first time around and I'm glad I spotted them now. I'm reading everything again and it's even sweeter the second time around. It's just overwhelming.

zsmith, we posted at the same time; I'm glad you like the outcome. Thank you for your good wishes for my husband's recovery.

It's perfect, except I think you need an area rug to anchor it all. Ha ha! JUST KIDDING!!! I do love what you've done; it's a beautiful room. The tweaks made it perfect.

TBH I was worried about your rug in one of your old posts. I don't know what you did exactly, but it really looks so nice. There is something very pleasant and genuine about it. Enjoy!

It looks great! I love every thing about it! Great job!

I love it! Are you going to have a party and show it off?

And you're very welcome. ;)

Wow! It looks great! I bet you are relieved to have it just how you wanted it!

Ingrid sorry to hear your gallant husband got injured. Hope he heals up quick, in case there are any roses to plant. ;^)

Just wondering, are you familiar with furniture sliders? They are these little things you can slip under each leg or foot of furniture and push the item around to move it. A version for hard floors and version for carpets. I use them a lot. Available at big box stores. On hardwood I am just very careful that the floor is immaculate and the sliders are also, to avoid any chance of a scratch.

Love it—It's so charming and inviting! Now relax and enjoy!

Nice job - it looks so welcoming and comfortable. I'd love to spend time in a room like that. :)

I'm enjoying all the additional comments; one just cannot get enough of praise. It never gets boring! hoovb, thanks for the good wishes for hubby. Yes, he does have two more roses to plant. He did use sliders, but thank you for that helpful tip. I'm afraid placing and replacing area rugs didn't help. The two big chairs are almost impossible to move and you can't use sliders on them.

Olychick, you're so bad! Please do not mention area rugs for at least a year. I think the right one is lovely on wood floors but I'm not so sure that they work or look well on a thick carpet. I really like the less cluttered look right now.

Looks great but if it FEELS right, then it is!!

I'm glad you have found what makes you happy and can enjoy it now. The before was more open -- like here's a spot to all sit down -- easy to come sit together. The after says "now stay a while and let's talk." Make sense?

That looks so nice! It's very warm and welcoming!

lascatx, I do know what you mean. It's a bit like circling the wagons around when an Indian attack is imminent. The good thing is that nothing is bolted to the floor and I can change the look without too much trouble.