Thanks everyone for the compliments and good wishes! We can't believe how well it turned out either. We agonized a lot over which seating to order. Even though we played around with layouts on paper, I was worried that the theater seating group would be too big but I really wanted 3 seats there. The room feels much more spacious with the new seating then with the old couch - I think that's partly its a visual illusion because this one looks less bulky and partly the Space is less deep than on the old couch with its bulky cushions. mtnfever, the Couch Color pageant definitely helped us get clarity on the right color. For those who missed it, I highly recommend the approach of making large samples of a color to consider instead of trying to imagine with a tiny sample chip. I'll link the thread below for those who didn't see it. We knew we wanted to get rid of the hearth when we bought the house decades ago, but it took a long time to get around to it. On the other hand, I don't think we would have made as good decisions if we had replaced it back then. Bcafe, in the stores, they use the Stressless name and logo more than the Ekornes one so it would be easy to think that the company wasn't around. They still have the Ekornes non-reclining couches and chairs too. The website is www.ekornes.com/us. Enduring - yes it wasn't in scale and was way too dark. Even more, I hated it because it was fake stone. It always looked really fake to me though I've had others who were sure it was real stone. Gooster, yes all the front speakers are behind speaker cloth sections in the cabinets. The center is between the two drawers of the credenza; left and right on pull out shelves in the far left and right cabinets. The subwoofer is the black box on the floor and the rear speakers are white and mounted near the ceiling - you can see one in the first picture. Yes, we moved the fireplace to the right - doing so was only slightly more work than tearing out the hearth and installing a new one where the old one was. The hearth was fake stone on a metal mesh backing over a wood frame so that was much easier to remove than it looks like it would be. There wasn't a solid brick or stone chimney - just a flue pipe to remove and this is on an inside wall - the works were all in the empty space between the faux stone and an interior wall - so there was no external chimney to move to match except a little box on the roof. This is a one story which also makes moving things easier - the main work of moving it was patching the old hole in the roof and making a new one for the new flue to go through. We had moved it too far to be able to slant the flue to reach the old hole. When our GC took out the old hearth, there were some surprises. A joist had been cut for the old flue to go through the ceiling and it hadn't been sistered or anything - just two joist ends hanging in space in the ceiling. Our GC repaired that. There were electrical outlets on the bottom of the hearth and there were wire junctions just hanging in space inaccessible under the heart where the wiring was connected to wires from the wall. The fireplace was apparently a very early addition to the house poorly done. The TV is 65" - the size was chosen to be big enough that text viewed from the couch when using the screen for the media computer would be about equivalent to looking at text on a desktop computer screen. Also it works nicely for viewing while cooking and yet isn't overwhelming from the couch. The gap could accommodate a 73" screen, but I prefer having a little space around the screen. CEFreeman, the knobs took a lot of thought and work. He has made things like bowls and salt shakers before but never has made things that need to match as a large set. I came up with an initial design for the profile after seeing something similar in a magazine and then he made some initial variations so we could perfect the diameter, height and shape details. Then he made about twice as many as we would need since these are done freehand and the wood also varies. I sorted them into matched pairs and we used the best matches on the pairs of doors where the knobs are right next to each other in the wide cabinet and the credenza. We also put matched pairs on the left and right opening tall cabinets in case they are ever in a room where they are right next to each other. He also repairs furniture and is the only reason we still can use the rather fragile dining table chairs we have. But he does full time day care for our youngest grandchild so I only get so much project time from him. Bellsmom!! Yikes - so that's why we had to replace the hearth - to keep trolls from hiding there. I love your concept - so did my husband. (The eyes were elevations I made of our plans for the wall. When I asked about vertical blinds on the Home Decorating forum, there were a lot of people who were anti-vertical, but for the windows and style of this house, I think they are the best solution. Part of some peoples objections were based on cheap industrial metal verticals. These ones have fabric laminated to plastic for the vanes so they are quieter. We popped for the backstaker option so when partially open the stacked vanes are at the edge of the windows. We also like that the blinds can be tilted to block sun when needed while still letting us see the yard and monitor grandchildren on the patio. Marti8a, we chose to keep the same wood for the cabinets as in the kitchen - natural cherry - because we already have several woods in the area - maple floor, oak breakfast table and counter stools and some dark unidentified wood for some of the original built-ins and breakfast room doors. To differentiate them from the kitchen cabinets (because I didn't want the family room to look like the kitchen had extended into it), so we chose a different door style - a more sophisticated mitered corner raised panel instead of shaker, but still with simple lines and furniture style knobs instead of big kitchen ones. Here is a link that might be useful: Couch Color thread

I am posting a room to see what finished looks like and so you can see if there are any concepts you can transfer to your room....your room looks perfect but maybe you need some surprises..... the room below has an interesting orb type chandelier which is what you want to add, so good there, the rug has texture and contrast, which you want to add, there is some interesting mirror placement that add sparkle; maybe small mirrors on either side of the art work or above the curtain panels.....but add sparkle somewhere in the room for contrast.....thinking antiqued mirror or lamp shade? The mantle is great done in silver and bronze paint, and I like the carved wood for texture and the red flowers to match the curtains and art work for a spot of color....nothing very big, except the unique chandelier, just a nice mix....oh and love the leather ottoman, in a deeper color that reiterates the wall color, a nice room and it might inspire you to add small thoughtful pieces as you go along....oh and love the rug that was suggested; it will be the bomb I hope.....lastly I know you have curtains, but maybe an interesting tape on the leading edge in a patterned design to add some life to the curtains....your room looks safe but added touches will enliven it up and give it some contrast and oomph.....love the TV stand! Genius!

I agree with Mr. Mark, because colors are sensitive to light and surrounding colors, you really would benefit from in-person consultations. That said.... Gutters will probably be dark brown to match roof a close as possible, but completely unsure of what to do with the downspouts! Downspouts should (generally) match the body of the house. :-) If the stucco is slightly off-white, will bright white trim and doors look alright? I wouldn't. Off-white tends to look tired/aged, if not outright dingy/dirty, next to bright white.

Ah, now I see the pictures. It is a tricky space, but I think you can get the drama you want. So many options will come your way from other readers. A strong tactic would be to choose a rich wall color that you love. Right now you are tending toward a monochrome sepia tone in everything. Years ago, someone told me that a dark space can sometimes be made really dramatic by making it darker, and I've used that advice several times with wonderful results. Over the years I've redeemed dark spaces with rich red, cobalt blue, emerald green, paprika, eggplant purple, deep rose, etc. Every house seems to have a hopelessly dark spot. The first brush-strokes of paint always make me gasp in horror at what I've chosen, but when done and the furnishing put back in place, the effect has always been deeply satisfying. Textiles can be the hardest to find. Perhaps start with a fabric you love for the bench and choose a color from it for the wall. The bench is small, incidental, so don't be shy; choose something that makes your heart sing, and don't worry about it being too this or too that, or what others will think. This is for you! Of course, lighting is important, both for safety in a stairwell and for enhancing the effect. I notice in your sample photo of a house you admire, there are black shades. These are extremely effective in enriching the whole effect, something you can do with chandeliers or table lamps or yes, even on wall sconces. Take your time, picture all sorts of options, and then plunge in. It's mostly just a can of paint and a single day of painting. And, if you don't like it, it is just a single day to paint over it with a new color (which I confess I've done a few times on the way to getting a color right). Best wishes for coming up with something you love, and I hope this message is followed by lots of creative ideas from others. :-)