I own several Hooker furniture bookcases and an armoire (2001) as well as a Riverside bedroom set (2003). Both have been moved several times and I have no complaints about either one! I should also note that the Riverside bedroom set was used in a rental property. I think both have held up very well over the years.

I don't have a room in my house large enough to accomodate these large entertainment centers, but if I did, I would grab them up in a heartbeat, even if I had to redo/add-to the shelving. If I had huge rooms here is what I would do: *Mudroom storage for gloves, coats, shoes, boots, sports equipment, cleaning supplies, etc. *Freestanding pantry *Clothing storage in bedroom *Linen storage/closet *Playroom storage if I had kids at home *Pretty garage storage *Potting shed for garage *Pretty basement storage *Craftroom/sewing organization Again these idea only work with the proper space (which I don't have) but many folks have more room than they know what to do with and are looking for the elusive organization ideas. Some of these are pretty in their original finish, but since most are practically being given away, what a great opportunity to get creative with different paint and faux finish ideas. Sigh! Sure would love to have the space.

I would definitely get rid if the mantle. It is too high above the fireplace surround. I agree that a large piece of art or your tv above the fireplace would be great. I really like that green we can see in the background of one pic. I would bring that into the living room and dining room. More substantial draperies would help and a pattern might be nice as long as it is something you love and won't tire of in the near future. One other idea would be to add a good-sized area rug in the living area even though you would be putting it over carpet. That could bring in enough color and pattern to pull everything together (still get heavier draperies though). Add a throw over the back of the chair or couch, a tall vase with flowers or tall fern fronds on the hearth, bowl with fruit or veggies on the table and go from there. Show us what you try! It is going to look great!

I took my pine tv cabinet from this: to this: I didn't want a solid, single color paint look, but something with more depth. The end result is just what I wanted, and was easy to do. The process is multi step but each step is easy and very forgiving, nothing needs to be perfect. You could do lots of different color combos - I'm planning some dining room pieces for this winter with a brown base and green on top. For the whole process step by step, click on the before picture above or follow this link. Here is a link that might be useful: TV Cabinet Re-do