Hi, and welcome! Those floors, and the stairs, what a great space you have. I see that the two windows flanking the fireplace are reminiscent of Arts and Crafts. So any builtin cabs you make, put doors with the four-square look to them. And of course a flat panel if you do a TV. Hide it behind a pair of doors.TV to the LEFT of fireplace, since traffic will be walking or stranding in front of the RIGHT side of the fireplace. If you do decide to lower the cabs adjacent to the fireplace, relate the top height of them to the height of the firebox, so the eye makes a straight line across that wall and it will be much more satisfying. Long lines can add size to a small space. You decide, low or high, but make the line long and continuous. I think the sofa really needs to be very small scale, and you might find a loveseat like one I got from Boston Interiors. It has plain legs, but think about the furniture not being large, and chairs not having skirted bottoms, so that more of the floor shows. It tells the eye there is more open area. I would consider a modern looking wingback chair or maybe two. Stay away from the Queen Ann style dining chairs, which is what the former owner had. It is not suitable for a younger male resident. Too really old fashioned. More appropriate for your grandma, don't ya know. I'd say if you got parsons chairs for your dining area, then two of the chairs could serve in the LR by the windows. It is easy to pick up different colored slip covers for parsons chairs, with or without long skirts. If you are the kind likes to entertain formally, then a special set of slip covers for such occasions might be worth considering. If you go with the smaller table beneath the larger window, make it a type of tea table. That could serve as a breakfast or coffee spot, and give you a chance to observe what is going on outdoors on your street....that is, if you are facing a street with a sidewalk? Pretty interesting way to become acquainted with the style of your street. Make your dining area work hard too. Do not forget to put at least ONE storage piece in the dining area. But no big buffet. A skinny 60" long parsons table against the wall with a floating shelf arrangement above it would be a good way to create display space without restricting yourself to a set wall hanging. Such a table works as a serving space in the dining, or any number of ways in the LR. If need be, a nice place to also use baskets beneath it for hidden storage. Look for a skinny vertical piece with or without doors to display artwork or pretty large serving bowls in it. We will wait while you give us a tour of the other floors, where are the bathrooms. I bet two baths, right? Do they have original ceramic tile? Wainscoting up high or woodwork like at the mantle wall? How cool your new house must be. And is the upper floor, the third level, where you have a master? Does it have small closets and a bath on that floor? Is it tucked under the eaves, or are ceilings full height? If you have a space with slanted ceilings, then that is a good space for a headboard, or a chest that can fit with it. Or, a desk and book shelves or a console. Whatever you do, enjoy the experience. The first house I bought, I had only a pair of wicker chairs and a cypress coffee table. I rattled around in that place like a bee-bee in a washpot for a long time. So many options. Do not buy a lot of stuff just to fill it up. That will happen soon enough. And if you have a lot of friends, watch out for them.....they will want to feel GOOD about giving away their old stuff so they can feel GOOD about buying NEW for themselves. :) Enjoy. We realize how much fun it is to begin with a blank slate. Oh yeah. No recliners in the living room. That goes in the study or den. If you are single, it will favorably impress your dates. A second thought here. It might be a good idea to locate that 20" TV in the kitchen, or somewhere in the dining room that can be seen from the kitchen. Also, think about mounting it on an articulating arm that can be swiveled toward the LR, or made visible from the kitchen. If you have friends over to cook and watch a game, will they be in the kitchen with you? Is there room for that? How many of them will there be USUALLY? And do you need to have a counter space devoted to kibitzing guests with stools that can be tucked away? Is it possible with the current setup? Is the kitchen unfitted enough that you could have a rolling tall island with space for 2-3 stools and a second person helping with cooking chores? Enough already. Glad you dropped in. See ya later.

I'm so glad I found this forum! You ladies are wonderful. I'm going to make some of the changes today (along with cleaning house, lol) and I'll post another picture later to show the progress. My son helped me build this little house (632 square feet) after my husband died about 5 years ago. I have decorated, undecorated, changed colors, and literally worked myself into a frenzy the past year trying to get it "right". I'm a thrift store, g/sale junkie and have accumulated so many decorating things (throw pillows, curtains, pictures etc) that will not work, and it's time to clear them out, and start anew. I really appreciate your help and suggestions, they're helping so much! And Barb, the curtains have always been a mystery with me. I've never been able to get the right look. Your ideas are really good, but I think I'm going to wait until I get the furniture, etc rearranged and step back and see how it looks, before making a decision. I live alone, a very casual lifestyle, the house being a little wood cabin style on the edge of the woods. I actually like the open look at the windows so I can see the trees, squirrels, etc, so don't want to get it very formal, if that makes sense, lol. I saw some wheat colored simple long linen panels at our newly opened "Dirt Cheap" store last week that interested me. I'd like something I can pull back during the day to let in the woodsy view. Just some thoughts to ponder. I have the black loop clips to match the black rods (somewhere, lol) Again, thank you all! And I'll report back soon as I make some changes. Jo Ann

Hi- More pictures of the rest of the room would be good. Maybe a slender table along the wall with simple decorations like candlesticks or those orchids? This is also a good place for a wall hanging or beautiful rug hung as art. If you do a wall hanging you might skip a table. It would be too crowded. I would favor the rug on the wall and then you can scootch the couch back a bit and get more room in front of it.

I would like to begin saying that I love the minimalist aesthetic you have. I’m a less is more person and I don’t like random artwork for the sake of filling walls. With that said, I’d like to see more color warmth on the walls. The buttery white is making it too stark. Have you considered painting? I would try the sectional against the buffet wall to free up the window, and add your teal accents into the window treatment. Eliminate the glass table or move it between the chairs. Add more unique floor lamp lighting near the couch. The buffet can then be moved to the kitchen wall.