I would first of all choose a larger and more colorful rug. It should go under the sofa and under chairs that should be put near the couch. By the way, I do think you need a new couch that will look good with the color of your new gray chairs. Perhaps blue, a darker gray, red. It's your choice, as long as it goes with the new rug and the chairs. I would remove the shelf over the gray chairs and put a nice painting there. I would paint the piece of furniture to the right of the chairs white.

With no drapes on the windows you need a rug that makes a statement, and also colorful art on the wall to create a cozy atmosphere. Get new pillows that go with the carpet and your new couch and the gray chairs. The sofa is really the odd man out here in terms of color.

I'm sorry to say that your overhead light are harsh and glaring. You need several lamps, perhaps one floor lamp and two table lamps. The room will immediately look more inviting and warm.

I would also get a rug for under the dining table. Chose polypropylene which you can hose off. Make sure it coordinates with the family room rug. The TV console is much too short, it needs to be much longer to look right. I would also choose a lighter color for a softer effect. Please get rid of that dark cube thing on the floor and get a proper coffee table. Also side tables that shouldn't match the coffee table, and don't have to match each other. Have books and magazines in the room, and with all those doors there should be good lighting for a large plant or two.

Ingrid, Thanks! I agree with a lot of your points. The brown box on the floor is a storage ottoman turned toy box and isn’t staying in the room. TV and console are also leaving the room. I love the plant idea. Any types you recommend? The doors receive strong morning light.

the walls do need art but I’m unsure about where to put them. The back wall, where tv and console currently are, needs something..

lighting does look really harsh here. I’m afraid it’s the new recessed light bulbs. I will switch them back. I believe chairs/couches shouldn’t be pushed up to walls, therefore lighting in terms of lamps is a little tricky.

Where would you suggest couch placement? On the same wall?

just off the bat...remove all those chairs by the tv. keep one. get a large wood console and mount the tv to the wall. in the corner do a nicer chair, some type of art above that.

you also need an actual coffee table or larger ottoman. that black one you have does not work in there.

I would never hide those beautiful doors. you need to switch around this arrangement.

if you could do a sofa that floats away from those doors or turn it so it faces the tv wall, and put two chairs where the sofa is now,,,better. get a proper coffee table or some type of fabric ottoman.

art over the fireplace. pick some sort of picture (not photos,,) canvas art or something cool.

new rug. I don't know what your taste is, so I just plugged in a few choices.

Beth H- the TV will be leaving the room. What would you put on that wall? I agree with the brighter, more colorful rug.

Manon- I love your layout. What would be the correct area rug size based on the floor plan? Any ideas for the low/long bookshelf or cabinets? I can’t picture what it would look like with the 9’ ceilings.

Please do make the rug as large as possible so that all the furniture is on it. The pinkish red rug above with a bit of gray in it would be perfect. Make it dramatic and beautiful so that the whole room is gorgeous. This is one I recently bought and it's actually in our entry room, and the colors are wrong for you, but it's just to illustrate that bigger is better.

For the area rug, you'll want it to be big enough to accommodate the seating arrangement. It looks like a 9 x 10 or 10 x 12 area rug would fit. What is the size that you currently have?

If you can spare the muscle, arrange the seating as in the diagram I provided. Tweak as necessary. If your current rug doesn't fit under at least the front legs of your seating, it's too small. Then take some painter's tape and mark out the corners of the rug that will fit the seating arrangement. That will be the size you want.

The cabinet will be pretty long. You may have to get two and nestle them side by side for a total of 8' or 9'. Take a look at some IKEA's book shelves. They have doors that can be added as well.

With a nicely curated wall featuring large scale art, conceptually it will look something like this:

Ingrid, I now understand what you’re saying about the rug. I think the fact that the room is attached to the kitchen/breakfast area makes me second guess the size of the rug. Did you say before that all the furniture should be on it? I’m looking at your entry - should just the front legs be in the rug or the whole sofa? We have hardwood in there and want to show it off a little.

Manon- the rug is 7’7”x 10’10”. It seems I may need a bigger rug!

I love the idea of this look you presented. I would like to put more than one piece of art on the wall though. How would you arrange that? Also, the vent is such an eyesore. Any ideas on improving it without hindering its function?

You can either have the furniture completely on it or just the front legs; it's your choice. I prefer all the furniture on it if you have a large room with a large rug, but it's not a necessity. A metal and glass coffee table will also show off the rug and will make the whole area look larger.

Yes, sunkissed42 - it sounds like you need a larger rug. Do try the painter's tape trick. Ingrid provides sound options for positioning the area rug.

For arranging two pieces of art on the wall, it really comes down to what is aesthetically pleasing to your eye. Some things to keep in mind are balance, sizes, subject matter, medium (oils, water color, etc.), color and/or framing for a composition that is intentional and cohesive.

following

QUESTION: what height should they be? There will be the two gray armchair recliners in front of them - much like Manon’s last picture idea. Should I go with 37” high or 51”? Is there a better option of one over the other?

I would go with the 37" height. It's a friendlier height for a seating area and will allow you to see any objects you put on it while seated - without having to crane your neck. I like your idea of solid, glass, solid. I I think it's going to be great!

@Manon Floreat - do you think the low height would be okay with the 9 foot ceilings? That is a main concern.

Hi, sunkissed. Yes, I think the lower height will be fine with the ceiling height. Don't forget that you will have lamps and art atop the units. They will address the vertical concerns you have.

@Manon Floreat another question: the width of the two cabinets varies considerably hemnes is 47” where brimnes is 30”. The wall feels like it could hold 12’ of cabinet to make the solid/glass/solid door feel. With the brimnes you recommend I go with for height - three cabinets would barely make 9’. Is that going to be too short on such a long wall?

I initially estimated about 8-9' for total length. What is the length of the wall - between the two red lines?

@Manon Floreat it is shy of 14’. I feel like I would go 12’ max to not cover the fireplace from any angle. What do you Think?

Hi, sunkissed. On second thought I think the Brimnes is too tall. In my mock-up the idea was to have the storage unit to serve as an impromptu place for a person to set a drink or an appetizer plate if they are seated in one of your gray arm chairs. Basically, a credenza height. A height of 37" may make that uncomfortable. So, I'm leaning towards a total height of about 30".

The EKET series has some good options. The first one is just over 10' wide. The second is 11 1/2' wide. Both are just over 31" tall.

Here's a mock-up of scale to show you how the height would differ. For reference the chairs are 35 3/4" tall.