I made a poor choice. I didn't consider dimensions and comfort. My husband's tall, and the sofa's petite proportions are wrong for him. He doesn't like the thin arms, and it's too shallow and low. What's more, the fabric is pilled from our dogs nesting habits.

So, I'm chalking up this waste of money on furniture as a learning experience. Comfort, cleanability and durability are as important as style as color.

DIY is great.

What do you think of this sectional in leather. It's the Bennett from Ethan Allan. I would opt for straight arms. It's hard to find a leather sofa with reversible chaise/ottoman. If you know of a store that produces one, let me know.

Here are the issues I see: you want to modernize your furniture and make it more comfortable for all to sit in AND stylish as well. I also see from your picture that your kitchen appears to be a modern design so that helps with the whole "open" design. I would suggest you tear out the room divider that separates the family / dining room and make this one large space....make it feel more open. You will have to buy a new dining set to compliment your new family room furniture for consistency to your design space, especially in one very large room. You can keep the one chair with the floral print: just re-upholster this piece in a more contemporary print or a leather; I love to mix in some pieces like this with a contemporary sofa. Be careful in buying less expensive pieces like a sofa from some chain stores: they may look good but the insides are usually cheap and will wear out faster. Splurge on a good sofa....you will be happier in the long run with it. And with your family room larger now (with the wall divider out) you will need to purchase a larger area rug to go into your family room to make this room feel like its own room in the open space. And the vents that are in the wall divider can be moved. Good luck.

Here is another picture. There are no walls separating any of the rooms. I think what you're seeing is a small support column . I was thinking of replacing the dining room table with a tulip table and removing the cushions from the chairs to make that room look a little more modern.