Thanks so much for all of the ideas and input! The opening between the dining room/kitchen area from the living room we really love. This is a small house and it really opens up the area. Not to mention that there is no natural light in our dining room kitchen area so this allows the little bit we get from the front window into that area as well. It's not used as a pass through, as we have a long sideboard on the other side that we can use for serving dishes and such. Here is a picture of that side of the opening: (this was taken during a cookie decorating party we had at our house over the holidays) Moving the sofa to the other wall is an interesting idea. For some reason I never thought of it over there. I guess becuase it honestly isn't the longer wall of the 2. The room is more narrow than you might think. These pictures might give you a better idea of the space in the room. These were taken in our final walk through of the house before we got the keys. So, as you can tell we've changed a lot of the finishes. The view when you walk in the front door: (disregard the red cabinets and the floor and wall colors, all have been changed) Continuing around the room: So as you can see the far wall isn't that big. I'll have to measure but I don't even think there would be room for side tables beside the sofa if we put it on that far wall. Also, my husband and I are contemplating these chairs from craigslist: We can get them this evening for $50 for both of them, and I think that they might work in the color scheme of the front room. If not we could always slip cover them. We have no TV in this room to deal with. The tv is in our back den. Dilly_dally - you are right that there is a built in bookcase on one end of our Den, not the front living room. Here is a picture of the back den right now (obviously still in the process of decorating and moving in): Do these pictures change any ideas ya'll had? :) Or give you more ideas on how the room could be used or set up? Here are some inspiration pictures I had for the room originally: Obviously our room isn't just like the room in the picture and we want to make it our own and are limited to the furniture we already have, BUT I love the feel of the room pictured above. Thanks again!

I tend to choose mirrors over art. I like the way they play with light in our little cottage and reflect the outside views. I can count art on one hand, but I can't the mirrors! Mustang, your wall reminds me of something we did in our daughter's room. I started with them different finishes, but I ended up painting them all the same shade of white. It bounced the light beautifully. (BTW, I love looking at pics but am scared to death when it comes to sharing. This has always been our "we'll only be here awhile" house, so I've decorated with whatever I can find for pennies instead of what I want. Read: hodgepodge!) In our living room I've actually lost track of how many different mirrors we've used for a little while then moved. That room has great morning light, and I just can't help but fill it with mirrors. This was taken before everything was in the room, but...

Great ideas! Ronbre - yes it's a walk out basement, but the basement consists of a family room (with doorwalls to the outside) a bedroom and a bathroom. This room is the bedroom that only has a regular window. When you are facing the door the window is on the left. The room already has the aluminum mini-blinds (not the most attractive but they match the trim and certainly work to filter the sun. Depending on finaces we might get something better but they are functional. I saw a desk at Ikea that was like an L-shape. So that might be an idea. He could have one section of the L, under the window, then the other part would be perpendicular (90 degrees) out across the room. but because it's over to one side it would still allow plenty of access to the closets. The closet already has a closet organizer in it so with a few more shelves it might meets most of his storage needs. Suero - The door actually opens into the family room, which is great because it doesn't eat up any room in the guestroom/office. utahman - yes, this is going to be interesting. Our kids are older and in school all day, but I'm going to have to resist the temptation to talk to him all day. I'm currently back in school (doing an online program) so I tend to get lonely! Have to resist that urge! mjlb- never heard of the birth year aspect- I'll check that out. Right now I'm looking at finding a room size air purifier. We have a dry basement but there is something about it that both hubby and I find irritating down there (and neither of us has diagnosed allergies). I honestly think it's because we don't clean it as often as we should (becuase we don't use it much) and it's kind of dusty, and additionally I'm going to get the carpets cleaned and just generally deep clean the whole space. Thanks again!

IMO I would first solve the function issues you have outlined and then address the style issues you have requested. As with every design problem there may be compromises to get most of what you've listed, but function shouldn't be one of them. I've attached a layout and some examples of furnishings & unique equipment that may accommodate many of your requests. Please carefully think about keeping a frankly huge armoire, that you still have to spend time and money to refinish, to hold a printer that could reasonably fit on a small shelf. The printers seem to get smaller everyday as do the computers/laptops. How many of us got stuck with armoires to hold huge TVs? The local Goodwill where I live won't even take armoires anymore because no one wants them in their homes. That item in particular, from my perspective as a designer, is like fitting a square peg in a round hole. I often look to the RV industry to provide me with clever equipment that does double duty, like hidden work surfaces that can pull out of standard cabinets when needed, and slide away when not in use. I think you can assemble a workable room, with the special style you're looking for & even that special settee, but I would build in files and storage which is always needed, find a clever way to close away your DH clutter so you don't have to nag, & look for high tech items to help you reach you goals. Built in wall units are not inexpensive, but everything doesn't need to be custom. Cabinets from any modular kitchen cabinet manufacturer, even IKEA, could be used to assemble your workstations. Good Luck