I think you want a trendy great room! Open spaces are in fashion. Most newer homes have them. I would remove that wall, especially if that is what you want. We have a great room in our current home. No wall divides the kitchen and living/family room. We love it! It's perfect for entertaining. When you entertain, everyone wants to be in the kitchen, but with a great room, they can be anywhere in the space, and still feel included. We have one of those open walls too in our new remodel (not done yet), and I wish the wall wasn't there, but it is not near the kitchen, and only open to the entry, so it will stay even though that opening is a dust collector, and too narrow to be of any use at all. To separate our current living space from the kitchen, we have a double reclining sofa/loveseat, so 4 recliners. Two desk consoles act as sofa tables, and hold our computers. If there is a fire in the fireplace, it can be enjoyed from anywhere as can the TV. I will miss the great room in our new home, but we still are living here till the reno is done. Suzi

avesmor - thanks so much for your detailed response. I'll talk to DH about the rug! In the last photos the chair is facing the tv and I agree that this set up works better. The ottoman takes up a lot of room and we really don't use it so maybe that will find another room to live in. I can't keep any plants alive either (not even cacti survive my erratic over and under watering!) but maybe I'll look into getting some plants there. I have my eye on a large antique green glass fishing ball, and I might bring the color in that way. Bronze or metal sculptures are a great idea and I really like Allison's bookends. We have horse property (no horses yet) and a rustic ranch style house so that's more of our style. I'm going to keep my eye out for these during my flea market/antique shopping. Unfortunately, the sofa can't go back farther to accomodate the fireplace or even be turned toward it because there are walkways right behind both couches that connect the great room, the living room and the dining room. The footprint of this house doesn't work well so I'm a bit limited with furniture placement. It's an older house that's been added onto over time without any great master plan in mind! Our front doors used to open right into the great room so we included a foyer in our addition to address that, but it would have been just too much money if we were to change the whole footprint of the house. As an afterthought I wondered if we should have put the entertainment wall right next to the fireplace, which would have been much better for seating, but we would have lost a lot of light if we eliminated the large window. The fireplace isn't done yet and it's just a bit of a dumping ground right now! Nothing except maybe the floor candles will stay. I may try a mirror but it could just reflect the pillar between the couches. I like the idea of a basket with kindling although we are going to install the gas logs (my house smells like a campfire for days after a real wood fire, for some reason). We don't need window coverings for privacy reasons, but I was thinking about using linen panels - until we installed the trim. Now that I see the craftsman style details on top of the windows that I love so much I'm having a change of heart about covering them. The media unit does come in separate pieces but the three sections aren't intended to be separated. The crown molding on top of each section fits together like a puzzle and the sides of the bases are constructed in a way that you can clearly see each is meant to be connected to the other. Maybe we could put something on each side of the unit like plants or sculpture to break up the wood instead. Whew - that was a lot of detail - thank you!

What a great space to have for you and your family! Unfortunately, I don’t think the current blue throw pillows are doing anything beneficial. To warm up the space, it would help to actually add in some warm colors. Think fire: red, yellow, orange, or a variation thereof. Try googling images such as “gray couch peach accents”, “gray couch green accents” (green can lean warm, too.) Find an image that really resonates with the feel that you want your space to convey. This can give you a better idea of what to look for when you do go shopping. You have a fantastic neutral base to build on, so don’t be afraid to add some bold colors, pattern, or textures. I realize these images don’t lean very “Farmhouse”, but hopefully they’ll give you some ideas of just how much you can add to your space and bring it to life. Have fun! ETA: Link to google pictures of Farmhouse, gray couch, turquoise accents.

I love the accent wall. Your couch is definitely too big for the space. Normally I would suggest that you change the swing of the couch but because it would be right up against your peninsula I'd leave it the way it is. You have the right idea to add a chair but again it just feels tight because the couch is too big. Your shelving feels a little busy. This can be easy fixed! By putting the shelves all the way against the wall (on the sides) it gives the illusion that there's not enough space for them. Also, you've over loaded every shelf, so it's a bit heavy on the eyes. One of the best tips I could give you is texture and layering. You never want everything on the shelf to be the same, whether the same type of object or the same height or the same color. You can add visual texture by picking objects that are different. Ex: a small green plant next to a large silver picture frame, next to a medium sized white box.