"...The kitchen/bath designer just spec'd it in and we had no idea of the possible consequences...." Most desingers have no clue how to set tile. How to prep for tile. What is required. I stopped listening to designers years ago. Now I work with builders and clients designers but I do not set any tile I do not want. If the designer says. I want a flush transition from the hall to the tile I act cheeky and ask how should I install that? I ask them questions like "So you don't want a crack isolation membrane and you are happy with tiling over the old plywood?" If they say yes then I ask them to bring in their tile guy and ask why am I here? People think that tile men have the clients best interest at heart when the truth is most times they are looking to only please the builder or the designer since this is the source of their income. You need to be careful here. Some of the worst mistakes I have seen have come from the designer making stupid calls and the trades just following them.

Hi Laura- I am not sure why you are showing us the bird pictures. Is it because you want us to see the shades of red you like? Are those the pictures you want on the wall? I too favor light curtains, especially as your room is painted that darker gray and the sofa is that same gray. If you want red as an accent color, you can add a vertical red band to the edge of the curtain panel. See below. You can buy a light-colored curtain and have a red band sewn on by the person who does your tailoring. As for art work above the sofa, the horizontal dimension should be 75% of the width of your sofa. You could get one piece that is that width, or get two pieces whose combined width including the separation between them adds up to that. If red is your accent, have some red in your art, and have some red in your throw pillows. But don't have them necessarily solid red. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. You can use a print or stripe or textural weave with red and gray (is gray the color of your sofa? or whatever the color of your sofas, that color plus red). I would not have the coffee and side tables from the same set, that is too matchy-matchy. If your end tables are round, then the coffee table can be square. If your coffee table is square, then your end tables should be round. In any event, you do not need or have room for end tables on both end of that sectional. The side near the door has no room or need for an end table, people at that end can use the coffee table. You can use a smaller end table at the end with the lounger, and please carefully measure that space (maybe move the sectional a bit closer to the door?) before you purchase an end table. Another thing to think about (and what do you think Houzzers?) since that far corner is so tight, instead of having that floor lamp there, what about a wall mounted sconce? You would get two, one for either end of the sofa. They come in many styles, and some even are adjustable to slide up and down. You could get one that is a plug-in so that you don't have to pay an electrician. You can also get a plug in hanging ceiling fixture. I love this contemporary fixture by Torre and Tagus which is pricey, but you probably can find a less expensive version that is plug in or can be converted to plug in. I can't tell how dark a gray your walls really are. I would favor a lighter shade of gray for the walls. If red is your accent color, then I would consider a red ottoman as shown in the photo above which is also shown with a sectional. You can have a lovely large wood tray to put on top for serving, and the ottoman can serve as extra seating, and you can even find an ottoman with storage inside. As for rugs, it depends what your tastes are. If you want to go contemporary, you can get a swirl design in red, black and white and gray. Or a handmade Oriental in either a Persian or nomadic style.

@wacokid, the way your response was worded, came off as snarky, and more like a challenge. “And where were you on the night of January 22nd? Houzz police....I did our guest bath in a gray from Armstrong. It was installed over concrete.” Calling the pros, and other posters as “Houzz police” is not complimentary. If you agreed with Patricia Colwell, you should have said so. Then your wording would not have been misconstrued.

I usually like non carpeted floors to be the same throughout the house, but If the floors are on 2 different levels and don’t abut each other, it should be doable. The key IMO is what is on the stairs. Does it act as a smooth transition between the 2 floors? Pictures would really help. I have never seen LVT on stairs. Real wood stairs against vinyl might be a No no. Carpeted stairs might look out of place amid all that hard flooring. Again, pictures please.