Thanks everyone! The floors are actually a dark mahogany but I didn't have lights on in pics so the variation didn't come thru. We just bought the home in June, and did the floors throughout the 1st floor earlier in the month, so I plan on doing the stairs in a bit. We have a second "back" set of stairs that goes up to the bedrooms from the great room so we'll need to stain them at the same time. I'll defer to a professional to stain them though :) I think I might go toward a sitting area for the kids while they do shoes and backpack stuff in the am. Im looking for a bench like this. Any tips where to find one? I've tried Wayfair, Joss&Main, Birch,Ballard and even Amazon to no avail. Any ideas? I've messaged the IG poster but no answer. Thanks again!!

I would put a low bench under the window, something with a bit of elegance to match the scale of the space, but you can put a boot mat underneath if desired. Then either (a) a narrower chest next to the door, with a spot for keys or a drawer for mittens, and a lamp on top, or (b) just an umbrella stand by the door for guests and then focus on a nice round table by the stairs with a lamp and other decor focused there. Also, your option 1 is a disaster, because it's basically booby-trapping a walkway/doorway. I don't care where it goes!

The first thing I notice is the almost total lack of color in your bedroom. It also lacks curtains, and there is very little softness, and a lot of dark and angular furniture. In the inspiration room that Beverly shows there is a definite and very cohesive color scheme, and much more softness to the bedding, and some strong and definite pattern. You might consider buying an area rug you love and taking color and pattern inspirations from that. The art in your room is too small and timid, and I would look for much larger and more colorful art to bring life to this room. A large easy chair in front of the window in a beautiful color and some decorative pillows could also become part of your color scheme. A very spare and modern aesthetic may not give you the warm and cozy vibe you say you're looking for. It might be better to wait until you've bought the furniture you want before asking for advice since I gather everything in the room will be different. The orientation of the bed looks good to me in relation to everything else, including where the door is.

that's a huge room but your items and placement are doing no favors for you. do you really need those two dressers because it's screwing up the bed area. any idea what you like? have you looked at all of the bedrooms here on Houzz to get some ideas? what I would do is center the bed on that wall and get two nightstands. Like this. you have no patterns in your room. trade out your solid drapes for something like this if you like the blue/white theme. you have enough room for a bench at the foot of the bed too. move that other dresser out of the room. For the large nook area, get a 6' or longer dresser to place there. a longer dresser means you don't need those two white ones. I assume you have a decent walk in closet? If any wall needs an accent color, it's the wall behind your bed. A nice deep navy would look great. if painting isn't your thing, try something on the wall like they've done here matching nightstands, lamps, a bench or the two ottomans, a nice white comforter, matching rug,,,, That is the focal point when you enter the room. Make it look nice! instead of that chair sitting out in no mans land, you have enough room for a low back sofa and ottoman at the foot of your bed. much better looking and will eat up some of that ginormous space. bring in a natural wood dresser like this vintage walnut piece for the nook. it will lend some warmth to the area. They made them long back then, so you can find something that will fit that area. hang some art and a mirror on the wall behind it. check craigslist or vintage furniture stores to find something like this or, if you want a sitting area, put a small sofa and an end table for a little sitting/reading nook. do you watch tv? media console and a large tv that can swing outward is another option. The little vanity is fine, but hang some artwork on the wall next to it, or a potted plant or something! the room is void of any decoration. (and please replace the white chair w/the proper vanity stool. most of those had stools at the time. And they look really nice painted what's the blue chair facing? is there a tv or something? do you sit there? might be better if you moved that. honestly, you have so many options it's mind boggling.