Since Chalk Paint is at the top of the threads today, just wanted to thank you for the nice comments and add more details. I wish I had the time to take some better photos. Fireplace: In California's Central Valley, we don't have much cold weather. Our fireplace is gas and when we did use it, the gas bill went sky high even for the half dozen days we had a fire. If we sold the house, the fireplace is still there so not gonna worry about 'repurposing' this area for t.v. viewing. Chalk Paint Color: I bought a qt. of Paris Gray and painted the piece. Husband thought it was a little blah. I put some Louis Blue from a little sample jar I had on the middle door and he thought it was too bright. So I mixed Paris Gray and Duck Egg Blue about 50/50, then poured in a little of the Louis Blue all in a foam coffee cup. I painted that on and it seemed the right mix of blue and gray so it stands out but not too much. Distressing: I then coated the whole piece with Minwax clear furniture wax. Then, I took a little sanding sponge and hit the edges as well as a little on that middle door to distress it a bit. Then, I took a tee shirt and rubbed on some Annie Sloan dark wax on the distressed places, just a little at a time. I immediately followed by rubbing off the dark wax with the Minwax on another tee shirt as per instructions. When it looked distressed enough I just let it dry. The wood top: The top was a little scratched up on this old dresser but I used some RAF (Restore A Finish) on the top and cleaned it up good. No chalk paint on top. Left the original, just cleaned up a bit. When I get my living room restored from moving out my old t.v. and black armoire, and pictures re-hung, will post a finished photo. Why the Fireplace? My sofa has been angled for many years to provide a nice seating area and t.v. viewing. The last few months I've developed neck pain from turning my head a little to watch t.v. We needed some way to move the t.v. The ONLY viable option was the fireplace wall. This photo shows the former black armoire for the tv and sofa placement. It's an old picture, so furniture is a bit different now. Red

Nice place. Light flooring was the way to go. Keep the wall color you like. If you need to leave your aquarium where it is, consider adding modern corner shelving above it to "tie" it to the corner. Are your tv console and sofa centered with each other? If not, if moving the tv farther from the aquarium would center it, that could serve to better visually seperate the two pieces that weren't built intended to be paired. The plant pic Mikki Bench posted appears to be a Wandering Jew. Indoors, in a pot, mine are more purple; outdoors, planted in the ground in the spring/summer, the same plants lose most of the purple and turn more green. If you are concerned about a pink/purple hue to any part of your flooring, adding some bold purple that is actually purple could provide enough of a contrast to mitigate that. With two small puppies, rugs (other than a pair of small washable ones for beds for the pups), would not be on my list of furnishings -- unless they're blocked from the bedroom and you want a rug there. Not a fan of the driftwood look. In lieu of the traditional tv console, you might consider a more modern wide floating box shelf. If hubby is DIY inclined, you could have your shelf painted any color you want and it wouldn't be such a large piece that it overwhelms the room. http://oduataj.com/60-inch-floating-wall-shelf/vertical-wall-shelf-washing-machine-shelf-70-floating-shelf-track-shelving-where-to-find-floating-shelves-10-inch-wall-shelf-35-inch-floating-shelf-80-inch-floating-shelf-80-inch-shelf/

@Salina its unfortunately a very small wall, that’s why we are painting the wall and ceiling the same color, per our color consultant. Ive been looking around but having trouble finding real wood without veneer, made in the USA, over 70 inches but also small enough to be able to fit a small piano to the left side, with doors and shelving, and 3k or under. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! At this point though, I can get a 55” TV instead of the 65” that’s taped up. Its just for the kids and their video games, not for big movie viewing. So hard to find quality furniture nowadays that doesn’t break the bank. 😬 Edit: Everything I read online says 25% larger for console table or 3 inches of overhang on each side. So I was thinking a 74” console would be okay with the 65” TV because the width is actually 57.2” not 65”. My blue tape may be off haha.

I also recently got a new, larger television and the old stand was too small. I personally like having something underneath so I did buy a new, larger console that has four doors and a shelf for the cable box. However, it's your house, so if you're OK with it this way, don't worry about it. :-) If it's the cost that's concerning, save up and buy something later, or look in thrift shops.