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!

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.

Some dining table option spotted in malls in dubai. Secondly since the living cum dining room is not so large then i need to use bench on one side of the dining to visually open the space?

Hello, i am moving to this rental house which living/ dining is huge the house is 20 years old but i can’t change anything because we will be moving again after couple of years. How can i decorate and make this living/dining room more lively.