Regarding the floor plan, I have decided that the couch and chairs are in their final place (the original U shape with couch facing TV/fireplace and chairs flanking it). I tried all the different suggestions but none of them worked with the way we live in the room. I could live without the second door to the kitchen near the outside wall if it was worth it but honestly the new arrangements did not feel cosy. I found myself with seating facing a a wall with a TV instead of facing both the fireplace and the TV. The room looked smaller.

There actually is sufficient passageway between the buffet and the couch. In any case we only use that passage to take out or put back dishes in the buffet. As you pointed out, CDR Design, the room is challenging since it has way too many passageways but I can't change the design of the room now. I just want to make the most of it.

Got it. Anyway, try moving the furniture onto the rug, angle the chairs toward the tv and fireplace. Then take a picture.

Amanda, the room feels too empty without a piece of furniture on the north wall (where the buffet formerly was). And I NEED a piece of furniture to put away our mothers's china and crystal -)

Regarding the placement of the rug, I'll try to center the furniture more on it. However I have never understood how people manage to keep a rug clean when the front legs of the furniture are on the rug. Are my husband, my guests and I the only ones who spill wine, tapenade, pesto, tomato sauce... when eating on the couch?!

You can spray the rug with Scotchguard. That would help. But the room looks really awkward right now...

You are not willing to move the red wing chair next to the blue wing chair and remove the small blue chair?

I tried it. It didn't work.

Okay.

Better?

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Is the chair blocking the door? The feet of the sofa should be on the rug. Also, I would angle the chairs toward the tv.

No, fortunately the chair doesn’t block the door.

You are absolutely right, Amanda, it looks nicer to have the feet of the sofa on the rug but I am not willing to do it. Even with scotchguard the rug would be stained within a week. Function over form when you have a small, well-lived in home I am afraid.

As to angling the chairs, do you suggest this because the chairs would look better angled or to facilitate TV watching? I prefer a set up conducive to talking if the latter -:)

I suggested this because the chairs look a little “stiff”. You could try angling them toward the sofa in that case.... Also, you might try draping the throw casually over the chair...

Sort of like this:

Layer the pillow over it.

Your room definitely looks a lot cozier. The rug really pulls everything together. What are you doing about storage for your china?

Thanks, Amanda. You were right to push me to buy a rug.

I am thinking of going modern for the storage unit and coffee table. A mixture of wood and black? A tall storage unit on legs?

I plan to get rid of the coffee table and the trunk used as an end table.

I suggest tables that are light and airy as opposed to heavy and dark. Here’s an idea:

Could that trunk be used for china storage?

No the trunk is too small (and filled with prints of pictures!)

I don’t know if something like this would work for you...

Its definitely not as overwhelming as the armoire. You could put pillows on top.

So I pulled the trigger on a coffee table. I decided to go bold and modern. I'll show you the nesting tables once they are delivered in a couple of weeks. Thanks again everybody for the ongoing support.

Amanda, You are right once again - it would be nice to leave the north wall without a piece of furniture. I am going to try to do some serious decluttering and see if I can find a home for the china and crystal somewhere else.

No one has addressed the drapes. The rod length is important. If you shorten your rod, you won’t have empty rod ends showing. When you open the drapes, they should stack neatly to each side with just the finial showing on each side of the window.

Thanks Felizlady. As I remember my husband left the extra rod on each side to prevent the rod from falling off the wall. I tried to choose a rod that was the same color as the wall so it wouldn’t be too visible. I guess it didn’t work -:)

Felizlady, my husband says we can shorten the curtain rods -:). I’ll send an update when the coffee tables arrive. Good catch!

I did it! I decluttered and shifted things around. The china and crystal have a new home. So there is no NEED for another storage unit in my room. Now let's get creative about what to do with this blank wall :-) It measures 85 inches from the curtains to the small window.

PS The wall will receive a fresh coat of paint.

This storage bench might be nice. You could put pretty pillows on top.

It’s very pretty but it looks like it would take up too much space. We really like entering the room now that the buffet has been moved.

So you really just want artwork on that wall?

I don’t know what exactly I want on the wall. I do know that I don’t want anything too massive or classic. If I decide on a piece of furniture I am thinking of something modern, not very wide and high up ( on legs).

The idea of art is very tempting. But it needs to be a great piece of art, given its prominence. What size would you suggest? Does art need to be color coordinated or can I simply choose what I like? Compounding the problem is that I have a small budget (maxi 500 dollars).

You do have a challenging room here. Just want to say that the rug you chose doesn't really ground the seating area, in my opinion. You have a white (or off-white?) rug on white tile, so it doesn't really change the overall look much. It just sort of disappears, which defeats the purpose of having a rug there in the first place. It's fine that you want a more contemporary rug, but it definitely needs more color. And, if the rug has a darker background or border in the colors of your furniture, perhaps you wouldn't worry as much about stains as you do with a white rug.

The rug just looks odd if it's not under the furniture.

I think, also, the window treatments need more color as well, to pull the room together and bring cohesion among its elements. Right now you have white curtains, white rug, white floor, white walls, with a comparatively small injection of color bunched together in a small portion of the room. There needs to be more connection from rest of room to the seating area, as I see it.

Thanks for your thoughts, thriftyboho. The couch and chairs make a loud color statement in the room. Maybe that’s why I am hesitant to add more color. The room is in a relatively warm climate and receives lots of sun. I love bright rooms. In person ( in my eyes) the rug anchors the room nicely. I do take your point about the room needing less white. I had red curtains before and quickly tired of them. I have some linen off white/beige curtains I can try. I am thinking of adding color through artwork. What do you think ?

I wouldn't go for a solid neutral curtain. I think patterns with some of your colors AND white - for rug as well as curtains - would be bright and yet connect everything. The rug doesn't need to be all one color, but a border in one of the furniture colors would help.

Funny, you weren't afraid to make a bold statement with your color choices and now want to pull back the reins as if it's too much. It's not. Bold is not necessarily the same as "loud." You can continue with the colors throughout the room without them being overpowering. Otherwise it's just some colored pieces plunked in the middle of a sea of boring white.

And yes, of course artwork is a great way to bring in color, but I am one of those who abhor choosing artwork as decor items. It should be art that you love or feel moved by, not for being color-coordinated with the room. The matting and frame chosen can help make it work with the decor, but don't choose artwork based on color alone.

Just my 2 cents, fwiw. You'll figure it out!

I agree with you, Jeanne, that you have enough bold color already in the room. Additional bold window treatments would only visually shrink your space. Do look for artwork that you love to fill that wall.

To clarify, I'm NOT necessarily recommending BOLDLY patterned curtains or rug; I'm simply recommending that some more color be injected around the room. A curtain with white background and a colored pattern can be quiet. A rug with blues and/or reds can be subtle. Let's think a little bit more expansively. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Thanks to you both for your input. Regarding art, I agree that you need to choose art that speaks to you. I love brightly colored paintings so I think it should be easy to find something that makes my heart sing and that picks up colors in the room. The art is a big commitment so I need to take my time.

Regarding the rug, I like it in the room. It gives a modern vibe, which I really wanted. The black edge makes it stand out from the white floor. Hopefully the modern coffee tables I ordered will tie things together. The changes are a lot to take in for me. I started with a very classic heavy look and have gone out of my comfort zone. I took out two pieces of wood furniture that I really like(d). Houzz has helped me to take a new look at the room and opened up possibilities.

@CDR Design, @Amanda Smith, @Petula67, @Decoenthusiaste,@RedRyder,@Felizlady, @thriftyboho

Many, many thanks for your valuable support and advice. We are very happy with the way our living room looks and functions now. If you’re interested, updating the room cost roughly 1 000 dollars. It feels cosy and modern, just what we were looking for. Thanks again for your help!

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For the moment we are leaving this wall blank. We like the extra room for entering and for when we put the leaf in the table.

Much improved! Hope you enjoy!