A room to curl up with a book. That's a cool mantle, with the two levels. Also, love the photo of you two lovebirds!

Oh, it’s so warm and beautiful! I love it!

I want to curl up with a cup of tea (that’s code for glass of wine) and read.

What is the story of the armoire? I’m armoire obsessed. :)

Ohhhh, it’s beautiful Jojo, and so warm and inviting and cozy! I love those gorgeous cabinets and bookcases! And, their lighting. I can totally understand why this room is a favorite. Double-sided fireplaces have always fascinated me. Where does the other side of yours open into? BTW, I think your mantel is wonderful.

This is the other side of the fireplace. I desperately want to put clocks, matching ceramic dogs and other objects on the mantel, but my dh hates the idea. He loves a sparse look. I’m biding my time.

Jinx, I bought that armoire when I was 24. It’s found a spot in every home I’ve owned—some better than others. But now I can say it’s been in my family for generations (well, two).

Lovely, Jo. So inviting. I love the photo of the two of you.

Love the other side of the fp, too! Beautiful molding!

Oh my, so cozy, warm and beautiful!

The millwork In your home is really lovely, and the double fireplace is a wonderful feature—something I have always wanted. Traditional and cozy, not as easy to achieve as you have made it look.

Very cozy—-easy to see why you like it so much.

What a beautiful room, and yes so cozy with a fireplace

Beautiful marquetry in your floor!

Oh yeah. I can see why this is a favorite. Very cozy.

Beautiful! I love the fireplace on both sides!

Such a beautiful home! Is the exterior Tudor? Tell your dh that something needs to be on the mantel. Try to do a search for decorations on mantels similar to yours then show him what you think he'd like.

Or..put something up there and don't say a word and see if he notices. :) Mine wouldn't.

Do I remember you were initially fretting over that mantel? It’s certainly gorgeous now. Can see why the room is a fav..cozy? Yes! Elegant, too.

Love it! Such a beautiful, warm room. No wonder you spend a lot of time there.

Oak, it’s not a Tudor. more Italian villa, I think.

And martinca, yup that was me. I tried a bunch of different combinations of things we had and my DH really wasn’t into it. He likes calming space.

What a great room, it’s open but at the same time cozy. I can why you hang out there. Love the floor, too.

Such a cozy room! Love the armoire too. I currently have four and want to keep them all. Lovely exterior as well. Don't believe I've seen before.

Why did Houzz take away the ability to "like" the opening post?! >:(

Oh, what a gorgeous room! I absolutely love the cozy fireplace, the flooring, the furnishings -- the whole picture is one of warm, inviting comfort. I too would spend hours in this room if it were mine, and can certainly see why you do! I can understand the desire to "collect and display" in this space, but I also think your DH may be on to something with the serene, simple vibe you've got going on now. The entire thing just seems to invite a sigh of relief and an embrace in which to curl up.

Such a nice room. I love your floor medallion too.

I agree with Allison, why did Houzz eliminate the "like" button on original posts? I was all set to like and realized that the button is gone in this Houzz version. I suppose it generates more posts which add more traffic which equals more revenue.

I like to see fellow armoire preservationists! I have 3. One was a gift from my Mom, the other two I bought from the PO.

If you weren't a dog lover I'd say put one of those cat clocks in the center of your fireplace trimwork above the mantle. One of those cat clocks where the tail ticks . . . I'm a lover of kitsch and whimsy though. I'm not sure what crosses the line into tacky, but I may have crossed it . . .

Edited to add: Silly me, I should have realized they had dog versions . . . https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Wagging-Living-Bedroom-Kitchen/dp/B07R7LNTGW

Jojo, your house is picture perfect! Do you newlyweds ever play Hide and Seek? ;)

Oakley!!! Moving on...When we moved in, he thought it was funny to try to find me by calling out "Marco". The house is too large for just the two of us, but we fell in love with it and it has been a great place for my extended family to gather. Plus, if you look at the exterior shot, the wing on the left is a huge home office and great room, and here's the important part, mostly soundproof with pocket doors. Guess where DH works each day? :)

eta: Oak, you know I laughed at your innuendo. :)

So lovely. IIRC correctly the style is similar to the house you grew up in? Wonder if it felt that way for you.

It's wonderful.

Makes me so happy to look at it. Soulful and heartwarming. And so, so inviting.

I also don't understand when the "like" button went, and why.

What a beautiful house you have. The floors, fireplaces and built ins are scrumptious.

Mtn, although our home here in PA is very different in shape from the home of my childhood, they both have a similar vibe. Mediterranean perhaps? As soon as we walked in the door, I knew I was home. (Despite our realtor who thought we were nuts.) My parents and siblings also remark that we bought our old house.

Here's the house I grew up in:

and just because, my bedroom was the one with the big French doors and balcony. I wasn't allowed on it, but my friend and I used to play "Romeo & Juliet" on the corner window balcony without the doors. My parents room was on the other side, which opened to a courtyard with an old sunken fountain. The house was built around 1920 and was called "Villa Octavia" due to eight large elms on the property. Oh, and the windows on the bottom that clearly are an afterthought? That area was originally a garage with leaded black window doors. My parents did add an addition , sort of where the car is, with a two car garage and a lovely room above it. But this picture is really how I remember it. It had five bedrooms, a butler pantry, a black and white marble checkerboard floor (from Italy!)maids quarters (never had a use for that room,) and five full baths. It was a large house, close to 5000 sf. and it oozed authentic old world charm. My parents sold in around 2000 and it has seen some changes. If any of you have any fondness for me whatsoever, please feel free to tell me how much you hate the changes. The house looks like something out of MTV Cribs with the requisite wedding cake trims. Looking at this picture, I feel like that scene in "Hook" where one of the lost boys smushes Peter Pan's face, squints, and says "Oh, there you are, Peter." And if you love it, well, don't tell me. ;)

Lovely home, lovely room.

Re the mantel, I suggest finding a clock you like and adding it, but don't tell him. If he's anything like my DH, he won't notice it for months...

Ohhhhh!!! I love your house! And I love your childhood home as well! How lovely to have your own Juliet balcony.💕

I think that is just the best cozy room!!! That armoire is lovely. And, I completely agree with you on your childhood home!!! Ewwww. It was a lovely home.

Such an inviting room, so cozy with the chairs stationed around the fireplace asking for reading, conversation, or quiet contemplation! Love it!

Um, yeah, not loving the "updates." In fact is there such a term as "downdates?" I do love the original and love your new home, too. Will I get in big trouble if I call the changes New Jersey Italianate?

Mtn, I told my parents the same thing, except I called it "Soprano" style. To be fair, I picked the worst photo, but still--too much. One of my best friends from childhood worked for the building firm that did all the work on it. He thought I would want to see it. One of my more noble acts was not showing it to my parents.

LOL, it actually occurred to me to use that term as well! That would have been more prudent since no one would mine insulting mobsters!

Both your current home and family home are such lovely examples of the style.

Beautiful home and I can only imagine the memories!

Now don't laugh but I found the perfect object for your mantel. And you would obviously buy it somewhere else unless you already have one.

An Old World/Geographic smallish globe.

While searching for something for our grocery pickup from Walmart in the morning (it's our only store around here) I saw

THIS And Iimmediately thought how a globe would look nice on your mantel.

To get a better idea of the style of globe that I think you should get, look at the one in the link below..

Atlas Globe

Oakley, I do love the Atlas globe. I'm not a fan, generally, of globes, but that. one is gorgeous!

This is funny, I was looking at the picture that I posted in the other thread and noticed DH's childhood globe on our bookcase and had a twinge of nostalgia. The globe is 40+ years old, so not very accurate! It's in storage right now. Hopefully, we will be able to drag it out someday soon.

I love the cozy room, but jumping in to add I love armoires, too! I'm eyeing an antique pine one on FB marketplace, debating whether the size is right for my bedroom.

(And, yes, Jojoco, the changes on your childhood home are dreadful, IMO.)

Well obviously true to my nickname, I liked the original color scheme of your childhood home!

Love your room and the photo your sister took of you and Mr. Jojoco is very special.

Jojoco your childhood home is a perfect example of a big family home— and I love the station wagon 🙂 What a wonderful place to grow up. The changes are not improvements by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t even like the belligerent yellow of the exterior, and the balustrades are too many, too close together! You are a good daughter not to have shown that to your parents.

I would spend ALL of my time in that room! It is so warm and comfy yet very elegant.

I am in love with that armoire. The beams and built in, fireplace.... all so inviting.

Nicely done!!!

A lovely warm home you’ve created . c

Jojoco I love how cosy, comfortable and personal your room is. And that it's not overloaded with seating. I think it's a bold choice to have just two chairs in there, but the right choice.