IMO the problem is gray overload. Agree the FP wall is overwhelming so nothing can be appreciated. Get some of the stool (green/blue) color into the family room. Paint the wall behind the shelves that green/blue color. Art over FP. Take the rug off the carpet it's lumpy looking.

What does “DR” stand for? Are u saying to drywall the alcove to the left and right of fireplace or put art inside of there with no shelving? The shelves are pretty deep so I don’t think one piece of artwork in there would look right. I could easily remove pictures from above fireplace to unclutter If that would help?

On IG, @stefanasilber has done a great job using budget friendly decor (with the exception of her frame tv and sofas) to design a lovely living room similar to your layout. I had to take a screen shot of one of her reels but here’s an idea.

Too many little pieces: Floor basket. Ladder shelf. Bench with pillows. Little table with lamp in front of bookshelves. Plethora of little decor items above and around the fireplace.

And everything is dull gray.

IMO, of course.

DR = dining room. Wainscot is not the answer for this space. Which pieces here are actually your style; the wire-leg tables, the country TV credenza or kitchen table, chairs and stool? Do you like your leather sofas better than any of the other pieces? Why not try the bench at the foot of a bed, maybe in the master or guest room? Could you grow some herbs on the ladder shelf if you moved it to that wall left of the kitchen table, by the slider/window? Try it out with all the smaller pots you have in the shelves to see how it feels. The shelves, mantel and wall above it need to be emptied so you can get a handle on that focal point. If you want to decorate the TV wall, hang your "C" above theTV and arrange the kids' photos around the TV. Leave the triple one out of the grouping, put an "L" stand on the back of it and it can eventually go on one of the shelves. Hang framed art or a poster 5" above the mantel. The piece should be no wider than the firebox opening below and shorter than the top of the shelves. If you like the TV credenza as a starting point for the room, you can buy sheets of the beadboard and line the back/sides of the shelves with it to continue that look. Styling the shelves is another issue, but there are plenty of links on this site to learn that skill. Mostly its about scale and steering clear of a cluttered look. General rule is 1/3 books, 1/3 large decor and 1/3 open space.

When I first look at your pictures I see no color. It's all just the same with nothing that stands out or creates any emotion.

I see no art. :(

On further looking at your photos I see pieces that make no sense. Why is a table with a lamp stuck in a corner by a basket? Why isn't it near the chair? Does the bench serve some purpose? (I've had a similar layout and the garage door entry was nearby so maybe that's the purpose.) Why are the pillows on the bench and not the sofas? What about the standalone shelf?

I see some green/yellow vases in the bookshelves. Bring in a throw and pillows in those colors. Bring in a rug that has the color.

Before I started adding wainscotting and tearing down the pony wall I'd add texture in other ways. BTW--I personally think eliminating the wall is a bad idea. As I said, I had an almost identical family room years ago. Read through posts here. Lots of people struggle with open spaces. Keep the wall. Your decorating life will be easier.

Hi there. Painting a darker color for contrast would look beautiful. See above inspo, Wood jute shade in LR for texture on window with panels for softness if this look appeals to you. The shade could work without panels as well. Artwork over FP with color to harmonize your open space. Taller TV media Cabinet for height and simplicity. Your shelving arrangement could use some tweaking for a better feel and removing a few pieces of furniture as not to feel cluttered. A new end table and lamp for more interest and unique shapes to the space as everything is matching. What in the space are you willing to part with? Balance and a few small adjustments I think you could fall in love with your space.

Thank you! The room does not get much light which really bothers me which is why I have the random table lamp in the corner...I need lighting there....although I’m not a big fan of there being a table there. I’m afraid the dark color will darken the room even more. the bench is next to where we come in from garage but really serves no purpose but without anything there it is a huge empty space. I’m honestly willing to part with anything but would like some ideas of new end tables. I love the idea of pops of color too.

Make the fireplace the focal point with one large piece of art over it (sized the same as the fireplace opening), and flanked by two skinny lamps on the mantel, or two pretty sconces on the wall (to get the additional light you said you need). Modern Lantern makes battery operated (no wiring needed), rechargeable sconces that are quite nice.

On TV wall, get rid of table, ladder and bench. You can take the pictures from over the Fireplace and create a little gallery wall on one or both sides of the TV. Can't tell for sure, but you might have room in the corner for two small chairs and a small table between them, perhaps with a floor lamp behind it.

You don't have a good place to stop when adding moldings (you need to stop them on inside corners- you don't have them). They also don't go well with the rest of the open space.

The shelves on either side of the fireplace could be styled really nicely and add a lot of interest. Read up on how to style shelves. Bloggers like Laurel Berne, Carla Aaston, and Studio McGee have really good posts with tips and tricks. Right now the shelves look too busy and crammed, especially with the multiple pieces over the fireplace. Having one piece of art over the fireplace, and more considered vignettes on the shelves will go a long way to making the space feel good.

Hope that helps.

I think you have to realize that the eye needs some places to rest; places that aren't decorated. Your pops of color begin with art over the mantel. You pull the colors for accessories from that. If you have a coffee table 12-18" from the sofa, you don't need end tables. As long as everyone on the sofa can reach the table to put down their drink, you're good. Floor lamps would be better than the table lamps you have now. I suggest you start shopping for a piece of art you love and that you'd love to use to theme your accessory palette.

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I agree with others that say there's a lot of small things in the room that make it cluttered feeling. I would rethink how you style the shelves on the fireplace wall...less is more on the shelves. lots of books would help it have a pit more purpose andook like a library and to me that would cozy up the area. I would also rethink the gallery style wall above the mantel, I think taking the brick up to the ceiling would look great, but if you dont want that, I'd just put one large piece of art over the fireplace. I would lighten up the walls with a lighter color, like a warm white. i would remove the ladder next to the tv and then either think of a longer unit for the tv or put larger pieces of art around the tv so it fills up the space a bit more. the chair should go on the other side of the fireplace so the left side isn't all furniture. I'm sure you are doing it so the person in the chair can also watch tv, but for balance I would try it on the other side. put a smaller table next to the chair and then bring the floor lamp next to the chair. the lonely side table and lamp you have then could go on the other side of the sofa. i would add pillows to the sofa and loveseat so it gets a little cozier.. you have a lot to work with to start. i would start with restyling shelves, removing the ladder, replacing the art above the fireplace with one large piece and adding pillows... then repaint.

How about recessed ceiling lighting for more light?

Yes! I was totally thinking the same thing about recessed light. Would that be too busy in addition to the ceiling fan/light fixture that’s already there???

Yes, it would look busy- like a Swiss cheese ceiling. Moreover, recessed lighting (and overhead lighting in general) is very unflattering to the people in the space, especially for a living room. You want the light to be coming mostly from the sides to make you look good. It is also very expensive and messy to put in. The only time I would consider retrofitting a recessed light in a living room would be to light a very high quality artwork. I would put your money elsewhere, such as sconces, an art piece, and floor/table lamps (as I noted above).

Full disclosure- I have recessed lights in my living room and hate them. We put them on a dimmer, and still hate them. Am working on removing them or turning them into directional spots for art pieces. It is so much better to invest in beautiful table and floor lamps.

Because recessed lights are installed directly into your ceiling, your room will automatically feel brighter and more spacious immediately and can be tasteful if done correctly. Dimmers for controlling brightness and highlighting your cabinets and art over FP. Look for images of Living Rooms with recessed lighting as you will find tasteful designs IMO. Hire a professional. Recessed Lighting Installation https://www.houzz.com/magazine/what-to-know-about-installing-recessed-lighting-stsetivw-vs~108048362

To my eye, there are too many random things on the TV wall that have no relation to the rest of the room and no art work to bring interest. But the overall structure of your room is nice. Nice looking fireplace and surrounding shelving.

I would suggest adding a chair between the TV and fireplace angled to make a conversation space with the sofa. Would you consider putting the chair by the sofa in that corner and moving the side table where the chair is now?

Then I would get rid of the bench. It seems out of place and isn't adding much interest. Would you try putting the wood shelving there instead?

And then add some larger scale art! That makes a huge difference in making a space interesting.

So funny you said that prickly pear cactus. I used to have the chair in that corner and the wooden shelf on other side of TV and didn’t like the room that way either. The room is so big that it left lots of empty space. However, I will try it again and some larger scale art as well. Do u think the large art should go over fireplace or several pieces around TV?? I have this large art piece in my bedroom and could move it to family room. Do u think that would work? I have a hard time finding large pieces of wall art that I like so any images u have would be helpful. Thank you!!

Cleared shelves and artwork over mantel is such an improvement! Keep going with some other suggestions!

I see so much potential! You just need impact, coordination with use of color and accessorizes....also editing.

Suggest turning long wall into a great feature by adding molding and paint a deep blue or greyish blue (wall will not make space feel darker). This is an inexpensive way to change your room and would be stunning. Remove all items other than console/tv.

Add color coordinated cushions

Highly suggest editing mantle and bookcases (one link below). There are lots of pictures and articles on Pintetrst. Could add a mirror on mantle to reflect light or art, for additional color.

https://jennyreimold.com/blog-jenny-reimold/bookcase-styling-essential-pieces-for-a-new-look

You wanted more light and a black floor lamp to the left of console would work well.

Then coordinate with dining area, paint the metal stools the same color as wall and add art.

Finally, take a look on Pinterest for ideas how to accessorize coffee and dining tables.

I hope some of these ideas help. Make sure you have a plan before buying randomly, so you end up with coordinated look. Have fun and good luck.

agree that just reorganizing the shelves makes a huge difference, love the one large piece of art above mantle. I would suggest bringing a few larger pieces onto the shelves so you have different scaled pieces. thought this article might help...

https://www.drivenbydecor.com/how-decorate-shelves-bookcase-ideas/

We might suggest that you look into a longer, lower TV console and then decorate around that.

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