Come on PROs, you should know better than to recommend factory made art when there is plenty of art out there by real artists often for the same price. $99 at Homegoods? Spend that amount or less at Society 6 and support real artists making real work. Reposting again; Please please please do NOT buy art from big box stores! ONLY buy art from a place where the artist's name is listed. Get art from places that benefit the artists themselves (so not a mass produced place like homegoods or any big store) the following sites have work from real artists but with affordable options. You probably can find real art by real artists for less than you would get from those mass produced factory art places like pier 1. It doesn't have to be the original painting. Many artists sell prints of their own work for crazy reasonable prices. Don't be intimidated. You can get nice work from an artist for under 100, 200, 300, etc. Sometimes it's more, but these sites all tend to have affordable options. And you can often search by price, color, or theme. Loved your trip to Switzerland? You can find paintings of the alps. Avid bird watcher? Find photos or prints or your favorite woodpecker. Love the serene ocean? Tons of seascapes out there. Bad impersonal factory art can cost the same as real art from the artists themselves, so why not spend your money on real meaningful art? try: etsy https://www.etsy.com  20x200 https://20x200.com  Saatchi https://www.saatchiart.com  society6 https://society6.com red bubble https://www.redbubble.com  risdworks http://risdworks.com scad art sales http://www.scadartsales.com inaluxe https://www.inaluxe.com eyestorm http://www.eyestorm.com  lumas https://www.lumas.com  pure photo http://www.purephoto.com these fine walls http://www.thesefinewalls.com  captured 52 http://www.captured52.com  artfully walls https://www.artfullywalls.com tappan collective https://www.tappancollective.com  mammoth and co https://mammoth.co citizen atelier https://www.citizenatelier.com  minted https://www.minted.com/art?it_category=n_fineart&it_id=L2fineart  McGee and co https://www.mcgeeandco.com/collections/artwork  little paper planes http://www.littlepaperplanes.com  sugarlift (curator works with you) https://www.sugarlift.com Ugallery https://m.ugallery.com  serena and lily http://www.serenaandlily.com/art/  Ps some stores like WEst Elm do work with artists to sell their work. So just always check at those home decor stores that the artist's name is listed

Thanks for the great tips. Yes, it's a good point that 16 won't be sitting at the same time...more like 12 or so. Sadly, I have to go fairly dark due to the cleaning and staining issues. I should have added that I plan to add a large 12 x 15 area rug to break up the dark sofas from the darkish wood. I can't go with medium gray because it will look too "matchy-matchy" with the med. gray stone fireplace. Quick question/concern...I searched for sofas that are made from "Sunbrella" people here suggested and there are only a few and they are outdoor sofas. Mostly, the Sunbrella fabric is pillows. Also, I'll be removing both sofa tables behind the sofas that are there now, so that will give me another~ 4+ feet. But I still plan on putting more narrow sofa tables as I don't want the sofas right up against the walls, so it will be more like an extra 2 feet I'll be gaining. Any other suggestions for a "tough" fabric that won't be torn easily? We've had issues with guests sitting on the sofas, etc., with keys, etc, in their back pockets that tear the fabric or snag it. What are opinions on leather? Vinyl? Also, I'd like to lighten up the room with a cleaner, more modern white (ish) paint, maybe with a touch of gray, )but not with any blue or "pink" in it.) The walls are now painted Sherwin-Williams "Accessible Beige" and the Doors (not seen in the pictures are "Dovetail"...which I LOVE, but is way too dark for the walls. I've already gone down the line of the "Dovetail" paint strip and the lighter colors look kinda "pink-ish" in that room.) Thanks again everyone

The room is 17' 6" x 11' 6" and the problem is not that it is small - it is open to the dining room and it is the first room you walk in to from the front door. There is an opening to go to the hallway of 36" so the wall space is actually 13' 6" on the wall where I am planning to put the sectional. The front window is 65" and it is not in the center of the wall. That is almost 5 1/2 feet that I really don't like to block off the window with furniture. The front hall opening to the front door is also on that side with the window. I have a loveseat on the wall between the front door hall opening and the window right now and the TV is on the 11 1/2 ' wall (which leads to a bedroom door). The sectional is kind of petite. The long side is 106" and the short side of the "L" is 84". This will give me more space than the way I have it now with a 95" sofa and 2 chairs. I wish I knew how to put a drawing on here - but I don't. The set I have is brown now, and I want to get something that is not so depressing.

If your mantle and mahogany choices are staying- at least for foreseeable future- I’d get them in place first, but meanwhile “ collect “ rugs in your inspo book - some plain, some patterned. If you have kids you may not want a solid cream rug! I do love that patterned rug as it makes the floor color look great yet blends warm and cool for gray walls/ furniture and warm floors , warm wood furniture. So much more interesting and lively than gray gray gray. I tone who thinks bits of black are ok with dark brown furniture or vice versa, not all matchy, and it’s not hard to repeat a few black accents. OTOH you might find a similar rug with chocolate brown. Meanwhile if you want to play with some colors and patterns IRL you could find some pillows that are returnable and see how you’re leaning. Pillows can be found cheaply but then may be … cheap. I always try to get removable zipper covers in fabrics that feel good, can be washed, and use feather inserts ( although some folks prefer poly fills), and & try to find ones I love looking at, then I can keep pillows fresh & switch covers occasionally by storing covers themselves.