Wow! Lots of great responses. I'm sorry I didn't get back to the thread sooner, but I had some sort of wicked stomach bug yesterday and lay semi-conscious on the sofa most of the afternoon and evening. Much better today, thanks! Let me clarify the guest room use a bit. It will get used for 6-8 days over Christmas for dad and stepmom. The other stays would be a stepson who is stopping through, or my mom if she comes out for the weekend (she lives here, just on the other side of town and doesn't like to drive in the dark). In other words, no fancy guests! Several have mentioned that we need to make more use of the living room. I don't disagree. But having thought about it, there isn't really a good way to do so. Our living room is part of a large room that includes dining room, kitchen and a garden area, so it cannot be closed off in any way. Here is a shot of the room -- LR is at the far end: I really don't want all the flotsam and jetsam that computers and paperwork, etc. entail taking over the living room. I would say we are in the office 75% of the time we are home together (and awake). We hang out in the office because it is where the computers are (PCs rather than laptops), with desks, good chairs and good light. Then I saw the idea of DH getting his things together in one room so that could clear up the old music/workout room for me without losing the guest room. This is not altogether a bad idea. DH could have the current office as it is the biggest room. But I don't know that it would all fit very well. And then poor DH would have his office area in the industrial zone with the workout equipment and instrument storage. He really likes how we got the music/workout room set up, and I have to say I do, too. It keeps all the ugly stuff in one place. (Also, a lot of the instruments are mine, so it's not really fair for him to take the brunt of the ugly factor). Here is the room. so you can see the enormity of said horn rack (roughly 6+' x 6+' x 2' deep): Also, I'm not sure then where my personal PC would be. DH and I like to hang out together even if we are both on our PCs. This arrangement would have us in different rooms. I think the new Murphy beds are very cool. I saw an ad in the new Metropolitan Home and showed it to DH. But I'm not sure we want to invest that kind of money in the solution at this time (looks to be a minimum of $2,000, not including installation costs). Using the current set-up to include work in the current office: This would be the easiest solution and is what I am doing right now. But this is only my first week, so I am making do. It would mean two computers on the same desk. It would also mean that if DH is between contracts (He is an IT consultant) that he would be home in the same room with me while I am trying to work. And it wouldn't allow for that psychological separation of "work" space from "living" space. I think after all of that discussion it brings me back to sacrificing the guest room. That way I'll have a nice clean, distraction-free environment in which to work. I will look at sofa beds though, as an alternative to the aerobed. Or, now that I have a job again, I can use the income to put guests up in a hotel!

I get both framing the art to suit the art only, and framing it all "alike". Personally, I frame all of my art to suit the art, but it also has to suit my home as a whole and possibly go anywhere in that home. Thus it's all "Gallery Framed". And so while I might have a small hint of color in the bottom mat of a double or triple matted piece, the top mat is always going to be some shade of cream, or tan. That top mat might be fabric, or wallpaper, or just about anything really, but it's going to be some ivory/white shade. The mat is there to provide a neutral backdrop to the art, no matter which room I place it in. And all of my frames are either black or gold. I have some pieces, like my Persian tapestry and an original watercolor, in larger more ornate moldings, as it suits them, but those frames will still be black or gold. It's the same with the thin "poster" frame molding that is on some of the more contemporary pieces or an old poster of a WWII plane. They will all be black or gold and have some form of cream as the top matte as well. But, my sister has a fine arts degree and her own frame shop, so I get the family discount. I can't imagine paying full retail for framing something these days! She did a museum mount piece for a customer recently that was over 1K! And that's why I'd like to gently suggest that you at least measure the frames for the pieces and see if they are standard off the shelf sizes. Those are pretty easy to change out DIY, and you can always apply the kraft paper dust sheeting to the back yourself as well. I've also painted frames black when I found garage sale pieces that worked for me. I have a couple of $1 garage sale poster finds right next to an original fine art photograph, and it all works because of the gallery look. I could give a rat's behind that one might be considered "art" but not the others. It all speaks to me about form or line or color, so it's all art to me. :)

Bpathome, the rods separate from the middle (because they are expandable) so I slip off the curtains and neatly fold them, and store them with my linens and lay the rods along the drawer edge when they are not in use. I have a handheld laundry steamer, so when I want to pop them back on, I just give them a quick steam to look neatly pressed. The only sign of them when not in use, is a small (postage stamp size) magnet square that I permanently adhered to the doors top corners (because my doors are not metal). But I painted them white and they lay almost flush to the door (less than 1/8 thick) so they really do just blend right into the door.

"I see so many bedrooms on Pinterest and Houzz that are inviting , child friendly and lovely. But how that is all brought together in a cohesive look is still a mystery to me. Maybe I’m focusing on the wrong things?" I would caution you to be very careful about internalizing these images you see online. They are highly staged, have a team of professionals tweaking and moving things here and there, tight shots so you don't see imperfections, photoshopping galore. They aren't real life! Where are the science projects? Where are the plastic action figures, barbies, ponies? The sweater that someone took off and tossed on the chair, where's that? I'm 100% certain that no child had any say in a single bit of what is in these inspirational rooms. Are your grandkids old enough to consult on this? Could you ask them what they would find useful and enjoyable? If they aren't old enough to give useful input, they are probably young enough to appreciate a casual space that they don't have to be terribly careful with. I know my own kids love having a chair on their room, they love having the freedom to rearrange and decorate with their treasures, they love seeing photos of themselves with family and friends. Those are the things that make a room feel like Home rather than a picture-perfect photo shoot. Since you mentioned it, maybe you are focussed on the wrong things. Are you more concerned with impressing your children and your friends than you are with making your grandkids feel cherished? Are you putting so much pressure on yourself to create the perfect social media-approved space that you don't have any mental space to visualize the joy your family will feel in seeing you and how happy you will be to have your grandkids sleeping under your roof? Everyone on this thread agrees that the room is beautiful (a rare occurance!) and that all you need is a simple rug, a chest of some sort with a lamp or two, and a bench/chair or two. It's also rare that people agree 100% on what a room needs! So you are very very close to finished here, and once your grandkids come and add their life and luggage to the room it will come alive!