Hi, and welcome! Those floors, and the stairs, what a great space you have. I see that the two windows flanking the fireplace are reminiscent of Arts and Crafts. So any builtin cabs you make, put doors with the four-square look to them. And of course a flat panel if you do a TV. Hide it behind a pair of doors.TV to the LEFT of fireplace, since traffic will be walking or stranding in front of the RIGHT side of the fireplace. If you do decide to lower the cabs adjacent to the fireplace, relate the top height of them to the height of the firebox, so the eye makes a straight line across that wall and it will be much more satisfying. Long lines can add size to a small space. You decide, low or high, but make the line long and continuous. I think the sofa really needs to be very small scale, and you might find a loveseat like one I got from Boston Interiors. It has plain legs, but think about the furniture not being large, and chairs not having skirted bottoms, so that more of the floor shows. It tells the eye there is more open area. I would consider a modern looking wingback chair or maybe two. Stay away from the Queen Ann style dining chairs, which is what the former owner had. It is not suitable for a younger male resident. Too really old fashioned. More appropriate for your grandma, don't ya know. I'd say if you got parsons chairs for your dining area, then two of the chairs could serve in the LR by the windows. It is easy to pick up different colored slip covers for parsons chairs, with or without long skirts. If you are the kind likes to entertain formally, then a special set of slip covers for such occasions might be worth considering. If you go with the smaller table beneath the larger window, make it a type of tea table. That could serve as a breakfast or coffee spot, and give you a chance to observe what is going on outdoors on your street....that is, if you are facing a street with a sidewalk? Pretty interesting way to become acquainted with the style of your street. Make your dining area work hard too. Do not forget to put at least ONE storage piece in the dining area. But no big buffet. A skinny 60" long parsons table against the wall with a floating shelf arrangement above it would be a good way to create display space without restricting yourself to a set wall hanging. Such a table works as a serving space in the dining, or any number of ways in the LR. If need be, a nice place to also use baskets beneath it for hidden storage. Look for a skinny vertical piece with or without doors to display artwork or pretty large serving bowls in it. We will wait while you give us a tour of the other floors, where are the bathrooms. I bet two baths, right? Do they have original ceramic tile? Wainscoting up high or woodwork like at the mantle wall? How cool your new house must be. And is the upper floor, the third level, where you have a master? Does it have small closets and a bath on that floor? Is it tucked under the eaves, or are ceilings full height? If you have a space with slanted ceilings, then that is a good space for a headboard, or a chest that can fit with it. Or, a desk and book shelves or a console. Whatever you do, enjoy the experience. The first house I bought, I had only a pair of wicker chairs and a cypress coffee table. I rattled around in that place like a bee-bee in a washpot for a long time. So many options. Do not buy a lot of stuff just to fill it up. That will happen soon enough. And if you have a lot of friends, watch out for them.....they will want to feel GOOD about giving away their old stuff so they can feel GOOD about buying NEW for themselves. :) Enjoy. We realize how much fun it is to begin with a blank slate. Oh yeah. No recliners in the living room. That goes in the study or den. If you are single, it will favorably impress your dates. A second thought here. It might be a good idea to locate that 20" TV in the kitchen, or somewhere in the dining room that can be seen from the kitchen. Also, think about mounting it on an articulating arm that can be swiveled toward the LR, or made visible from the kitchen. If you have friends over to cook and watch a game, will they be in the kitchen with you? Is there room for that? How many of them will there be USUALLY? And do you need to have a counter space devoted to kibitzing guests with stools that can be tucked away? Is it possible with the current setup? Is the kitchen unfitted enough that you could have a rolling tall island with space for 2-3 stools and a second person helping with cooking chores? Enough already. Glad you dropped in. See ya later.

We also turned our small living room into a music room. I think formal living rooms are a waste of space. Over the years, I have had the piano either half-way open or closed w/ photos on top. Fully open seems too much for the size of the room. I have a big chair in one corner and a 5'? potted silk plant in another. Our room opens up to the foyer/stairs and the dining room. In our last house, the piano was in a great room and we had a round, skirted ottoman in the curve ( a designer recommended that). The top was kind of pleated w/ one button in the center. Good luck!

unfortunately the room is too narrow to have the sofa facing the fireplace. I'm pretty much stuck with that being there. Great thoughts about the coffee table, I keep trying to love the trunk but its just not happening. Oh well it was only $20 so maybe its Scouts new toy box. Interesting point about the rug - admittedly I'm not too polished on the rules of design so I end up having to learn along the way. I think I'll try a bigger rug. Also I'm going to hold off on the TV. Maybe once I finish the kitchen reno and use the room more otherwise I'm fine with just going to the basement which I'm also decorating slowly but surely. Its becoming my favorite room in the house and has another massive fireplace which makes it so warm and cozy. I'll post some pics and get everyone kind help AFTER I vacuum the couch (yellow dog & brown microfiber - UGH!!)....

Do you own or is this a rental? The pix look a little stretched like realty ones. Since there is a rad between the doors, forget putting TV there. I'd keep the dining close to the kitchen and put the sitting/TV area to focus on the long wall. Start with the fun project of finding a knockout chandelier to hang from that pretty ceiling. Is there a fridge under the microwave? I see only one wall outlet behind the door and one above the counter, so you'll have to use extension cords and cord covers along the baseboards to have enough lighting here. Consider floating your sofa facing the long wall and TV. Then use a drop leaf table behind it for dining. You'll be able to open it all the way for entertaining. Anchor your seating area with a rug 2-3 feet wider than your sofa.