you most certainly do have a style that is strongly influenced by at least one period of history, but most likely includes elements from movements such as Arts and Crafts, or Art Nouveau, as well as Gothic, Victorian, and Edwardian fashions. with the rich furniture and the darkish carpet, if the room lacks natural light, I would make the walls the lightest element in the room - and anything from a 'more' muted gold, to a tint of the rootbeer, to a very soft sage would work, though just about any 'antique' looking neutral would work. the firewall here won't let me see pics, but I'm thinking that picking up the muted gold or the cream in either the walls or the drapes would be a good idea - definately sheers to start, I tend to like either tonal stripes, or layered sheers (in your case, I would use cream or ecru panels on the inside, and gold panels on the outside of the rod) not so much a fan of mixing laces (which are hard to find in anything BUT floral motifs any more) with paisleys, but I was a Textiles minor, and no one else seems to notice or care :) http://bradbury.com/ I'm in love with these guys. all their colorways are historically accurate, and they give you a great idea of how different colors work together - not to mention their stuff is stunning, if a little too much when its taken all together (particularly the victorians, who loved to layer prints and patterns with mad abandon)

Ah, gotcha. I misunderstood. I still do like those rooms and would consider them inspirational, at least partly. I am working around a few constraints for the room so maybe that accounts for the differences? - I need to find a chandelier that has a single round canopy, due to the way our ceiling is. In searching for a chandelier, it's been hard to find something that I think works with the room and has a single round canopy. - I really like the paned mirror in the first inspo room, but I'm looking to put one of those in the foyer. - I would like to find an affordable table that looks like the first inspo pic. I'm searching a local store's inventory for the table and chairs to find something we could potentially really get (and afford) instead of incorporating a picture of the *perfect* table that I don't know the make/price of. - I would also like to use parsons chairs for all of the seats, but I already have two and doubt I'd be able to match them easily to another 6. I think a contrasting chair type would be a better fit because of that. In the second insp pic I like how the room is generally neutral but has subtle color to it. I like the lantern light fixtures in that room but realize they won't work for my space. I also like the artwork in the room and I could use something like in my room in place of the circular mirrors. For my room, I knew I wanted to find a rug with a neutral base that had a few bits of accent color. The accent colors in the rug shown in the mock-up might be more vivid than I pictured in my mind, but I think they work. I also like the idea of an oriental rug that's not so traditional. I hope that helps explain?!? Maybe those rooms aren't exact inspirations. I'm still on the lookout for room designs to help guide me. My unusual dining room doesn't make it easy to compare online dining rooms to my own.

Neutral stuffed furniture is a plus for a room. You can add any color(s) of your choice to it with accessories. Patterns/prints and bold colors on stuffed furniture goes in and out of style rather fast. A classic neutral stands the test of time. I think your walls are too close to the color of your furniture. It is giving it a sand box look. If you can the first thing I would do is paint the walls. You have a nice start to the room. Experiment, have fun decorating, enjoy, don't always play it safe. I was 20 when hubby and I bought our first house and I played it safe instead of following my gut. The freaking living room looked like a sand box. Beige walls, beige rug, beige furniture. To this day I hate beige.

Disappointedly, I passed on the bench/sliding ottomans in the above post due to the cost of over $4200 in the lowest grade leather. However, because I’d had other ideas, I went back to one of those very quickly. The EA Ferri ottomans. But allow me to back up, please. When our church went through a major restoration in 2014, the design team updated some details around the doors, and I was totally inspired by the color palette. I still am. Please click on this photo to see all of the different colors: As I built a portfolio to redesign my family room, l found two continuous “themes." I wanted this color palette plus black, and I wanted an off-white sofa. Unfortunately, I gave into the fear that it would make my family feel they couldn’t relax in the room, and, after two years of debating, I finally chose a tweed that worked. I’ve regretted it every day. But gradually I am getting closer to the “feel” of the room I wanted. Before I could finish the room, I sold my house and moved into a temporary apartment. “Temporary” may well stretch into several years, and I need to feel good in this space. One thing that has worked in my favor is the off-white porcelain tile floor in the large open plan. And I’m so pleased that I waited until I found an area rug that warms up the room with texture but stayed with my desired color palette. Here’s what has surprised me most recently: On the EA floor sample sale were two Ferri ottomans which I asked my designer to bring to my home so we could get an idea of what direction to take. We both really liked the addition of linen-like texture, as opposed to another leather [which I’d planned for practical reasons.] We both liked the way the off-white fabric lightened the room. Knowing that I can choose to have them reupholstered very easily since it only involves the cushions, I chose to purchase them. And I’m another step closer to my original intention. I brought out more of my white and off-white accessories, and put away what most people consider to be “color.” This feels right to me, so now I can better convey that to all of you. I know that most advised me in an earlier design dilemma to add color. Please don’t worry. I can add more colorful accents at any time, and I will do that seasonally. Next I'll be searching for a 42”w x 18”d x 18”h coffee table with a glass top and metal base in oil rubbed bronze. This size seems best for the room, and I can choose to configure it with the two ottomans to form a large rectangle (42”w x 36”d x 18”h) when the ottomans are not in use. They also look nice along the wall across from the sofa, but for now I will use them as my “coffee table.” That has allowed me to remove the current coffee table and re-visualize the room. While looking for the coffee table, I need to decide on the drapery panels. The only reason I want them is to break up the mismatch of colors--the wood-colored blinds and the taupe walls--neither of which I can change due to the fact that I’m renting in a brand new complex. I’d like them to pick up the main color of the area rug. I’ve been watching for a PB sale. PB offers ivory in the 108” length that I need. (So does RH, but even on sale, they are too costly, I think.) It is essential to me that they hang very straight. No flare. Just barely touching the floor...and yes, start above the actual window height by about 9-10”...ceilings are 10' so I can make 108” work. I think I need to have a professional hang them for me. It is hard to spend a lot of money on window treatments for a temporary space, but I want this place to look and feel great while I’m here. Most if not all of the pieces I’ve chosen will work in my next home. But drapery panels...well, it’s harder to justify the cost. Watching for just the right sale. Any tips will be welcome! Thank you for your continued input and support.