That's quite an order you've placed! I would suggest you upload a picture of the room the rug will go in, and some ideas regarding your tastes, budget, etc. Maybe you'll then get some suggestions.:) Dee

How much seating do you need on a regular basis? I would be inclined to get a leather couch, that would sit to the left of the fireplace, facing the dining area. Sofa table behind the couch, with lamps. Nesting tables at the fireplace end, to be used as needed. Opposite, on the right side of the fireplace, a pair of chairs that recline. No ottomans, as I see that being an obstacle for your son. The recliners let you put your feet up as desired, but are not in the way the rest of the time. A nice table and lamp between the two chairs. No coffeetable needed. The tv moves to the stairway wall, where the couch is now. Wall mounted or on an entertainment stand. If there is room for the bookcase beside it, fine, but I have a feeling that wonâÂÂt work, in part because I believe I see the thermostat there. In that case, you could put another chair against the wall for extra seating. with a wall-mounted swing arm lamp beside it, and a narrow table next to it. I wouldnâÂÂt necessarily drywall in the space over the fireplace - it could be a cool display niche, especially if you could add some lighting into the top of it.

The look I was aiming for was transitional, sort of casual traditional with maybe a little eclecticism. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull that off. Yes, you can, and are well on the way. But, IMO, it is hard to fit the Queen Anne furniture pieces in. And you need to move the accessories from formal to contemporary. Btw, if the rug is part of the contemporary look, I did have a more busy, sort of persian-looking rug in the room, but I didn't think it looked too good, so I went for something more graphic. I like the rug a lot. But since it is going to set the stage for the room, if you dont like it, then make that the next thing to switch out, because it is going to drive the color scheme. Does the plant behind the chair look ok? I like it, and I think fake plants are just fine as long as they are clean and not covered with dust. Buy an uplight ($15) and set it in the pot shooting the light up at and through the leaves. Use a timer so it comes on automatically. You might raise the plant slightly so more of the greenery shows - try placing it on some books or a box. I will get a nice matte and frame for my dog drawing in chalk pastel, done by my brother. What color frame do you think I should get, goldish? I'm thinking of pairing it with two other pictures of my dogs in similar frames above the chair. I like the idea of pairing with two other pictures. I would stay away from gold. You could do three identical black frames. Another issue is the leather chair. I think the leather chair looks great. I will remove the candle sconces and maybe put sconces by the mirror. Maybe hold off on this area until you do some other things. In a perfect world, I would replace the Queen Anne console with something more in the style of the TV cabinet. For now, I would remove the sconces and try a couple things. Move the rectangular mirror over there, or just for the heck of it, see what the oval mirror would look like turned on its side. To me, a mirror + sconces is a formal look you are moving away from. However, if that is in a hallway to the dining room and not really part of this room, then maybe keep it formal. I thought light sconces might be a good solution above the sectional at one time, but when I used my planter things (holding my artificial plants) to sort of help me get an idea where they should go and how they might look, it never seemed right. But maybe I should just put one on the far right and far left end of the sectional, like MJLB said if I understood. Decorating above a sofa or sectional is difficult. You might consider this: Leave one of the two walls above the sofa empty. Decorate only the wall above the longer end of the sofa and use one large picture. Measure the length of the longer section lets say it is 80 inches long. Find one picture that measures in width somewhere between 3/4 and 7/8 of that length. Using the 80 inch example, the width of your picture would be between 60 and 70 inches. Now, go shopping for artwork with that width. You could even do that as you think about a new area rug, and whichever comes along first becomes the building block for the other. I'll look at lamps at a lamp store. Perhaps I'll buy a lamp on a pole by the leather chair. And maybe add a tiny table? Or a pole lamp with a little table built in? Pole lamps with built in tables are so practical, but I never see them in the better stores. Wodkas is really nice. It's funny, I was looking for squarish looking lampshades the other day, thinking they would look good above my mantle. Instead, I got the two lamps you see on the mantel. It's not too late to return them; they even still have the plastic on the shades. Personally, yes, I would return them and look for something more interesting. I like the idea of lamps on the fireplace, but another option would be to offset the picture to one side and put a blue vase or one lamp or something else next to it. Now the big issue of whether to paint the fireplace wall . . . what I visualize is probably too formal to work in my house though. The painted fireplace and all the other items in Ingrids room are gorgeous. But that is a more formal style than you seem to be going for. I would leave the brick alone, but give a good cleaning to the brass surround and then spray paint it with black paint (we can give you more info on how to do that - it is easy and cheap). It looks like you use the fireplace, so maybe shop the internet for new fireplace tools that are more showy. Down the road, replace the mantle with something a little bigger, and replace the country looking corbels with something more striking. It is all in the details.

First start with inspiration -- look at magazines that appeal to you and websites like Pottery Barn for items that seem to bring in an accent color .... Starting with artworks -- go to art.com -- and simply browse through some of their categories that might appeal to you ...... THEN after adding artworks (follow the lead of what you found at art.com and look at shops like HomeGoods or T.J. Maxx, Kirklands, Marshals etc.) -- look for cushions that bring out an accent color in an artwork ....... OR consider an area rug for an "inspiration piece" There are some wonderful rugs around now with some great colors that would look wonderful in your room ......