elw4797 And here is an "in progress" picture. I have since painted the room light blueish - Benjamin Moore spring shower.

espincm I have the exact same sitting area! I'm in the process of building a mantle to create a focal point the room. Maybe consider a focal point for your space as well. Also, an area rug and coffee table/ottoman would pull the room together.

elw4797 Here are the most recent pics. I love the blue but I have no clue how to pull it together or what to put on the wals!

patriciarhall lower the mirror to about 6" above the setee, the lamp is too small in relationship to the other furniture. Teal or turquoise accents will look good.

elw4797 And from another view.

elw4797 Thanks! I am painting the mirror a silver steel color now and will hang it 6" above the sofa. Do you think my DIY ottoman is too tall? Get a taller lamp? What should I put on the wall in the last pic, where there is the thermostat!

PP what do you mean mantel?

I had thos rug in there but I'm not sure about it with the blue walls.

elw4797 Anyone? :)

mmilos I think you're just missing some statement pieces. A large, tall interesting lamp would help fill the corner. Choose a dramatic art print for where you have your mirror now and hang the mirror on the wall with your thermostat. An area rug would help pull it together. I think the one you have above is too muted and matchy with the walls.

christycollects The ottoman is probably a little tall to be used for that purpose; you could cut the legs off a couple of inches, or if you want to use it as a coffee table, add a beautiful lacquered tray. The tray shown below is from dwell studio. It could be in a contrasting or complementary color, like orange. Then just make sure you add more of the same color in a purposeful manner around the room, for instance, you could add an 8-10 inch horizontal stripe somewhere near the bottom of your draperies. That color could also be in an area rug. If you place an arrangement of items on the thermostat wall, it would take your eye away from it. Perhaps a painting or print paired with some ironwork. The one below is round; I would probably use 2 square ones in black, especially if you keep the round mirror in the room. Good luck!

movethisnotthat Is your best placement for the furniture to be pushed up against the walls? Making a focal point would really help you with the room. In the first picture you were using the sofa table and mirror, that was not a bad plan, if you added 2 tall buffet lamps and a few things on the shelves you would have a focal point. OR 3 big prints spaced over it. I like your ottoman,but at first thought it to be a coffee table because of the height,but it works, nice pillows too, Try the rug and let us see, it just might work.
A sofa table is usually placed behind the sofa, mantles gain be added to any room, think of it as a faux fireplace, excited to see more pictures

greenthumb2 you are doing a really good job being patient and deliberate at the same time which requires planning. All people learn by doing.

If that room needs ambience and you can afford it -- electric fireplaces are beginning to gain some real ground in popularity. They are completely portable, no need to vent, and they give off heat. If you have expensive electric bill already, disregard that idea.

like what mmilos and christycollects have suggested as far as possibles. What are your three main colors you want to emphasize? brown, blue, and ? thank you for opening your home for some discussion.

did you paint the mirror? it looks different in the 2nd picture.

elw4797 Oh goodie, replies! Thank you for the feedback. This room has been a work in progress and I'm itching to complete it. It was fun at first but I'm sick of planning, researching and shopping around! This feedback is perfect!

1. Yes I've painted the mirror. Three times now. It's drying this afternoon with a slver metal look and I hope it ends up looking good. Tomorrow I'm going to hang it 6" above the sofa (it was way too high hefore). I'd like to but can't hang it above the love seat (shorter wall) because the thermostat would be in the way.

2. Tomorrow I'm also going to shorten the height of the ottoman.

3. I'll shop for a larger sized lamp. Do you think it should be a chunky table lamp or a floor lamp for the empty corner near the window? A floor lamp scares me because I have little ones!

4. I'm not in love with the color scheme / patterns / textiles I have going on. The room was a blank neutral canvas, then I found the ottoman fabric. I can't find any throw pillows that match well. The curtains are blah neutral. The ottoman fabric had baby blye, teal, yellow and taupe. I had wanted o pull on the baby blue for my wall colors but my painter friend said I needed more warmth given I have that orangy oak trim. The walla came out a little more aqua than I had wanted!

Benjamine Moore Summer Shower wall paint:


Waverly Pom ottoman fabric:

elw4797 Oh my pics didn't show...

elw4797 Ottoman

mmilos Chunky table lamp is good since you have a good sized lamp table.

I sorta liked the brassy metal finish vs. the cooler silver. It helps warm the space and goes well with dark brown sofas.

judyg Velvet Drape, Wheat With the Suzani print on the ottoman, continue that wheat color onto the windows. Get more of your pillows and fill the sofas.
Possini Spiral Sea Mosaic Tile Table Lamp

decoenthusiaste I'm curious about the stairwell wall - what is there? I'm thinking your sofa table with a lamp and an oriental bowl like the tray posted earlier might be good.

elw4797 The stairway walls are empty and for some reason I can't get myself to put anything on those walls! I hung my previous curtains up next to the cream ones. Which one if either do you prefer? I could dye them darker?

elw4797 I am currently dying the drapes tan using a natural tea method. Wish me luck!

decoenthusiaste I was talking about the stairwell wall that is part of the living room, not the wall going upstairs. Good luck with the dye job! Hope it works better than my hair coloring session yesterday! lol

Marie Hebson's interiorsBYDESIGN Inc. Nope - don't like the furniture now. Liked it the way you had it before. IF you must keep the two loveseats, push them into the room more.
Mirror is hung too high, and is overwhelming the small bookcase.

Mirror wall, add wallpaper, bigger credenza, two lamps, use your mirror, great collection of books, gorgeous crystal vase, textural area rug, large enough to fit underneath all the furniture legs in the room. Proportion is key, bigger is better. find that credenza that will fit underneath your mirror that. Couple of photos of properly accessorized credenzas below. Voila - perfection.

greenthumb2 Slow down a little bit.

Once you have the mirror figured out, you can lightly trace the outer edge with very light pencil. then go to the copy shop and enlarge your ottoman swirl. super impose it on the wall and (can use graphite paper) one section at a time and paint a coordinating color from your ottoman design. See the dark blue flower on the left with the brownish/oche colored swirls?

Do not attempt to do this right away. You need a serious break. Take one day off, gather materials the next day and sit down with your stencil pattern. Don't paint with mirror on the wall. You hang it after all is dried. Would look really great. If you can enlarge the pattern on your ottoman -- it would be a personal statement of your own.

I like the server idea, but you may not have the time or money right now for that.

greenthumb2 PS. Staining with tea can sometimes take 2-3 dunkings with drying in between to get the color you want.

greenthumb2 Oh, I forgot. If you take a photo of your ottoman straight on (stand on a ladder ,take time, use flash and long exposure) you can have the local printer -- or you can print out fabric swatches that match. You know, similar to the way people use photos of their loved ones and put them on canvas, or t-shirts! This technology has come a long way and is much more classy.

Then, you can repeat the pattern in a pillow or two, or table runner, three printouts in a row -- then sewn to silk or linen runner. or wall hanging.... just a crazy idea...

elw4797 Great ideas here! I would like to love furnature away from the walls but the room is too small. It would look like the sofa is floating in the middle of the room! I read that you're supposed to put your couch opposite the focal point (in this room that would be the window) and form an L with your love seat. Is that correct? With the way I had stuff arranged in pic 1, you feel like you have to shout across the rom!

elw4797 Progress...I finished painting the mirror and we rehung it a lot lower. I got a few acceessories today but I'm still looking for a chunky lamp. Unfortunately new furnature or area rug are not in the budget. I'll make the ottoman shorter tomorrow.

My two current dilemas - curtains and wall decor. The tea dying idea did not work. What color of curtsins would you suggest? And the wall decor?

elw4797 This wall is difficult because it has an off centered thermostat.

BeautifulRemodel.com Hi elw4797

On a slightly different note, I would suggest relocating the thermostat, its not difficult to do (its a low-voltage wire) and can either taken up to the attic (spliced) and fished down the wall in a better location, or if you have no attic access, fished across the wall with a few minor drywall patches. (If you attempt this yourself, you *must* shut off the power to the furnace/air handler first)

Steve

mmilos The mirror is large and makes a statement. Relocating the thermostat isnt difficult for an electrician. Large gourd shaped table lamp will echo the curves in the mirror. I would try warming up the space with some colorful, contemporary abstract prints above your loveseat. Get some accent pillows and new drapes in a color from the new art prints. I'm thinking goldish yellow will help.

I like your ottoman, but not only is it too tall, but it's too small. Live with it for now until you can get something a bit bigger....

I also liked your mirror better in the 2- tone finish. You could have then introduced an antique brass lamp to help give the room some warmth.

Natalie Hi---Just reading your post now---I think the mirror is too big to be over the sofa. Is there another wall/area where it could be displayed or could the sofa be moved in front of the window?
Though I don't think you should block it---can you take more pics of the entire area from all vantage points?
Window panels---linen/off-white (match the background color of your ottoman.
Not certain if the rug with the circles will work with the ottoman but thought to include it. Light pillows and Large Art... Good Luck!
Rugs:
http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/central-oriental-retro-flowers/dark-wine/1058715DW-7100910.html

http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/safavieh-contemporary-wool-handmade-712/light-blue/101SOH712C-960136.html

http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/safavieh-soh305/light-blue/101SOH305A-26010.html

art: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78263692/abstract-painting-mixed-media?ref=v1_other_1

greenthumb2 love the suggestions Natalie. Esp bottom right. :=)