Okay, forgive me. but I tried a different furniture arrangement. Remember, the ottoman will be recovered and there will be more coordinated pillows. Or I could go with a distressed teal wood coffee table. Anyway, what is your first reaction? Too lopsided? Too crowded? Highlight the TV too much? Not sure how G will feel about his recliner turned. but now we can sit together on the sofa to watch tv. If I kept it this way, should I turn the rug 90 degrees? (please ignore my 4 year old. I shamelessly stuck her in front of the tv while I played around with furniture).

Oh, I could also move that lamp to the left of the sofa if i ran a cord under the couch.

and spray paint the frame of the glass sofa table a rust or brass or something else that would be fun.

In my opinion, your room looks pretty good whichever way you place the furniture now ... because that rug was an inspired choice ! ... It sets everything off really nicely. I think I'd ignore the 'furniture legs must all be on the carpet' rule though (if there even is one!) and pull the chairs back a little.
Love what that carpet did for you !

Agree with CC, move sofa and chairs back a little. It works this way around as well. You can just have the back legs off the carpet (I have that in my home, I'll enclose a photo). This arrangement opens the room up a bit more, because you're not faced with the back of the sofa as you come in.

Not sure about the blue chair. Do you need it there? Or could you put it in its cozy corner again and just get it out when you need extra seating? It looks a little bit lost next to the big recliner.
And you could put the little round table between the other two chairs then.

Your living room is really cozy. Love the darker pillows on the sofa, ties it in with the chairs and the rug.
Cute kid, looks very relaxed :-)

Oh my goodness, is that your home??? WOW!!!! Amazing!!! Have you posted more on your houzz page? I didn't see these. Thanks, I will shift the furniture further back, and I have already relocated that small chair. Ordered fabric samples last night!. My hope is to be on the lookout for a different recliner, one that is a bit more modern or simple, and that swivels. That way G can pivot to watch TV.

Cool! Different, swiveling recliner will be good.

Yeah, that's my home. There's a photo of my kitchen too somewhere. Not sure , but I think it's in Carolins' favorites? We've been here for about 14 years and nothing is really finished. An ongoing project :-)

Hi again, just found this photo and the ottoman made me think of you (still like the idea of the zigzag fabric)

Some window treatments would add a lot of warmth to the room. Maybe consider woven wood shades or cellular shades. We have some pictures on our website:
www.worldclassco.com

I found these at overstock and tried to patch them into a photo of my dining room. Thoughts? Still not quite warm enough, but more modern..and that is a chocolate brown, so maybe it jives with the family room? http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e9/a6/8a/e9a68ae46549db58ea8df82e1148f440.jpg

Okay... that could work. They do look good on your photo-collage. Nice! Make sure you can return them if they aren't what you thought they would be though.

also, here are a few updated pics of the family and entryway with more changes. I need to find something different to go over the settee and I need to dress the entry table with a bit more (maybe a lamp?). Is it okay that I have the cane chair out by itself? And where can I find a bigger lamp shade for the lamp near the fireplace?

I love the colours in your entryway. Would put the larger bowl with the small one on the side of the table, leaving the middle empty I think. Always a case of trial and error. And a lamp would be nice yes.

Larger lampshades? Gosh... ehm... I know where to go to in the Netherlands, but in the US? Let me think...
have you tried Lamps Plus? You can even design your own shade I believe:
http://www.lampsplus.com/color-plus/

I would angle the smaller chair a little towards the couch, if that doesn't block your path...

Just a thought:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90107501/

I have to say I am really impressed! I was reading your first post thinking "poor thing. She has great ideas that may conflict with husbands style." You made it work! Great rug. The cane chair is totally fine by itself. The colors all work together and the room has STYLE. Good for you.

You know, on the pictures the ottoman seems to fit in nicely and doesn't need reupholstering.

I had a friend tell me that, too. It is black and cream. I don't have black anywhere else in the room except the TV. But it does seem to have some kind of weird harmony...you are right. I was trying to find a similar patterned fabric in a lighter tone or in an orange, but maybe that is too matchy. I was also worried that it might be too small..but since you haven't mentioned it I'm assuming it is okay?

It could have been bigger ;-)

yep, that's what I thought. :\

But perfection is boring and it doesn't look bad at all. You will find the perfect ottoman one day and this one will always be useful. Until then, it looks good!

So the fabric came today. Not what I envisioned, but still good. Any thoughts on what should be pillows and what should cover the ottoman? I have enough fabric for two pillows of each.

The little person seems to like them :-) Cute!
I love the zigzag, the orange and the teal on the sofa. I thought I would like the zigzag for the ottoman, but it blends in too much with the rug I think. On the other hand, perhaps the teal stands out too much.
What do you think?

Agreed on both counts. I need something different for the ottoman.

What about this fabric for the dining curtains? Warm, pulls some orange out of the swan painting, goes with wood color. Too much honey brown? Is it a good transition for the French provincial and the modern styles of the furniture?

A bit brassy, but a great concept of how to shift transitional.

Again, colours on photos on screen.... one can never be sure....

So, I picked some curtains for the dining. They were very inexpensive, so if they don't work or I decide on down the road I want something different, I don't have a lot invested in them. I'm pleased with them....I've gotten them over one window so far. Waiting for more mounting hardware I ordered online to finish installing them. Can't find my camera at the moment, so a jpeg from the web will have to work.

So carolins and libradesigneye, talk to me about family photos. I've had two people (carolins included) say that family photos don't go in living rooms, or at least not too many. does that mean they should only be in the hallway and in bedrooms? Or should I consider the dining room? i just had some lovely pictures taken of my girls that are gorgeous in color. Do you two or anyone else have any suggestions on how I should display them? I'm going to attach one so you can see the colors..I promise I'm not fishing for compliments!!!:)

Hey you, I just read back all my comments here and I never mentioned anything about family photos not going in living rooms! I did mention that the dining room wall in the corner with the small chair and the table with lamp would lend itself too a photo collection more than the longer wall. And I did mean the living room side of the dining room wall.

Just had to clear that up :-)

Your curtains are lovely. Hope they'll look gorgeous in your dining room.

And those photos of your kids are adorable. I absolutely love the tiny hand in daddy's (?) hand. Beautiful!!
I would get them printed on canvas and hang them wherever they look best and where you will enjoy them the most. Which could be right in that corner on the dining room wall, but in the living room :-D

Oops! Sorry! Got it. Thanks! I know right where you are talking about. They are printed on this awesome fuji film pearl paper, so I'll have to mat and frame them. Suggestions on frame/matting? I was thinking white on both. but maybe it should be a gallery type frame with white matting and a thin, invisible frame?

sorry, that is my husband's father's hand. And my young daughter. He is a cattle farmer and he can always make her smile. We asked him to come so we could get some smiles out of her, and the photographer, who is so gifted, start snapping pictures of tiny features. I was so excited to see this..had no idea she had captured it.

I couldn't help you there. Sorry. But they are worth taking to a 'framer' and try out different options?

I have said that for living room walls - so I'll just give my thinking. This is just one opinion. These days most people have a living room, and then they have a family room / gathering room / media room / breakfast room where they actually live. From my review, I can't tell if this is the only living space you have or not.

Displaying large family photos on the wall is generally family pride, where you want your children to know that you love them, and for them to see the family together as an homage to what is important to you. I like to have them in the family room / media room / breakfast room where you really live rather than where visitors and guests come. I want to see them and I want my kids to see them more than I want my visitors to see them. I have a gallery of them in my kids hallway because this is their heritage. An exception I have for this is when you display them as art.

Old reason for this rule was also that casual strangers were often in the formal or front room, as these rooms are often visible from the front door, but rarely do you have strangers hanging out for a long time in your family room. People used to protect immediate knowledge of how many people were in their family, their ages and what they looked like from strangers for security reasons, which probably sounds funny in the digital age of let it all hang out. People who were back in the kitchen / family room were likely to be safe.

Now for the "art" exception.

One extended family or full family portrait, or portrait of daughters large enough to become a focal point works fine. I've seen people use online graphic options to give their kids the warhol treatment and hang those canvases in a nearby stairwell area seen from the living room (art, but also kids). Smaller photos, up to 5 x 7, in a frame grouping on a sideboard or sofa table - especially with a story - perhaps on a table easel are also fine. Personally, I have two photos of my parents - a small (mini frame) of them all dressed up looking at each other after they were both officially seniors. I have another from when they were dating in period appropriate clothing and hair that is now "historic" in a 5 x7, so the story is wonderful.

You have a great story with this photo of your FIL and the current photo of your daughters. Don't make the mistake of taking smaller photos and putting them on the wall by themselves. You can mat them much larger than the actual photo - even make the hands bigger, even if it is the same size as the girls photo - by framing that w/out a mat. If you want to hang them in a gallery, they need some other complementary tones - you can play off the gorgeous copper penny hair to add to that element in your room. You can start using all tan mats, and wood frames - keep that consistent as you frame new things for your gallery - even buy up matching wood toned frames whenever you see the right tone (i'd match the media sideboard).

I often suggest people make entire galleries of family photos, but with a twist - if you crop casual photos on unusual features or close up on faces, or when people are caught in unguarded / unposed moments (like they caught your daughters) and print them in sepia tones or black and white, they look completely different.

Like the crop on your FIL hand holding - they take on new meaning and have a graphic quality - they become timeless. That photo will be on your daughters wall in 40 years with a story because it is art where the one of her and her sister will be in an album.

FYI, many excellent family photographers actually talk with you before a sitting and ask what room you will use it in, and what colors are in the room, and suggest colors for attire so the photo will advance your rooms color story, even adjust the setting to incorporate a part of the garden that will support the zeigteist of your room. I'm sorry they aren't in blue-green for your room's color story (and being a redhead too, i'm partial to it). Sometimes photographers donate to school auctions discounts on sitting fees - we often bid on those. While pricey, it is worth it to get an entire family professional portrait at least every 5 years. One never knows when it will become even more precious . . .

LDE, thanks! Just got home to review this, and I am definitely going with the tan mats. I'll let you know how it goes. I have those little drop-in twists you mention that she took that I love (see below). They will make a great gallery. But tell me truthfully...doesn't my current living room need a place for the eye to rest (and adding a gallery to the wall behind the sofa or in the reading nook might not lend itself to that)? I can put this gallery in the hallway instead.

sorry for the dissertation (!) - you will know the right answer for you about where to put them - LOVE these twists

Hey LDE and Carolins, I was away from my projects b/c I'm training to become a doula! Anyway, I had the day to myself today, and finally got the dining curtains ironed, rods installed, and panels hung. I think they were probably the least expensive way to get the look I was wanting, and though not perfect (pattern too thick or something), I like them better than those grandma valances. I just hope they don't look too much like shower curtains, which my oh so subtle husband told me yesterday :-\. Thoughts? Maybe I could find some good MCM candlesticks or something for the table?

Ah, these are soooooooooohhhh much better than the valances. We can see your beautiful windows now. They look much more modern and instantly make the room feel more modern too.

I can't see the shower curtain-likeness.

And now I'm going to google doula (it's somewhere in the back of my mind what it is) and then I'm off to bed.

Yep, found it. A doula is what I thought it was (phew, my brains are still working). Good for you! Wonderful way to help women to go through what must be quite scary for some of them.

Also, I am still mulling over the family photos and taking everything said into consideration. I think I may put them in the kids' playroom where we do spend a lot of time. The living room is our only living space, but it is pretty much adults only, and I want this fun display to be where the girls see it often. So, thanks again for all the wonderful advice, LDE. I'll keep you posted. I also am getting happier and happier with our living room. Found a coffee table (yay! square! perfect size! solid wood! $35 at the thrift shop! modern looking!) (and now the ottoman is in the xtra stuff pile waiting for another use somewhere else). I also found some pretty darn awesome pillows at the Habitat for Humanity Restore, so I'm wishing I didn't buy all that fabric. Oh well, lesson learned. Maybe I will figure out a way to frame the fabric and hang that behind the sofa. Whatever I hang behind the sofa...do I have to have a piece of furniture under it? Also, I'm looking for a swivel recliner or lounger for husband by scouring Craigslist for and Eames-like chair. Or if you have other suggestions?

Great table and really fun pillows! You'll find a way to use those gorgeous fabrics. I'm sure. And no, you don't need furniture under whatever you hang behind the sofa.

I'll keep your Eames-like swivel chair in mind and give you a shout when I see a reasonable one. But you're likely to find one before I do :-)

http://www.inmod.com/loungechairs.html

DeSede will fit your style too I think:
http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/seating/lounge-chairs/pair-of-de-sede-leather-recliners/id-f_804918/

and

http://www.ambianic.com/DeSedeLoungeChair.html

Thanks carolins. it will be fun to hunt around for the lounger. I was thinking about the chandelier in the dining. I sprayed it an antique brass to go with all the other tarnished brass accents in the room. Now I'm wondering if I need a more transitional fixture. There is this one that is in the kitchen now. I don't know if it is from the 80's or earlier. I could spray it so it is all white. Or should I just be on the lookout for a drum pendant/chandelier?

Your kitchen one definitely needs shades I think. I think I'd be tempted to spray it black in stead of white.

The one that's in the dining room is very pretty. Drum pendant will instantly give a more modern look.
Actually, just thinking... the fabric... enough for dining room chairs?

Hi Chipmunkmom.... I hope you don't mind my jumping in but I ran across your original pic today and had to do a double take. Your living room architecture is so similar to mine (2 French doors flanking the fireplace). You have made a beautiful transition and I love the colors and fabrics you chose. It was fun looking through the pics of your journey. Since you mentioned that you like mid-century modern, I thought I would share a pic of my living room. I tried to take it from the same viewpoint as your original so you can see the similarities. Cheers!

Sorry... my first time posting here...let's try it the right side up. :-)

O.M.Goodness!!! sbalice, thanks so very much for posting! Even the trim on the French doors! Wow!!! And I love how you use mostly modern pieces, but also some transitional and contemporary. I love the gray walls with the warm wood floors and door and mantle. Of course i REALLY LOVE YOUR LOUNGER. What are the dimensions of your room? And the rug? Our furniture placement is nearly identical too! Kudos to you, your room is beautiful and inviting! And harmonious! Is that a word? Anyway, it is. Thanks very much!!!

also, what a genius take on corbels!!

Thank you so much for the kind words! I never know if what I'm doing looks right or feels right to others but only seems right to me. The room is 19'8" by 21'. The rug is a simple design I made from Flor squares. We have dogs so I've been through several area rugs and just couldn't justify the cost anymore. With the Flor squares if a part gets soiled I can simply pick it up and wash it or easily replace it for less than $20. (I don't work for Flor... lol but I'm a big fan). The lounger I got from Kardiel (sp?) but I've seen the exact same one on Overstock for a much better price... wish I had checked there first.

Your room is beautiful... My favorite color is aqua and I have recently begun experimenting with orange (my least favorite color) but I absolutely love the combination that you pulled together. It is warm and fun! Even our mantle elements are similar in shape and placement. Kudos!!!

Hi folks. Just an update..finally got my artwork grouping together. here is a glance of the whole room for the moment. I added the Swedish candlesticks. Still looking for an Eames replica lounger or a modern swivel recliner. One day! And, LDE, thanks for getting me hooked on young house love :-).

Oh wow, that art wall looks fab. Great job. And I was doubting if that was the right place for a collection of pics. I thought the other wall, the one that has the dining room on the other side, would be a better place. But I was wrong. This is perfect.
Love the pillows and the lamps too. Your room has such a lovely, homely feel about it. Very tasteful. Yay!
Thanks for keeping us up to date. Love how this is going!