Also I will post the other shots of the room as soon as i can. There is a fireplace along the greenish wall. Brick with blac insert and white mantle surround. I have some accessories on it and a few other brown wood furniture pieces. But trying to get some black into the room also or so i thought. Does brown and black in same room even match.

I suggest pulling all the pillows, wall hangings and accessories out of the room, giving the couch a good fluffing, and then try adding just the black & white pilows back in. There is a disconnect for me, between the accessories and the rug. But i think the couch and rug can work together with some modifications. The wall colors dont seem to work, either... I think it helps starting with a clean slate. Also play aroundwith the rug placement.

What is under the coffee table? I think the rug works (move it so the feet of the couch are on it) but there's zebra overload with the pillows. I would remove them and the thing under the coffee table, and repost a picture to see if that tames it a little.

I know all about babies and dogs. You need a soft rug that's easy to vacuum. This rug is ok if you really like it. In my opinion, there is way too much happening. Try to pare down, this is not easy in small spaces and with kids. Discipline is required. Try to stick to two patterns/colors for throw pillows. Your kitchen wall looks too cluttered, if you like it leave it. I would purchase a large round ottoman for your coffee table, this will be better for you, dark brown leather would be good.

I think you should take the photos down on the back wall and have one larger photo or mirror, it looks cluttered as is. As for the rug, I do agree that a softer/solid color would be better.

I agree that it would look better without the blanket under the coffee table, the black & white pillows and the two floral pillows on the chairs. You can simply find pillow covers in a green/black/brown subtle pattern for the sofa & chairs. Eventually, maybe a leather/or faux round coffee table (storage ottoman?) would be better?

Thanks everyone. The weird rug was just there bc the coffeetable placeholder was used and I didn't want to dirty the rug. I will eventually get a brown tufted ottoman for the space but the coffeetable was only 10 bucks so I couldn't resist. So I took the zebra pillows out. What if I put a floral rug like this on top of the zebra thus pulling some colors together and downplaying the zebra design and painting the walls. Please excuse the clutter ie. New baby and toddler. But in these photos you can see the other wall colors. Just awful as is.

I took the pillows out after I took this photo

Floral rug over zebra complicates; you need to simplify. I would move in the direction suggested by sarainitaly.

Why is that TV perched on top the fireplace? I would start with a nice cabinet to house the tv and the equipment (hidden) and put up a piece of art over the fireplace. The mantel is way to cluttered;)

I like the Zebra rug but I would not put another rug on top of it.

Yes, I would remove all pillows and be selective on what to put back. It would be fun if you would clear out things and then take pics for advice.
I am not getting the wreath/bow inside the gold frame?

I Think you have a mixture of too many styles. This happens to a lot of us, especially when you like them all. The kitchen area is more country, the valances and some art looks traditional, and the sectional and rug are contemporary. I suggest not adding anything until you figure out what style to go with. I personally feel that if you want to keep the rug, a lot of your other choices and the wall colours need to be updated. It could get costly. It is large and makes a statement, so can't really blend in to the other styles.

I hear everyone. TThanks for all the helpful comments. I am not a fan of the tv on the mantel...that is my better half who insisted on it being there. I am to blame for the rest of the space. I think I might return the rug and start over...beginning with color scheme. Maybe I will hire a designer. The window coverings came with the house so I didn't choose them.. I am just at a total loss. I'm going to sleep on all of this advice and hope for clarity in the morning!!

Your white table and chairs would help tie together the kitchen and living room, but the stuff on the wall behind the table defeats the effect. Could you find other locations for those items and put a single larger piece in their place? The art over the sofa also needs cleaner lines and a less ornate frame, and it should be hung lower. The $10 coffee table is a great find but would be better somewhere else. If the ottoman doesn't work for you, see if you can find something similar to the one in Sarainitaly's first photo but with rounded corners. The glass one in her second photo would be perfect with your sofa and rug, but not so much with kids and dogs. Could the coffee table work as a TV stand? It looks pretty high.

vpapageorge- do not get discouraged. It is just stuff, really nothing to get overwhelmed by. I think you should get out pen and paper and write down what style and color preference you would like to have. Make a list of things that must stay, maybe stay, and things that should/could go. Think about a budget. Once you get a better picture of what you want, the easier it will be to help. If you are serious about redoing the room and need to paint anyway, I would remove everything and start with a clean slate.
Hope to hear from you in the morning *waving*;)

Try the zebra in bedroom or bath or guest or kid room. Since you want the foral.

Poorgirlsdesigncompany says: Actually, you have a very nice start to a terrific room. I love the rug and sofa and pair of chairs and the colors of the walls will work just fine as they are.

1. Take down the cornices and all of the artwork etc. and remove the accessories too.
2. Place the sofa to face the fireplace directly and then the two chairs either flanking the fireplace or together on the side.
3. Put up simple neutral panels on the windows, but hang them high as possible above the frame and let them hang to the floor - you will probably have to purchase longer than 84" panels.
4. Hang one or two of the larger art pieces low on the walls.
5. Add pillows back in using the zebra ones and one other color for pop.
6. The only thing you need to purchase is a live plant for the coffee table or a larger one in the corner.

I also think the issue is to many different styles that aren't working together.

Return the rug. Start over. Look for some inspiration photos. This may help you decide on a style.

Paint a dove gray for a neutral.

You have a lot of different styles going on in the space. I know how that is. But it just doesn't work. I was going to say what lindabanks said, but I was thinking lose the zebra and contemporary stuff and go with the more country/cottage things. I see a lot of accessories like the tall milk pitcher, the chunky white candlesticks, and painted little white cabinet. Your couch and even the chairs all work with that style. . ..but it's not the zebra print.

This is a good read and it helped me a lot when thinking about how I want to redo my bedroom. http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2014/02/cheater-formula-decorating-blank-room/ Read it and then do it. I think the first two steps are really crucial and are often the things that people don't do. I'm guilty of it myself. . .just buying things I like or I think I'm going to like and then they don't fit or give the feeling I want for a room. Good luck and keep us posted.

Brown and black work well together (see sarainitaly's second pic). Both are neutrals. I actually like your rug. Try adding some brown pillows to your couch to see how they look next to the black and white ones. I'd move the chairs closer to the rug so they are part of the living room as opposed to off on their own. Does your current coffee table open for storage? If so, you might want to use it in the room for storage. I agree with others on starting with a blank slate. No point in hiring a decorator to declutter. If you get stuck later, you can hire someone but I think it's worth attempting on your own first.

I should have known better than to look at the discussion page so close to bedtime. I've started on your space because I absolutely think the zebra rug can work. So far, all I've managed to do is move the chairs, and remove the valances and the wreath, but the pillows will go next.

You actually might need to rearrange the furniture--shame on hubby for putting the TV over the fireplace--and I'm not sure why your sectional is hanging off the end of the wall. If it's to accommodate baby furniture, let's find another way to do it.

For now, I've kept your green table and white lamp, moved the chairs up to meet the corner of the sectional, and simplified a bit. I will return tomorrow to finish. In the meantime, let's all get some sleep. ;-)

What do you think about this?

I love the rug and all the different pillows. Think Mackenzie Childs and whimsy. The new furniture placement is good. I would try to limit the amount of zebra to just rug and a pillow. Make them a focal surprise. Surround yourself with objects you love and room will come together. Good luck

Hi- it was nice to wake and see Grover made some nice changes;)
I really think this zebra rug can work too!!

Tai chi this morning so will get to it later. Should put me in just the right mood to work on a zebra room. ;-)

I think the most discordant note for me is the green--several different shades of it. I would ratchet everything down to natural tones--chocolate brown ottoman, rusty red and brown and ivory pillows and throws. You have enough color in the art and flowers. More becomes overwhelming.

I noted that your ideabook is full of simple elegant rooms. This isn't that, but I've given a nod to it with long burlap curtains (natural again) that emphasize the expansive ceilings.

I didn't paint your walls because I can't tell on my monitor what color it is to begin with. The sofa and window walls look entirely different to me, and monitors are notoriously untrustworthy with color anyway. Look for a warm neutral as a backdrop for the space.

Three hours and nobody else has made a comment? Where is everyone?

I'm guessing by you pillow and rug choices, you like color? If so, I would paint the yellow walls white or off-white and paint the green wall blue. I like grover's ottoman but I prefer your pillows (except the round ones but only because I'm not a fan of round pillows in general). I would also stain your table top a bit darker or paint it white.

I love your latest rendering groveraxle. The room has become tranquil, less fussy and has a sophistication about it. Well done.

The TV is enough to have on that wall. Your white accents--vases and lanterns--look good. Keep them. Remove everything else, including the little blue lantern on the floor.

Put your family photos in an album to put on the coffee table, or better yet, on a dvd to play on the TV when there's nothing on (pretty much always, no?). I wish those collage frames had never been invented. They can go in your next yard sale. ;-)

Thanks, nanaevie.

@er612, I think she wants an ottoman instead of a coffee table because she has little ones around. Coffee tables aren't baby and toddler-friendly.

I agree with everyone's comments about removing/reducing the amount of pattern and just complementing the zebra with the color. However, having three toddlers myself, I say keep the tv above the fireplace. Here's the thing - until the kids get older they will touch those things, fingerprint all over them, try to yank them down, whatever. My tv is above my fireplace and the reality is that in a tv room, the focus is on the tv. Nothing you can do about that. My media equipment is in a locked closet to the side of the room which I love. In my formal living, where there is no tv, the focus is on the view and the fireplace and that's lovely. But do yourself a favor and make the room a bit more serene. When you have little kids in the house we need reduce the visual chaos to quiet our mind;)

Oh, and go for the round ottoman! I did that in large brown leather in my family room and every day my kids wipe something on it, but it cleans right off and always looks great. We put our feet on it, trays of food, whatever. It's a good looking workhorse.

@groveraxle I was suggesting she paint/stain the top of her kitchen table. I liked your ottoman.

Is that a tiny white mirror to the left of the empty frame? I'd take that out, too. Agree with Lori's assessment of reducing visual chaos for both parents and kids :-)

Personally I don't really like the rug and it would be better to return this. Remove everything from the walls -EVERYTHING - and all pillows from the sofa! Take another picture and lets see the place again. You need to decide what color you would like to keep in the area, blue, b/w, orange etc etc. Get a nice rug that you really like-love, something to clean-up easy, and paint the walls of the living room-All same. Also the one with the 2 chairs. Some pics below for your inspiration. Everything will look amazing soon!!!

I like Iconic Deco's suggestion. While you are doing that, look around the room and find one thing you really love just because of how it looks (not sentimental reasons.) Find something that makes you feel happy when you look at it. Is it the color(s), the texture, the lines, etc? Then let us know what it was. I think that will help a lot.

Please move that tv to the cubbie, like the changes. Put flower vases on mantle.

vpapageorge- did we lose you?

Poorgirlsdesigncompany Linda Banks Grissom says. The TV over the fireplace is very good. The fireplace is the architectural focal point. When you can combine two focal points, i.e., the tv and fireplace together it makes a more cohesive look. Trust me on this - the rug is very good. Go back and look at my previous steps I submitted. Do them in order and you will correct the windows and declutter the space. You have good taste and it's not country!

Another thing you might try is moving your couch off the wall, towards the fireplace, creating the walkway behind the couch, instead of between couch and tv. Especially since you have it hanging half into the dining space. I agree with Grover about pulling the chairs inward.

I would do a more casual ottoman - I love the rendering one, but it is too fancy for your couch. I think I would do a slipcover ottoman, same style as your couch, and can be washed. Also, I would stick to neutrals with that rug and couch and chairs. The pops of colors aren't working for me. They make it too busy.