ANY cord under a rug is a fire hazard. Consider adding floor outlets if your home has a basement or crawl space. Think of painting an accent wall and using console tables or screens to make two seating areas instead of one. A bar with a pub set sounds great. Also floor, wall, carpet and furniture color are very close

I would emphasize the fireplace and maybe add built ins on either side or large chests on either side like tsikouris suggested. I would bring the furniture closer to the fireplace as well. It all seems to be so far from each other. Try the loveseats facing each other on either side and the two chairs at the end facing the fireplace with a small table between them. Some art work would add color. Love the idea of having a bar! Good luck. :)

I think the dark beige on the walls may be the problem. The couches get lost next to them. The wedgewood blue is lovely but needs a lighter color to compliment it; perhaps an eggshell that goes so nicely with it. Then, I'd make a focal point out of the fireplace and put some lovely paintings drawing in and highlighting the creams, beiges and blues of the room on either side of the chimmey. The corner next to the chimney could use an interesting piece of furniture so soften it. Throw pillows in these lovely colors, and a touch of maybe brick in them, or an indian type afgan. The plants are lovely! I'd even put more of them arranged in groups with the higher ones in the back.

It is certainly a fantastic room! Huge potential with minimal effort. I think you should paint your fireplace wall with an accent color. Maybe a darker earthy tone. And built ins on either side of the fireplace would complete that wall. Larger furniture would be more in scale with the size of the room and it would feel more balanced.

I would finish the fireplace in stone, using wood or slate for the mantel, then run stone all the way up to the ceiling. Not sure I like the color scheme, either, especially the blue. I would opt for more neutral colors on the walls and then use pops of color in your furnishings, area rug and accents.

get rid of the plants. you need a color over the fireplace. or copper sheets. candles ,tall , med. style on the mantle. put the couches across from each other. don't put chairs beside the fireplace. nice but looks unbalanced. the painting on the wall should go on a smaller wall. you seem to like the iron in the coffee table. look for art made with iron. for each side of the fireplace. balance. plants are to much.

get rid of the plants. you need a color over the fireplace. or copper sheets. candles ,tall , med. style on the mantle. put the couches across from each other. don't put chairs beside the fireplace. nice but looks unbalanced. the painting on the wall should go on a smaller wall. you seem to like the iron in the coffee table. look for art made with iron. for each side of the fireplace. balance. plants are to much.

Accenting the fireplace all the way up with
Stone will be great. Built in on each side would nice.
The furniture and rug seem a little small for the space.
The accent chairs still can be used just nor the way they are in this space.
Think about your favorite colors that you like to be surrounded by when choosing your paint color.
Wrap the room in it. Large scaled art flanking the fire place over the built ins
Really love the pieces you choose. They will work if you love them!

If you're open to modifying the fireplace, I would agree widening the wall beyond the width of the surround which would give you a more statement look. You could give it a pop by using a strong paint color and add a large mirror (with a thick frame) above the fireplace. I agree with the poster who suggested using a pair of chests on either side of the fireplace with colorful artwork pieces above. A companion room size rug would ground the space repeating some of the artwork and paint colors. The window treatment depends on whether you want to continue the 1960's/70's contemporary look of the house or do something more traditional. If you're going to have to use the sofas, I would suggest having the sofas face each other and add a large square coffee table to facilitate conversation. You might be able to add sconces to add additional light in such a large room. I have used a flat "under rug" extension cord to resolve the lack of available electrical outlets in the floor. They are available at big box home supply stores.

Please Facebook me, I just moved too, and my family room is very similar, I would love to see what you do. I will have to send you photos!

Take stone all the way up the chimney for a beautiful focal point. The sofas should be facing each other, with front legs on the carpet, and turn the coffee table. Add two chairs facing the fireplace. Relocate all the plants to a porch and add lots of lighting on dimmers. A bar in the unused space would be lovely. Good luck!

I would get a nice tall piece of artwork to put on the mantle to emphasize the height of the ceiling.
I would also add some great lighting - the room needs a few more layers...cabinets on both sides..a larger rug...pull the furniture in a bit....its a lovely room. In houzz, search fireplace w tall ceilings...you will see a bunch of great ideas!! Good luck!!

I think that fireplace insert couldn't be more wrong. You have the space to so something fantastic. I wouldn't do anything to emphasize the height or it will look like a stove pipe unless the width is addressed as well. Not sure that the glass railing and open rise stair should be ignored when dealing with the fireplace. Seems like there's two distinct styles going on here. I'd gather up all those plants and place them all together under the stairs or significantly reduce the number of them in that room.

I agree with bringing the furniture in closer together.. particularly moving everything forward slightly towards the fireplace, this way the love seat is also sitting on top of the rug, then putting a long table behind it with some tall lamps (I included a picture) . The art work and chair beside the fireplace are too small as is the smaller plant on the floor in the corner, I know the inclination is to fill space but it looks out of balance. The fireplace is a challenge because of the chimney going up is narrower then the fireplace -sorry I'm stumped there too.. Congrats on the new home, it is lovely!

Beautiful room. Needs small tweeking though.
Loosely group most of your plants, tall at the back, shorter at the front, probably where the tallest plant is beside the staircase, OR to the right of the fireplace in that corner. Perhaps save one medium sized one for beside the black chair at the left of the fireplace and the chair should be tilted toward the centre of the room. Makes it look like it's meant to be there.
Group the cushions together at one end of one of the sofa's, mixing textures and colours and not chopping the room up. A vertical painting would suit that wall better. Move the horizonal painting on the the left hand side of the fireplace to a wider wall and mount at eye level/ perhaps a hallway where you can enjoy as you pass by regularly.
Also love mirrors as Darzy has done on her mantle.

I am stumped on the fireplace. If it were me, I would start with color and lighting. Your ceilings look about as tall as mine. Add a large ceiling fan. We get most of our lighting in our family room from our ceiling fan.

Congratulations! Check out a designer on Houzz, Martha O'hare. She has some great ideas!

I would paint the walls a lighter greige, which would complement the room better. Then put a beautiful, subtle stone facing on the fp. I agree with arranging the sofas do they face each other, and putting the chairs on the end. Bring in blue and green through accent pillows, accessories, and wall art.

I think that the bar is a great idea! Also, I think that you should get a larger, more substantial coffee table that stands up to the room better.

I remember on an episode with Candice Olson she put a large horizontal mirror up the fireplace when she was working with a very tall, open space. However, for the height you may want to get, you may want to build the fireplace mantle wider and make it more substantial to accommodate. This would also cover and take away from your eye focusing on the narrow part of the chimney. Art work would be good too, and if you find something you really love you can build your color scheme from that.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I will start by rearranging the furniture and bringing it in closer, grouping the plants (while eliminating a few) and then I wil look at the wall colour, probably a lighter beige or cream. I like the idea of the cabinets next to the fireplace. Then I will look into the fire place. Thanks again and Diana, I will Facebook you.

It is going to be expensive to face the chimney breast, and possibly look top heavy unless you put in some built ins on the side. I agree that the coffee table is too small and a different insert would be nice.

How about adding some texture to the chimney by facing it with some decorative panels--Crestview has some interesting mid-century modern ones that could work--or adding some simple trim. You could paint the whole thing the same color and then put some bigger pieces above the mantel.

I thought about just painting the chimney, but it bothers me that it is narrower than your fireplace surround. That just doesn't seem right.

Or you could go more modern, or use reclaimed whitwashed wood and create a contemporary look. Consider redoing the surround as well--seems too traditional for the space.

Oh my. Wood on either side and dark beams sound like the late 70's and as much as there seems to be lots of light, it would chop up the room and darken it unnecessarily. -Unless it's a mountain retreat of course.

I did not mean the entire wall. The beams would balance the mantel bring the wood up from the mantel on each side. It seems to me that it would add architectural interest to the room. It would make the fireplace more of a statement. The dark color would work well with the fireplace insert. The coffee table should be large in scale. (A rich dark color and chunky, just the opposite of what you see now).

You have a tremendous space there. How lucky you are!! I might suggest painting the fireplace wall with a lighter tan color. This would help reduce the shadowing effect caused by the chimney and reduce it's impact. If you are after a dramatic comtemporty effect you could purchase long fabric drapes and hang them from rods. You can go quite comtemporary by using color blocking, try a long carpet runner, or you could choose a very traditional tapestry style. Congratulations on your new home!

I neglected to mention in my previous post tht that if the budget allows one stunning choice to compliment your contemporty space would be to replace the fireplace with a unit such as this. If you then hung the long panels on either side of the fireplace it would be stunning. http://houzz.com/photos/89793

It needs texture and scale. There are a lot of good ideas posted here, and I agree with a stone fireplace and the built-ins idea - perhaps the stone doesn't go all the way up? I would also soften the color pallet. Your railings are dated, so something with a wood rail and metal balusters would go a long way. And, the columns holding up the 2nd floor need some detail.

Hang something big in this space, like a quilt/s. Try some vining plants that will grow fast and hang over the upper railing. Big art too. Beautiful space! Take advantage of the light!

Nancyhd, not sure I have the right picture....

Quilt or perhaps a beutiful rug.

Opps..., here is the photo...

It is a lovely room. I think the suggestions of built ins at the sides of the FP are right on the money. I would take them to the top of the balcony floor. then PAint the vrtical ewall of the balcony in a darker shade, I would do a darker grey. The walls need to have a different colors because they are fighting with your floors and your furniture. I would do a pearly grey. As for the fireplace the problem for me is that the rest of the house feels pretty modern and the fireplace mantelpiece feels very builder-quality. I wold get rid of the brass sorround and the mantelpiece and go very modern-industrial. maybe some beautiful simple horizontal piece in a dark wood. Then I would offer the suggestion of apinting ypur railings bright red or shiny black. paint the moldings black as well and get a bigger rug. Group the plants in the unused corner and think about a little reading nook or tv corner in the unsused portion. Good luck.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought of your place - so wanted to share.. Style of fireplace insert is more traditional.. a modern insert similar to posting above would be gorgeous. I'm sure this would not be cheap..but had to share. Click on the picture, this fireplace goes all the way up like yours with a hall/walk way to the left.

@sluggdog...that is awesome!

It is beautiful. I will have to see if it fits my budget! Thanks

Ok..so saw another fireplace that might be more budget friendly vs carrying the stone all the way up and still look great. You still change out the fireplace insert, with stone..add a mantel but continue the width all the way without stone. Photo attached.

One additional thing is you need to have a much larger and probably less airee coffee table in a softer colour, and move your seating in a bit closer. This will make the seating area warmer and more inviting as a conversation area. Then a matching sofa table behind the sofa at the foot of the staircase would allow you to display 3 dimentional art or photos etc., grounding the room.

There is sooo much that can be done with this room...one that I really like is replacing the wood around the fireplace with stone but not going all the way to the ceiling. I see about 10- 12 ft up but not ending in a flat, squared off top to the stone but something that will help to carry the eye up. I like the idea of using a large reclaimed bleached timber for your mantel then a colorful, warm large painting on the mantel with a long, large frame mirror on either side. I paint the room a pale sand color or white. Warm it up with color and rich wood tones in the furniture. I would place the wrought iron table between the two arm chairs in the center gap between the pillars. You could hang a nice light from the overhang of the 2nd floor to light this area. I would choose a couple of larger chandeliers to hang from the ceiling and replace the sconces on the wall to accent the chandeliers (I have attached a pic of a nice chandelier that would tie in the metal patina of the stair rails). A nice tufted leather ottoman would be fabulous! I like the idea of a brown and cream cow pattern rug on the floor. In a room this size you need to set up more than 1 conversation area. To the right of the fireplace I see a small one then directly in front of the fireplace putting the two sofas facing with the ottoman between would be great. Remember to play with angles with your furniture placement, don't leave your room looking boxy.

Another idea I had for the walls on either side of the fireplace instead of the mirrors would be to have dual water features in copper and brass and stone. I see them being about 8-10 ft up the wall.

I like the idea of using turquoise or peacock blue and oranges in here.

Have fun!

Berry girl, thanks for the great ideas. Do you have an example of the water feature? It sounds intriguing....

Okay, I found the picture that gave me the inspiration for your fireplace wall. I am attaching the picture.

The feature on the wall at the extreme right is what gave me the idea. The colors I chose for the room also stem from this feature.

Instead of having the water coming from a small outlet I see the water coming down the sheeting on the wall piece and if you carry the stone to the bottom of the water feature even giving a seating area on both sides warming them up with cushions and here you could add the plants that you like or even going so far to create a succulent garden to add additional color to the room. Decorating with succulents is very trendy in some areas. Just my thoughts. Hope some of them help you.

I'm not very good at drawing but I can sketch it up if you like. Found some stone that I thought would look good.

made some changes based on your comments and furnishings that I already have, new carpet, changed armchairs, regrouped plants, moved furniture closer. Was wondering what your thoughts were? also, I was wondering what kind of coffee table and lamps? I am looking at placing a large mirror on the mantelpiece. Thanks,

I like the sofa and love seat in the position they are now. I prefer the 2 original armchairs over the black recliners. The black looks a little heavy and more suited for a rec. room. I'm not a fan of either area rug, both have a lot of beige in them, I think something darker or even white might help. When I look at this room it seems the walls floors sofa and love seat are all the same colour beigey tan. I'd still round up the plants and put them under the stairs. The artwork seems too high, I'd remove both pieces. The columns look teal to me, Not sure if thats accurate but I'd paint them out in the white trim colour. If you go with built in on either side of the fireplace I wouldn't exceed the height of the mantel. A large mirror or large piece of water-glass above your fireplace would look good if the budget is tight and refacing in rock is not possible. A good punch of colour above the mantel would be stunning. I'm attaching a couple of pictures of water glass installed on the back side of a fireplace. You'll notice it over 2 storeys but you get the idea :)

Thanks Candace. I like your suggestions and will continue my work in this room. Yes both carpets do have a lot of tan and blend too much with the furniture and floors. I will look into something else. Thanks

You said it perfectly "continue my work in this room". Keep your chin up, great spaces don't happen over night, they evolve.

The room is beautiful, but the fireplace is totally out of place. Either eliminate the firplace or have something designed to harmonize with the nice architecture. This is goit o take some doing. Masonry will look bad. Stay with straight lines and smooth glossy textures, please. No mantlepiece.

Love reading about this room. My thoughts are this
1 Find a colorful modern rug, as in bold colors and patterns and lots of colors! Graphic and strong this room needs punch not pastels. You can bring a number of rugs home and try them out one by one. I think you will like it and they never show dirt!!
2 Put matching large dressers or storage chests on either side of the fireplace, they should match and be dark to ground the space or a color fromthe rug to bring in more weight and make the fireplace more imortant. Place large lamps on them,
Group the plants as stated.
3 White linen curtains from top of windows to floor with dark rods.
4. Either white modern end tables or dark wood tables with heavy weighty legs, , organic but heavy and textured. This room needs weight. Make sure your furniture front legs are aabout 11 inches onto the area rug you buy. Bring in colored pillows in solids from colors in the rug.
Let me know what you decide; great room, but very strong.