art. something sculptural. something with color or incredible form. in Europe, stone sculptors even have their work in their homes. would need proper base to protect floor though. if you have children and animals running around however, their safety should be thought of first. just google sculpture and find one in your area, unless you'd consider having one shipped to you and installed by artist. Don't incorporate the art and a credenza. You will limit yourself on the artwork. Let the art be art, a unique piece on its own. If you really need a credenza, consider a mobile sculpture. Look at Calder for kicks.

that blank wall is calling for one of these: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=contempory+display+uits+image&qpvt=contempory+display+uits+image&FORM=IGRE#

Agree with AggieDesigns about living room layout. Before you consider art for that wall, it looks like you need to lower the piece you have hanging in the dining room. Then consider some kind of sculpture, something dynamic that pops:

Go out to any big retail store(target, Costco, wal mart etc,) see if they have any framed art that goes with colors of ur living space(keep the frames same color though, and have each piece of picture in square,rectangle or circle) come home lay all the pieces on a soft area and create a puzzle of different size framed art like if they were hanging on the wall. The reason why I told u this is because on one side of the wall you have a long rectangular credenza storage and on the other rectangular picture, so go with a nice eye catching small area of mixed shaped framed art that would brighten up the room. Hope this helps, will be attaching picture examples.
GOOD LUCK!

Hi, Evalynn! This is a beautiful contemporary space. We like your idea and think you're utilizing the space well if you enjoy a lot of turnaround/loiter room at the bottom of the stairs. We think a contemporary sideboard ( http://www.atgstores.com/sideboards-servers_999.html?linkLoc=topnav) with a selection of vases or smaller sculptures on top that speak to you would look great, especially if situated to take advantage of the light. We hope this helps, and good luck!

or different size mirrors, something with texture....etc. love the idea of a console with mirrors, or a settee (lounge chair/sofa) with mirrors....something with mirrors just would brighten not only that area but the whole room. ...looks very rich, like in example pic 1.
Hope this helps.
GOOD LUCK!
annie
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Its nice that you have two power outlets in that area that way you can connect two table lamps with console or a floor lamp with a lounge.

Pic 1 has the idea of the stairway being right near the examples of a mirror and lounge chair and last example with an idea of stairway and mirror with console. Whichever ones you think would look best in your room. For some reason i just have a feeling the area might be bigger then its in the picture though (then you will probably have to look for a bigger console or a bigger lounge sofa to go there if you do of course decide with either one).

You may have a look there http://dpov.fr

Maybe some big abstract metal sculptures would be nice. Or a very interesting or unique bookcase on that wall with art on either side, or to one side depending on size and shape.

Here is another interesting bookcase and some cool mobiles....could even use one of the paper mobiles in the staircase area or kitchen???

You have great suggestions already! I think a brightly colored piece of art would work wonders for your space. Once you fall in love with something then you can pull colors from it for other accessories.
Etsy.com is a great place to look for affordable art and throw cushions etc. It is a website with shops from all over the US, Canada and other places. So what you get is unique and usually can be customized by the shop owners. I have a photography shop there, nancyhehmann. High definition photography is amazing.

If you want to make a more substantial investment, go to Park and West Galleries website, They handle famous artists and you can get a limited edition for less than an original painting. Sometimes the limited editions go up in value.

I like this "idea"..the art/lamps are not right, but the orientation is nice!

Bring some outside in! My eye was drawn to your view. Whatever you don't distract from it, compliment it!

go to HORNE on this site and look at the credenza with metal doors. The doors are open work of nature and might look rather good in your room if you need a little extra storage.
sorry not yet well-versed in my URL on mac.
You can even incorporate an idea like the one above with lamps, art, and back drop. darcy gave a good example of what you can do. Great ideas darcy.
This pieces would be nice focal which would divide the two spaces without taking up floor space because you can place it parallel or at a 90 degree with art suspended on wall or over it. just a thought.

outside the box:A totem pole would also look pretty great but not sure how a piece of furniture and a totem would co-exist in this space. Look up totems. Could bring in: culture, texture and color.

http://www.northwest-art.com/NorthwestArt/WebPages/OrcaTotemIIPage.htm

hi evalynn05, you can also go to shutterstock.com/totem to see more totems. A sculptural totem can range from $6500 to 25K, fyi. thanks for sharing your home with us.

I agree with aggiedesigns. Your furniture layout needs to be adjusted. It's hard to see in the picture, but I think I would rotate your whole living room layout 1/4 counterclockwise, so that the long lines of your sectional (?), coffee table and rug mimic the horizontal lines on the floor and window. Also, pull the couch away from the walls. Your dining room table also seems to be shoved up to the wall (also hard to tell.) I'd do this, then see what the space is calling for.

Vi consiglio di visitare www.buy-design.it

You may also consider changing your bulbs out if you go with a sculptural lighted piece.

At some point, you may opt for an unusual lamp sculpture. If you do, the row of lamps with plain bulbs all the way across might "take away" from a lighted piece. I'll give you the link of unusual works.
look at: Carbon451, a work created by: Marcus Tremonto. (sp?) You can also see the piece on: www.dorndo.com

for something unique to you: look at coolmaterial.com "voiceprint" it's a print of your own voice saying something. Not sure how to shop that way, but the idea is unique. thank you again for the challenge.

Hi evalynn05,

Normally I'm in favor of paintings and photographs, but for this space go for one of the wood or metal sculptures that other Houzzers have suggested or one of the mobiles that mpoulsom posted to balance the art by the table and the narrow windows. Always buy original art, especially from local artists, whenever possible:)

Best,
Shari

spkcreative@gmail.com

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50% of profits from the following sites from November 2, 2012 to December 31, 2012 will be donated to the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean in honor of Sandy Survivors:)

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a side chair

Great contemporary space, however the view is nothing to write home about. Why not install a striking window treatment to close it off, add color and interest plus soften your room?

Thank you all for such wonderful and creative suggestions. I will move the furniture around and see how it looks. Our corner couch kind of limits us, and I would like to switch it out eventually. However, we are keeping it for the time being. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the American stores...this house is near Oslo, Norway. But, links and pictures are inspirational.

I have attached a picture of the layout and some additional pictures from when we purchased the house. I think these pictures show how the designers utilized the space better. There was a console table and lamp where we have that empty space between the dining area and the sofa area.

Also the picture I took didn't do much justice to the view...there is a view of the fjord, and we have some beautiful tall pine trees. Inspiration for contemporary window treatments would be great. I don't want it to look "heavy". We really don't feel the need to have window treatments for privacy purposes.

Great home. I know you will find your bliss in the last areas of design. don't rush it. patience will help you process the journey. thank you for sharing your photos and ideas.

I agree the living room furniture needs to come much closer to the dining room table, maybe centered on the first downward light. And I'd vote for vertical, large, very colorful abstract oils or prints right under the two downward lights. Maybe not sideboard, you must move your furniture first. I think it could be awesome.

Your home is gorgeous!!!

Such a beautiful space! If you are in the market to fill the wall with some art please feel free to take a look at our site. Everything is custom built and we ship worldwide :)

If we can be of any assistance in locating something specific just let us know. We are always glad to make some recommendations.

www.committedphotography.ca

http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/1126

Since the area is next to your dinning area, maybe you can have modern cabinets for dinning with bright color, because almost all of your furniture are having cold color or maybe 3 big vases with flowers / plant or these decoration sclupture , I hope you like it...

I love this artist, Linda Donahue. Her profile and work is here on Houzz.
http://www.houzz.com/pro/lindadonohueart/linda-donohue-fine-art


san-francisco

Hope that helps.. Charmean Neithart

FYI, the large metal sculpture artists are on ebay and ship worldwide....the paper mobiles are on etsy and ship as well. :) I'm sure you have some good local artists there as well though. Support your local artisans if possible!!!

Speaking of the eBay artists I've gotten a lot of really nice work there and have filled many large walls with beautiful, art from real artists very inexpensively. I've been trying to avoid the 'art' from the big box stores. The golden tones in your room reminded me of this artist. I've worked with him in the past and bought 4 panels and hung them loose, unstretched, tapestry style from vintage, gold floor lamp poles with a stunning effect. They're very thick with paint And textured and his edges are all frayed like cut offs so they lend themselves beautifully to tapestry hanging. Hope this helps:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/gallerymark/m.html?item=160975307694&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Good luck!

The wall flood lights suggest to me some individual pieces of art along that wall to take advantage of the lighting. Sculpture is a wonderful idea but I would use it elsewhere in the room as opposed to the wall such as on the floor, the tabletop and in artful furniture and floor lighting.

The table does seem to be pushed to far against the wall. There should be 3'-4' between the table and the wall for ease of disembarking from the table.

Wonderful home. Thanks for sharing your pictures and your inquiry.

what a lovely home. i'd turn the sofa to face the window. pull it a little closer to the FP to allow walking room on all sides. find one interesting shaped sculptural piece to stand behind the sofa. could be a sleek black bronze jaguar or a white ceramic tiger. could be a tangled tree root or natural driftwood.
maybe a repurposed old iron or steel industrial equipment part.

the wall needs dimension but no more low rectangles.how about a fountain? a large,like 7'H x 4' W, artistic water feature. the sound would bring nature inside which is soothing for dining as well as working at the desk.

the candlesticks look lost. somehting like a large antique dough bowl filled with bright granny smith apples. or 2 large trifle bowls filled with lemons.

I think this is beautifully serene. The furniture compliments the architecture perfectly. Great choices !

My only comment would be to agree with the person who suggested moving the furniture about.
The empty space between the dining area and sitting area is pleasing, but a little too much empty space.
I wouldn't overcrowd it, but pull the seating area out a little and choosing a larger area rug with just a shot of color To ground the space.

A very large piece of artwork ( like a huge, almost cover the height of the wall piece ),somewhat abstract or graphic in nature wil move yor eye between the two areas. Another option would be to go in the direction of a soft , impressionistic, horizontal blend of colors on a large canvas.
If you think of adding a minimal amount of one color from the rug, to the wall to the dining table , that should do it .

If you are looking for a little more complexity or intrigue, you might try putting the sofa on the left wall (again, pulling it down toward the dining room a little ) and perhaps adding a low bookcase under the window (full width and built in - not a piece of furniture but something that belongs to the structure ), or something with square leather seat cushions, which harken back to the mid-century, Frank Lloyd Wright sensibility.

Again, just some ideas, you have great design sense already.
You may want to play with injecting a touch of colored glass or as someone else suggested , a mobile is artistically appropriate to your space.
LOVELY HOME !

I think a very large colorful textural fabric wall hanging would be fabulous. It would add some needed softness and color.

We carry a huge line of home decor and furniture that would do nicely in your home.
http://www.bargainbacker.com/Decor-_c_8.html
http://www.bargainbacker.com/Holly-Martin_c_4760.html

Hi all! Thank you for all of the suggestions. Here is the latest look of the living room. As suggested, we flipped the couch around and pulled it away from the window. Then we recently purchased a credenza, mirror and carpet to fill the empty space between the dining table the sofa area.

I'm late to the discussion, but assume the low sectional was purposefully selected to sit below the window sill. However, the scale of the new credenza makes the sofa look like a child's version. I would have tried to keep the credenza low and long, but would have preferred a vertical piece to break the horizontal line that predominates around the room. Is the mirror reflecting anything beautiful or interesting? I hate to keep on, but the round rug reminds me of a bath mat. I would float the sofa away from the credenza so the disparity between the scale of the two pieces is minimized. You have a great space, but I think you missed it with the new purchase.

If I might make one comment, you are trying too hard and perhaps trusting others more than yourself.
You were 80 % " there" already. Your original instincts were closer to complimenting the style of the house.
If I might be yet another voice.
Don't be so anxious to fill the empty space with furniture. Textural interest and a vertical

Sorry,the rest of the note was lost.
I would just say that everything is now weighted to one side of the room.
It minimizes the beauty of the architecture.
Float your sectional so it is centered in front of the large picture window, and move the rug and Barcelona chairs accordingly.
The round rug is not good, and the round mirror, in that location,is not good.
It acts as a bulls eye and disrupts the flow of the room.
It reduces the impact of the feeling you already had going? Increase the impact of the horizontal window.
I can't judge the scale of the sideboard because it is in the foreground of the photo,but perhaps try the sideboard under the horizontal window with a couple of LARGE artifacts ( vases, sculpture, etc. ) on either end - what you have now is too diminutive and colorless.
When the sofa is pulled more I to the room it might work.
You have a lot of wood going on; you need to add a large piece of art or tapestry or something on the wall between the dining area and living area.
Even a low padded bench beneath an over scaled something ! Would do the trick.
You need to make your eye move around a room. You need to have points of color or interest, as well as empty spots (which make you notice what is beyond ).
Add some sheen,some color, some nubby fabric.
The room definitely needs to have a bit more identity and softness; don't underestimate the tactile effect of fabrics and the depth that different textures bring to a space.
Don't strive so much for" decorated " but pay attention to what makes you want to spend time in a room. What you respond to emotionally will guide you.

I'd like to see couch turned one more time, so no part touches a wall and back is to dining area. In the example rooms, I don't at all like lots of little pictures or anything else grouped in a modern space. It says country or traditional to me. Also, you have wonderful windows. They already provide lots of mirror-like surfaces. I'd stay away from mirrors. Modern needs dramatic, large, bright colored art. Sculpture, too, but silver metal that will reflect light, free-form and/or moving. Maybe hung from the ceiling. Yes, credenza now looks too high compared to couch. Beautiful room and house!

Oh, let living room area fill that space. Maybe center all on window with no furniture touching walls. This will put if off-center from dining table, but I think will improve it. Couch back to dining area with a parson's table or other modern narrow surface there.

Thanks for the constructive feedback! The rug is now moved out. I will continue to play with the living room set up, and repost.