You have a very nice living room and I think sconces would look wonderful flanking the TV. I can see there would definitely be room when the doors to the TV were closed not sure in the open position. I would suggest adding end tables to the sides of the sofa. One under the window and one where the palm tree is now. You could then add table lamps on both sides. I would move the floor lamp to the other side of the sofa by the door. The lamp looks narrow enough to be able to fit there.

I definitely agree that table lamps would be a great addition. They give the most flattering light in a room and are a must if you need a light to read by.

Your room is lovely but I hope you won't take offense if I stray off the subject and comment on your pictures. I do think they're hung too high and should be closer to the couch, perhaps 8 to 10 inches up from the back of the couch. At they very least their centers should be lined up with the middle point of the drapes. I think you'll see a big improvement.

No offense taken, ingrid_vc... I love feedback.

There are a few practical reasons why things in the room are the way they are, though, and it definitely cramps my decorating style. I have 4 kids, and they are rough. Those paintings (which were done by my father-in-law) had to be moved up because the younger kids kept grabbing them, poking them, and pulling them off the wall. Same problem with end tables - we did have one with a lamp, but the baby pulled it off the table by the cord and just about gave herself a concussion. That's why we moved the plant back in the corner too - she kept knocking it over and pulling out the dirt.

I agree with you, though - 100%.

Sconces on either side of the opening/pass through, would look good. You didn't mention if they will be wired or plug in types.

The problem with putting them flanking the TV is, you never want to watch TV with light facing you so you'd have to keep them off when viewing TV.

I don't remember, what kind of ceiling fixture do you have? You might want to consider changing it out for track lighting. I provided a link of the fixture type I'm referring to. With the newer fixtures you can shape them and move them anyway you want and with the little halogen lights they are very pretty and highlight things nicely.

Here is a link that might be useful: lighting link

In spite of your four energetic youngsters you've done a great job decorating your home. They won't always be small and then you'll have a chance to decorate the way you'd like.

I wonder if you'd be able to put a skinny floor lamp between the front door and the sofa. Alternatively, a wall light could go there and you could move the clock elsewhere. I just wondered, do the blinds have to be down during the day? If privacy is an issue, I wonder if semi-sheers that cover only the bottom half of the window and leave the top open would be an option.

texaschaos, what does the rest of the room look like? Can you show us the whole space, rather than just parts, so that we can get a better idea of where lighting could be added?

I wouldn't add sconces by the TV, for the reason mentioned. I could see them on the wall behind the couch, with a mirror in between to help bounce some light around the space. The artwork might have to find another home, another reason to see the rest of the room.

I would also like to see the loveseat moved away from the window - it does interfere with the lighting a bit. You might be able to put a sofa table behind it, with a couple of lamps. Having the space between the loveseat and the window would allow more light to come in, I think.

The idea of changing out the ceiling fixture for track lighting is good, too. Depending on the fixtures, you could focus the lights in different places to wash the walls with light, and make the whole space feel brighter.

A lamp added to the passthrough from the kitchen would be nice on that counter, as well.

While I can appreciate having to decorate around 4 young children, I wonder how you read to them with only only lamp in the entire room? Could the plant find a different home and put a deserving lamp in that spot? Seems it would serve both sofas while remaining somewhat 'protected' from the young ones. Have you given any thought to perhaps the dark red draperies, while very pretty, might also be bringing down the "light affect" of your room? A small lamp on the pass thru would help - but not exactly where you need it in order to read stories. Also agree that the pictures behind the sofa are too high - tho understand your reasoning - and hopefully soon you can lower them.