You have created a wonderful canvas with your walls. My suggestion would be to forget about the walls for the moment ;-) Start with your goal - what function do you want the space to fulfill? What mood do you want it to evoke? Collect ideas from other rooms on Houzz if you like.

Once you have done that, take all of the furnishings out of the room and leave the lounge, tables and surfboard pic. Now you can see what you really have to work with. Start to add pieces gently and group 'like-minded' objects together. Simplify your colours and theme - is it 'beach' or 'nautical'? Does the red in the vase work within the space or is it an unwanted distraction?

Would love to see your 'after' photos...

Better pic

Here is the other wall

I'd say I'm not going for nautical, I'm going more for coastal. I tend to just pick stuff I like. The flowers in the pot were a thanksgiving fall decor. Thanks for all of the great ideas. Not sure exactly where to go, but this helps. :)

what happens if you bring the picture behind the couch up a few inches? like the tv....
seems more restful with just one vs many pictures. its a very welcoming room!

Love the idea of some great beach hats or woven beach bags hanging to right of photo.

I like the vintage surfboard Idea, or some oars or something, just something nautical that would create a vignette. I would put it in the corner by the fireplace. I also think a large lamp in the opposite corner, something with a nautical theme or color. then I would raise the picture up to be at the same level as the TV.

like the idea of a taller table in the corner w/ lamp......and the editing "out" of the other pictures on the shelf. too busy.

mnorwood, where are you? Beach on the east coast may not be beach on the west coast. Would surfboard pix fit over the paneling?

Hi there! You have a great room and some great ideas from others. I love the high wainscot ...we use it whenever we can. I like the framed large framed piece above the sofa. In terms of what to hang on either side, one option would be to frame black and white photographs in large-scale simple black museum frames in large squares - all the same size. From your pictures of the room it looks as though you could fit 2 on either side of the surfboards pieces and then continue this on the adjacent wall(s). This will tie all the walls together and let your existing piece above the sofa be the "star." They will be much higher than your large pieces, but since they will all be the same size in the same simple frames, they will create their own line in the room. The large round table and lamp sound perfect. Good luck and feel free to ask if this is not clear.

Judyg- great point! I'm on the west coast! I'm going for beachy but not "island beachy" --

Cwrightdesign- I like that idea. Would I center them in the blue of the wall, or? On ledge? Or? Love all the ideas! One reason we didn't want to do squares is bec there are so many boxes in the wainscot that it's getting a little too much square/boxy...

Hi! So glad you like the idea of the large squares. They will look great. Do not be concerned about the lines int he wainscot conflicting with the framed pieces. In the thin black museum frames they will create their own line around the room. Can you give me the dimension from the top of the wainscot to the ceiling and also the width of the available space on either side of the large piece above the sofa? With these dimensions I can easily give you ideal frame sizes and placement. Thanks!

8 ft ceilings, wainscot is 4'10" high, blue painted part is 3 feet, whole wall is 14'10" wide, adjacent wall is 7'4". I have a cute display of my daughters' bikinis on that wall that I love. White frames. I'll attach pic. Thank u for your input!

Adjacent wall opens to hall/bath, then another wall that is only 3'5" wide and that opens to stairs. I added a pic of that wall too. :)

These are some other rooms so u can see other wall decor we have in the downstairs. Not a huge house...

Thanks for the dimensions and the additional pictures! You have a wonderful house and have clearly spent a lot of time on it. In the Family Room I would go with 24" x 24" frames throughout. Black and white photos would look great in the simple black museum frames, same color mats, etc. to create a great line above the wainscot. I'm not sure how much room is left on either side of the existing large piece above the sofa but it looks as though you will be able to fit 2 new pieces on each side of the large piece above the sofa (total of 4 on that wall). Then I would go for two - three more on the wall where the bikini's now are (which are beyond adorable!) and re-frame the bikinis in the same manner and place them on the 3'5" wide wall where the round mirror is now hanging. I'm hoping you have some great black and white family pictures which would be fabulous in that room! Best of luck and don't hesitate to ask if there is anything else I can do! Cynthia Wright

Thank you for your time Cynthia. I appreciate it. :)

black matts? or white?

Love your style and hope you post the finished room after your hubby makes the larger table. I would replace the shade on the floor lamp. It seems too trad/uptight for the feeling you are after. Maybe a burlap or seagrass drum or a color you particularly love.

Agree Hollybar! What do you think of the gallery frame idea, Hollybar? Or do you like it with just the big picture?

I prefer just the big picture on that wall.There is a relaxed nonchalance to it (especially because it covers part of the wainscotting) that suits the space. Of course,the more controlled gallery framing would also work. Just depends on the mood you want.

agree with hollybar on both items....new lampshade and just the big picture. Your surfboard picture.........is so casual (love it).

Beautiful cozy house. Pottery Barn could use your home to stage pictures for its catalog! :-)

Suggestion: The short wall w/ the round mirror.....I would hang the mirror lower. Love the wall and wainscoting colors.......do you have the names?

I like the surfboard picture solo. The bikinis are terrific but the smaller frames should be brought closer to the larger one and all of them down a bit. I think a designer here on houzz (that's my joke: many more designers on here have said that!)has said the space between should equal the amount of the frames added together, and you have narrow frames right now. Aside from rules it'll look more pleasing to the eye. Also I think the mirror should also come down a few inches. You and are your SO must be tall! Are your slipcovers new? They look spectacular. Mind if I ask if you had them made for you or were they purchased with the furniture? Whatever, your room, your house, is one that anyone, near the coast or not, would want to spend time in. (Oh, I agree the lampshade does not do much for its space. It's important in the scheme of things so find one that works better for you). madeline

LOL mmilos, is it that obvious? I do love PB. It's over my budget, but I try to incorporate a few accents that I love. I totally copied their gallery wall in my entry....hey, let the big designers do the work, right? Wish I could afford to go crazy at their store some day! My hubby is a finish carpenter and builds furniture too, so he did both console tables, the wainscot, window seat and built-ins, mantel, frames, etc....he is amazing! I am so lucky that he can do anything and everything!

Yes, for sure decodar, we don't plan to leave that mirror there...but there is a funky little box thingy and until we figure out what we are putting there, we just have the mirror to cover the box, hanging on an existing hook... The wall color is Rainy Season by Dunn Edwards. It took us about 8 differnet samples to find that blue...paint always looks so different in differnet lighting/day times/etc....that wasn't easy, but I love it. I think the wainscot is just a white white semi gloss.

Hi Madeline, great suggestions! Both couches are from Ikea-- the Ektorp design...the 3 cushioned one I bought on crasiglist and the 2 cushion is a sleeper sofa that I bought from Ikea probably 8 years ago. I acutally just washed the slipcovers so they look super white. I had to use softscrub on some of the stains, but I let that soak and it worked well. I have 2 kids, 8/11, so the slipcovers take a beating!

I love the look of nautical maps being used as wallpaper. This way the surfboard can stay solo but it wont look lonely. You can just do the one wall by boarding it with painted 1x2.

Like the lone surf board - the table in corner with large lamp - possibly lowering the bathing suit pic and hang the two tiny pic's stacked to one side - might help balance the grouping if it doesn't look too balanced - bring the mirror down too. I love your rooms - they look and feel good - you have a great touch!

mnorwood......thanks for the wall color. I find blue especially difficult. Tried 4 colors in a room, gave up and went in a different direction. Do you find the sofa sleeper comfortable? Have looked for reviews on it....find reviews for the sofa, not the sofa sleeper. Love the Ektorp and would like to use it at our cabin. A little afraid of the white, but love the look.
My hubby too - is a very talented carpenter. Give him any photo....he can build it. That along with knowledge of the other trades allows for great design on a budget. The work your hubby has done is beautiful. You and I are both very fortunate indeed!

Decodar--the couches are pretty comfortable. The sleeper is firmer becuase it has the mattress underneath, but that means it holds the shape a little better...the actual mattress is not great for sleeping. It's fine for the kids though! The price is right! The slipcovers are super duper cheap, so if the white gets dirty you can wash it for a couple years and then just buy a new cover. I think the cover is less that $100, but I'm not positive. That was my plan, but acutally, bleach works wonders and we don't eat/drink on the couches, so that helps....

I like PB too. I got the same Brandon area rug you have. :)
Only thing I wouldn't buy at PB is their upholstered furniture. It's overpriced for the quality even though it's made in US. The PB couches have poor reviews.

Yeah, I can't afford their upholstered furniture. It doesn't seem like the best quality, but I love the styles....

Hi! I would use mats about the color of the wainscot. It looks like a warm white. Is that right?

I'm not sure, but I still have the paint, so I can match it if I need to. :)

Rule of thumb about pictures: # When hanging art pieces above a sofa or other piece of furniture, the grouping should ideally be about 2/3 the width of the furniture below it. (For example, if an art grouping is being hung over a 60" sofa, the ideal grouping would about 40" in length.)
# When hanging artwork over a sofa or other piece of furniture, leave 4"- 8" of space between the top of the sofa/furniture and the bottom of the art. No higher!

Beautiful room and the high wainscoting should be minimized and can do that by hanging your pictures lower - even on the wainscoting. Posted picture 'rules' above.. The ceiling fan distracts from the room. I would suggest removing it and hanging a beautiful chandelier (SO many beautiful ones to choose from). IF you NEED the ceiling fan, I would paint it the same color as your ceiling, blades and all, so it will fade into the ceiling instead of screaming 'here I am'! LOL Love what you have done and understand the picture hanging dilemma...

what does everyone think about painting the ceiling trim the same color as the walls? It would make the small space between the tall wainscoting the the ceiling appear bigger. It's almost like they are competing for the space.

And about that ceiling fan, it can ALSO be moved closer to the ceiling. JUST did this to a fan in the family room (got a white one to fade into the ceiling and moved it as close to the ceiling as possible). I see you can do that with your fan, AFTER you paint it!

..and, you are most welcome...It's fun!

Your entry is gorgeous and your wood floors, too.

I would try the other great suggestions.....before I'd consider painting the crown molding the wall color. Personally - wouldn't paint it.

Okay friends, so I took everything off the wall other than the big picture...which I actually like the clean lines now. We bought this round table on Craigslist and refinished it. I moved the lamp from my living room to test it out. Thoughts????

Better pic

Better pic

Better pic

my house is this how to decore

Hi Tsdenia,
I have been to Ethiopia, and it is a beautiful country! My husband used to live in Uganda. Being an American, I was always amazed about how formal some of the homes in Africa were. I have often wondered how I would decorate a house if I lived in Uganda. I think your room looks cute. You have a good start and some very nice furniture to work with. One thing you have to remember is that different cultures have different ideas about style, for instance, Americans don't take tea very much, but I know Ugandans do and it is a very important part of the culture. They always have the little tables that are perfect for taking tea. Anyway, just remember that what you want is to make it so it works for you.
The thing I would do is lower the picture of the last supper so it is more eye level. Perhaps a small table to put tea on in between the two chairs in front of the window. I love the green linens, but it doesn't work so great with the gold.. The white ones are fine.

thank you