bump

I can't redecorate your room, but I'll make a couple of suggestions.

First of all get rid of the dead looking plant by the chair. Sorry, it looks very sickly. LOL

Get rid of the container of fakes flowers that is on the floor. You can keep the container, just get rid of the stems inside.

The frame of the print on the wall looks washed out because it's on that pale colored wall. The other with the dark frame will show up better.

As for the iron pieces, I suppose you could mount them side by side where you have them.

That modern lamp would look totally out of place in your space as would that mirror.

Have you considered spray painting the metal of the floor lamp you have? There are many great looking finishes and colors you can get.

If you have something more colorful for the coffee table that would give some color to the room. Even a bowl of real lemons would look good. Anything live; fruit, vegetables or flowers.

I can't tell what is on the table behind the recliner, but it doesn't look decorative. If you can, put a vase of live flowers for when your guests come. Nothing beats fresh flowers, even simple flowers like daisies are great.

Clear any clutter. Is that a dog cage? I suppose you could move that out for when guests come in. Also, do I see some more dead twigs in the corner by the sofa? Get rid of those. Even if you surfaces are sparse it's better than having them cluttered and you don't want to have dead anything. Nothing wrong with fake plants and flowers, but they need to be fresh and clean.

Maybe some others will have some more thoughts. Hope I've helped some.

Although your furniture is modern looking, you can keep a rustic feel, but not with the modern lamp you show or the mirror.

Do you like the Native American style? Your large Carol Grigg print sort of gets lost on the light wall. It will probably look better when you paint the wall, but you could also paint the frame. I have a large Grigg that in in a wide turquoise frame. It really brings out the color from the print.

I also just painted two large frames in a turquoise for one of my guest rooms. The paint in that room is not what I wanted. I thought it was going to be a sand color and it has more of a light almost yellow cast to it. I will repaint later, but just don't have time now. So, I painted frames to help warm this up. It helped a lot.

I agree with Bruteses that I would paint the existing floor lamp. There are some amazing spray paints that will really change the look. Add a new shade and you will think it is a new lamp. There are many with textures or even hammered look.

If you want the rustic look or want to go with the Native American look, invest in a throw that incorpotates that.

I have living room furniture that is far from what I want. I used to have a set that I loved and it was in the colors of the Southwest. It got broken during a burglary and my insurance replaced it. Unfortunately this was just before CHristmas and I had a big group coming to my house. I couldn't find what I wanted and didn't want to wait to order it, so I just picked something in a hurry. It is way to big and far from my style. I don;'t know what I was thinking...

However, I have added throws and at least have pulled the Southwest style into it.

I think paint on the walls will also help you warm this area up.

Sorry -- but I'm just not keen on the iron pieces -- too light and scrolly for your decor.

I'd like to see ironworks with stronger, cleaner lines ......

Sorry, no suggestions, but I really love the mirror and lamp. Can you tell me where they are from?

I appreciate your responses. I feel a little like I'm overstaying my welcome with a less then wonderful room to play with it.
brut, The walls are getting painted which may help the prints/frames and the plant is going. I had not even thought of painting the floor lamp but what a terrific idea. May have just become my weekend project. I appreciate your honesty about the lamp/mirror I had posted. I also have a yard of flowers in bloom, and those will be making their way indoors. Thanks so much for your detailed response.

printersdevil, I'm a little reluctant to paint the frame as this was given to me after I coveted it at my sister's home. I bet that would be gorgeous in turquoise. I'm going to at least wait until I get the painting done. I don't want to add additional native american elements however, just would like to figure out a way to keep the prints.

teacats, thanks for your honesty about the iron pieces. To be honest I'm not really feeling it either, and perhaps they will have to relegated to somewhere or someone else. It was sort of an impulse buy on the way out of the flea market with nothing in my hands but a bag of cherries...lol.

budge, the mirror is from West Elm and the lamp from Pottery Barn

Perhaps this is way off the mark as well, but could you see wall swing arm sconces working in here over the sectional?

Love the sofa and the sofa pillows (so comfy-looking!), as well as the coffee table and the console.

Not crazy about the recliner, or the metal wall sculptures--I agree that the latter are too lightweight for your room.

Think you need a heftier floor lamp than the one currently there or the new possibility you posted. The new one is getting there, but I think you need a weightier bases.

Don't like the potted plant next to the recliner, but DO like the pottery with the dried flowers--brings a nice counterpoint to the room, I think.

It's difficult for me to comment on the wall art until the walls are painted.

Do you have a rug in the room? If so, what are its colors, and
will you be keeping or replacing it?

Would it be possible to see a longer shot of the room (floor included)?

Did I say that I LOVE your sofa? I wish my LR were big enough to have a sofa that large. :)

This is going to be a super-beautiful room when you have finished--I just know it!

I rather like the scrolly iron pieces.

Are they positioned like that on purpose?

os, thanks for your words of encouragement. The reason I was thinking a lighter weight base for a floor lamp was because I was thinking of putting it to the left of the sectional which is a small space so I can add additional lighting. I mocked this up to give you an idea of what I was thinking:
{{!gwi}}
The pottery piece looks better in that corner too.
The rug is a god awful industrial looking one with browns/greys in it. It WILL be replaced at some point and I would love to put down hardwood floors...but not what I have for the here and now. Only saving grace is it hides dirt from gardening and dog traffic.

This is the mockup with an end table/lamp from another room:
{{!gwi}}

This is the sofa table in back. Twig basket with shelled balls/etc.
{{!gwi}}

And for a final stab would it make any sense to somehow flank the print with the iron pieces?? Something like this or does it look too contrived?

{{!gwi}}

mclarke, too funny, no I didn't position them like that - just threw them up on available nails to try to help visualize. wig
wig

My final stab...
Yea or Not so much?
{{!gwi}}

Oh, I see what you mean about the floor lamp: yes, that will work beautifully, imo. I actually like the rug, too. As you might know, we had charcoal grey rugs in our LR and study for years: there is NOTHING better when you've got animals--that color hides everything. The only reason I changed them out is that the look was too modern for our rooms (and they were getting a little worn, too, I must admit).

I'm not crazy about that table lamp. What I envision is a pretty ceramic lamp there. Let me see if I can find something to show you what I mean.

I still don't care for the metal--maybe because they look a little flimsy to me. Let me look for something else.

Back in a flash. . .

Here's the kind of lamp I had in mind, which I think would pick up the blue in your art piece on the wall:

And candle sconces on either side of the painting? (please see link)

I think the metal wall art might actually work on that wall in your last posting. Again, however, I think it will depend on the wall color. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Wall Candle Sconces

Love the ironwork and it looks very nice in there. Not taking in the whole room or wall, but how about using the two iron pieces as one. It makes a really pretty and interesting large piece. Flanked with sconces or something else interesting, maybe. You could also have/make candle sconces for the center of them, as individual pieces.

I like that, squirrel. Much better.

You have all been so helpful! I agree that placing them together like that looks so much better. Thanks for that suggestion and mock-up squirrel! Your visuals are always so helpful.

os, I wasn't proposing the end table or lamp that is there- they were simply pulled from another room to get a sense of how it would look. I do like the lamp you posted though - I think you're right in that in pulls in some colors from the artwork. Where did you find it? I also have one of these lamps in the house -
{{!gwi}}
I wonder if I could come up with something creative to put inside that might bring in some color...hmmm (although I think it might be too large for this purpose).

I also like the idea of flanking the iron pieces with sconces - I'll have to do some searching to see what kinds of choices are out there. Thanks again! wig

Those changes look really nice. I like the iron pieces together or flanking the picture. It fills the wall nicely. Great job!!

Oh, I LOVE those lamps! Yes: I think I like your idea better. :)

Have you decided on the new wall color yet?

Here's the link to the blue lamp. . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Table Lamp

I love those lamps too, where are they from?

I haven't decided on wall color yet. I have new window panels coming in and I'd like to wait until they are here and up before I decide on wall color. They should be here in 3-4 weeks. The lamps are from pottery barn. I love the ability to change out what you put inside and have the flexibility to change the look. wig

I am coming to this post late but I like the direction you are going- like OSH, I have sofa and space envy! I really love the cream and caramel combination. I don't so much get a rustic feel from the room but more an organic earthy feel.. maybe that's just semantics but I love the feel. You've received a lot of suggestions on lamps etc.. the thing that came to my mind when I first viewed the pics this morning is that a darker wood might be nice in there--in fact, my immediate thought was wine stave tables. They are relatively inexpensive and I really like the lines and rich color of the wood... which seems to echo your rafters. I don't know if they fit your vision or lifestyle but I kept thinking about them all day and figured i should at least share the thought with you.

The link below is for the sideboard but there are side tables and stools (that I would use as tables)

Here is a link that might be useful: wine stave console

Hi, Wig. Sorry to be so long in getting here - been a crazy couple of days.

First, it will help that the chair rail disappears, whether by removal or painting it out to the wall color. If you look at your pix, right now almost everything at that end of the room is the same height as the chair rail - you have a horizon running around the two major walls.

Are you trying to bring in more of the Native American feel, or is it just a coincidence that the art pieces are both of that subject? I ask because right now it kind of feels like you are all over the place with styles, and I think you will be happier if there is a little more cohesiveness.

I don't see the scrolled iron pieces fitting the rest of the space. They are too fussy and too delicate to balance the solid, square feel of the furniture. Do you have another room in which they could be used? If not, I would let them go.

I think you are right to wait on the wall color until you get the drapery, but I think you have the potential for a very sophisticated color scheme in the space. Consider doing a warm grey on the walls - grey and golds/yellows are very chi-chi, and would likely work well with both the color tones in the art and also the rug (for now). My only question is how the warm grey would look with the very cool stone fireplace that you have, but I think it is doable.

I think you need to get rid of the sofa table - it doesn't look like it belongs, and makes the leather chair look crowded there.

Wondering where the sectional splits, and into how many pieces? If it does, I am wondering about separating the two pieces, and perhaps putting an end table at the place where the two currently intersect in the corner, or re-arranging the pieces to break up the sectional.

Also, is the tv cabinet a corner piece, or is it flat on the back? Is it possible for it to sit flat against a wall, or the right side of the fireplace?

funkyart, OMG, I have never heard of wine stave tables, but this is exactly what I've been trying to find. The flea market where I got these iron pieces had this guy who took old semitruck beds (very thick, distressed wood) and bowling alley wood and used them on the top of various repurposed bases/cabinets. One was a kitchen island that I would have bought in a heartbeat if I would have had a place for it. The link to his website is below. This is a very similar feel. Sorry for the sidetrack, but I love that look, and I love some of their end table pieces.

les, you provided a fresh perspective and lots of good food for thought! I suspected that I was all over the place with design styles, and I'm not going for a Native American feel, just like the art. I think I am style disabled as I know what I like when I see it, but don't know how to get there, what the style 'category' is, or how eclectic I can get away with and still look ok. If I went with the style of table that funkyart linked, could that work, and if so what style direction does it take me?? I like the sectional, but would eventually like to replace the tv cabinet and coffee table piece....just not high priorities as they are functional and 'ok'. I however did realize that the sofa table didn't go, but like the use of a dark wood. I don't think I would pull back the recliner very much or it would feel disconnected from the rest of the seating. Then I end up with what feels like dead space behind it Maybe that is a misperception so I'll have to try removing it. Maybe it could be replaced with one of the wine stave pieces....hmmm

I've just told my son he might have to help tomorrow with moving some furniture around. The sectional and the tv cabinet both weigh a ton. The sectional is 2 pieces that divide at the corner - just not sure we want to give up the luxury of the corner seat to lounge in... I'd like to try it and see how it looks. We angled the tv cabinet in part to hide a big ugly wood storage hole in the overpowering fireplace.

I'm intrigued with the thought of using a warm grey - could you give me the name of a color from one of the major paint companies so I could get a better picture of what you are thinking? Or a picture of something painted that color?

Thanks again all. You have all been so helpful and each bring your own talents to discussions which is so appreciated by the style deprived people like myself. wig

Here is a link that might be useful: repurposed wood furniture

Thanks for the link to the salvaged wood/pieces kitchen islands! What a gorgeous way to repurpose old finds.

I am curious to hear how your furniture moving day went.

Just went to look at the sectional and realized it can't be split because of where the split is located. There isn't enough space in the room to accomodate it. I also looked at the tv cabinet and thought about it more and don't think I want to move it. I really don't like the space behind it and it serves to block that eyesore a bit and allows everyone to see the tv. Les, do you think it looks awkward? I really continue to like the idea of using wine stave pieces. Do you think they would work with I have going? What do you think of one of these?
#1{{!gwi}}

#2{{!gwi}}

And if I kept the largest Grigg print on the wall as shown in my first picture in this post, would it look out of place or out of style to add actual lamps to that wall in a couple of places?? Something like this? There are 3 outlets behind that section of couch so I could use them from that perspective. As Les indicated, I just may be heading in too many design directions that don't meld. I also love wall lamp sconces but don't know the rules/guidelines to make them work in a space. Thoughts?
{{!gwi}}
wig

Wig, well you know I like the wine stave pieces ha.. but I like the second table the most.. also like the console and server (could one replace your side table?)Did this place have the coffee tables or did I see them elsewhere? I think you need at least two pieces to make the darker wood look like they were intentionally placed as a design element. They'll work with the ceiling beams and some of your other elements to set the refined rustic tone of the room.

I can't see enough of your room to know if the tv should move but being that it is a family room, I would think that allowing all to view the tv is important. That said, you could use the wood storage hole to your advantage-- put an interesting piece of sculpture in it perhaps? I just don't know if you have another spot for the tv.

Funny funkyart, but I had been thinking the same thing and went and measured the current piece and compared it to the smaller console table available on that website. They are 6" longer, although 5" less in width. I think the smaller depth would help, but am afraid since it is longer it would take it right down to the end table. I'll have to play around with taping out areas to get a better sense if it would work.

I was leaning toward the other end table, thinking I might need something more solid and bulky to compliment my bulky funiture...is that backward thinking? wig

I was thinking the console table more because it looks so much like your beams-- but of course, it would need to fit the space to work. If that link doesn't have them, there are also side tables that have the chunkier wood like the console table too. They are a tad more rustic but they might suit your room and your tastes better. The link I shared was one I had saved but if you do a google search on "wine stave table" you'll find some others.

I can definitely see your point with the chunky table with your furniture .. but I "box" tables are sold all over the place here so that wouldn't have been my first pick. Of course, I am sure these look MUCH nicer.

Here's a cocktail table
http://www.napageneralstore.com/browseproducts/Napa-Valley--Cocktail-Table.HTML

Good luck.. I am excited that you like them too.

I am wondering if you could rotate the sectional so that the one side had the back facing the sliding door, and the other side came down the wall at the end of the room. The corner where they would meet would be the corner to the right of the slider as you look at it. You could then add an end table at the right end of the sectional if you liked, and a floor lamp as you showed that would overhang the corner of the sectional.

Then move the leather chair in front of the fireplace. If there is a wood storage hole there that you don't like, you could put in a large planter, or a cheap RTA bookcase (or even shelves resting on bricks stacked for support) and make that space into a cozy reading spot by the fire. A table beside the chair with a lamp would be nice and bring more light to the space. The smaller of the two framed art pieces could perhaps work on that wall behind the chair.

The TV in the tall cabinet would then be on the wall to the left of the entry door. Later on, if you replace the tv cabinet with something lower, or a flat panel tv on the wall with a console below, that will be a perfect spot for it. Everyone can still see it, but the tall cabinet won't fight with the fireplace, which I think is a great element in your space that is being ignored.

I would take the coffeetable, buy a piece of upholstery foam for the top, then cover it with a great fabric and make it an ottoman. Something in a nice chenille with some pattern would be great, or for fun something like this, that seems to have some gold, some grey tones, and some dark touches to pick up on your fireplace and darker wood pieces you want to add:

jagger taupe fake snake

I think the boxier wine stave furniture is cool. It would work, especially if you revamp the coffeetable. I would also consider painting the tv cabinet in a darker color that would then work with the new furniture.

I think wall-mounted lamps are great, and I like the ones you picked, in the darker tones. They could go behind the couch on the end wall of the room. I would think about getting a great mirror for the center of that wall, which would reflect the fireplace and also bounce more light around the room.

As for a wall color, it is hard to suggest, because the lighting in the space can make such a difference. Take a look at SW 6072, Versatile Gray.

Les, That's ingenious! I would never have thought of doing that and I love the idea of covering the coffee table and making it into an ottoman. Great ideas! My son is recovering from hernia surgery and has restrictions until this Friday. Hopefully at that point he'll get some medical clearance and can help me move this stuff as it is all very heavy. I'll be biting at the bit to see if it will work.
Funkyart, If this arrangement works, I could potentially get two different endtables! I like them both, but wish there would have been space for a side board as I think I like those the best. Thanks again for the heads up and help. wig

yeah, I like them best too-- but the side tables are nice too. I really like the fabric les suggested-- though to be honest, I couldn't have even fake snake skin in my house. The colors are great through and it has nice depth and visual texture.

Your room is going to be great... oh, and pick up some of those moving saucer disk things-- will help you and your recovering son when you do the furniture move.