Put the two chairs together. Add drapes. Nice room

Mirror is beautiful! Try hanging the mirror horizontally behind the couch...stand it in the corner. Play with the prints on either side of the horizontal mirror or even behind the chair between the windows. Lots of options. Everything else looks very nice. Love the piano!

THanks for the comments. Here are pics of the chairs together and apart (but one pulled closer to sofa as suggested). What do you think?

Since your sofa is quite petite, I rather like the vertical orientation of your prints, but I do agree that mirror is too large and accentuates the smaller scale of your seating. The pair of floor lamps flanking the sofa is vaguely reminiscent of a hotel lobby. I would prefer the bar table used as an end table with a table lamp to add weight to the sofa area. I also prefer the paired arrangement for the black leather chairs for a more functional conversation area. The pale yellow wall color is a nice continuation of your dining area and foyer wall color. Curtain panels in a print that incorporates the blue you desire would add some needed pattern to your pretty room.

I prefer the chairs together not angeled

No other chairs needed. Otherwise it will look like
A waiting room

I straightened the chairs but thought I needed to lose the table in between them. Also got rid of floor lamps and moved the plant. Does this look better are am I headed in wrong direction??? THANKS for help.

I straightened the chairs but thought I needed to lose the table in between them. Also got rid of floor lamps and moved the plant. Does this look better are am I headed in wrong direction??? THANKS for help.

I actually like the mirror placement, except that I would raise it as close to ceiling as possible. So long as the bottom frame of the mirror shows, I think it will work.

Very pretty room, although a bit too staged or formal. But that will resolve with time as you use the room and determine what you need. I'm guessing that a beautiful wood end table at one end of sofa would be useful. I love the windows bare, although that may not be practical.

Very elegant space. The two chairs together looks good. You may want to keep the table in the center for a nice floral arrangement or books because it is a nice reading nook. If you have guests there would be a place for them to place a beverage. I agree with the other comments regarding the mirror. It is too large for the space above the sofa. The prints only in (2) rows of 3 will work great. The wall color is nice but if you want a change a pale gray would be nice.

Architecture student looking to improve his studies

kivogue, Huh?

I think that you should move the mirror because its too large , I think u can replace it with a smallest one .

For comparison. Which is better? Thanks!

For comparison. Which is better? Thanks!

I think either chair arrangement will work. I still see the mirror as the problem, not the chairs, sorry.

Try the floor lamp with the plant in front. I dont
Like that plant by itself

btw, this was my inspiration w/mirror but wasn't able to achieve it.

You're too hard on yourself... Notice the TV reflection in the inspiration photo!

You are pretty darn close! Try pillows and I think the vase needs to be placed elsewhere. Reframe the pics so they are similar to the inspiration (you might be able to get ready made frames inexpensively somewhere, get the three varying height candlesticks (anywhere and cheaply) and, "By George, I think she's got it"...

The sofa in your inspiration pic appears to be larger than the one you have, that could be the problem. Plus, remember that a mirror should reflect something beautiful, not just be something to hang on a wall. You're getting there, don't dispair !!!

Very elegant space. The two chairs together looks good. You may want to keep the table in the center for a nice floral arrangement or books because it is a nice reading nook. If you have guests there would be a place for them to place a beverage. I agree with the other comments regarding the mirror. It is too large for the space above the sofa. The prints only in (2) rows of 3 will work great. The wall color is nice but if you want a change a pale gray would be nice.

Almost there! Simply hang the smaller frames about 15" away from the mirror on both sides.

If you look at your inspiration photo you will note several critical measurements. The mirror is approximately the same height as the sofa. Your frame needs to disappear behind the sofa and should be hung so the mirror and sofa are equal heights. This will mean you will have to take out two of your pieces of art. They should have been smaller and the odd number (as you have them) is the optimum look. Unfortunately, you will need to reduce them to two on each side and they will need to overhang the sofa because their placement is too tight (as has been previously mentioned). Pull your sofa away from the wall just a bit for "breathing" room. Next you need to get at least two oversized decorative pillows to reach up into the mirror area. You will also note the "waterfall" effect with the placement of the horn (midway on the wall) on the r.s., the shell on the stand on the r.s. which is a wee bit shorter on the wall than the horn and the vignette is anchored by two tables in same shape as the mirror, which extend the length of the vignette and act as a ballast to the grouping.

So in utilizing this philosophy, you will want your plant to be a little taller than your table lamp which is currently on the left. So you will also have achieved the waterfall effect and will have anchored either side with some bulk and have utilized a combination of shapes and materials.

I very much enjoy your arrangements on the coffee table. Very nice.

Thank you, all! I have so much to learn! Karen Paul, I never thought about the height of the mirror or the waterfall effect. My husband and I will have to reposition mirror and pics this weekend. Do you think adding black tables to each side would be beneficial to the look of the room. (I assume you like the deletion of the floor lamps?)

Have to be careful about too many pairs. If you have pairs of art, pairs of pillows you are just about "paired" out. Yes, I like that you took away the floor lamps. If you had tables, make certain they do not match but that they are compatible. Also, if you decide on lamps for both tables, you will want them to end up being the same height on the wall. I like the idea of a living tree because it brings a much-needed soft edge to your vignette. Once you reposition the mirror, et.al, just let your eye be your guide. When you hang the mirror, you might want to put something underneath at the bottom to make it appear it is leaning against the wall. Hang it first and then try the "leaning" option.

Keep moving things around and experimenting with what you have until such time you are feeling it. No purchases until you get to that point. Houzzers will critique as you go along. Good luck! :)

The mirror is a bit too much

Put the mirror on the floor against the wall behind the two chairs. This will open up the room more. Put all 6 pictures in a group above the sofa. The two tables on either side of the sofa should be wood to add strength to the smaller couch. Definitely add pillows to the couch. Keep the real foilage. You have great taste. Enjoy!

Here is a rendering of what you have adjusted a bit--moved jar, added plants and pillows, lowered mirror and moved pictures. I could see another tall and skinny piece of art or tapestry, or a taller plant or some twigs or a column with a sculpture or something tall in the corner by the window, but not too bright in color so as not to distract from the couch area. Something like a old map or toile--tans and browns and black perhaps, with something similar in a pillow.. Make sure the mirror is perfectly centered where you want it to be.

Candlesticks of course would look nice on the ceffee table, as in the inspiration picture. I could see the mirror completely off to the side and the pictures rearranged to balance over the sofa as another option, perhaps with a medium-sized (about 4 of the littles maybe) piece of art added to the mix on the other side to balance. It could be something like an unframed oil.

I see a nice white armchair and maybe a animal sculpture in the dining room. The chair might look nice by the piano, and the animal might look nice peeping out by a plant base. What other cool things do you have in there that can be used in the living room?

I put one of your shots to compare side-by-side.

As a re-designer, I keep looking at your dining room and asking how that tall cabinet would look between your two windows with the white chair (and its partner if there is one) angled beside or flanking it. Then I'd take the black mirror to the dining room wall and use the two black chairs at either end of the dining table. Group the 6 pictures in two horizontal rows of three with the lower edge of the grouping about 4" above the sofa back. Group the plants around and under the piano. Do that and then move on to drapery for both rooms.

Will the mirror fit in the space between the two windows? Even if it overlaps a bit, you could hang sheers, tied off to the left and right, and with the two chairs in front it would be quite a pretty picture. I think that's what I would do.

The inspiration room also has substantial side tables to "anchor" the sofa to that wall. Lowering the mirror more in keeping with the inspiration, and only two prints on each side, if you are committed to that look should "balance" the wall better. I think you were inspired to balance the side of the room opposite from your lovely piano. There are narrow tables (6-8" deep) probably designed to fit into entry halls (say dark metal with wood or marble tops?) that could serve to anchor the sofas and place taller table lamps (candlestick lamps?) instead of floor lamps, to which you could add taller "interest" for anchoring.

My first impulse, when I saw the great fabric on the sofa, was some duponi silk drapes I think I saw in JCP catalogue...about the color of your stripes, consider ceiling to floor length with metal rods. Soft, classic, a little shine and that gives something else in that color range in the room. Works with the darker pieces and the wall color, and will accent the "cubic" feet of your space!

Personally, I think you need a larger rug, so the rug is not simply "floating" with the seating pieces hanging on the edges. Should make the room look larger for spacing the furniture. I like the two chairs together with a center table (would like to see the square metal-and-glass version there!), and angled toward each other, like in one of your pictures. They will feel more like they belong there once you have drapes up.

If you are leaning toward experimenting without the mirror behind the sofa, the mirror might work, horizonally, on the wall above the piano opposite the sofa and draw the eye around the room past the piano... perhaps provide interest to connect the piano with the rest of the room. The prints may have an accent color with the matting that we can't see...that could be pumped up to a "gold" or black to make the prints more substantial. Odd numbers are easier to work with in collections, and the grouping shouldn't be wider than the sofa. Altho perhaps a 1-2-2-1 configuration might work. I feel that you need something to anchor the sofa on the wall. I thought the lamps were OK in theory, but spray paint the metal black, antique black, or bronze, and the coffee table metal, too. Look for lamp shades in a darker, textured fabric. Try a ficus in the corner if you feel the need for a plant. (I love real plants!) Dried arrangements work too and don't need watering!

Another chair or soft ottoman (like in the inspiration) would be great below the stair rail where the other chair was. I like the chair we can see in the next room! In my non-professional plan, you would only need to purchase another different chair or ottoman by the stairs, a larger rug, and two small "entry" sized tables to flank your sofa, with new table lamps, or vases, arrangements, or art to hang low or set on the tables that would flank the prints at about eye level.

Thanks again for all your advice.

Several people have mentioned the white chair in the dining room. I have a pair, but they are rather small. I bought them on Craigslist and didn't realize how small they were until I placed them next to my other furniture. I am attaching pictures of one of these chairs.

I am also attaching a picture from Emily A. Clark's blog showing the prints that I have used about my sofa. If I remove mirror, should I add more prints behind sofa in the same layout (3-3-3) or perhaps a grouping of 4(2-2) on each side of sofa.

Also, If anyone has any affordable rug suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Thanks, again. Getting closer!

I don't like the mirror :(

I love the prints. They look really good in the group of nine.

I love the prints.

I love the prints.