This shows you the opposite side of the lr/dr.
The spaces are so awkward. Due to the entry/stairs/kneewalk, the lr side is smaller than the dr side.

Here, you can see why the fireplace rules the room.

And then there's this wall. I dont know whether to hang art over the buffet, to hang lots of art on that wall, like a gallery wall, or whether to hang my 9 black botannicals over it.

Eventually we'll put in a long narrow high window there and build a low bookshelf/cabinet that floats below it across the whole wall.

Here are my botannical prints.

oh sooooo many thoughts swirling!

1) i'm so sad that you were wary of posting photos of your home. i feel like this is board is mostly peace and love. haha and it's your HOME! love it!

2) on the floors i have some general advice first. would you love these floors if they weren't on sale? if yes, then absolutely get them! if no, then don't! we're building a house and i know i struggle with deciding between a bargain and what i know i really want and will be disappointed without in the end. if you can't tell where you lie on that spectrum right now in this moment, don't feel rushed, and just let the floors go. there'll be other sales/discounts/opportunities if you're not sure you love them.

3) i think those floors would look nice and will really update and refresh that whole space!

4) your fireplace is pretty, though i know what you mean about the pink. have you looked into staining just the pink stones which would change the whole color palette?

And! What type, if any, window treatments would you use? The casement windows have blinds, but at night the room feels a little exposed, i think. Also notice how close the fireplace is to the window!

Maggiepie, staining the pink stones is something I never realized was possible! You may have just found a wonderful solution for me!

The color of the floors is pleasant. I wanted the wider width to make sure that things look contemporary rather than country. You're right that a bargain is no bargain if ou don't love it.

i think i would stay away from the yellow flooring...

maria killam has some insight into this, see link below

even though walnut is out of the budget, maybe a 'walnut stained' oak or engineering flooring?

also another idea maybe down the road is to stain the stonework to a more neutral color? i do not speak from experience on this, but a quick google search will give you some ideas on how it can be done..

good luck...i'm sure the wood flooring with the stonework will be lovely!

Here is a link that might be useful: yellow and pinky beige do not mix

btw, kiki...just noticed the BEAUTIFUL harp! definitely need to showcase that! (and the guitar on the wall and piano....love musical instruments in a room!)

Kiki, No need to feel embarrassed to post. Your home is quite lovely and I am sure most of us have an awkward space or two in our homes.

Yes the fireplace is big and is really a focal point. The Hickory flooring, IMO, looks great in your space. Maggie is right that you should evaluate if you like them aesthetically or budget-wise. If you like the looks then the price is a great deal. I actually think you picked the perfect hardwood for your fireplace.

I am sure I am in the minority because brass takes such a bad rap but I LIKE your fireplace surround. It looks great in your room.

I like your idea of the botanicals hanging over your buffet. They are so pretty and would make a striking arrangement.

I think a simple panel drapery would look great in the room. You may not be able to use a drapery rod with a finial because the window is so close to the fp.

Beautiful musical instruments on your dr side! A home filled with music is a happy home.

BTW, I love your glass lamp, so pretty.

Edited to remove double post.

This post was edited by holly-kay on Wed, Nov 6, 13 at 14:53

kiki, i see what you mean about the fireplace wall so close to the windows....it looks pretty 'congested' in that area...

have you considered switching our the position of the sofa and the 2 chairs? if you 'angle' the chairs a bit away from the way facing the sofa, the window wall would look more open and not so tight to fireplace...

I think the flooring works well with your house. Crude mock up below.

Narrow width doesn't say country necessarily. Think of the rustic old colonial homes with their wide plank flooring. And you can find plenty of pictures on the internet of modern architecture with narrow strip wood floors.

Another crude mock-up. At least you can get an idea how the floor color works.

Yes-- try dyebrick on the pink!

Aww-- a HARP! I graduated with a degree in harp performance. I sold my pedal harp when I no longer had time for it (esp. because they devalue) but I still have my folk harp. You need to tell me all about your harp experiences! I keep waiting for my kids to get a little older so that I can finally start playing again.

Your house is great-- please post more pics!

Anele, that is so interesting that you studied harp performance! I'd love to hear more about it!

My daughter has begged for a harp since the first time she saw one, when she was 6. I told her that if she would start with and stick with piano, in 5 years we would add a second instrument. Last year, after 3 years of piano, we discovered that an elderly concert harpist (she's 93!) still gives lessons within driving distance. So to take advantage of the harp opportunity, we accelerated the plan and bought the harp for her. I'm so glad. She practices without being prompted and I so love the sound!

The piano was my mom's. Last year, my husband and I both started music lessons. Piano for me, and dobro guitar for him. Eventually we will all be musical!

Desert-solitaire,
The wood actually has a rosy tone in places, in fact my husband was afraid that it might accentuate the pink of the stone.

I did have the chairs in front of the window, but the afternoon sun was fading the backs quite quickly, so I thought it might be better to put the white sofa there. They are comfy, and we discovered that we like sitting in them and seeing out the window.

I think my coffee table is probably the wrong size for the area, but I really like it.

Awm, Thank You very much for taking the time to mock up the floors! That helps so much, makes me like them more, and I can't wait to show hubs when he gets home! What a great talent to have!

Holly-Kay, thank you for all the kind comments. I will mess with the hanging of botanicals and post the results soon.

Anele, I could post more pics, but I have to clean first! And thanks for the dye brick info.

The floor you show is what most of us used to picture whenever anyone said hardwood floor. I think they are a safe choice. Nowadays, everyone wants very dark floors but that is a pretty recent phenomenon. All that said, i agree with the other poster. Never buy anything simply because it is a bargain. I'm very guilty of that with clothing!

I like your room and your fireplace. The rug in front of the fpl is lovely, too.

I rarely see botanicals on black. I think you need to have something else dark like that for balance?

Thank you mtnrdredux, and as for the botanicals, I have two black chairs, the seats and tips of my wooden furniture are black. I'll try them out and post to see what you guys think. I have a half-day free tomorrow to play with house!

Your home is lovely and no one should be afraid to post, if they are seeking help.

I used to have a large wall of rock, with some rocks in a color I didn't like. I just used a simple wash of diluted solid stain to tone down the colors and even out the differences. Like concealer for rocks! Blending is the key.

Your credenza has a great MCM vibe, along with the occasional tables and dining set. It should be what you want, and you should pay attention to the undertones, as suggested above. But the lighter tones do go well with the other woods in the room.

Kiki, that is awesome about your daughter! Is she going to venture into playing a pedal harp?

Gooster, what kind of stain did you use?

If she sticks with it, she can eventually move to a pedal harp. It's our intention for her to have that option. But it would be a huge investment, and I'd have to be sure she really wanted it.

Gooster: thank you for the stain info, anpd comments!

I am strongly leaning towards that flooring, have to decide by Thursday. Now, where to store 70 boxes of flooring?

By panel curtains, could I do something like this? I'm not a grommet fan, but maybe there's enough length to do something else.

I love the FP. In fact my favorite spot in your room is the corner where the rock meets the window wall.

I know you said you put the chairs there, but once you get window coverings I think highlighting that area would be awesome. One chair and an end table? It's such a cozy corner to be boxed in nby heavy furniture.

I've been thinking green curtains because
I do like the colors in this poster that I have, and the colors do include those in my fireplace stone, so that's where I got the black, green, beige, pinky beige, dull yellow, pale lavender color scheme. Yeek, that sounds icky when you read it.
Plus the view out our windows is very green.
And I like flowers.

Will green curtains work? Ikea also has the same curtains in the ikea off-white that would closely match my wall color.

Kiki, definitely rent the harp before you buy! You can buy a harp used, too. I did-- I got a gorgeous special order harp, and years later, when I resold, I lost very little (if any) money.

The Daphne is a great one to start with because you still get pedal harp tension and all of the mechanics (not the same range, though) but it is very portable compared to concert grands. This was a huge issue for me because I am pretty small. Also easier to fit into a vehicle.

I think the green would look lovely. What length are you thinking?

Here is a link that might be useful: Daphne

I had no idea there was an affordable pedal harp! The daphne looks lovely, will keep it in my notebook!

Here are my botannicals, hung up. They need a little bit of tweaking, but are mostly straight.

anele: I think we used a latex solid stain, but any flat paint should work. It just needs to be diluted down a lot. Use a sea sponge and have a cleanup sponge with water right by if you don't like the results.

kiki: The pictures look great! The frames are so sharp and it all looks so composed over your sideboard. We share a fondness for green. Regarding your print, have you been through the Val du Trient? I lived in Lausanne for two years a few years back and loved to go hiking in the area between Martigny and Chamonix.

You have so many interesting items in your home, I confess to having trouble focusing on your question while viewing the photographs. I love the botanical prints with the black background. Lovely!

Your botanicals look awesome! I think the panels in green would be perfect. I love your home.

I am thinking of staining some of the stone in our foyer and glad to hear that it can be done.

Thanks gyr and holly : )

Gooster, do you have photos of the rock wall before and after stain?

Kiki. I'm sorry I don't have before and after. In our case we were trying lighten the darker stones.

Your botanical prints look great over the buffet. You did a fantastic job hanging them- very professional.

I like the rose tones in your brick. The floor looks beautiful.