Would love some feedback. Thanks

I could see a built in bookcase (floor to ceiling) on the right side of the window. Think that might give you the balance you are looking for.

I think I would center the loveseat with the whole wall, not with the window. Hang some artwork to the right of the window. A fireplace would be nice but you should put it in the living room area and group your furniture around it. Since you already have a breakfast area in the kitchen, maybe you could use a smaller scale dining set in the dining area? Once your house is finished, it will be easier to visualize and experiment with different furniture arrangements. Good luck!

you can "trick the eye" into thinking the window is centered simply by hanging panels off center from a large rod.

Don't know if it would look cheesy or not, but could also try a mirror, or an arrangement of mirror and pictures to be the "fourth panel
."

Wow thank you all for the fantastic suggestions!! I'm really getting excited about moving now as I'm seeing the home slowly coming together. We decided to do the espresso pearl in a quartz for the kitchen countertops. I really hope that it looks good. Our kitchen table is a dark espresso colour.

A built-in and deep window seat that spans the wall beneath the window all the way over to the stair/wall. Instead of a lifting seat, put drawers beneath the seat that pull out to store toys/books. Can't you see that little boy sitting in that bright window seat for hours??!! Book shelves adjacent to the window but still allow seating beneath will balance out the wall.

The easiest solution to the off-balance windows is, as someone else said, to use large drapery hardware (pole and rings) and stack all of the drapery off to the right of the window. That is, you want to pretend that the whole wall is windows and that should determine the fullness of the drapes. That way, if you actually use them, you will still have fabric covering the "fake" end. I don't know what your color scheme is going to be, but I would use a solid color - not too high contrast with the walls - on the drapes. Also, hang them high. It's a pretty window - play it up. Center the loveseat under the window and add a contrasting occasional chair angled off to the right in front of the drapery and in the curve of the stair.

As for the fireplace, yes, center it on the living room area. If you put it in the middle of the room, you won't really be able to put any furniture in front of it and it will feel like it doesn't really belong to either room - awkward.

To tie the dining area into the the other end of the room , perhaps you could duplicate the drapery color on the dining room chair seats. Good luck!

Since you said you have a dining area in that room, I would suggest to use a tall glass/Wood cabinetry right next to the window that could display/store your glassware or silverware. That gives equal focus to the window and the cabinet and utilizes the space efficiently serving as an additional space for the function. Have a nice big art work hang above the fireplace or have a flat screen installed above it. Also have the same color painted throughout this room to tie everything together.

Thank you all for the fabulous feedback. Just a few weeks away befor we are moved into our new home. So our living room/dining room floors are going to be a dark hardwood like the railings. We had a darkwood electrical fireplace in our condo that the buyer wanted...so I will have to get a new one, which I already ordered. This time I ordered a white fireplace, was this a good decision? I wanted to lighten up the space...any suggestions on what should go on either side of the fireplace? Mirrors to open up the space, floating shelves? I just don't know. The walls are bm revere pewter. I'd like to paint an accent wall on the shorter dining wall which is opposite the wall with the off-centered window.

Thanks!!

@thealexanders101-thanks for the suggestion of the window seat my son would love that. We actually have a perfect room upstairs that may become his room that has an excellent bay window for a loveseat!
@vivienne-your ideas sound fantastic and I was thinking I could really see those ideas workiing in the room...especially the idea of keeping the drapery colour light and similar to the wall colour and then tying it all in with the dining chairs and that area. I can't wait to decorate! :)

Hi nixx22: Yes, I think your white fireplace will look very nice. I'm not sure, at this point, what should go on either side. I think you should get your major pieces in the room before you make decisions on that. If you want to build something in, it looks like you have about a 12" or so recess on the long wall with a soffit above? So, if you build in some cabinets/shelves, I would make them the same depth as the recess. If you are going light with your finishes, then I would probably suggest built-ins be painted white. You might even want to have another drywall box built out on the left end (to match the one by the window) - this would visually frame out the living room part, and give you kind of a cozy look to the dining room area. That wall would be a better place for an accent color, I think, because it won't be broken by the doorway into the kitchen. If you left wall space above the fireplace, this could be painted the same accent color, so you have some play back and forth between the dining and living areas. If you opt to go with the accent on the end wall, I would go with just a deeper version of your wall color (maybe do the same on the window wall recess?) - otherwise I think it will just be too jarring and random looking.

thanks for the other suggestions viviennevinyl. I'll be sure to post more pictures once we move into our house and get our furniture in. So excited to move. Countdown begins!!

Hey Everyone,

So I've got some furniture in the room. I still feel like I need to do something on the walls on either side of the fireplace but not sure what to do as yet. I'd also like to get a huge mirror to go above the fireplace.
We don't have a dining table as yet...I'm not sure if we should go with a glass table or a wood table. Also I'd like to get a sofa table to go behind the love seat...and I am thinking a nice huge mirror on the dining wall would be a good way to reflect the window in the living room...but these are all things I'm not 100% sure about. I would love some suggestions and feedback. Especially from all of the fabulous designers on the site.

Thanks,

nic

I forgot to mention that I would like a nice light beige cowhide rug for the living area. I'd like a real dining table because what I did was take a mirror and rest it on top of a wooden table I had.

As for the kitchen I'd like to put some floating shelves on that wall. Get a nice huge plant for near the window and I'm still debating about a nice long narrow kitchen Island. We're also contemplating potlights for the kitchen and living room area.

Hi nixx - it's hard to tell from the photos how wide the dining area is. It doesn't look like a round table would fit well, but I think an oval might be nice, just to soften the area. Are you thinking about a buffet or china cabinet of some sort? The reason I am asking is because it doesn't look like you have A LOT of room so what about this? Build out a drywall bumpout like you have near the window; maybe even build another one in the corner of the dining area (or, if you want to get fancy, you could make these shallow cabinets and use them for storage). Anyway, between these bumpouts I would advise building a long shelf which would be used as a buffet. You could install shelves above it if you wanted to, or use a very large scale mirror or piece of art (an unframed canvas? or how about one of those black and white large posters from Ikea?) Wall sconces would be pretty above this. I have to say that I am not a huge fan of glass dining tables, but it could work (I just think that they're difficult to keep clean - top and bottom - and you should put a nice rug underneath) I'm going to start a new post because I talk too much and always get cut off LOL!

BTW, I should have said - what you have looks very nice! Oh, and I forgot to add that you could even curtain off the bottom of the "buffet" - if you used some beautiful hardware and great fabric, it would look great - not cheap. As for the living room side, I think you need some height next to the couch to stop the eye. How about a nice black floor lamp with a white shade? I also think you need a bit of color, whether in pillows, accessories, or both. You could always do the lampshade in the accent color, too, as well as the dining seats (which would give you another reason to use a glass table, if that is what you're leaning towards). Your area rug will further define the space, as would the bumpout, if you decide to do it. In lieu of the built bumpout, you could use skinny kitchen cabinets, stacked (so that they are very tall) with the buffet shelf in between. This would still give you a lot of storage plus display space.

New updated pics of my living room. I've added a cowhide rug. And a turqouise vase. I wanted to introduce a pop of colour...but I think I'll still need more turqoise pieces. I would love some feedback. Still need to get things on the wall but haven't found any artwork that I love yet. And dining area still looking for the right table.

Thanks!

nixx

Looking good! I agree that you need some more color, but don't go out and just buy something. Take your time and find things you really love!

Okay Houzz peeps I need some advice should I have a large mirror installed on the dining wall? And if so should I make it the same size as the window in the living room? I'm trying to reflect the light that comes in from that side of the room and open up the look of the space a bit more. Or should I just purchase three long mirrors with a frame and place them on the wall so they almost look like wall panels. Would love feedback.

The table that is currently there is the table from my kitchen. I basically just had that table in the dining room area so that I could see what a table would look like in the room. But I would like to put a proper dining table there. Big question would a mirror on the dining wall look nice? to reflect the window in the living room area. Also, thinking that a nice distressed wood table would look good.

STUCK!!!! DO I DO A SQUARE TABLE OR A RECTANGLE TABLE???? We've decided to do a reclaimed wood table that has a gray ash type look to it. I can either do 5ft by 3ft or 4 ft by 4ft or 5 ft by 5 ft. What does everyone think? I like the idea of a solid wood table. Just to balance off the room. I think for chairs I will do something a little light.

But not sure what dimensions will work in that area.

I would do a round pedestal dining table - There are already so many squares and rectangles in the room that some relief is needed from all those angles...

I'm thinking of doing a distressed wood table something with deeper greys and an ash grey look to the wood. But I'm still not sure how a round table would work in that area of the dining area. Any thoughts on if I should put mirrors up on that dining wall to reflect the living room windows? Feed back welcome.

I'm not a fan of mirrors in the dining room. People tend to keep looking at themselves, whether they mean to do so or not. And you don't want to watch yourself eat. :) What if you move the big canvas over into that area and hang the bigger mirror into the spot where the canvas currently hangs?

I really like what you've done so far, by the way! The room is really coming together.

So we got out table finally. I decided to go with a rectangular table ...simply because I need a table that can sit up tp 6 people and I wanted to try and balance out the space. I am thinking about the mirrors attached in this pic to go on the dining wall. We bought the capiz dining light in cream from West Elm. I'm not sure I like the dark wood finish of the table. It has a slight cherry wood look to it which I loath. I would have preferred it to have either an ash grey look or a blackish brown. So what should I do resand and stain it? It has poxy on it to make the top shiny. HELP!!!

Thinking of this chair as a possibility for the dining table. Which has a rustic look...I do want to try and mix it up again...but I also wanted to get two grey chairs in there what do you all think?

I'm not sure if this dining purchase was a mistake or not. I can always sell it back on kijiiji if it doesnt work..because I got a good deal on it...or should I sand it and stain it more to my liking. For me it just doesnt work with the room.

Hi nix22 - Wow! Your house is looking great! I really like the table as well as the white chair. The finish, at least as far as I can see, doesn't bother me at all, but if it bothers you, I would restain it. I think the heftiness of it, the wood and the style are all a really nice counterbalance to the other lighter finishes and feel. Do you have something in mind for the gray chairs? I think something with a high back in a nubby gray fabric with wood legs would look nice with this (similar to a Parson's chair, I guess is what I'm thinking). This is nice - I just wish the fabric had more texture - but otherwise nice. It's really looking good!

Hey Viviennevinly--Thank you so much for the positive feedback. It really makes me feel better because I have been feeling stressed about the room. I love it but I just want to make sure I'm not out to lunch and that it really does appear nice. I think I like your idea of finding some dining chairs that have a bit of texture. Unfortunately, the table -doesn't look it in the picture --but it does have a cherrywood undertone to it and It doesn't work with my room. so I am seriously going to restain it. I'm also thinking strongly about getting those mirrors to put up on the dining wall and I also need another piece of art. I'll post a few more pics with the actual dining table in my space when I get a chance. I was also thinking of restaining the table so it has some bit of gray in it ...but we'll see.

Nix22, I think if you're going to restain it, what about doing it in black? Or even a color - you can get a lot of colors in stains now. Briwax also makes a wax in black, which if the grain is heavy, might give a kind of cool look on a lighter stain like gray. Just a thought. I like the mirrors (although I'm not sure I like watching myself eat!) Having said that though, you have been spot on so far, so I would go for it :-) I just had another idea: you could alternately use a large black and white map, framed in black or a dark wood. Just some ideas!

I see I neglected to add the link to my one post about a parsons chair. I found one on West Elm that I thought you might like. This is the one I said was nice but I wish it was available in something with more texture:
http://www.westelm.com/products/willoughby-dining-chair-g172/?pkey=cdining-chairs-seating

Hey Vivienevinyl- I love all of your suggestions so far and I was just reading over the previous posts you made and I forgot you made a great suggestion of doing a floating type buffet hutch. You are right in saying the space is limited...because it is a little bit in that area.

What I'm thinking I might do is yes stain the table so it does indeed have a bit more black to it but also see if I get get some grey in there too. I would love to get just a few thin strands of a honey yellow shade in the wood.
I really love the mustard yellow shade in my one vase and have picked up a few more accents in this shade.

The mirrors I plan to put on that dining wall and then if I do a floating type hutch below it I'm thinking I'd do that in a high gloss white or even glass. If it is in white I'd like to get some nice knobs. On top of the hutch my plan is to put nice vases in silvers and some more hints of the yellow. That way there are things in front of the mirror. I think on the wall opposite my photowall and beside the artwork that is up there now I will as you said go for another big canvas of some sort.

This is the light fixture we got from west elm for our dining area: http://www.westelm.com/products/large-rectangle-hanging-capiz-pendant-w425/?pkey=call-lighting

I thought the mirror would be a nice balance to the window and light coming in on the opposite wall....but also because I have a lot of square and rectangles going on in the area. That will balance it out.

I'll take some more pictures and post.

By the way...I love the chairs you suggested from West Elm...love that store :) But the light grey is nice and I'm also thinking that the red is lovely too...but I wouldn't want to commit to such a bold colour. I do plan on changing out the mustard yellow accent to another colour as the seasons change. I think the next accent I might go with is rasberry or purple and then even a nice deep blue...we'll see :)

FABULOUS light fixture - i think it will look great over that table. I was just looking at the huge catalog I just got from Restoration Hardware, and they have a table in there for big buckeroos that looks amazingly like yours!!! You should check it out! I like the idea of changing accent colors with the seasons, but don't think that means that you can't commit to color on a regular basis. Another option would be to use slipcovers on your 2 end chairs - that would give you another way to change things up. Also, I'm sure you've seen photos where a throw or similar is folded over the back and then down the seat. This could be a great way to add not only color but texture and would probably end up being less expensive than slipcovers and you'd have a huge array of options (which you wouldn't get with slipcovers unless you go custom). I still think the concept of a hutch would be nice and would give you a lot of display space. You could always mirror parts of it behind open shelves.

Cool! I'll check out Restoration Hardware's site. That table I bought off of Kijiji and it was made by someone up north. I only wish I was more specific on what I wanted the dark stain to look like. I paid $375 for the table and its nice and heavy. We love it ...perfect for the space in terms of size...the colour is growing on me. but I still think I want to stain it. I will also look for a simple but light fabric for a runner.

I currently have a lightish gray pashmina scarf on the white single chair and a mustard yellow one on the dark brown wood ottoman I currently have behind the couch. I plan to move that too at some point and get a sofa table if i can get one in there without making the space tooo cluttered.

I'd like to actually do open shelves too in my kitchen where I currently have the dark bookcase.

What accent colors do you like this season? I wish i could do everything that I want to do now all at once :)