Raise curtains, longer curtains to the floor with a thicker curtain rod. The visual height of a room is determined by curtain height and length.

I like the idea of a row of pictures above the TV (I would say the wall of pictures with the clocks needs to be rethought, perhaps reframed for continuity, but most importantly, establish some lines for the eye. The clock looks off-center. Perhaps move it completely to the right or left side and then create a rectangular space with the pictures, instead of the circular design with the frames surrounding the clock.

Agree that rug and sofa are competing. I actually think the rug is really beautiful and timeless. With the sofa, it's too much, though. Maybe try a red slipcover for the sofa (or any other bright, coordinating color). Or just remove the rug and invest in a contemporary farm-style coffeetable. And since you'll likely be replacing your curtains, as the consensus is they are too short, consider a new color scheme inspired by the curtains to be coordinated in accent touches around the room.

The chair by the door and the small table need to go, as does the giant cat house. Clear off the hutch. If you have a bowl or something, that might look nice, but it's too much. Clear off the freestanding wall above the TV (at the very least, the hanging plant...). I LOVE the vase.

I like the lamps, but new shades would really update the room in general. Maybe spraypaint the wooden bench metallic gold to coordinate with the lamps? I like the long mirror idea by dhplano.

Seems like you mostly just need to de-clutter and rearrange!

Since you don't close your drapes, eliminate window coverings altogether to take full advantage of the light from the doors. Slipcover the sofa in a lighter, neutral color, popping it with colorful pillows. Switch places with the TV and desk (which doesn't need to be centered on the wall) . Open the desk and put a lamp on it for the leather chair, moving the chair closer to the corner and the desk, again opening up the doorway. Put the picture over the desk over the sofa and put the clock alongside it. Put the picture over the sofa where the cat house is and put a table and lamp here, Put the bench and cat house in other rooms. Move the sofa down toward the doors far enough to switch the table and lamp to other end of sofa and put a floor lamp at the door end of the sofa. If you must keep the other chair in this room, move it to the end of the sofa with the table, moving it back a little. A smaller chair would be better (not a recliner) or no chair at all. Switch out the frames on your family photos to plain black frames with white mats and rearrange them in a more balanced configuration on the wall where they are now. Remove the items from the ledge. Edit the things on the top of the desk to maybe the plant. Remove all other clutter from the room. New tapered drum shades in white would update your lamps. When you get rid of your TV, move the large vertical picture to that wall. Then you could move the second chair here with the desk inbetween, move the sofa down toward the front door and put the second table and lamp back.

The wall with the TV and desk is short ,not really a corner to it just an angle. I don't think the sofa wall is long enough for the tall picture over the sofa and the one from over the desk.Above the sofa is a planter shelf, that runs that whole wall,nothing is on it. I agree that the green chair needs to go. The rug I could use else where. I like the colors of fall. Maybe green pillows and cream throws, or cream and cream. A yellow cream. I agree the clock wall needs to go, the bench could go to. The picture over the sofa might fit there, it's very tall.. Thanks for all the ideas.

I would replace the drapes with a lighter color, slightly darker than the paint on the walls. The desk is gorgeous, maybe you can put it where the tv is now. Replace the tv with a flat screen (wall mounted one) and purchase a credendza to place underneath (same wood tone as desk), The cat tree? I would get rid of that. The couch is very nice and compliments the rug. A few pillows on the couch to compliment the colors in the room will brighten things up and add balance. The pictures and clock above the bench, too busy maybe you can purchase or paint the frames in a light color and re-arrange them but the clock should be on another wall.

Here is another idea, an angled tv stand (for your new flat screened tv)
The color is almost an exact match to the desk.

I like the idea of the corner tv stand, but she would need right angles for that and the angles in the room look like they would not accomodate that kind of tv stand, unfortunately

I thought about that after I posted the photo kwistina. The tv stand should be straight instead of angled.

I haven't read every post, but have the vast majority. I will just jump in with my thoughts.

How old are you? What is your favorite color? Does this have to be where you watch TV? Does the cat tower have to stay in the room or can it go in an extra bedroom or the basement?

I would like to see the wall the red door is on. Can you do a simple diagram showing where the doors and windows are?

The rug is lovely, but as already noted it doesn't work well with the sofa. Would you rather use it for your inspiration or the sofa?

As already noted change your drapes. See illustration for how to hang them.

This shade of paint will work perfectly with your sofa or with your rug: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/barelybeige

It has warm undertones and will make the room feel brighter immediately.

I agree with Deco about the 3 boxes. Get rid of everything you don't really like, everything you don't use and everything that is just taking up space.

Find a big mirror to hang on the wall where all the pictures are now.That will reflect the slider making the room look larger, brighter and happier.

Unless the little bench with the heart cutout has special meaning to you, it should go. Every inch is valuable in your space, so let's make the best use of it.

Family pictures are important. Hanging them gallery style can make a huge impact in a room. I would suggest you take the small pictures to a copy store and have them blown up to at least an 8X10. Next pick up some more square frames and buy new white mats to fit every frame. Take the remaining pictures out of the frames, take the glass out and give them all a coat or two of black spray paint. Put the glass back in, the new white mats and the lovely family photos you cherish. take a piece of wide masking tape and run it across the floor. Put some of the pictures at the top to the tape, some below. Move them around until they look balance and pleasing. Now measure from the floor up about 64". Make a hash mark. Do this in several places then use 3 or 4 inch wide tape, run it just below the has marks and you will have the perfect straight edge to hang the pictures above and below. Simply hang the pictures on the wall in the same order you laid them on the floor. Be sure to keep an equal distance between each picture; about 1"- 2" .

I have had this window open so long you have probably already had 5 more posts. I went to dinner and forgot to submit lol

I agree with the higher draperies and make the pole wider. Is there somewhere else to put the recliner?

Janishil, I love your suggestions! You thought of some of the things i was thinking of. I had a few thoughts though, and they are really dependant on your budgett.

1. Love the idea of raising the curtains. You could, as someone else suggested, also go without. That would take advantage of the light

2. Depending on what you are planning on keeping, I would either pull my colors from the couch or the rug, but not both. If the couch, well, the rug has to go. If the rug, a slipcover would work well on the couch, pulling from the colors on the rug.

3. Since the room does have such odd angles and clearly cannot accomadate both of the recliners, i would suggest getting rid of both and replacing them with stately armchairs. A small barral back would make it easier to get around without running into the back (I come from a small apartment with narrow halls-rounded edges are more friendly in narrow spaces!)

4. To make the most of the high ceilings i would choose a seris of large pictures/mirrors in columns above your couch. For example, a 2.5x3 ft mirror (approximately) set in a row just above the couch, and one or two more rows right on top of that one, depending on height and desired drama. note: the mirrors will also make the room look larger and longer, so you have an illusory (sp?) affect as well. But framed art (for example, a series of framed textiles, DIY if you dont have the budget for horchow) would also look very good.

5. I would make the wall with the tv a focal wall and paint it a different color. Here is the hard part, one that you may not be able to do-on that wall I would make custom shelving. It should start narrow near the french doors and widen to the other wall-enough to fit the television. I had a specific shape in mind but am not able to download it right now. Will provide if you want.

6. If you go with the shelving idea (custom to fit the space better), you might consider leaving the bottom portion open-beneath there you can place ottomans/pillows for portable and easily available seating for additional guests

7. The cat tree has to go. That said, if you do custom shelving for the tv, you could easily convert that into a cat maze that your animals would love, and be chic at the same time!

8. The wall by the door-the one with the family photos-I would put a long (rounded) table there with two small lamps. Above that, take all your family phots and do as another poster suggested-a sort of gallery style arrangement, but using the same kind of picture frame, and with mats.

9. Finally, if you have decided to pitch the cat tree, you now have room for two matching end tables (you may even have room for a small coffee table/DIY coffee table made of crates or something else that would fit), and I would definitely get rid of the lamps. See-through bases (glass, chrystal, etc) would help to make the room look larger. You could even put a standing lamp on the oddly angled wall near the door where the desk is now, you would just have to figure out first if it obstructs the tv. and if there is any room left on that wall (the one with the desk), a small column of pictures could be placed there as well.

Hope that helps! You have such great advice already!

Thanks everyone for your GREAT ideas! I'd love to see what you had I mind for custom shelving . All the colors in the rug are the same as the sofa. Except for beige and a little brown.

I think what's trying to be said about the rug and sofa is that the designs are clashing. One or the other needs to be more of a solid color. I like both of them just not together.

Great comments above. I would agree that updating the wall art would go a long way in pulling the room together.

Here are a few pieces that I came across and thought to recommend. Everything is made to your preference so you get to choose the necessary size, framing, and type of paper or canvas. Hope you enjoy!


http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/359

http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/358

http://www.committedphotography.ca/photos/frame/328

Thanks for the pictures of the photo's, I liked the Ghostly Birches.

I would paint the desk the blue in the paisley in your couch to pull a brighter color into the room and modify it to use as a tv stand when you can upgrade to a flat screen tv. You could put the tv on top or inside the hutch part. Scan the family pictures and make prints all the same size and frame in matching frames and hang them in a grid above the sofa. Move the big picture over the couch on the wall w all the clutter and get rid of the bench. Sell the chair in front of the window and get a smaller slipper chair that you can place where the old tv and tv stand is now. Lose the clutter on the plant shelf. Lose the rug and hang the drapes much higher and wider than they are now. Drapes that are a darker color that contrast w the wall color would look better. I have sold a lot of stuff on craigslist and at consignment stores and used the $ to upgrade to new stuff so maybe try to do that to fund your new room.

I'm a big fan of spray paint too. You could paint your lamps and get new shades to freshen them up.

The lamps are 3 years old, don't think I will paint them. They are quit pretty in persons the shades are just tan. Husband uses the desk and it was his grandfathers. Know way we would paint that piece. Great idea through, if it was something we just picked up.

You have some nice things in the room. As the op's have said you just need to look them differently. I would suggest thinking like a home stager. Less is more!
Start by taking out all the blankets, pictures on the walls and stuff on the surfaces. This leaves you with the main furniture which you can look at, move around and decide if it all needs to stay. Once you have that worked out, you can start adding a few accents back in.
Here are some ideas:
-Change the rug to a deep, solid rug or a nice berber with bound edges.
-Put the desk where the tv is. Group the family photos above it (plan the layout on paper on the flloor first.)
-Hang the tall picture on the hall wall. Get rid of the country bench, the style is too casual for the area..
-get a tall wood Armour for the TV and accessories. ( You can even buy a used one on Kijiji.) Put it on the flat wall where the desk is.
-If possile, put the dark chair somewhere else in the house. The two chairs are too different to co-exist in one room.
- Put the lamps on end tables at each end of the sofa. Get a floor lamp and a small side table for beside the chair.
-look for a really large picture for over the sofa

Have fun "staging" the room!

Furniture Positioning (Decorating, and color will come later)

1. Glass door: I would use shades. You can find shades with patterns if you want. The place is already
very small, and curtains will make it look cubersome

2. With the shades you can place the recliner much closer to the glass door, on the corner near
the TV, facing the sofa. If you need the chair, you can move it to watch TV and put it back
by the corner when you are done.

3. Get smaller side tables with storage, and preferrably square or rectangle. Use 1 or 2
small side tables as a coffee table along with 0 or 1 side table by the sofa.

4. Get rid of the bench

5. Get a lower, longer shelves as a TV stand. You will also put the other lamp there, and have more storage place
Something like that http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20218442/

6. Can you move the cat playground, maybe on the other corner next to the glass door?

7. Get a floor lamp, maybe by the desk

I have a floor lamp.i just moved it to the office. I'm taking all the stuff out of the room .Today I took down the curtains and pictures. Y'all are right boy did the room open up with those curtains down. Will take me some time to get use to. Husband says he like it. I'm looking online for a rug. We have 3dogs and 3 Cats. So it needs to be pet friendly! Still waiting for picture of the custom shelving. Sofa is dark because of pets. Love everyone's ideas. Thank you. Oh, I moved the bench. Someone asked how old I was, not sure why but I'm 58. And I love green and earth tones.

The picture over the desk belonged to my Great-Grandmother it was on a large mirror that was broken,so we saved the picture and framed it.

Debik54...if you were 94 you wouldn't like the same things you like now and if you were 24 you wouldn't like the same things you like now. :-)

Since you currently do not like anything about the room why not buy a nice sectional that reclines. Nothing to big since the room is on the small size. New window treatments of some kind. My favorite piece in the room is the desk so if you can find a nice place for it keep it, if not put it in another room. A few small ottomans for additional seating would be nice & new accessories would make a big difference. Time to get a new TV and hang it on the wall so it doesn't take up any space. Good luck.

I like my sofa, it's down filled. It was time along time ago to get a new TV!!! But you know the old saying "If it ain't broke" We like the desk also, it stays. I like old things but with a mix of new..

I'm in the same age bracket. just so you know.

If your sofa is down filled it has to be comfy. Just buy a sofa cover. You'll spend very little to get a brand new look and feel for your room.

What is on the other side of the room besides the front door? Is there a chance the sofa could be turned so it faces the French doors and is floating in the room?

Put away all the throws out of the chair. Its ok I think,switch places with brown cupbord and the TV stand, add a large leaffy plant to corner by stand,move lazy boy out away front of door to make the room seem more spacious.Just my opinion.

The other side of the front door is the dining room. I was out today looking at a few things, I found a mirror maybe for the wall over the sofa. Any comments ?

We had the sofa with the back to the front door several times. It works ok .i then put chairs on the long wall that the sofa is on now with a table in between.

I meant to submit this days ago-wanted to redo it and clean it up, but I haven't had the time (I have a toddler and a newborn). I think it gives the basic idea. You can probably do something like this with Ikea, but my thoughts were to have the shelving widen toward your front door because it would square up the room a little. Also, if you chose to devote part of it toward a cat habitat (initially I thought the left side would do, but if you widen the shelving toward the right, the right side may be more cave-like for them since it would be wider, and they'd enjoy it more), the top shelf might need to stick out an additional inch or two to keep your cats from going all the way up and crossing over into your dining room (my cats always managed to slink their way up my shelves, I still have no idea how they did it, but adding an overhang made it impossible for them).

The main problem, however, would be that you would have to make this yourself, and thats what would get most people. If you are fortunate enough to know someone who is a contractor or carpenter, they can figure the angles and help out. Otherwise, its the angles that will get you/your hubby. I drew this up based on your current television, but it can easily be adapted for something larger

A floor plan with dimensions would really help because it is not clear what the angles are or the connections to other rooms.

Do you have another room that you could move some of the furniture to?

I think what is going on here is that you bought a nice sofa and lamps. Then your husband bought a big leather chair and ottoman. You will keep the desk because you and your husband both like it and use it. You did not choose any of the artwork but feel you must keep it somewhere. Is this a correct summing up of the situation?

If you have room for the desk or the big leather chair elsewhere in the house, then your living room would be easier to plan. Can you move the photos to a more organized gallery-type arrangment on the hallway wall? Can you move the artwork to another room or to storage? Lots of people have inherited or once-favorite family artwork carefully wrapped and stored in closets and garages: some people rotate pieces in for a few months every year.

The beige recliner doesn't seem to go with anything else. Can it go to another room or to charity?

Kristina, thanks for taking the time to put together a drawing,that was so nice. Especially since you have your hands full with the children. I think something like that would look nice. We do have friends that could put that together for me. Thank you

I think with that sofa you can do a warm cabin like feel by getting rid of those curtains and painting the walls a soft caramel color. Another decor tip is to let the sun shine in and add picture frames on the wall and putting them in some kind of abstract order.

Apple-pie-order, there is not a lot of extra room in this house to store or put in other rooms. This is a 1500sq ft home in Florida. It a house you downsize to. A retirement home. Both chairs are my husbands. My smaller chair was moved to the office because the big green one wouldn't fit in there. As far as the art work goes, the one over the desk I remember as a child in my Great-Grandmothers home. I like it. The pictures of family, I have taken down. I'll figure out something to do with those later. I think you mean the brown chair and ottoman? I don't have a beige chair. No I can't get rid of it, my husband sits in it. Sometimes it's about comfort. Men get crazy about their chairs. Thank you for your input.

I see now: the recliner is actually green; it just looks beige on my monitor.

If your husband wants a recliner and the chair-plus-ottoman and you want the sofa, desk and tv, that's a lot of furniture in a small room. Everyone loves comfortable chairs, even if it's a tight squeeze to work them in.

I could care less about the TV. Lol!

A little concerned that you want change but don't actually want to change anything. It's like when I go to the hairdresser.....HA!
Okay, the ideas with the curtains and frames are great. Lose the cat tower. The couch and rug are pretty but not pretty together. You have too many little things going on. Simplify. Bigger artwork, streamlined colors. Warm up your paint color out of that pale yellowy look, it's too sunshiny for the couch. Good luck! ;)

Love the dark framed mirror you found! I think it would be beautiful. Don't get rid of the cat tower! Sometimes design should be second to life. Kitties need consideration too.

Thank you- I think we are all excited to see the final result. I hear you about the comfort factor with men- my husband bought a very puffy leather double recliner couch. I hate it! Lol. But I found a friend in it recently when I realized its friendly to sippie cup leaks

Gdodd22, I understand the Hair Stylist thing because I am one! If you had read my comments you would see that I'm open to some of the changes that people have commented on. The paint color is a soft muted gold. Not Sunny looking at all. This is a pet friendly house. I would be the first one to say that the Cat Tree is not the best thing to have in a livingroom. You must not have Cats, they need to scratch and if you want them to use it then it needs to be in a place they travel. I'd like to keep the sofa! The curtains have already been removed as have the family pictures. I'm flipping the desk and TV. I'm looking for a new rug! So I'm really not sure what your talking about, when you say your concerned that I want change but don't want to change anything. People have given some very good suggestions and given thought to looking at the room in different ways. Some you take and some you don't.

I've made some changes to the Livingroom . Tomorrow when the lighting is better I'll post some new pictures. Thank you everyone for all of your comments!

Here new pictures of what I've changed so far.

My best advice for you is don't build on what you don't love. Don't throw good money after bad. Having said that, pick the items you value and start from there. If the sofa stays, why not slip cover it or reupholster it in something you love. If that isn't in the budget see where that fabric will take you on a journey to find an area rug that supports it well. A sisal banded in linen would smarten the look up nicely adding contemporary interest. Lamps? You can easily update them by changing the shades for a more updated style.

Thanks for your comment, but I like the sofa and the print. I also like my lamps and the shades.as you can kind of tell I'm not in to contemporary. The sofa is 5 years old. It has no wear and I really don't like slip covers. As for a rug really not sure I want on. I'll live with things awhile and see.

I think the picture above the writing bureau is the wrong scale. CAn the picture be moved elsewhere?

Yes, someone else said to but it on wall behind the sofa. I did move it over there, but not sure I liked it.So for now it's staying where it's at. I'm sure in my travels I'll come across something that I like. Wall art is a hard thing to buy. You need to like it and it needs to fit. All takes time.

I don't know why you are getting rid of the rug. I thought it was beautiful. I do like your sofa and comfort is as important as style!

Susanna, I didn't get rid of my area rug. I just moved it for now to my bedroom. Thanks I like it too.

debik54, I think you did a good job opening things up and simplifing. It's much better than before and it looks comfortable. You know better than anybody about what works for you and how you want to live. I think you've been given some good ideas that you may or may not use later. By the way, I really like your couch as it is and you have a beautiful desk. I understand totally about family treasures and 'men's chair's'. Hope you're happier with your room.

Great improvement. Now you look like you live in sunny Florida. If you pull out the brown leather chair would the cat tree fit in the corner?

If you are planning to replace the TV, why not get rid of a TV stand altogether and mount a flat screen on the wall just above the desk. It will look a lot like the art piece over the desk now in scale. Also, maybe move the cat tree in front of the french door you rarely use. Cats love to survey the yard anyway. Get rid of the little bench, scale down the size of your chairs, hang your collection of small wall art as one planned unit, put in longer drapes (to the ceiling?) next to the doors so that they do not cover the doors in anyway (extra light is good), hang art or decoration over the doors, replace the throws with one accent color throw that matches 2 throw pillows and can be your accent color (something out of the couch and carpet color). You could replace the lampshades with that same accent color. Maybe put a large mirror over the couch (angled ever so slightly with a shim toward the doors) to bounce more light around the room and draw attention from the couch. If you had more natural light, then you can paint the walls a bit darker (2 shades or so) to calm the room and draw attention away from the couch toward the accent colors down the carpet and outside. Leave the french door wall a lighter color and maybe you could skip the drapes entirely-- the light wall would draw your eye up and out as a feature wall.

So, make the french door wall a feature wall with height and light color and a larger feature piece of "art" on the wall above the doors, move the desk to where the tv is now and mount a tv above it, put a smaller scale chair on the current desk wall and another to replace the brown recliner. Get rid of the door chair, choose and use one accent color, add light with a mirror, paint the walls a bit darker and the sofa may recede into them better, and calm and focus your small wall art to be a planned singular unit (like when small animals band together to have the appearance of a larger opponent :-)). Have fun!!