All of your major furniture pieces are good choices. I would suggest replacing the lamps in living room with something a little more contemporary. The shelf between the windows is a nice touch but looks a little too busy. Try to eliminate a few items and vary heights for interest. Also what an impact the fireplace would be if you could have it faced with stacked stone.

I really like the stack stone. We have round river rock on the pillars outside, Would that be a problem?

No, that would not be a problem. I just think the stacked stone would be a little more understated than the bold river rock but its just personal preference

I really like the idea of the stone going to the ceiling. Adding detail to the ceiling and walls will be great.

Tin ceiling would look nice

What about these ideas for dining room ceiling? Inexpensive but effective with just a little additional moulding and color added the ceiling.

Keitha, I moved a few items on the mantel shelf, but left the ladder out because I know it's not good yet. I would appreciate any ideas. I am still planning on the window trim being painted white and looking for ideas for the fireplace and ceiling molding. I like the ideas here a lot.

I would remove that shelf. It adds nothing to the beautiful room and windows. Perhaps it would look better on the mantle. I would try to move those black chairs next to the fireplace facing into the room. Get a long console table by the stairs and put the lamp on there , keep the picture and some acccessories using the ones on the shelf too. I like your dining room. I know other people are thinking about that.

tennisanyone, I moved the furniture and am open for suggestions. We are snowed in and can't go to the gym, so I was getting my workout in pushing stuff around.:)

Lori, the shelf looks better and I especially like the topiary, "D" and the clock but the items on the ends look a little lost so I would suggest replacing them with something that has more impact.. Also try sitting the topiary on a few books to give it more height. Where are you planning to put that gigantic key?....Love it! Tennisanyone's idea is also a great option, would just be a little concerned that it might look too small in scale for the fireplace but it's just about what You like.

You have a beautiful home. I like the painting of the woodwork and the black chairs by the fireplace. The dining room is beautiful. I would have the ceiling repaired and paint the existing ceiling moulding black and replace the light with a bold more modern black chandelier. These changes would not be that expensive. The black would accent your dining set and black trim on the ceiling would draw the eye up to the beautiful high ceilings. Would you consider a black rug or patterned rug with black background tuner your dining table?

I agree the fireplace needs to be emphasized and a mantel added. Perhaps a more whitewashed stone or one with noticeable black flecks would look nice. Personally, I would not consider tin ceilings or bead board as they don't seem to fit the style of your home. Have fun. There are so many possibilities.

I like the chairs by the fireplace. Do you?
Move them
Almost into the alcoves but out if that makes
Sense. I also like the chest. Put the lamp on
The other side. I am picky especially when it
Comes to furniture placement. I hope you
Remove that shelf. I got snowed in yesterday too
But am travellinf today. Roads are good.

I definitely let the bead board ceiling idea go.I have made plenty of decorating mistakes nd that is why I am loving the advice here. The leather chairs are a dark brown, I think they look small when near the fireplace, but maybe after I decide on trim or rock facing they will look different. I made a few changes on the shelf with what I had around the house. I could paint the item on the far left a darker color. I have the off white one up there now, before it was a light green one. I hope that there isn't a limit to photos you can post because I just want to show you that I am open to your ideas and it really helps me visually. Some of my ideas for the key are on a gallery wall going up the stairs, above the fireplace, or if I did some built in on the sides of the fireplace, above the left side. I attached an image of what I like for built ins, simple and open.

I dont mean exactly that shelf over the fireplace
Lets just get the arrangement better. Do u need
A tv in this room? That would change the arrangement
If u do.

We do not need a TV in this room.

You have a great furniture START and as you add furniture pieces " the cozy factor" will come. So I would suggest that you start thinking about what you want to add next... Coffee table etc. The fireplace wall is such a dynamic part of the room and once you get that wall done I think it will help a lot. You are fortunate that you already have drapery panels to soften all those windows!! You could think of taking the shelf down as tennisanyone suggested an install the key there?? Here are some fireplace walls that would be fairly easy and inexpensive to replicate with paint or textured wallpaper.

stairs and front door in black lacquer with the new white trim on windows, would look amazing. black paint on stairs with white baseboards. i know its a litle bold, but i was surpised how much it made the room i saw it in, look fantastic. and becuase its shiny it reflects light nicely. if you did some some sheer drapes around the dining room pillars with tie backs, that would add some drama. may be too fancy for you, but it would be beautiful.. they dont even ever have to close. just be decorative.

and if you dont like black lacquer you can do an espresso. your wood trim on the stairs wont "go" with much since all trim is going to be white (i think?) and right now there isnt anything that pops accept your decor like the lettering on that high shelf and the mirror frame/table below stairs, and your lamp. you have a beautiful house , i am not picking it apart, only suggestions, your doing a great job so far!! i think the stair rail in a darker color would be a great way to cohesively bring in your darker accessories. and the fireplace could have seomthing darker also, to go with the stairs. i love the stairs and i can totally picture that railing in a very dark color.

Would like to see the stack stone FP materialize, since it would set the tone for the entire space.
Just a side note: as much as I hate monster clocks masquerading for "decor" I'd rather see your clock in place of the shelf at the window. The shelf immediately draws the eye, but to nothing. That is why you need the beautiful fireplace to take center stage!

Love the idea of the black stairs and door... You are right kitchenbath it would look very dramatic. I just wouldn't suggest shiny black lacquer ... I think an eggshell finish would give a more sophisticated look. Even though the attached picture is of a wrought iron staircase it's similar in style to yours and will hopefully give you an ideas of how your staircase might look.. Great suggestion!

Decoenthusiaste, just curious as to why you are opposed to monster clocks?

Here is the key above the windows. Here is also a photoshop version of the steps with white spindles and one with back. I love wrought iron spindles and would love to do that, but we also need a new master bathroom, a new kitchen counter and new carpet throughout the house. Our house is 20 years old and showing it's age. I would also like to change out all of the current brass hardware everywhere. Even the hardware has been a big indecision for me! Brushed nickle or oil rubbed bronze?

I like the key and black hand-rail/post with white spindles. I understand about the " to do" projects in a new house! We replaced all hardware and hinges a few years ago and it did make a big difference in updating the house.

Did you take down the shelf and replace it with a key? I am distracted by the key now. Maybe at some point, get woven blinds on the windows instead of the white. I would move the chest over by the vent and put the lamp on the right and try to center the picture.

tennisanyone, I photshopped the key there. I also used PS to move the console and photo. Is this what you meant?
I am not sure about the stacked stone on the fireplace. We have the round river rock on the pillars outside and we have a stone fireplace in the lower level. How about wainscoting on the great room fireplace?

I am glad you photoshopped the key. I must have missed that part. Yes, I like the chest there, do you? I would add something green either on the chest and on the floor next to it to hide the outlet. Place the frames on some books and vary the height. Doesn't look like you need much updating.

i have another idea... you need a pop of color too. beige and light turquoise are very popular colors together.
how about this... black handrail on stair case (not spindles) and black door, i like the beige-ish walls that you already have, the white trim windows, baseboards, moldings, collumns, etc... fireplace with a big white painted wooden mantle with molding detail and corbels down the sides around the opening-. this gives you the upside down "U" shape basically- then you can add a glass mosaic tile or stone, whatever you like, but i think the mosaic glass tile in a matte and shiny finish mixed together (maybe even in blue and beige?) will be a more modern, up to date look. people are always under the assumption that modern is cold and sterile, when its just using the latest products to update a space. you choose wether you want them to look modern, traditional, etc... if used this way, its a more classic and "chic" approach to modernizing. but still comfortable and cozy, like a home should be. maybe black laquer fireplace mantel too? too much??

Accent color on the fire place or stone all the way up

Big moilding around the windows

And new dinning room table and chairs

I would take the shelf on the windows down. As has been mentioned, it just adds nothing. It looks too knick-knacky. Take your items, group them in 3's and find new homes for them--or put them in a box for now, till you figure the big things out. Leave that wall blank. I wish your curtains were a little longer--they should be raised a little higher on more substantial rods. Are you considering new ones? Tab top panels always seem a tad country to me and not fitting in your beautiful room. Love the stone fireplace suggestions.

@Keitha - I think monster clocks are an overrated attempt by the big box stores to market to the less design savvy customer, who doesn't have a clue about what to buy to decorate their home. These clocks don't cut it in my book, although I have seen some attractive ones. If they were even "real" clocks with a history and a presence, I could consider them, but they're import junk that just take up a lot of space, so are seen as a solution - and a cheap one - compared to wonderful art, sculpture or other decor.

shelf down and stuff reused on mantel or on bookcases flanking fireplace. your chosen bookcase design is classic. I always think that fireplaces in your configuration look unfinished as if the bookcases didn't go in yet. if you want monochromatic, stick with it. i love color, but love looking at neutral monochromatic spaces too. i would do a coffered ceiling in the dining room and add not just a mantel but a surround in the u shape suggested above. i'm always looking at price, so installing a new stone to the ceiling when you already have a nice stone seems wasteful to me. you have a great start. big classic clocks are classic but also easy to manufacture and sell, but that wouldn't make me trash yours.

I'll be taking down the shelf, thanks so much for the advice. For the curtain panels, they used to pool on the ground, so they can be longer and I can remove the tab tops. Would it work to have ring clips?
My dad and I have been working on a dinning table made from reclaimed wood. He lives in another state and we should have it finished on the next visit this summer. The fabric on my chairs is dated too.
The clock is so cheap, it doesn't even work, someone else can hang it in their home next :)
These ideas are all so good. I want a wow space instead of a an ugh!!!!

personally, I love ring clips. recovering the dining room chairs is a no brainer. if you want to add color there, go for it.
the clock gets trashed for the junk that it is.
You don't have an ugh. It just isn't finished.

Keitha is right: add cozy factor by layering texture. look at her pictures and study what they have that your space does not: texture

I personally think clips are not proportionally correct for your curtains. How tall is that wall? 20 some feet? I would like to see a 2 inch wood rod. They will look REALLY big in your hands, but waaaay up there, they will be perfect.

The ceiling is 20' tall and the room is approx. 16x16. I already had the ring clips, so that is why I asked. I do like beefier.

You can add large beefier rings to the curtain tops, I used to have some that tack onto the top of the curtain back. The table is amazing and will go a long way to warm up the space. I think you have great bones and good pieces . I don't think you need anything up on the window wall, painting out the woodwork white will make them standout against the taupe and they will be very dramatic. I like the spindles painted out with a high gloss lacquer hand rail. I think the fireplace situation is a little complicated because even if you add shelving horizontally you still have a huge 20' vertical to deal with
If riverfock is an option go for it,if not maybe your dad can help build a sturdy mantle above the fireplace Out of reclaimed wood,like your table, and you could paint a large canvas with blocks, stripes or splashes of color with acrylic paint to coordinate with whatever colors you choose for your room. When I have renovated my homes, I have gone to the unfinished furniture store and bought several bookcases in the closest dimensions of the wall I am looking to place them on. I place them side by side, put molding around the sides and trim accross the to. I paint them white and they look like custom built ins for a fraction of the cost. You may want to consider that for your bookcases on either side of the fireplace. Another trick I have used on hardware that is not right is to remove them, take of the shiny finish and spray with rustoleum hammered metallic finishes or aged metal finish. They are durable and it is a lot cheaper than replacing everything. Good luck!

I would recommend adding Silhouette blinds inside the windows it will really soften up the space and give you a more finished look.

Decoenthusiast , thanks for the response regarding MONSTER CLOCKS and I will have to say that I agree with you on several of those points. It is often difficult to find large eye-catching accessories to decorate rooms with very high ceilings and some of those cheap clocks are very interesting and, in all honesty, I guess you could say they are "a quick fix" when you are searching for decor with impact! I love decor with a history, original art ,and love some of those cheap clocks as well... Thanks for the insight, I enjoy reading your posts. :-)

Removing the shelf is the best solution... I was just trying to help you work with what you have! Bigger drapery rods and chunky rings would be very nice and more proportioned to the massive window wall. My concern about the clip rings is that since your drapes are so long and heavy that clip rings would not hold????

all it need is some pizazz and some color and pattern. can you say home goods accesssories rug and pillows.

fireplace fascia needs some pizazz too. no stone. tile it in something unexpected

shelf is great but too many things something tall in the middle . remember odd numbers work best

Here are few ceiling ideas... you could also go onto our page and see more pictures, just click on the following link http://www.houzz.com/projects/488079/ceilings I hope this helps you.

You have a beautiful living room!! Adding stone to the ceiling, taking down the shelf, painting your trim white, and redoing the staircase (if within the budget) would drastically change the room!!

I'd also add three round mirrors or one to above your console table, and repaint it to something brighter! You have such a great foundation, beautiful home :)

Feb 2013 post