Three things to finish what you have started, before you add anything new:
1. Move the rug back 3 inches so the front legs of the sofa sit just over the edge.
2. Move the chair pillow to the couch and group the pillows, two on the left, three on the right.
3. Hang your grandfather's painting at eye level above the cabinet instead of propping it.

This will give a bit more finished look and you might decide it's enough.

I'm definitely not adding anything else to this. I agree with carolin, it is way too staged just doesn't fit into the vibe. So I tried out groveraxle's recommendation. Which do you prefer or what should I change it too? I kind of like the first for that 'not thought of how the pillows are lined up' look.

I agree with the rug. I placed it under the sofa and it's made such a difference! Everything feels so integrated. I moved the sofa further forward and it's definitely more cosy.

Yes I do plan on hanging my grandfather's painting. I just haven't because I'm considering of reframing it. Something tells me to do a black frame with lots of depth to it and a wider and bigger mat to transform it to an old painting with a modern twist but I just can't get my head around to it.

Lately I've been reading up on tablescapes; the shelves above the TV need something else and I'm looking for something sleek, simplicity and neat, something white or copper. Just can't think of something.

Cushions: 2nd photo
Rug: hmm... think that this is one of those (rare) situations where the sofa legs don't have to be on the rug. The rug centered under the Ottoman looks best (as far as I'm concerned) and to have the Ottoman at a comfortable distance from the sofa...

rickster, it would help if you could give us a straight on shot of the TV wall. It's really hard to see the cabinetry and make recommendations for what to put on the shelves. It looks like you have something there already, a light colored pot that echoes the color of your sofa. That's good. Add a little pop of orange in there also to echo the fabulous chair.

I think ceramics like these would fit well:

You also might consider a small collection of Malaysian puppets. Their color and intricacy would be a nice counterpoint to your sleek design. Two puppets hanging on the wall behind the orange chair, or a single puppet standing on the dining table would look good.

Graphic glass panel with some colour, backlit. Cheers

Question: what do you call a floor like this in English. I was looking for the English translation of 'gietvloer' (at least that is what I think this floor is and that is the Dutch word for it), because I wanted to suggest it to someone last week, but couldn't find it anywhere.
So please, enlighten me?

Something like this could be nice on the left side of the TV I think;
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/decorating-and-accessories/art-glass/degree-vase/s312924

I will look further if I can find you some inspiration for dressing the shelves above the TV.

Resin floor (poured resin floor?) Hubby seems to think so!

Love yr room. Push orange chair forward about 2 ft, and angle. Put area rug under ottoman. Push sofa and ottoman back about 18". It seems like all furn to close to TV. Will open up this beautiful room. Maybe gray and white print linen panels on each side of window will make it finished. Plant needs to be pushed back some. I'd you want a long. Narrow contemporary picture wall by plant.

New dining chairs. In bright color like the orange or yellow. Would perk up table. Try Ikea.

Just saw other pics. Rug is too small replace with a contemporary design. 8x10 would-be idea.Behind sofa pic you have too small and you need bright colors. I like the long one in reds.

Do not put rug between the two areas. Doesn't work.

Remember less is more. Nothing needed by TV or on media. Keep the low sleek lines you have now. Perfect.

Very nice place in desperate need of colour :)
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Night-Posters_i403315_.htm

Ceramic sculptures that you may like?:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/92895181/black-and-copper-abstract-oval-art?ref=v1_other_1

ASV, thank you. That's it.

Nice space! I really liked the original rug and hope you found a good spot for it.

Hi carolins, the floor isn't resin it simply is a 2.5 ft by 2.5 ft tile with white grouting. You may not be able to see the grouting because of the very bad picture quality. I recommend that you don't advise your friends or clients with white tile and white grout. Any hair, dirt molecule and dust shows up and the grout discolours. It's a task to clean it up and you have to mop it with bleach and baking powder twice a week (either that or I'm just a neat freak).

The reason why I didn't push the sofa back is because of the space between the front door and the sofa. I didn't want it to give off a cramp look when people first walk in; wanted to maintain an openness feel. To show you the space I'm working with I'll show you using a football. Between the front door and the sofa it comfortably fits 3 footballs about 3+ ft. Between the sofa and ottoman it's about 1+ ft and between the AV and the ottoman it is about 3 ft.

With the ornaments I have to work without any electricity because there isn't any power points on the top shelf and I actually prefer something nice to look at on its own without consumption of electricity. The space is rather dark even with the blinds open. The blue glass jar doesn't really show up as blue or it takes a bit of noticing to confirm it is blue

More images.
I really like that ceramic coral look-a-like that groveraxle's posted. I have some coral that I placed in my bookshelf and decided to try it out here.
But as you can see the blue is lost in the darkness. I will remove the magazines underneath; hate the idea that the magazines can't be read and used solely for decorative purposes I just had it there.

Ann, oh yes it's found a home upstairs. Just haven't thought of how to integrate the jute and kilim rug.

OK, the straight on view of the media console helps a lot. Get rid of the small stuff. The jar with stones can stay. Pair it with a low white bowl. On the right side, something with an organic shape that fills the space. A piece of coral, or a shell, but much bigger than what's there now. Put nothing on the surface with the TV. Depending on how high the ceiling is, you could put a single statement piece on top: a blown glass vase, a plate on a stand, a small modern painting, perhaps.

Since your kilim and jute rugs are about the same size, try offsetting them.

I like groveraxle's idea of the white bowl. Don't like the idea of putting something on the top of the cabinet. I will ruin the sleek lines. Whereas I do think that you could put something to the left of the TV. Ah well, how boring would the world be if we all had the same opinions ;-)

I know about the white grout. Not advisable for floors. I have a floor with white grout myself. And three big black labrador dogs. Every now and again I clean the grouts with the steam cleaner. We can never enjoy the clean look for long though. But I'm definitely more relaxed about it than you. You're doing a great job at keeping the floor clean. Perhaps next time you should get a poured resin floor ;-)

A few photoshops for you to get a sense of accessories:

What a lovely room. The colours made me think of the artist Cesar Manrique, you might hate this idea but what about painting the two blank white stripes between the cabinets in his style - this would draw the eye there and then the blank wall would be nice with the orange chair against it.

After a whole of searching I found metal balls that I could place in the shelf above the TV - great to reflect light off it and still creates a modern sleek contemporary look and feel. What do you guys think?

I've also set up the TV set perfectly and every thing is neat and tidy. Upon looking at everything as a whole it still somehow looks like something is missing like as though its so cold and lonely (the plant is still outside nurturing and will fill the space between the dining and living).

I've yet to hang my grandfather's frame up cause I don't think it matches the overall scheme of things; it's rather dull and makes the room dull

At the moment I don't feel like painting walls. The ceiling has a slight tinge of grey so am not very sure how the variety of colours will fit.

What do you guys think?

Your room is really beautiful, the metal balls are a great addition, but I see what you mean about the 'cold and lonely' feel.
I think you could use a different layer of light. The only light you have now is overhead lighting and that creates a flat feel. You need some great lamps that give a more cozy light to your space. Also, you could hang your grandfather's frame and surround it with all kinds of other, smaller pics so that it isn't so lonely up there and you'll have a very interesting creative wall.




Floor lamp:




Lamp for cabinet under grandfather's painting:

If you're keeping the orange chair in the corner, add a modern arc floor lamp next to it.

Oh carolins, I do have a lamp globe under the frame, you weren't able to see it because of my poor picture quality when the light was turned on. By the way I found a great way to clean the white tile grout... You've got to use baking soda and a little bleach. It works wonders!

I do like your last photo on the lamps. The glass enclosed leave on the floor type. I've never seen such a thing before its quite intriguing. However, I'm unable to place lamps where the orange chair is as there's no switches close to it. So today I got another plant and placed it between the window and the sofa. It looks great as a filler and softens things down but it does obstruct the view outside a little. What are your thoughts on this one?

I'm going to have to slowly explore that option of framing other frames around my grandfather's frame. Your ideas look great but I just don't know how to subtly incorporate that into an old-ish looking picture that has dull colours.

Ooohhh, haha... I did think that the downlighter/spotlight above the cabinet gave a huge amount of light, but now I know it was your cool lamp ;-) Hmm... shame you don't have an outlet near the orange chair. There are extension cords (not sure if that is a technical term) for lamps, but you wouldn't want to see a cord running from one end of the room to the other of course. Would it be possible to let it run through or across the floor plinth or under the TV cabinet?

Anyway... just something to think about, because I do think that an added layer of light will make a difference.

The plant looks good. You could always move it more towards the cabinet with your grandfather's painting, so that it is next to the window and fills that blank wall a bit?

Sorry for bringing up such an old post, but I wanted to update those interested in progress :)

After much time searching I've lost all hope but DIY-ing something for the wall where the lamp is - it was either too darn expensive, too common (oil paintings that looked like it was replicated), or the size didn't fit.

I've been thinking hard on what to put up on this wall and I guess I've made my mind up on the overall scheme but not down to the finer details. I decided to make origami paper cranes and mount it directly on the wall using metal wires so it projects out and casts a shadow on the wall. I'm hoping this would create visual interest on the wall while keeping the art toned down. For an example of my idea it looks like the pictures attached (only it won't be taped to the wall and I'll be using white paper for this). And the final product will look something similar to the koi photo attached.

I think I just need a vote of confidence on this project that I've been slowly progressing. I can't figure out the specific details of it like how many paper cranes should I be using? What size of the paper cranes should I be using? Is white paper the best option or should I use magazines or coloured paper? Should I add a thick black frame around it for added focus or will it do without a frame? How shall I place the paper cranes, in proper symmetry or in random patterns?

I love this idea. I think you'll have to play with it a bit. I definitely would not do a frame and, in fact, I think I'd do a mobile and hang it from the ceiling. It will cast shadows and move as well.

I like that your cranes are different sizes. I think I'd use the same paper for each one, or perhaps different papers that are close in tone as opposed to high contrast cranes.

Some inspiration:

Lovely idea!

What a wonderful idea!
I definitely think it should be random, like nature. Thank-you for posting.

Cool idea! I think they should be in a pattern. And sizes should vary and combine to create more 3D effect with lighting. Be nice to see your finished piece when your done. Cheers Sirius

Don't give up on your grandfather's painting. It's subdued in color which is different from the other accents in your room but it has the orange to work with the chair and even the blue can be worked in. Might cost a small fortune but working with a creative framer to mat it and reframe it could produce a one-of-a-kind treasure that would be a stand-out in your wonderful room. I recently did this with a cheap poster I'd had forever and loved but that was nothing much in it's poster frame. Now, it's the focus point you see when you turn the hallway corner and look into the room. I find myself standing at the end of the hallway frequently just looking and loving it. You obviously like your grandfather's painting and I think it could become the most beloved piece in your wonderful home.

Well, you could put a clock, or a safe, or even a "dumb waiter".

Groveraxle, I would like to do a mobile, unfortunately, I would have to build some sort of overhang or mess about with the plaster ceiling. I think I prefer the wires for a cleaner look. And I can replace any crane if needed as it's not strung up.

Thanks I'll try with one colour. In fact I made 40 already of different sizes. What I plan to do is to have the wires at random lengths so it creates a different level of depth. Not sure if I should have all the smaller sized cranes at one length and the others at a different length? Or just make it even more random. And which direction should the cranes face. Into the house or out of the house?

I admit that the cranes aren't folded extremely precisely but I don't think you notice it from a distance unless up close inspection, which is why I cannot place them in a particular format. I just have a feeling that anything in a particular arranged format should be sculpted to precision. Someone commented that the cranes I have are too small. But I'm thinking that on its own the small cranes look isolated but when clustered the effect will pull through.

I made a prototype. Only problem I had was that the wires I had were too thick and hence made it difficult to precisely shape it. I'll get thinner wires otherwise it'll be a nightmare trying to get 200 wires done haha.

The instructions that I'm following are from this website. http://m.instructables.com/id/Wall-of-Rainbow-Koi/step6/Mounting/

Yytcm, oh no I haven't given up on the painting. I sent it to a professional framer and he understood the value of it. It has atleast 30 years behind it and although the colours have some watermarks and has started to fade I think it adds more character to it. I just found a better wall to hang the painting (the photo below is before the reframing as I've yet to get it back). I think it belongs there.

I just did a mock up with a couple of cranes on a styrofoam board using masking tape for the time being. What are your critiques?

I made metal pins at 3 different heights, so not only do I have cranes in different sizes but I have them at different depths.

I really like the idea of adding structure and shapes instead of colour, but the cranes look too tiny I think. What do you think?

OK, rickster, to be honest, they look a little static. Something about gluing the cranes to the wall doesn't have the same effect as the koi.

I really do think they need to fly and I think it would be fairly simple. If you can get three cup hooks into the ceiling in a triangular shape and string a wire between them, you could attach cranes strung on fishing line to the wire. You could put many cranes on each fishing line. And while you wouldn't easily be able to replace a crane, I expect you wouldn't have to (unless you have a high-jumping cat who decides they're a toy).

Now that I rethink that, I think you could hang a paper crane mobile from a single cup hook in the ceiling. Even simpler, and probably easier than gluing 200 cranes to the wall.

Hi Rickster! Just a few thoughts as I am coming to the party "late". If it were me, I would get the much larger area rug. Put one as well under the dining table and chairs. That will work wonders for cozying up the place. It looks empty because there is too much bare white floor showing. I know you didn't really want to -- but if you would change the orange chair over to the dining side of the room (it would not close off the open feeling of the room); that would also fill in the empty side of the room, without that little "floater" rug. You need some orange pillows (one or two for the sofa to carry the orange chair color through the space. If you want something on the bare corner wall where the chair is now, you could try a set of three mirrors framed in the same wood tone as the TV cabinet. They would bring some light reflected into that dark corner. If you don't like the orange chair over there, you could always move it back. Just try it, post it, and see what everyone else thinks. I think you may be pleasantly surprised by how it works to fill up empty space. But the biggest thing is to put a way bigger area rug under the sofa and to the entertainment cabinet. It will make a great difference!

P.S. Love the white crane sculpture idea! You could even make them orange if you want more color. I love the white ones myself.

Hi Carolins! Yes I do think it is a little small. From far I can't make out what it is and looks like trash on the wall. But when it hits dawn and then night the shadows that are casted against the wall projects a bigger crane and then I can understand what I'm looking at from far. This is how it looks at night :) I need bigger ones now

Groveraxle, I drew my inspiration from these photos on Houzz. Although these look a bit flat the general concept was to have the shadows casted against the wall. I altered it by having several heights and created a less structured look.

I was a little afraid of hanging the cranes for the above reasons. One of the other things I'm also afraid of hanging it is that I don't want it to end up like one of those room dividers. There's one photo that I really liked that you sent. Do you think this is easy to do? And can it be reproduced against a wall (it seems from the photo that it had space and was meant to separate or break up a room). However it doesn't look like these cranes will be less static considering how tightly strung it is on the cord. I'm thinking that it is strapped down on the ground as well. Any ideas?

http://houzz.com/photos/98137
http://houzz.com/photos/2750264
http://houzz.com/photos/696486

Hi, Ridkster! Glad to hear about your progress with your grandfather's painting. I know it's going to look great. In fact, everything you've done has been great with great ideas from Houzzers as always - maybe hasn't all worked out but you aren't afraid to try, and if you don't try .... Love the idea of the white cranes, though agree they need to be much larger and probably fewer. The picture above with tons of little white ones looks like a scene from Hitchcock's "The Birds", only white instead of black. And the hanging blue and white ones look like the beaded curtains of the hippy 60s and 70s. Fewer and much bigger and more significant, I think. What I really love is that orange accent wall behind the black crane wall sculpture above. Since you've got a lot of orange going with the chair and pillows and colors in the painting to come back and the rug, may an accent wall somewhere in the orange. Would help to warm up the space, I think. If that idea appeals to you, maybe some Houzzer who knows Photoshop could try it on different walls for you. In another post I was following, someone did it with different colored pillows and with some artwork and it helped a lot.

One of my neighbors is an origami artist. She attached butterflies to the front of her house. They form a "swoop" (think similar to Nike logo shape). And are two or three shades of a color (but then she has added to them at times). I"ll try to go take a photo. But I think why it works and what is making yours appear "stagnant" is that they need some color, even if it is shades of grey, so it doesn't look like lumpy wall texture. Also, I think some of them need to be directly attached to the wall and then some on wire, turn some of them so you see them from above, and lastly, don't think of them confined to just above the chest - scale them to the entire wall, and the chest will fit below.

I think you will find that you need to either go with larger pieces (my least favorite idea, personally) or create many, many more and create a large "piece of art". Since this is really not a DIY project any more but about you creating art - you will have to play with this over and over as any artist would. I think I would worry less about the shadows, etc as you know that concept will work when you are done. That's a given. Instead focus on the arrangement of the cranes. Have a glass of wine, place them with your less dominant hand....anything to get you out of working with your technical mind and connecting with your creative side.

It is a wonderful concept and goes beautifully with the rest of your home - I can't wait to see the completed solution.

Paint the wall/nook around the TV console. A muted color, perhaps a color from your rug. Looks like there is a khaki color that would be nice.

Catieb, I agree with you. The cranes need a touch of grey - like shades of grey. This is how it stands without the grey cranes. I used the bigger variation of the white paper cranes and so far like it. It's got a very nice minimalist look.

Still flat?
What I've also done is made the metal pins longer so it projects further from the wall.

I like it.

Thanks Carolin!

I was planning to put that frame on the left of the photo around most of the cranes and leave one or two outside the frame but I think detaches itself from being modern. Abit too quirky haha!

Perhaps with the greyish cranes I wouldn't need to.