Have you checked Craigslist for furniture? It's always the first place I check, especially for wood furniture. The quality of new stuff doesn't compare. I can help you look - just let us know what city to search. PS - The sofa below is just for color. I'm not suggesting you get a sectional.

My input on white slipcovers; a lot of work! When there are so many other lovely choices that are stain resistant, etc.

I think the most difficult part of doing such a big project is keeping focused on one area at a time. I think you should commit on a floor plan, whether you want any electronics in the room and get them installed, etc. Decide which room you will do first.

Then you can go shopping for the big items, they usually drive your color choices, and then you can paint while the furniture is on order! When you have painted then bring in carpet and curtains and go from there with the accessories, but the drive is to feel you have to get everything now.

Resist the urge and stick to your plan, as it will allow you to establilsh a budget, and do one thing at a time so you are not distracted by everything else

Your room is gorgeous and it will be so interesting to see what you come up with. Looking forward to it. Everyone on Houzz that contributes is just great with advice, etc.

As mentioned, the current rug under the dining table is a couple of feet too short. But I think that size would work well in the foyer area.

I have never seen a mirrored wall like that. But, also like it! Can you stand back and take a photo having the entire wall?

Painting the stairway spindles black would give a more dramatic touch. Can that extra handrail on the wall be removed?

I meant paint the handrail black. Leave spindles white.

And another place to shop for some great well made pieces of furniture is a good furniture consignment store!

I wanted to let you know that I haven't left! 3 days of the week, I'm out of the house for about 12 hours. Everyone is tucked in now so have time to catch up.

I've been thinking a lot about everyone's posts and am pretty clear about

-the LR's purpose: for entertaining a group but also for our family of 5. To have a TV there but main family room with games, can stay in basement as it is currently.

- the furniture arrangement suggested by Susan2494's with 2 chairs in front of the fireplace as er612's last 2 options from Wednesday's post is the most appealing

I wanted to post a few pics that take me to Houzz heaven-I honestly get lost in these!! After seeing them, you'll get an idea of what I like....I know they're not very practical! The 1st & last pics are my favorite.

Go for it with a few suggestions. Upholstered pieces-IKEA. You can buy multiple slipcovers. Change seasonally or when dirty. I read a post on Pinterest the other day by a woman that had the one shown in upper left corner for three years. She washes the covers at least once a month and uses bleach. All has held up well including cushions. It's only $400. The other ones which are more tailored $800. What I also like is the cushions are removeable so you can flip the over.
Look at flor.com for carpet tile. Looks like an area rug but completely removable. It something spills you just pop the tile out and wash it in the sink. You can order extra tiles in case you have to replace one. Completely customizable and not expensive plus it gives you a little cushion underfoot.

With all those testosterone men in your life I can see why you want 'calm and peace' interiors. You have selected tones that are readily available in the marketplace. Even better. And your Heaven will become s reality. I say Begin where you are!

Can you advise me on getting the correct size sofa? Any tips or formula?!!!

er612, Craig's List Chicago and Houzz are my favorite websites. If you see anything that you think would suite my place I'm open for suggestions!

This floor plan is to room size. Chairs, 35" Sofas 87" sq coffee table 45" Rd ottoman 37" end table 27" rug 8x10' TV console 72" for a 55" TV Entry table 42"x18"

Print this out and use it to guide you in buying furniture, You can see where you go smaller, larger or need to follow the sizes. Measure everything you are consider buying to make sure it fits.

Which floor plan did you decide to go with? Contact whichever one of us did it and we can tell you the dimensions to stay within. Basically, you want 3 feet between the sofa and any walls and 18 inches between it and any coffee table or chair. You can also use painters tape and mark it out on the floor.

Check out sites overstock.com, Pier 1, Wayfair.com . These are great price point sites for lamps, tables, rugs and even chairs and sofas. Overstock has reviews from buying customers.

Susan and Nancy, will be keeping these measurements with me when I start looking, really helpful! Nancy, went with the floor plan that Susan just reposted. Really liked your suggestions, will keep them for the basement where I decided to keep the play area. Reallllllllly want to incorporate that cowhide ottoman!

From your inspiration pics...

A few more...

er612, thanks for putting thes pics together. I've been thinking.....rather studying a lot about your suggestions and others posted previously. Why did you choose a sofa with feminine/traditional details and the remaining subdued furniture? vs Nancy's furniture were very masculine? Because of pics I posted or the details which are already in the room? Since I'm starting from scratch, which piece of furniture should I choose 1st? Sofa? Have been looking online, will be going for a field trip on Wednesday, my next day off!

Thanks

I'm sure that you can find a compromise that is both functional and attractive that is middle of the road. With 3 young boys, that doesn't mean they behave badly. With a young family, I would suggest buying the best quality you can in the area where they will spend the most time. Also I think that the colors you choose will have more of an affect on the style of room than the actual shape of the furniture.

(BTW, I have that rug in my den that Nancy showed and it is wonderful.)

Microfiber sofas are easy care and come in lots of styles and colors. You might want to stay neutral for the large pieces and bring in some color or prints for the chairs.

I would choose the sofas 1st and then the chairs, end tables and lamps. Next your rug and then the art/mirrors for your walls. Once you choose your accent colors for the room, you will have an easier time. Your choices for rugs and art are 10x the availability than for the sofas and chairs. Look at Pier 1 for chairs, they have some great styles, as well as overstock.com, Wayfair.com. Not sure where you live so don't know local outlets. You can always post photos of your likes and we can help you co-ordinate, if you need help. Make this a fun and enjoyable project. We are here to help if you need it.

Susan thanks for your response, your advice is helpful and extremely practical. In our condo, I chose the furniture based on intuition, not measurements or a planned layout, We were so satisfied with the the end result, lots of compliments from friends & family... even though it took me >1 year to figure it out. But 'intuition' is so wishy/washy i.e.)when we used my husband's 'intuition' we had to return half of the bedroom furniture. In retrospect I think I just lucked out! so wanted to bounce some of my thoughts by playing a devils advocate.

Thanks again for your great advice, will keep posting!

Hello Susan 2494 & er612 may I know which software you are using to generate these lovely drawings...thx

I use the room planner from Thomasville.

Niverma,

I'm shopping for a L/R sofa. Saw this piece and thought of you. Don't know your style preference. Hope it's helpful.

Broyhill, Miller, sku#5300-3

Dimensions: Width: 112 x Depth: 51 x Height: 39

Delivery: 6 to 12 weeks

K2, thanks for your suggestion! I decided to buy 2 sofas and chairs for the LR. I'll keep these sectionals in mind when I do the family room in the basement which has similar measurements/ bow window.

If you are looking for lighting ideas, in Galilee lighting we carry unique styles of chandeliers.

If you would like to receive our catalog by email, contact Sale@GalileeLighting.com

If you are doing two sofas at 87 inches I would tape them out on the floor first to see what your walking room is. I am probably wrong but two sofas at right angles as show in floor plan looks tight for end tables and walking room. My family room is 16 ft wide and I have my sofa perpendicular to fireplace using the width; there is no way another sofa can fit perpendicular to the one sofa and still have room to walk. It is traditional 7 ft (87") 36 inch deep 38 inches tall sofa. Just saying to measure very carefully; if you are going for mcm things will probably be perfect as it is smaller scale furniture, just measure twice cut once as the saying goes!

niverma, I rechecked all my measurements for the room and have put in a yd stick of 36" to show areas. It never hurts to re-check the floor area, when buying pieces, but I always am very careful of arrangements when submitting a floor plan. In fact I always do outside wall for dimensions not inside, so have at least 6" less floor space in every plan.

Have you decided on any artwork?

Hi Niverma! First off, your house is beautiful! Second, our carpet tiles sound like they might be a great solution to what you're looking for. They can be cut to fit almost any space and if something spills or get dirty, you can just pick up one tile and clean it off! We have a wide selection of neutrals that are a great classic staple. We also have tons of colors and patterns if your looking for something a bit more eye-catching. I would suggest our Upcycle in Maize (pictured below). The pattern and durability make this style a go-to for active spaces.

If you have any questions feel free to reach us at 1.688.952.4093 and one of our design consultants would be more than happy to help! Happy decorating! www.flor.com

How do you like this? You could always change the color of the sofas. I like the idea of the shag rug to keep the 70's alive! And personally, I'm ALL about wallpaper. I'm inviting you to visit my profile and my website at www.athginteriors.com to learn all about Rooms Recreated! Make it a meaningful day!

3 months since I initially posted my dilemma, looked through the recommended websites and finally feel I have a clearer direction. I decided to use the furniture arrangement that Susan and the colors Nancy suggested. I really wanted to incorporate the round cowhide ottoman and found the perfect sofa, it would have matched the cowhide, unfortunately too long, 97 inches. :(

The is another other sofa I like, looks sturdy, price is good and somehow doesn't look heavy or over tufted, but it doesn't match the ottoman. Any opinions or suggestions?

What do you mean doesn't match the ottoman? Do you mean size? color? The ottoman does not have to match as long as it blends. In fact it will be more interesting and unique if they are not an exact match.

I was trying to match the color of the sofas with one of the browns on the ottoman, specifically the caramel brown color. Would the 2 dark sofas be too much leather? Too much dark? I plan to purchase cloth/linen chairs as you had suggested leather sofas and cloth/linen chairs or vice versa. Any feedback about this dark brown sofa on Wayfair or suggestions for chairs would be helpful. Thanks

Do you want real leather bonded? Also do you want a tufted one or plain?

I think 2 darker leather sofas are ok in the room as long as your accessories are in lighter fabrics. You don't want a room full of dark heavy furniture. I found your ottoman and I can put it with the sofa of your choice if you will post the site. Look at some sofas that you like and let me know. I can put them together so you can see how they look.

will do, will post them when I get home in the evening, Thanks Susan.

Your response makes me question "bonded" leather, will look it up!

I suggest adding some warmth and coziness to your home by adding drapery panels, valances, and cornice boxes. This'll add more depth and absorb any cold air in your home.

3blindmiceusa.com/curtains-draperies/

Be cautious of bonded leather. It tends to peel and wear pretty quickly.

Learned about bonded leather tonight and decided against the brown sofa I posted earlier.

Here are 2 sofas that I really like

Any suggestions that could help me brainstorm and make a decision is welcome.

I cannot find that sofa at The Dump. can you give me a link?

Here the C&B sofa in your room.

Hi, check out the below designs.

I think the couch from the dump is the way to go with your family. I know you wanted to go the neutral direction but I think the lighter color might show dirt, stains, etc.. The beauty of leather is is looks better with some wear and tear. I had leather upholstery for 10 years, two girls, a husband and a dog. They still look brand new. My kids would eat in there and everything got spilled. And it just wipes up (as long as they tell you about it :). In general, I like three seat removable cushions so if anything happens, you can always flip the cushion over when company comes! Also love down filled cushions- very comfy. Don't stress about the ottoman not matching. The one I showed you way back when was a gray cowhide with the carnel color in it. No matchy, matchy please.

Microfiber suede upholstery has done well surviving our cats, so I suspect it would survive 3 boys. Taupe shows very little dirt. I can't find the picture, but a coffee table topped with slate or tile would deal with the grubby fingers issue.

Susan, this is the link http://www.thedump.com/

Thanks. that sofa looks great with ottoman

The sofa and ottoman do look nice together! I'm leaning toward purchasing these items , will try to make that decision this weekend.

I had initially planned to buy 2 identical sofas and place them perpendicular to one another as Susan had suggested, but wondering if pairing the off white C&B sofa and this leather one would be odd. Reason I ask is because I bought this sofa from Craig's list 2 months ago. It was a perfect match for the chair I already have and the sofa was in prestine condition. I was going to put it in the basement, but wondering if 2 different sofas would be odd here?

I'm a little confused here. Which sofa do you own and which sofa are you buying? It's ok to have 2 different sofas but usually they are similar styles and colors. I would say that 2 white sofas but different style or 2 brown sofas that are different, but a brown and white, different fabric and styles will not be very cohesive.

Sorry for the confusion.

My 1st post has a single chair in the LR, it's from C&B. A month ago, lucked out and bought a matching C&B sofa on Craig's list. These 2 will go in the basement. Because of durability plan to purchase leather sofas for the living room.

The reason I asked if 2 different colored sofas could be used is because of previous responses, which suggested to avoid matching everything. This is VERY hard, as tough as learning the English language!

By the way, wanted to thank you for taking time out to give explanations, your opinions and advice. Considering all the responses.

It definitely can be confusing. For every design rule, someone will break it and it turns out that it actually looks good. Most times having 2 sofas in an area, they should match, and 2 chairs that match but the chairs and sofa should compliment each other but can be different styles and colors/patterns. Usually you want different end tables and coffee table/ottoman to create interest. Same with lamps.

However, on a console or buffet, you want the lamps to match. In a bedroom, you can have matching or different nite stands and lamps or they can match.

So, that is why Houzz is so successful, so we can see how everything can work together. But, as you can see not every advisor agrees on how it should be done. So, then it is left up to you to make the final decision on what really works in your home. And most of the time it turns out great. Still confused? I know I am :>)

Had to read your post a few times! And saw just that when I reviewed more Houzz pictures...now I only have a million questions, but will think about them when I get there! Will keep you posted! Thanks again for your help!