It's like you're "curating" your items! What a great idea.

We have a large detached garage that has an attic upstairs where I put things I can't part with and might use again or that I think my children might eventually want. It is fun to look up there every now and then and reuse things or get rid of them when I wonder "what was I thinking!"

I'm thinking some day one of our grandchildren will have a first apartment and can come "shopping" in my collection!! At the very least one day my girls can have a great attic sale!

We talked about the weather here in NC a while back - thought I'd let you know we actually got snow yesterday! Only about 1 inch here in Concord but some areas around got 3 or 4 inches which is a lot for us. It covered the grass and trees but is all gone today. Winter in the South - gotta love it!!!

I could definitely handle Winter in the South! We had a beautiful day today; predicting possible snow on Thursday, but it's still been milder than normal. Fine by me haha!

I would get a different rug with a pattern and a pop of color and then get pillows with the same colors. The pillows on the couch are too muted and the rug does not add any visual interest. It's a nice room with great floors and flow. The lamps are interesting but do seem large for the tables.

Could those 2 lamps go on a table behind sofa? The room looks very good actually. The one wall with the TV might look better with a little deeper paint color (a neutral paint, not a serious color) I like the pattern drape...

@Laura Thank you for your imput! Rug is the first change on order. I have moved the lamps elsewhere; you are correct, they really are too big.

@Rita I like the idea of a table behind the sofa maybe with some shorter lamps. Thank you for your suggestions (the paint idea is great) and compliments. The drapes are made of tablecloths and I love them!!

I visited a friend the other day. Her house was so beautiful and warm and cozy feeling. When I came home my house just felt stark and cold with the white walls. I spent all day yesterday watching it snow and picking out possible color choices. So as soon as I can get out it's off to the paint store for some sample paint. I'm shaking my head at myself :-)

But your house might be much larger and more sophisticated that hers, so it's hard to compare. That said, paint almost never hurts.

Choosing paint is hard. Get a few samples and paint them on poster board - then move them around the room at different times of the day because all types of light affect the way it will look. Take your time and you'll be happy in the long run even if you have to get more samples. I know it's "just" paint and it can be done over but you have a large space and you want to be happy with it for a good while. Enjoy the process.

@nononanna Thank you for your thoughts

@concordhome Thank you for the reminder about the poster board, Just a thought here that maybe you might give me an opinion on. We have crown molding in every room in this house except the great room. What do you think it would look like if we put crown molding around the perimeter of the room and across the TV wall (which is 12 feet high, compared to the other walls which are 8 ft). Would it break up that massive wall? We have a lot of woodwork going on on the dining room side and I don't know if that would be too much.
Husband is leaving the country for a couple weeks in March. I thought I might start painting then so he doesn't commit me before he goes!

I personally like crown molding. I think it gives a finished look. We had similar height ceilings in our previous home and I really liked it. Our house now doesn't have them in our great room and it is on our never ending list to add. Also - I like them painted white - not stained. There again - this is just my opinion. I'm not sure exactly what they it would look like with the beams but I'm sure an experienced carpenter would know what to do.

Sad your lamps are gone. Liked your earlier idea of longer console for tv & flanking with the tall lamps. Grays would look great on your doors & complement your orange chair. A multi toned rug with grays & taupes. Pick a pattern that speaks to you. Keep sofas facing each other.

See decorate with intention idea book about tvs. Love this design by Dana Nichols.

I like the blue you had in the dining room. Your current rug looks like it would fit that room too. We are in process of purchasing a condo with a great room with volume ceilings. The kitchen is a tiffany blue, dark cabinets like yours. Very bright & happy. I want to paint my great room gray. It goes with everything! Blues, oranges, coral, yellows, plums, brown, beige, cream, white, black.

@concordhome My "experienced" carpenter is my husband haha. He did all the molding in the house. I appreciate your opinion!

@Lisa The lamps are temporarily moved. I think I really like the idea of the long console for the TV with the lamps on it. I also liked the blue of the dining room but when I changed the curtains..not so much. Your condo sounds like it will be beautiful! Thanks for the suggestions, I love that TV console!

Could someone please tell me how I post pictures from my ideabook to this discussion group to show ideas that I like. No computer smarts here :-(

I am on an android tablet. When I write a commen, I can click on the "Attach images" below the comment box (it's green). Then i go to my gallery to click on the photo.

Have to download & save pics first to your computer/device

There are probably more elegant ways of doing this -- but I just open the ideabook in a separate window/tab. Then open the photo I want to look at. Copy and paste the entire url to the body of this message. And bingo, here's the pic.

This one is from your ideabook.

Hi, I love your floor. It is beautiful. I would like to see the ceiling beams painted the color of the floor. I would add pillows the color that is in your panels. Maybe hang a mirror over the fireplace.

@onthefence Thank you for your advice..is the url that jargon that comes up when you right click (see I told you not smart)?

@Lisa Thank you I do know how to save pics to my computer. By the way I love that picture you posted!

@bweingarten Thank you for your suggestions. That floor puts up with 5 sets of doggie paws daily and still hangs in there. The ceiling beams used to be the same color as the mantel. I painted them to lighten up the room.That was before we tore down the paneling on the fireplace wall and removed all the carpet that was making the room seem so dark. Adding the window really helped.

The brick & hearth look similar to yours. The accessories are a little industrial & would tie to your coffee table. The mantle trim looks similar to your existing moldings. Could be mounted "temporarily" & would lighten up the fireplace. I do like your beams white. Seems more updated. Wood seems eighties.

I saved this makeover photo and thought you might enjoy it and give you inspiration for your fireplace.

@ltllefty Well like minds..I have pinned this on Pinterest. This is almost exactly like ours except our brick curves over the insert. Funny note, my husband was looking over my shoulder when I originally had this pic up and not knowing this was a fireplace makeover. "I like the one on the left." Ugh

That's so funny. We have similar rooms so I feel your decorating pain. My fireplace is exactly like the one in the picture. One day I'll redo it. You're making great progress and you're such a good sport with all the comments and then posting pictures. BTW, I love, love, love, that orange chair, too. Good luck and keep us posted.

Momy bed

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The first thing I thought was ... LOVE the lamps. I would either get bigger side tables so the scale works or use them on a much larger piece perhaps a longer console table that would go under the TV. The lamps would flank the tv. Also I would put the sofa is in an L shape so it is much easier to see tv. I f you do not watch tv leave as is. Or you could remove the sofa that has its back to the tv and add two upholstered chairs on casters that you can swivel around to see the tv. One last option people love it or hate it which would be to install tv above fireplace makes sense so you can see tv image better. I would paint fireplace brick white or panel it like image above and add a larger rug under the furniture arrangement. Looks great so far!

URL is the web address for whatever page you're viewing. ( http://www.xyz.....)

So, if you find the pic you like, click it so it opens to its largest version on the Houzz site. Go up to the address bar and copy the full address shown in the bar. Paste it in your discussion post.

It is easiest to open another browser window or tab to do this instead of going back and forth in one window/tab.

@AMN thank you for you help. I tried it but all that went in was the address when I pasted. Not sure what I did wrong.

@Stephanie Thank you! I love the lamps too. Your ideas are great. I would like to have my husband build a long piece similar to my coffee table to put the TV and those lamps on. I would really like to replace the one sofa with two chairs that swivel. On the list :) Right now I've gotten a wild hair that I want to warm the spaces up with color on the walls!

Great idea -- what colors are you thinking?

Saw this pic for mantle styling:

@Lisa Very nice!!

@Stephanie I think something in the greenish brown family?? That seems to be what matches my curtains the best. Planning to get some sample paint next week. I have brownish backsplash in my kitchen, and these colors seem to go well with my cherry cabinets and dining room table.

Take a look at SW6415 hearts of palm

I've used this color - Hearts of Palm - before - in our last home in our living area- it's pretty bold but we loved it. I finally repainted it when our house was on the market to a more neutral color and it sold BUT the new owner wrote me to find out what color we had used previously because the laundry room as still painted Hearts of Palm - she loved it! Sure wish she had bought the house before we repainted it. Just our luck. Our living area in our new home is Sherwin Willliams Comfort Gray - a green, blue, gray - it's softer and very nice as well - easy to live with.

I actually just got done painting it yesterday (and rearranging too). I used Sherwin Williams Cargo Pants. Next up is the dining room which I'm doing in SW Herbal Wash. I'll update pics when I get done. @concordhome..I need to move to NC. It's snowing here!!!! Craziest Spring I can remember in my 50+ years.

No snow here for sure but really cool and rainy all week - unusual for us too. Please do post pictures when you can. I can't wait to see.

*UPDATE* Well it's been awhile. Our weather finally turned nice here in the midwest and I've been going back and forth from inside to out. Here's my new redo so far (using so many of the above comments). All in all it feels much warmer. Painted the walls SW Cargo Pants, and rearranged the furniture. Found the credenza on Craigslist (from an office bldg, lots of fun watching the young men put it in an elevator). Changed the curtains. Sooooo...lots of new help needed I think. First do my beloved lamps work with the credenza? I put the shelf above the TV in the hope that it would balance better. The striped chair will be replaced, just there now to see if a chair there looks okay. I know the rug is boring, but it's an indoor/outdoor rug for now...summertime and new rescue puppy that likes to swim in the ponds, along with the other three..sigh. Also should I paint the credenza (itching to) or is it better staying like it is (with new hardware)? I know the fireplace still needs work, and looking for pillows as soon as I don't have to wrestle them from aforementioned puppy :) Thank you for any suggestions you might have.

Mkritt love what you have done, but I miss the orange chair. I don't think you need to paint the credenza, think it would detract from the lamps. Have you considered adding a round end table between the love seat and couch, perhaps painting it turquoise or orange to match the lamps or orange chair! Few throw pillows in orange and turquoise and I think it would be even lovelier! Awesome job!

Thank you Margaret B.. I just remember how much I love your painted piece! But I think you're right, especially since my dining room table and kitchen cabinets are dark too. The orange chair hasn't gone far, it's in my "reading nook" off the kitchen. Thank you he's a doll, but will be as big as a horse I fear :)

Oh and thank you for the suggestion of the round end table..I have one downstairs I could try. That side of the room needs lighting so that's a great idea!

Mkritt I have always loved the lamps and I think they look perfect now with the TV console and shelve. If you bring just a bit of that color to the other side of the room I think it would be awesome, don't necessarily think you have to paint the round table but maybe some blue accent pieces and pillows. Have always loved your room, have been waiting to see what you decided on.

I think I could have gotten rid of everything but those lamps, so I am happy you think they look perfect! Thank you so much for your suggestions :)

I like everything you have done, lamps, credenza, puppy.....everything looks great.

Thank you rivers300! I am pretty happy with it..especially the puppy :)

Aww, cute pup. Ours love to swim in the pond, run inside and jump on the couch for a much needed rest. I sigh with you :-)

Love the lamps, miss the orange chair ;-)

Thank you so much carolins...my life revolves around my four-legged loves.
The orange chair isn't far, just around the corner off the kitchen :-) Ty and my little Sammy like to lay in it when I'm cooking dinner.