My3dogs – I was rushing earlier and didn’t get to say I
love that pheasant fabric. I have it in
a bathroom. It looks very pretty as
curtains!

Tina – I like that pillow idea too. This is actually one of the few times I’m not
stressing about this room. I really do
just want it done though. Was so hoping he’d be able to pull together something that
just clicked to me and was a definitive YES, that’s it – DONE. :) It’s
a little embarrassing to be having the same type of issues with the same room
years later.

May – I guess velvet would probably look about similar to
the fabrics I already have. I like the
idea of something small. I’m going to go
down the rabbit hole in search of fabrics later.

“I have cellular shades and want to hang the
woven wood shades right over them to hide the mechanism. I wouldn't operate the
shades, just have them act as a decorative valance.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever really seen
that. I was actually wondering for my
bathroom if I could have a fixed fabric roman at the top of 2” blinds or if
that would be strange. Another thread!

“With a shade hiding your blinds when they're
raised, you could do just side panels.”

I only open the slats and don’t raise the blinds because I think it would be kind of a pain daily
with the couch in the way, but mainly because I don’t know how well the blinds
would handle being operated, up and down, long term since they’re not high
end.

I’ll try raising the blinds tomorrow and
seeing how I think that will be long term because I think I would like the look of the romans acting as a valance.

When you replace blinds, can you typically use the same holes drilled
from before? Blinds are something I can’t
install myself and our trim is really hard to drill into.

Mtn - Sorry, I was accidentally repetitive earlier as I was rushing. Totally ok with buying pillows. It would be much easier since I don't enjoy sewing!

Anele – Aw, thank you!

Anele and Laughable RE darker paint. I like blue and colored paint in
general, but our flooring currently has a patchwork quilt look going on with
everything different. It really bugs me visually. The carpet in the living room runs down the hall, but all the other rooms in the house each have different flooring. Unfortunately, until we run
hardwood throughout I think it will only add to the choppiness. Currently most of the wall colors are very similar. Knowing this about the flooring, do you still
think a darker color would work?

Laughable – I’m not sure. The curtains I have not could maybe work with something like BM Van Deusen Blue.
I talk about that color all the time on here. I think it’s lovely. I like contrast between walls and curtains. I don't currently have a high contrast look going on there.

I love that room you posted. Looks like there’s quite a bit of white though compared to mine which I think looks nice. I’ll mess around with some paint mock ups
later. As for the sunlight, I think the
room could handle a darker color and I did tinker with that idea a few years back.

Knowing what I know about the flooring-- yes, I would still say a darker blue is a possibility. I think you could then bring blues (accents) into the other rooms if you don't have any blue already to tie it in. I think as long as your wall colors work together and work with the flooring it's all good.

I have the same issue with flooring. We have 2 rooms with the same hardwood, one with gross, old carpet, one with a different kind of hardwood, and then tile in the kitchen. All on the first floor. (Upstairs is all hardwood and basement is all carpet.) I cross every finger without making a monkey's paw kind of wish that we can fix the LR hardwood this spring.

Also, I love velvet and would use it in every surface of the house if I could. One of my daughters has an aversion to it!!! I think using velvet is going in the right direction-- rich and luxurious.

Love the room Laughable posted. I also really like the idea of using fabrics from other sources. You might find more options that way, too.

Oh. My. I just looked up Van Deusen Blue. That is a pretty color!

Your room is lovely and I also like the current couches. I love the idea of painting the room a shade of blue that you love and will make you smile "in the meantime," which if you're anything like me can be years! A fresh new color and the walls and pillows might be all you need. My plan for pillows lately is to spend a little more on good inserts (Pottery Barn) and then switch the covers for seasons. This could be a possibility as opposed to committing to certain fabrics...for example, some rich dark colors for winter etc. I even like the faux fur pillow trend, and may have to order one of those soon!

Both Pottery Barn and Pier1 have pillows in navy velvet to introduce the color into your room, and they can be returned if you don't like them. Play around with ready-made to see what it looks like instead of tiny swatches. Can you add a navy Greek key or other patterned ribbon trim to the leading edge of the drapes? Take a look at ginger jar lamps to splash some more blue around, and add some navy/multicolored objects to the wall unit. http://www.lampsplus.com/products/blue-and-white-porcelain-temple-jar-table-lamp__r2462.html Just some thoughts to try easier options than burning your eyes out looking at fabric online, ask me how I know. ;-P

I think one bold textured patterned pillow could be used on the sofa. I think the background color is navy, but hard to tell. See the other small picture below. It may have enough colors to blend the sofa with various other colors.http://www.potterybarn.com/products/houston-ikat-pillow-cover/?&;

I’m to buy some really inexpensive fabric to make a few different size pillows to get a better idea on sizes to make sure I can live with whatever I end up with.

I searched houndstooth, herringbone, stripe, and other fabrics last night along with looking on Etsy for a bit. I didn’t see anything that seemed like it would work. If I did like the colors, the scale seemed off or something else. A lot of pillows with navy have a good bit of WHITE in them. Seach for navy with rust red or something similar and a lot of graphic pillows show up.

I like these, and at first I was hoping they'd read more solid and could be paired with the navy plaid, but I think it's too much white and maybe not the right fabrics/look. It's like wider ticking stripes.

What to look under or search for if looking for subtle pattern?

I was just thinking how his explanation for selecting the ticking stripe for the curtains was,” The sofa and the tv cabinet is more visually heavy than the other elements in the room. I think we need to look at a different drape option to help balance things.” Thinking more on this, I don’t really feel it looks all that different from my current curtains except for a little more blue. I’m going to give him more feedback and see what else he’ll come up with for another, more subtle, fabric with the navy plaid.

I tried some navy paint mock ups yesterday. I think it has potential on it’s on, but I
just don’t see it working for me right now when I take the rest of the house
into consideration. The flooring just
bugs me too much. At one point in the hallway
you can see six different ones. Plus, then I wouldn't get to use the navy plaid. Annnnd, I don't think my DH is going to be into moving that entertainment stand again. The paint job isn't that old.

Anele – Aw, your daughter doesn’t like velvet? She doesn’t know what she’s missing!

Goldendoodle - Thank
you! I didn’t mention above, but the wall color isn’t
coming across accurate in most photos above.

I know a lot of people aren’t into it, but I love faux fur. I have a blanket from PB I use in the
winter. Well down my rabbit hole of
fabrics and pillow shopping last night I ended up at Restoration Hardware’s
site looking at their faux mink fur pillows again.
I wish they had a larger lumbar size.

Voila – I could add some trim to the current
curtains. I really love that lamp you posted,
thank you! When I saw blue and white
porcelain I figured it was going to be $300 and was surprised at the cost. The buffet in my foyer is sporting blue and
white porcelain and I’d love to add a lamp like that in here.

I do like that PB pillow cover. The scale looks to be of similar size so I’m
not sure how it would look on the couch, but it looks to have a good variety of
the colors. I’m going to photo shop some
pillows later.

What about a brown and cream herringbone like this paired with the navy plaid? Maybe trimmed in the red rust?

I'm half temped to use the navy plaid and keep the brown/green fringe pillows I have. There's rust in the fringe, but even if I added a different pillow to the chair, I don't think it's enough to really add that color (rust) in the room effectively.

Here's a coat of mine for visual purposes. I wouldn't want orange flecks in it, but maybe a red ones. Or trim in red with less pink.

I think I like it better in person than it's showing in photos. Or what about a navy and cream herringbone?

I like the brightness of the blue plaid as shown in the swatch on the sofa. I think it pulls the blue out of the sofa well and gives you a more cheerful color to work with. It looks more royal blue than navy. During the discussion about painting your room navy, I thought back to jlc's living room where there was one navy suggested that was a little brighter than the others, and that was the only one I liked. That brown and cream herringbone looks very drab.

I like the herringbone but not the brown

May - I just held up the navy plaid swatch to the navy curtains I have and it is actually a little brighter of a blue. You can see it's blue vs. so dark it almost looks black.

Do you still think I should use the plaid for the curtains as well as pillows?

Butternut - I'm off to look for more!

Found these from Ikea and it looks like they ship their curtains now (didn't years ago). Not sure it's the correct navy though.

curtains

If the flooring will really bother you and there's no way around it, then yes-- skip the blue-- but IMO you can absolutely still use the navy plaid if you paint it blue.

I love it with blue. I think it looks very cohesive. I might go a little less gray in the blue (more like the 1st vs the 2nd). BUT, you do have to want to be surrounded by blue . . .is blue that "you"?

Small blue herringbone?

No herringbone? Ha. Trying to find a small pattern that reads more solid or textural hasn't been real easy. A lot of them remind me of fabrics for a dining chair.

Anele - Is it me you say? .... Still trying to keep an open mind, but I think I'd prefer to add accents of blue. I think with the heavy couches and heavy entertainment stand is going to be pretty dark.

Going to try and make mood board later.

The ones with gray read cold to me, too-- and I know what you mean about liking a deeper color. Me, too. As for dark, I guess I like dark-- as long as it's cozy.

Another idea. For curtains: a plaid that is similar to your wall color as the main color, in a plaid that includes blue.

I look forward to hearing what your designer has to say.

Good, I though initially that the sofa was staying but wasn't sure. I was trying to read on an iPhone and could not make out the sketch at all!

blue windowpane check pillows on sofa--2 with maybe ONE toile or one ticking stripe.

one toile pillow on chair,.

I don't think. Would paint your room blue, those colors (while lovely) will suck all the light out of it. If anything I would paint lighter, an off white. The gold is a pretty color but not the right background for the new mix of fabrics, IMO.

An idea of decorative trim on drapery using accent color. Yours could be blue.http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/CalicoCorners/calico_spring14_0491

Anele - I do like cozy. My bedroom is a deep bronze gold and it's very inviting to me.

Did you finish pulling together the rest of your new red room?

Kswl - Shot you an email earlier.

Viola - I like that idea, thanks! If you have four separate panels, would you just add it to the inner ones making it appear as if the two were sewn together and one panel?

I really like that blue and white lamp. I'm thinking it could maybe work on the round table. I know the table is a little high for the chair and that doesn't really bother me, but I think my current lamp is a little squatty.

Also wanted to add, that if I did keep the existing (bleach drop cloth) curtains, I've been meaning to put back tabs on them or hang from rings since I put them up. I would do that OR purchase or make other curtains. I went with the drop cloths at the time because I wanted to experiment with lighter curtains and didn't want stark white or large price commitment.

Shee, I just got an email from FabricGuru.com with a sale code for 20% through 11/17.

• Use
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• Sale
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My thinking-- since so many elements in the room are fixed, like the furniture, flooring, paint, etc.-- from my view, seeing how nice your room looks now-- maybe you ARE done, you know? I think you could add some trim in rust or blue to your existing curtains, bring in a solid blue pillow or two, add a plant or two, and call it a day.

Just my 2 cents worth but I have this exact furniture in my family room and I don't get the color choices or patterns for that matter as this fabric is already pretty busy. I did change the pillows to a bright yellow velvet to brighten up the room, as well as in drapes and art work. Imo any other patterns or colors will be way to much. By the way I bought the pillows at Homesence no sewing..... lol ..... good luck

I really like the large blue herringbone! I think I'd go with that, the windowpane, and a teeny bit of the tartan plaid. Could you add a little bit of one of the fabrics as a trim to your existing curtains?

A new ottoman-- maybe blue velvet?-- might tie it all together. Maybe a little footstool for the wing chair?

My3dogs –
Thank you so much! That’s a nice long
sale and I’ll keep it in mind.

Anele – I thought
I was done a while back. I told myself I
was, you know, done. :) I think it needs some tweaking and blue! I was considering just bringing in the navy
plaid on the sofas, but I don’t really know how many. The loveseat has me stumped. Maybe three on couch and two and a throw on
the loveseat. One on chair. I feel like there should be one other pillow
fabric.

Cathee – I agree
it’s pretty busy as is. I’ll NEVER buy a
pattern sofa again. :) I do very much like the navy plaid and don’t
view that one as loud, but I’m fine with other solids for the paisley furniture. To add a lighter color, gold makes sense
looking at the furniture but I can’t ignore the pink undertone of my
carpet. I used to have gold walls and
bronzy/gold silk pillows paired with the solid fringe ones, but it looked
pretty horrible with the carpet.

I considered maybe beige for solid, lighter pillows, but
that seems not right either. Anything
cream sticks out like a sore thumb. I
looked at the ticking stripe again earlier and it stands out pretty stark and
my eyes are drawn right to it in a not so good way.

At one point today I thought maybe solid red/rust pillows or even blue
pillows paired with the navy plaid. Here’s
a few I found. I think I prefer the herringbone. I still need to make a few mood boards!

All 20x20 except last one.

This one is only 18x18 so kind of dinky. The back is white, but looks oatmeal on my monitor. I'm assuming the light color on the front is the same. They call it 'distressed'. I think it's a pretty pillow regardless!

Jlc – What’s a
teeny bit of tartan and where? :)

I could add trim to the existing curtains. I could buy or make new ones too.

I didn’t check earlier – this herringbone pillow only has
these sizes. If I went with a 24" in the plaid, I don't think any of those will work.

Euro:
26" x 26" With Knife Edge

Standard:
20" x 26" With 1" Flange

Medium
Decorative: 18" x 18" With Knife Edge

Small
Decorative: 12" x 16" With Knife Edge

I may be able to find it.
Quick search only showed the smaller scale.

Ottoman

I found two good tutorials today and I’m confident I can
tackle re-upholstering the one I have. I’d
shave down the top of mine to make it level. It's currently rounded and visually bugs me. Looks like a fun challenge!

Wall painting

Kswl mentioned painting the walls an off white. The wall color isn’t gold, but is darker beige. There are certain time in the day I don't care for it because it looks the same tone and level as the carpet. Yay, carpet walls!

Samples of SW Aria Ivory I had. I don't feel it fights with the carpet. You can it's a color near the white trim. I just wouldn't want it to look washed out of dingy. So there’s
something else I’m throwing out!

http://reddoorhome.blogspot.com/2010/09/bye-bye-red-room.html

More Aria Ivory.

http://missmustardseed.com/2010/06/aria-ivory/

http://findinggraceinteriors.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-new-dining-room.html

Still didn't get a chance to make a mood board. I need visuals.

During my search, I thought this from World Market was cute. (not using - just sharing)

Viola - Found this pic earlier and thought I'd post since it has both the blue and white porcelain and trim.

With the navy plaid and whatever else fabric, am I going to be able to still use a blue and white lamp or is it going to look out of place. I'm not necessarily trying to go for a masculine hunt vibe, but that seems to be usually where I end up.

Intrigued by all the new possibilities! Got your email....check yours :-)

I love the blue herringbone pillow. I ordered some samples of blue herringbone from I forget which fabric site, I'm sure you could make your own pillow if the blue doesn't quite match or you can't find the right size.

I think painting the walls a lighter color would be great. I like that idea better than the navy walls. I am kind of over that medium tan paint color, in general. I just painted my family room ivory and I love it, it feels so light and fresh and clean. It's tough to find the right color of ivory that won't bring out the pink in your carpet, though. I have oddly colored trim, and ended up with a color match of F&B Ringwold Ground (what a weird name for a paint!) as it looks creamy but still has a hint of red in it so that it doesn't make the trim look orange.

I think you could use the blue/white lamp if you painted the walls a lighter color.

I do like the raccoon pillow too :)

Butternut - That is the strangest name for paint! I'm going to look that one up. Did you post pictures of your room? I might order a sample. Looks quite different in some pics though.

Here I like it.

Here is looks drastically different quite apricot on my monitor.

My biggest concern with the lighter paint is looking washed like I forgot to paint instead of intentional, or dingy if not enough light. I'm curious though, is there anyone out there that likes one of their paint colors every light changing hour of the day?

I've decided my current curtains will go regardless of what direction I end up. At night the color just doesn't relate to anything and looks really off. It bugs me every evening!

I'm going to order larger samples in half yards to get a better visual.

And my mood board attempt last night was a bust!

And random - I'm quite smitten with this room even though I don't like the style of the sofa.

Paint isn't going to correct the things you dislike about this room. What you have now is fine with your dark woods and rich fabrics. Your dining room and kitchen has the same feel as your living room, and you just changed that part of the house. Stay focused on your original ideas because that will be the most cost-effective. If the navy window fabric is hundreds of dollars and won't advance you toward your vision of the new, remodeled room, I would just use it on pillows for the sofa and loveseat. For the wing chair, I'd look for a red and blue fabric for a fun pillow. I would remove the throw as it looks like a fabric protector. I think the toile belongs in a bedroom.

I disagree---paint will correct the walls, which is the largest block of visible color in the room!

What are you trying to correct about the walls? You mentioned the paint not being right for the fabrics. So do you correct the paint or correct the fabrics?

It is always so interesting to me how we (general "we") can see things so differently!

If that were my sofa-- I absolutely would not want to go lighter. To me, such a heavy piece (fabric type, style of sofa) should not be up against a light color wall. A sleeker dark sofa-- OK-- a sofa made of lightweight but dark material-- OK-- but yours is neither of these things. I don't think I would feel it was lightening up my room at all- it would feel like I just made it heavier because of the contrast of "weight." The examples you are showing relate to what I am saying.

Now-- I think it can work in certain circumstance, but then the floor has to be dark as well, preferably with a patterned rug. Otherwise you are putting heavy on top of light, light, light.

But-- I 100% understand this is only my perspective, not fact!

May – I was wondering then how the room would play with the
kitchen. I guess the truth is I don’t
really have a vision for what I want the room to look like. I just want whatever this change consists of
to work well together – enough that I can say I’m done. While the current curtains don’t work at
night, I’m concerned navy curtains might make me feel the same as the dark
brown curtains I had with everything in the room being heavy and dark minus the
chair. I felt the lighter curtains
helped that somewhat. That was the goal
at the time, anyhow! If I went with another lighter curtain, I
think I’m going to run into the same issue
RE how they don’t relate to anything else. The chair is beige.

I would remove the
throw as it looks like a fabric protector.

Ha ha! OH my. See, my thinking with that was to ‘add’ the
red to the other side of the room. I’ve
removed the throw in the past and that side is definitely lacking color. I know the scale will never be correct with
my current furnishing, I thought it would help the eye a little….

While it seems to never look accurate in photos, the walls do
work with the carpet. It’s a deeper tone
than what I pictured it to be. Certain
times of the day it looks like the carpet is also on the walls. It bugs me but I’ve been looking away.

Anele - A sleeker dark sofa-- OK-- a sofa made of
lightweight but dark material-- OK-- but yours is neither of these things.

You’re right mine is
certainly not sleek and that’s a concern in the back of my head about painting
it lighter. Like I failed to paint and
the couches are even bigger elephants in the room.

Butternut – Thank you
for the photo. It looks nice! I pulled those pics from their site. People uploaded them for that color. I did wonder if it was a mistake.

Another thing that is an issue for me, I really don't want gold in the room. Gold is in the couch, but there's so much of the red/burgundy I don't feel it's that noticeable. Gold looks like crap with the carpet and paint. These fabrics have gold in them. How much attention do I need to pay to that detail? I did tell the designer I wanted to stay away from fabrics that were predominately gold (or orange). So I guess that was a goal for the room when I started. That, or something so subtle I wouldn't really notice it.

My other clear goal was to add blue and enough that it looked intentional and as an accent.

Shee, I was in our super Walmart tonight looking at fabrics, and there were several there that looked like great candidates for your pillow sewing project. They have a number of prints from Waverly. One was a navy Jacobean print with flowers that looked like they'd match your couch. There was a coordinating striped material that went with it. There was a royal blue toile that was nice. They even had a cream and navy ticking if you are still considering the striped fabric for the curtains (not Waverly, IIRC.) The Waverly's were all $3.97 per yard. HTH! : )

Thanks Laughable! I was going to head there to pick up some inexpensive fabric to mock up different pillow sizes so I'll check those out while there.

The main issue it seems that is bugging you is the curtains. I think blue is your safest bet because it will work with all of the elements in your room. But, a solid, dark blue will look too heavy and dark with your current paint color. Instead, I would look for a fabric that has the same background color as your wall color-- but could be a darker or lighter shade, and then a blue patten, either just blue or or blue with the red/rust of your sofa. Could be a plaid, geometric, or stripe. I mentioned this above as a possibility and now I am thinking this would be the route to go-- it would involve no painting, would work with the wall, would bring in blue, and connect the reds.

But remember, your room really does look lovely now. I actually do like the throw on your chair. At the end of the day, you live there and no answers will be in 100% agreement.

I'm just seeing your Saturday post now. It was hidden behind laughable's.

I never know how to place throws. Too often they look like a forced design statement instead of contributing a cozy, inviting feeling to the room. Don't dare fold them and lay them over your sofa back any more--too dated! Anywhere else and they're probably in the way. I only brought it up so as you consider fabrics, you can bring some red over there in your pillow and not need the throw.

I don't know why people pick at some tiny thing someone else has posted. This forum really is a PITA. Good luck with your room, Shee! Have always enjoyed your projects and your open attitude.

Mayflowers-- are you upset at my comment about the throw? (It seems so crazy even typing that out, haha!) I wasn't trying to pick on you-- I just meant that if she was happy with it, or anything else in her room, then let that be the final judge because she had brought up earlier that she "feels" better in the room than how she feels when she looks at the photos. I don't think the forum is a PITA-- I think we really all have such varied taste, that frankly-- it's almost amazing when we agree, and it's just par for the course when we don't.<---geeze, here's a prime example of me disagreeing!! (Where is the hitting self on head emoticon???)

A couple came over to buy my unwanted coffee table the other day, a "shabby chic" one I had from my old house, and I was shocked when they BOTH seemed so giddy about it! Never the case with my DH and me!

Anele - I would look for a
fabric that has the same background color as your wall color-- but could be a
darker or lighter shade, and then a blue patten, either just blue or or blue
with the red/rust of your sofa.

I
like that idea and will continue my search. Beige certainly isn’t a hot color
right now. :)

May
– I agree throws look forced a lot of times. Truth be told, we never use the red one because it feels really weighty.

Don't dare fold them and lay them over your
sofa back any more--too dated!

Ha! As I
tiptoe to the LR to move my fur throw from the loveseat. I’ll probably keep it there for now, but
where do blankets go these days? I did have a large woven type basket that I
kept beside the couch near the e.stand end and kept throws in there. We have a few toys along the couch now and
the basket just seems in the way for the time being so I pulled it from the
room. I’m trying to think what we did with blankets growing up.

Remember how you suggested a sofa table for the
wall where the wing chair is? I’ve been
coming back to that idea on and off. For a visual I moved
the plant and pulled the chair forward and up the other night. Measuring out, I think I would need something
roughly 50”W and only about 12”D, which so far seems not very common! 18"D seems to be more standard. I was thinking something painted
might be nice. I found one that I think the style worked very well with the entertainment stand, but it was 18”D and not quite
long enough. Boo. Right now I also think I prefer the toy box to the
left when you walk in the main entrance, but I’m still keeping an eye out for a
sofa table because now the table and chair actually do seem kind of odd on that wall. Planning on the tv going there eventually.

Anele - I think we really all have such varied
taste, that frankly-- it's almost amazing when we agree

Yeah, in general sometimes I’ll find myself
agreeing about something and then someone else will say something completely
different and I can see their point too.
I think sometimes there can be many correct answers and it depends.

I know my posts usually end up all over the
place and I get all wordy, but I’m always able to pull myself away to reflect
and sort it out.

My original goal was to add blue so I’m going
to focus on getting some pillows in here.
I think I’d like to go more minimal with the amount. I also think I’m going to go ahead and change
the art on the wall behind the sofa a while since I have it. It will help me feel like I'm making some progress! Since the sofa and table aren’t centered on that wall I think I’m going
to attempt to float the art up from left to right toward the entrance. I may have questions.

Oh, and regarding the curtains looking bad at night - looking at that more, I think it has a lot to do with the lighting. The color of the bulbs plus the dim light I think makes things look dingy. If DS is up and it's dark I'll have the overhead and the lamps on for him on which I think looks the worst. In general I don't have enough lights in the room, but I prefer the amount of light from only using two lamps when I can. Honestly that looks better than using the overhead.

I pulled the panels back to the sides. Too much curtain material stacked. Going to adjust that and add the back tabs on hang from rings in the meantime. I do hate the light gap along the top and should have thought about that before installing those inside mount blinds. Somehow I didn't know that was going to happen! Added the blackout fabric along the top. I'm not sure if anyone else would actually notice or not. The gap here is larger than the one in the kitchen which makes it more noticeable, IMO. Ramble. Ramble.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks again!

Strong overhead lights are often the worst at night! I wish I could program my living room dimmers so that they only go up so high when it's dark out. Lighting solves many color issues-- so I think you are on the right track there to think about this. Best of luck with your room!

It sounds like your overhead lighting is harsh at night like the ones in our living room. To add a little extra light in there, you could do a small up-light by the plant, maybe some little Christmas/twinkle, string lights tucked up at the top of the entertainment unit, or other little lights that would add some "drama" and light at night without it being distracting or harsh. I picked up some "twinkle" lights (note: not blinky lights) at a local place that's an artsy, antiquey co-op of sorts. They have a brown cord, which I wove with a swag, and teeny tiny little led's. They are so cute, warm, and cozy at night. I leave them on all the time actually, since the spot where they are plugged in is hard to reach, and being led's I think they use hardly any electricity, anyway. Just some more random thoughts. :-)

These lights on ebay look similar to my little lights

Those are cute twinkle lights Laughable.

The sides of the entertainment stand light up. It's rare I think to turn them on, but I really do like the look!

Shee, my family says I would live in a cave!! I despise overhead lighting. I'd change everything in my den based on overhead lighting!

Your getting good advice. And so much of this decorating stuff is to create a space that we enjoy being in with our friends & family. So, at my house-- it's pillows tossed around & throws around haphazardly, & little dog making permanent intention in chair pillow.

I am convinced that modern ways are making it harder to make our homes look better. We won't even go into architecture, but first we had candlelight (beautiful), then probably light bulbs I don't know about, then incandescents (good), and now horrible LEDs and CFLs.

Peppa, my family too. "Why is it so dark in here???" as they turn the lights all the way up.

Peppa - I have some nice indents on the couch cushions from chubby kitties. :) I really should put two sided sticky tape back up there but I've left it go for so long and figure they deserve to be comfy too. :)

Anele and Laughable - I bought a bunch of CFL's when they were newer and that's when I learned about bulb temperature! After not liking the mercury I switched to halogen and have a few LED. I do like Reveal bulbs. I believe I have regular incandescent in the fan. I'd like to replace the overly ornate fan (what was I thinking?!), but it functions extremely well and we'd be replacing with another (needed) fan, so it's been on my complete ignore list. Also because I can't physically replace it myself.

I ordered the blue and white lamp linked above. Still no definitive fabrics.

Anele - Heads up, sent you a message. (unrelated to the thread)