I would pick the wall color last. There are so many colors of paint available you won't have difficulty finding one that goes with the accessories. But since you have such a great window I would go with darker walls since the furniture is so light. The rug could be your greatest expense but doesn't have to be. Lowes has a good selection.
I would definitely center the couch and lose the corner table. Tall floor lamps and maybe an artificial tree in the corner to bring in some height. Your window is artwork in itself. Long curtains but not too dark a material. Accent the window don't cover it.
Decide on a color scheme after you've started looking for the rug. Decide what you like in your price range and go from there. We just did all this since we put hardwood on our entire first floor. Can be frustrating. If you decide to go neutral with the rug, the sky is the limit with the accessories. Shopping online can be tricky. Hard to return things if once you get them home they just aren't what you expected.
For the coffee table, I would think 2 squares or a rectangle shape due to the size of the room but nothing too heavy looking unless you go the ottoman route.

Do you really need all this seating? I suggest putting one of the sofas in storage or elsewhere in the house. There's too much furniture for the size of the room. Lose one of the sofas and you can play with positioning of the other sofa and chair. Add a rug, cushions, coffee table, side tables with lamps and artwork. How about an ottoman if you think you need extra seating?

The wall color that you have actually looks fine to me. Unless it needs to be painted I would leave it. If you choose to accent with yellows it would work fine. It looks fairly neutral and once you get a rug, artwork and accessories in place the walls will just become a backdrop for all your lovely items.

Not sure if you would want to get rid of one of the sofas...you would wind up with guests sitting in a row on one couch. Slightly awkward. Play with the arrangement though. Try floating either the sofa or loveseat. Floating seating pieces is usually more pleasing than pushing everything up against the wall.

I would position both sofas away from the wall , facing one another to create an intimate conversation area. I would get rid of the chair... put it in another room, or if there is room in the opposite corner where it looks like you have a set of stairs coming into the room, place your chair and the little table you have beside the sofa for a cozy reading nook. The one wall you could hang some artwork and if you don't have money for a sofa table, try putting a shelf on the wall the same level as your sofa so it gives the appearance of a sfa table. Personally, I would paint the walls a soft shade of grey and use your accents as color. You can even mix it up with the seasons... add yellow and lime green in spring, light blue and cream in the summer, red or white for Christmas... the sky is the limit. And definately soften it up with the use of fabrics... throws, cushions, an area rug. I would also go with silver accessories... coffee table, lamps, ect, this is such a great space, and so much you could do!

If you have a tight budget, then start with an area rug, then art and accessories like pillows, lamps. Then the tables and then invest in some custom drapes that start from the ceiling .

Get rid of at least one of those sofas. Two matching pieces in a room that size doesn't allow for any stying. Just is a room with wall to wall furniture. The salesman had a good day but offered no creativity for you. Find a couple of wood frame chairs (don't have to match) paint them in a strong color that contrasts to the walls and recover with new fresh fabric.

Paint the walls a dark grey. Ben moore whale grey maybe. Very luxe and upscale and will instantly add mood to the space and be pretty With the floors which look lovely. A new lamp will really help. A simple style glass lamp from west elm. A Moroccan style rug that is camel and black. I think target has some and I love the cocktail table someone posted. Agree on large art. Ikea ribba frames in large size would work with etsy art.

The furniture is a bit bulky. I would replace the loveseat with two arm chairs. This will give the appearance of more space. You can add colorful abstract art, a nice coffee table, rug, and accessories. For the windows, a valance with drapery panels and your look is complete.

I would repaint 100%. Gold and gray are static. Orange or turquoise would be awesome on this space, if you are afraid of going bold paint the majority of the room in a bright white and use the bold color as an accent wall or big horizontal stripe. Then you can add texture with pillows and rug. Don't forget lighting changes everything so accent lighting should add the drama you seek. Have fun with it and be bold... you wont regret it.

My suggestion is to remove the chair and end table, center the sofas face to face perpendicular to the large window with a rug (blood red tones or soft blue-gray-tan earth tones) add an eclectic glass coffee table, place a sofa table behind the sofa from where you enter the room. Hide cords of 2 lamps on table. Sofa on the wall side should have an urban/ industrial style floor lamp (corner near window) co-ordinated with new wall scones and table lamps. Hang large art piece on wall centered with the window.

Also, too much matching furniture in one room, just store one piece away and add some wood or painted pieces to break up the leather showroom look.

I'm surprised at how many commenters don't read or comprehend the complete question and concerns. This poster specifically stated that replacing the furniture was not an option in order to remain within budget. If she were to replace her furnishings the options would be limitless.

Okay, after reading through everything I have decided that maybe I should try to sell one of the sofas and the recliner that is bulky and in the corner, and maybe try to keep one sofa and use the money from selling the sofa/recliner to maybe buy two reading chairs???? What are the thoughts on that:? Would that still be too much furniture in there? If do that, do I need to stick with grey chairs or what other suggestions would you guys have? Thank you so much for all of this! You have given me some great ideas and you have NO idea how much I appreciate it all!!!!

I have been finding some good pieces at Home Goods lately. They seem to have a lot of accent furniture right now and some great art and rugs-all the things everyone is suggesting. I have recently purchased some pillows for the sofa, a side chair ($349), upholstered bench to use with a tray as coffee table ($129) and side table ($89). It's that time of year; I'm tired of winter and want to spruce up.

would your husband be oke with that?because it will certainly give you lots more options, readingchairs
great idea maybe upholstered so you can bring in the colorscheme with the chairs than a rug and later even curtains!!take it one step at the time..here are some more ideas 1.. .Darzy pict again,if you look back on the pict. send in so far you will see that you have many options,once you sold the sofa( y know your budget )you can look more specificly at what you like....

If this is a "formal" room, getting rid of a sofa and recliner is a GREAT idea...the two accent/reading chairs is fantastic...you could position the items so differently...away from the walls and not facing the window. The idea of gray/yellow combo will make it feel so warm and more inviting! Picking up the colors in a rug/pillows makes changing it around easy, too, should you decide to change. We are adding a two-story addition and I'm going through the same thing! LOL! Decided to go to nomorerack.com and amazon.com to find budget-friendly items...that way when I decide to "change it up", I won't feel so bad! LOL! Good luck; I know you'll do great...hope you post some "after" pictures!

Since you've decided to buy new furniture two chairs are a good idea. Joss and Main have great buys on chairs. @caroles photos show some great options. Typically used furniture has a very low value, but it's still a really good idea.

Yay! I am so excited. I am going shopping soon to look at new chairs. I think my neighbor is going to buy the other pieces :)

Even places like Kohls and Macys have cool accent pieces...just bought some myself for the new office...they had pillows to coordinate, too! Home Goods was another place we looked...I sort of like seeing it to be sure of the colors.

@christykarlak...woohoo! so fun to start a new project. Good luck shopping and post pics for us

I really think you can do allot with painting the walls a neutral color and getting a neutral color rug. You do not need new furniture. You need ART and some color in things that do not cost allot to change. If you really want to be creative Have 2 color schemes to work with and you can change the whole look of the room in a mater of an hour. Accessories like pillows and glass add allot to a room. We had no money to spend. So, we did our own art. We built "canvases" of 1x2s and Masonite board. We used acrylic paint from Michael's and created some very large works of art. We did 7 large creations for about 300 bucks. For the patio we used 1x2s and 2x2s to create an outdoor wall sculpture to hang above the sofa. I think we figured it cost us all of 57bucks in all to create.
The best ting is we had fun doing it! Have fun with your space and just remember nothing you do creative is wrong! That's what is so fun about it!

totally ignore couches and the 80's gray
and paint walls Benjamin Moore - decorators white
with one all Benjamin moore - stone
pillows on the deep gray/black side
and paint floor benjamin moore - mountain slate

accent wall (longest wall) paint Benjamin Moore - mountain slate
of a real nice dark grey/brown...
anything that takes eyes off couches.

You have a lot of great ideas and I'm here to add one more =) First of all, do Not paint your floors...if you ever have to sell, wood flooring is a selling point. Second, grays are back in...and yellow, as you mentioned will be a wonderfull accent color. Have you thought about adding white trim molding to separate the walls into two halves. You could paint two shades of gray (maybe a very light bluish gray on the upper half & a darker gray on the bottom- benj moore does have great paint)...and then I love the idea of Jayme Hobbs lower right hand corner photo of the two large black/white florals. The idea of a rug and drapes to capture the grays and yellow accent color you want to throw in there will look great too! Decisions, decisions...

I believe if you can't change the furniture don't worry about it. No sense getting into debt. Change the color of the walls...something light to brighten the room up a bit. Don't forget pale greens and many other colors are now considered neutrals. Add a nice rug. Consider adding a mirror somewhere. It will make the room look larger and reflect the lighting. Add some lighting...lighting is important. Colorful throw pillows will pull it all together and you will look like you have a different room.

I envy the grey furniture. :) My first choice for a color to put with the grey would be turquoise or teal. I personally like painted furniture. If you don't already have something lying around that you could utilize, try your local thrift stores or auctions so see if you can't find some end tables to paint or lacquer. Keep an eye open for throw pillows to match the color. I found silver table cloths at K-Mart not so long ago that I made into curtains.

What is your "fantasy" room"? Is this for conversation, TV-primary use? If the latter, sofas might be far more comfy, and if you have periodic overnight guests, sofas can be slept on. I'm a reader and "must haves" in my house are good reading lamp at bedsides and any comfortable chair! I'm always appalled at homes that have NO good reading lights. (I have 5 of one design from Target, 10 years ago. Unfortunately they no longer seem to carry good lamps...) My style is eclectic.

Having lived long in smaller-scale dwellings, I've found great buys in older modest sized furniture, then had reupholstered. Much better quality than even "upscale" current items, and they'll last far beyond my lifetime. Our primary Art Museum had a consignment shop that often had incredible older pieces: carpets, tables, Oriental rugs and more. Have a stunning old Hendredon 2-pc. china/book/ cabinet that is dove-tailed construction, weighs a ton, and would be a great addition to a new kitchen. Not in my life, but perhaps someones! (My cost: approx. $1000, also 10 years ago.)

Listen to YOUR heart in all of this. All other imput carries some of that person's preference and certainly piques our own imagination, but YOU will live with it. Think about doing morning reflections, journaling in the space; will it ground you for the day? COLORS need to speak to you. I'm not a "brown/beige" person, prefering pastels and plums. Often get comments that my L room is very relaxing, welcoming, and have had it for 10 years also. (Used a different color on each wall and foyer hall, but all from same color sheet. Smallest wall is the deepest plum.)

I too look forward to your progression!

Definately get rid of some of the matching upholstery. Less is always more.

Try IKEA for the area rug and some casual curtains and art at great prices. Love the idea of white walls to contrast with the gray furniture, but with one accent wall in yellow, and various brightly patterned pillows. Great idea to use a shelf to mimic a sofa table on the yellow wall, which will also allow you to add even more interest with your own lamp/books/vases or whatever. And lastly, adding a nubby or fluffy throw will warm things up. Good luck and have fun!

I suggest adding some decor to the walls and maybe a coffee table in the center.
http://www.bargainbacker.com/Wall-Decor_c_13.html
http://www.bargainbacker.com/Accent-Furniture_c_61.html

The first thing I would suggest is to eliminate the sconce lighting on the wall and use that electrical source for lighting at ceiling height on the two walls your sofas are against. http://www.houzz.com/projects/10056/San-Clemente-Living-Room Her San Clemente Living Room photo gives an idea of what I'm talking about.

A less formal and larger lamp would be more appropriate with the size of your furniture. I agree with all the ones that say floor to ceiling drapes. If you use wide crown molding to hide your ceiling lights, you could carry the molding around the room and have it jut out around the drapes and window. shows what I had in mind.

A area rug. throw pillows and colorful art will finish it off. I might also a paint the ceiling a color(saffron yellow?) and a neutral on the walls with white or creamy colored trim.

I The artwork on the white walls pop, but any lighter neutral will work. I like the mediterranean colors of red, saffron yellow, green, black, etc., so I like this. You will be able to find prints and rugs that will have a touch of gray. I would try to find a drape color close to the wall color that has some texture to it. I also like this idea for lighting.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is to get the draperies...and I agree..a light..natural..maybe linen, pinch pleat ...hung with rings on a dark/med. dark rod...get them hung above the molding and off the window, just coming into it when open Nice architectural elements in the window and let's let in some more natural light!

color possibility?

Your floors are gorgeous! I love the idea of gray with the yellow accents- could you do a chair-rail and paint it white and the lower half of wall white too- then take a deeper/warmer shade of gray above? It would sort of mimic the design shown above. You have a great window too, but the window treatment is not accentuating it. I would take drapes above the window. I think if you get accent chairs a patterned fabric with a warm dark wood on legs would work.

Definitely repaint the walls! "Builder's Beige' is OUT, thank heavens! Grey is IN...refreshing, clean! Paint the walls AND ceiling a lighter value of grey, that, along with the same color on the ceiling will make the room look larger and brighter, especially with the simple white cornice already there. I would NOT use a wild, bright colored rug as others suggested, but keep a more monochromatic color scheme (much as I love color!) The couches look really comfortable but are SO BIG for the room and too matchy-matchy! My newly redecorated living room has grey walls and ceilings a shade darker than you should use, with lots of white woodwork. I have used a grey diamond-patterned carpet and color is bright and really pops surrounded with all the grey! I have a yellow couch, and chairs with patterns in HOT PINK, purple...including two hot pink pillows, one lavender 'animal print' on the couch. Using 'wild rugs' will just detract from everything, believe me!...use bright colors as accents only. Use newspapers or the like to cut shapes for a coffee table or several smaller ones so you get the proportions correct. It would be great to hang a collection of things on one wall...black/white photos or prints would be nice and not over powering. Frame them all alike and lay them out on the floor first to get an arrangement that works. I Can't see the window wall which would help...Keep the front legs of the furniture on the carpet so things look 'anhored, not floating. Whatever shape coffee table(s) you use, either chrome or white very sinple frames would be perfect. Remember, simple is better for a small room. IF you use chrome, chrome or glass based lamps would be appropriate. Good luck!
Margery Griffith

Start with art, then the rug, then the details. Here are some art ideas from a great source for art in all price ranges. There are over 1500 choices there. Have fun looking for yourself, but here are some ideas:
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/668
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/966
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/1369
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/626
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/988
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/617
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/839
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/540
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/695
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/1129
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/1675
http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks/1349

The colors red and black look very nice with grey. I would use a rich red. Paint the wall behind the sofa red, (be sure to use a tinted primer or otherwise the red will look splotchy ) add a new red lampshade, some throw pillows, a throw and maybe candles. Also red drapes. Of course any of these items could have a design or print as long as you stay in the same colors.

Since the sofas seem to be a light gray and the floor is dark brown, how about a mid-tone greige color on the walls? Then accent with bright pillows, area rug, accessories. Gray as a base gives you the freedom to change accents and entirely change your look. Turquoise, magenta, yellow, orange, purples all look great with gray. It's really a matter of your preferences.

Like the suggestions made by 'acquiredtaste' re posters but disagree vehemently with using non-glare glass on ANYTHING! I am an artist and worked in the dept of Prints, Drawings, Photographs in a major museum so I know what I am talking about. Non-glare FLATTENS anything behind it, 'kills' it. Save the high cost of UV protection for really important art/photos. Posters, can fit that description sometimes and often are 'good art'. I am REALLY glad you may sell one ormore piecesof the grey furniture...it is WAY too big and heavy! Since people do not like ot crowd on a large sofa, I'd keep the smaller one. I like the idea of pulling it away from the wall...always...you could hang a plank of plywood with L brackets, maybe cover with fabrid? and use it behind the couch to hold lamps and other items. USing end tables could 'fill' the space too much and the shelf would help answer that problem. Manyother good ideas hav popped up! Margery

You could maybe add some colorful pillows to add to the couch. I would also sugjest painting the walls a different color to brighten the room.

Like so many of our homes, yours does not have adequate lighting overhead. Notice how vibrant the photo sent to you at the top of this comments section is. There are lots of good suggestions but only light will bring your eventual design to life. Good luck

Hmmm, lots of great advice. Although my own taste is red, and I like the red, grey and black suggestion as that is my own living room!! I still think the grey and yellow concept is the most uplifting but stylish idea floated so far.
Lamps and 'mood' lighting are key.
Floor to ceiling drapes are gorgeous.
Can't wait to see finished photos: or even as you go....
Happy Decorating

I plan to send Andrea some photos of my redecorating and will send to you also since I have grey walls. AM nearly finished with my redecorating and really love the grey and have done the ceilings in the same color for a wonderful effect. Someone mentioned pillows on the couch(es)...glad you're getting rid of some of that bulky furniture!...but pillows do not work on leather furniture, they slde right off! Throws would be better! For your nice big window (which I now see!) the drapes must go from floor to ceiling! They need not close. I have used TEAL SILK ones in my DR which has the same color grey walls as the LR. The Teal drapes have an orange braided trim on the inside. I am pulling those colors from a large painting, a piece of contemporary sculpture between the floor to ceiling windows. I have an antique Chinese art deco rug under the table that has a dark hot pink border (the hallway is really HOT PINK) but includes the teal too. WHEN it stops raining I'll send photos. You might find my colors interesting in both rooms. Margery

Margery...Would love to see some pix of your colourful space.

Remembering that you said you were on a deep budget, I would leave the "gold" walls if they are truly a yellow (not builder's beige). Getting rid of one sofa and using the money to buy one or more chairs, from second hand if possible (fix up if necessary), is a great idea. Art does not need to be expensive. It can be posters or a large, full grouping of pix taken from a calendar or magazine. Love the do it yourself if you are handy...or maybe a paint store would give you an old wallpaper book and you could frame some choices from there. A rug from a discount store in your area (Target?) might be as low as $200. I love yellow, so a few (not too many) accessories in yellow could tie in with your existent wall colour. I agree that pillows slide off of leather, unfortunately. Am sure it will e lovely. Take your time and have fun. Bargain hunting and using things in creative ways can be a game in itself.

@Neal Richard I love your artwork but might I suggest a few throw pillows for your bed?

MONOCHROMATIC: Shades of gray beautifully work together for this relaxing yet luxe room. *****************************************************************************************************************


Monochromatic: gray sofa, gray walls, solid color (not print) chairs. Silver accents. Sophistication, elegance. Yet welcoming, inviting arrangement of furniture.

Try adding some art to the walls! It will make the room feel more put together and add interest to the top half of the walls.

Here is some of my photography I have for sale on Etsy. Feel free to check it out if you think it would work well in your room :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyLittlePlunder

Maybe a rug, some art, coffee table and decorative pillows?

I would suggest you paint the walls a soft, light aqua and add white-painted crown molding around the ceiling/wall juncture. I also would suggest you find a large print area rug that has aqua in it and center it on the floor. You might also add some aqua throw pillows or make removable aqua covers for such pillows. The sofas are lovely, but you really need some fresh, soft color to brighten the room and bring it back to life.