Karen I'm glad you like the layer look as well... Carolyn, what do you think? Do you think I need layering, just adjust the cowhide a bit or is it a bit too small?

Susan, I was looking a bone inlay consoles because they are so beautiful but they are quite tall usually. The sofa is 28.5 high although the two back cushions extend higher to 36". Think its a problem if you can see below the table from the front of the sofa through the cushions?. Love the big bold print on the chairs!

Susanna, I should have known you would come through for the champagne! Good to see you here too. What a room full of opinions we have, eh? Can't help the eh, I'm Canadian.

Finndian, I think it would be ok if you saw the apron of the table but would not want to see through from the sofa. I was just at a lovely shop looking at a bone inlay piece for my client, unfortunalty it arrived damaged but they really are lovely. They have a nice sheen and patina that would also work well for you.

By the way I love the creative process that is so stimulated by all the ideas put forth!

Ummm, that Dom Perignon is good stuff and just what I needed! Thanks, Susanna!

Finndian, regarding the cowhide rug, I recall when I ordered the one for my client they came in different sizes, so you could probably get a larger one. But I really prefer the cowhide right on the floor, not layered with another rug. Show off your beautiful hardwood, once you get it refinished!

About the bold prints for the chair, I'm not a fan of them for your room. Pillows perhaps, chair, no.

Susan, I love the process too and am thriving on the incredibly generous help you are all giving me. My tension is high and have a general sense of discomfort that will only be relieved when successful design is before my eyes... then I'll fall to the floor relieved (onto my cowhide). :)

Another view of the bench idea. Again, strictly a stand-in bench. Maybe leather or velvet (violet) with chrome legs... roll bolster on one side??

I like the bench idea if you find the right one. However, I prefer your big chair when it has its ottoman with it and it doesn't look like the ottoman would fit well with it in the corner. Right? Wrong?

Here is a pic. The center seam of the chair to the edge of the coffee table is 31 inches.

That pot behind is too big... the plant is just sitting in it now. The chair headrest is 6 inches away from the oversized pot and the wall now and does not come any closer when swiveled either way.

I'm totally not in love with adding more chrome. You have metal legs on your seating except for the purple chair. I would love to see something with a little wood (upholstery) but in a light finish. That's why I sent the Gigi chair. It's modern, chic, has a nice deep seat and it would add so much to the room.No one has commented so most likely it isn't winning any prizes. This really would be a great bridge between your other pieces without going the metal route. I'm also thinking it might make sense to pull the black from your ferris wheel to the other end of the room on the console table. It could be any material or combination. Also, I might add, that by using the black you will have drawn a color triangle between the ferris wheel, the TV and the black (or dark) console table.

Karen, you like the idea of the bench there if it's wooden r is the chair your vote? On a bench sitting the opposite way I could contemplate the art on my picture rails like at a museum and watch television of course.

The Ferris wheel picture was really just place marker. It's 39 dollar item from home goods. I like it and could get it framed to make it look more substantial I guess.

The etchings on the picture rails are black-and-white however and I have been looking at this black console although it's a little too high. 31.5 high and the back of the sofa is 28.5. Is it kind of what you had in mind? It's just 5 inches short of covering the entire back of the sofa.

Golly, that C&B console is gorgeous but at 84" it's just too long for your 89" sofa, don't you think? And certainly too tall, being 3" higher than your sofa. Look at it and drool, and consider it for another location or a friend's home. We designers drool over these things and then place them in a client's home, breathing a contented sigh.

I have used the metallic cowhide rug, good, but I think a black and white zebra would bring more of a wow effect.

While I adore black and white zebra striped cowhides, I find the silver paint spattered cowhides more unusual.

Would this vintage dining set go with my silver sideboard or do you all prefer glass?

finndian, that console is not what I am visualizing As Carolyn says it's way too tall and long. You can do something less high, less wide, and perhaps a table with a stone top? Doesn't have to be all black. You would simply be giving a nod to the other black pieces and finishing a triangle.

I'm not up to speed on a bench. Are you discussing a bench for the l.s. of the fireplace? If so, my vote would be negative. I would love to see a chair that is not like the rest of the room, but is either a complement to the other pieces in the room or a real art piece that doesn't have to justify its existence.

As for your console, are you still thinking of storing benches beneath?

Karen, a wide bench here. This is a stand-in bench to give you the idea. It would be a leather bench up off the ground. Easily seen over to view the TV.

Oh Karen, I love that. A real art piece that doesn't have to justify its existence. Perfect way to describe it!

Now I'm looking at your "vintage" Cherner chairs and table for your sideboard. I'm interested in knowing your attraction to the sideboard and simultaneously the Cherner grouping. Just curious.

Finndian, Remember how I said the room was feeling restrictive? With the bench, you have managed to paint in the last opening. The room is having trouble breathing. If you put in a bench, you will cut off all life support. Let's think in terms of opening up rather than closing down more space. :)

console looks great, please use a large size area rug under your furniture, your room looks naked and cold without a rug,enjoy your home

The sideboard is distressed with wood showing on all the edges. Perhaps not enough to pair with that much wood... and if its not I need to rule it out. Certainly the time period of the painting and all the colors in it are complementary to that set down to the upholstery on the stool.

Finndian, In my opinion you need to knuckle down with the living room and get everything planned out, down to the last piece of furniture. Once that is completed, it will be obvious what needs to go in your dining room for the sake of balance, dynamic, continuity and interest. What you are doing now is the most difficult part of the process. You really need to focus on the living area and push your way through all the way to the bloody end. No, it's not fun but the hunkering down part pays off. Then you can go to what you consider the easy part. Only it won't be. It's is the aspect of diminishing returns. As you make more decisions your options become less and less. That's a very good thing unless you were wondering. As a designer, we get to the end of the road and want to throw our hands up in the air and say "Whatever!!:. This is the time you need to really, really focus because it pays off every time...100%. :)

As for storing benches under the console... I have to figure out the seating group behind the sofa. It would nice to a coffe table that became a table for impromptu card games or just drinks in front of the open doors. Then I'd want the extra bench seating under the console.

On the face of the half wall in front of the kitchen bar it would nice to have a low book case with books and a light for reading in the mean time. A mini reading library if you will to justify the two purple chairs there.

I am almost totally concentrated on the living room. Can't help but see some things I like while out shopping. Believe me I'm am luxuriating in having someone tell me that one of the last furniture arrangement options rattling around in head is not good. Just say Yuck or boo me... I like it. :) I don't want regrets and I thank you for helping me minimize that terrible feeling as I start actually buying the pieces that I can't return.

I found a console that will do the "job". It's a CTH Sherrill piece and it is simply a well-dimensioned "work horse". It comes in a "thousand" colors. It is 32" tall, but I believe you mentioned your pillows were at about 36"? So, this will not impinge. It is 54" long, which is a good thing as it doesn't eat up the entire back of your sofa. It is 14" deep, which is a blessing in disguise. Not every piece that goes into a room needs to be "special". Sometimes you need a ballast with good lines and great proportions which will act as a prop for whatever you need to place atop it.

Love the bench idea.

I want to go shopping with you :)

Finndian, I agree, the console should be multipurpose, it would be so much more practical if you could put a small bench or stools, or tuffets or whatever under it. So you could balance the empty by now chequebook, entertain friends, use for self serve dining, hold lamps, have a place for your wine glass when curled up sideways on the sofa, or for it to just look pretty sometimes;) so keep it shelf free underneath!

I have to say, I think the room looks much less interesting than it was when you began. I agree that you need to regain focus. decide what look & colors you want before you walk in the room again, then create it. You have to trust yourself if you are choosing what you love! You have great taste, put that personality back in the room!

I second the shopping idea;)

Interesting comment from raeshellep about the room not looking as good now as when you started.
I DID prefer the chair and ottoman on the right side of the FP where it had more space and I DID like the original console.

What I thought was missing was a comfortable chair to the left of the FP. But maybe it's not important that the chair be a comfortable one. One thing I don't know is how many people live here, though I think it's finndian alone. I don't know how much time is spent watching TV or how many people would be watching it.

Therefore, I don't know if that chair needs to be what I call a 2 hour chair or whether a 45 minute chair would suffice. Finndian, would you clarify this point please? I also do not know the age group of the people who would be gathering here, though suspect it would be a group of 30 to 40 year olds.

Have you thought about floating the sofa to the right of the window wall and leaving a space between the window wall and the sofa. The bench looks a little lost standing there by itself acting like a partition. Try moving the bench in front of the window and remove the pillow in the window. Then float the grey chair to the right of the fireplace and move it a little closer to the inside of the room. This would create a cozy conversation grouping. Add one piece of real greenery if you can. I love the floor lamp. Try putting it behind the grey chair to the right of the fireplace. FLOAT your furniture. It will soften all the angles in the room (square room, square sofa, square fireplace, square TV).

I think the purple chair does nothing in the corner. The corner behind the purple chair is very cluttered and out of balance. Move the Gray chair to where the purple is and move it way in, that way you can comfortably watch TV and it will declutter that corner. Why not spray paint that gold lamp and put it over behind the gray chair, you would have the texture then but not the flashy.

My other suggestion is put the sofa infront of the window, it is low enough as not to block it, if you don't want to see the back of the sofa through the window,install a short curtain, it would soften the window, or frost that window, (if there is nothing to see) would cut the glare.

I would ditch the table in that spot, it is over powering. You could move it in front of the window and then the sofa in front of that, to bring the living room in and make it more cozy for watching TV.

I agree that your room was nice to start off with and now you seem to,have lost the direction what to choose next. If you kept the purple chairs on the other side of,the sofa should you not bring some purple into the seating area? Why the bench? How often will the bench be used? It is not a comfortable item to sit on except when entertaining for seating. Where is the dining area? I agree you are closing in the area with the bench. You seem to be going in the direction of wood for the console and so,then the dining room table?

Can't wait to see the finished product! Such great advice. Hard to follow whether you kept the silver console- which I really liked.

I feel badly giving you even more advice because you may just burn out!
(hang in there girl, you're doing awesome!!!)

1) How about flanking the matching purple chairs on either side of your fireplace. This will create a slightly more "formal" balance.
(You could then put the white table in between the two chairs, and take the other end table out of the room)

2) Put the bench where the matching purple chairs were. This will provide storage and seating near the patio doors.

3) Your lovely grey chair with the foot stool could be relocated to your bedroom, guest room, entry.....

The below photo is still my favourite look because (in my opinion) it shows YOUR fun and whimsical personality!!!

Good luck my dear! I wish I lived closer too...I'd go shopping and help you out in a heartbeat!!!
Caroline :)

My fav!
(Except the apple's upside down) ;)

Thanks for the encouragement and the shopping offers Kelly, raeshellep and Caroline... I wish I could take you up on that! To all suggestions to put the sofa in front of the window, that can't happen because its a windows seat not to mention the intense sun coming through that window all day would fade anything in front of it.

The bench there gives me a few valuable things. First I get 4 seats for guests instead on the one I'd get with a chair in the corner. The fireplace hearth is now clear for seating along with the bench. Also when I feel grubby from activities like biking I do not sit on my furniture... it would be nice to have a piece of furniture that can be cleaned easily like leather so I can sit or lay for a short time without worrying I'm soiling my furniture.

Having said all that, I do regret not having the grey chair out to the right of the fireplace to view its sloping lines from more angles. My next door neighbor designed the new dashboard for the 2014 Ford Mustang and when he came into my place a couple days ago the only thing that he commented on were the lines of the chair.

Here's a switch of chairs. If the purple chairs were swivel and more comfortable to watch TV in then it would be a winning look. There are 2 of us living here with gatherings of people 30-55 years old... chances are only 2 will watch TV at any given time.

What I had in mind for the room from the original pic, after getting the final furniture placement nailed down? The mirrored console was beautiful but it kind of pulled me in the direction of Hollywood regency with the shape of the purple chairs. Other than that... tweaking what I had with an emphasis on yellow and blue in the room. Interesting lamp shades perhaps with some striping.

At least trying the gold floor lamp somewhere in this room (or the dining room)... but not necessarily using it at all. Putting it next to the console made me wobble with my original vision as I said... not to mention all the gold. I'd try the gold table lamps but gold was not in my original vision at all. The Boho chic idea is way too saturate in color for me. In fact, I'd lose some of the orange in the room, probably the orange zebra print on the sofa.

In the room, I would have added tie-dye (pillows?) and/or ombre fabric (backs of purple chairs?) somewhere in this room of on the dining room seats. I was thinking about losing the purple chair to the left of the fireplace and putting a giant silver bean bag chair or a few realistic large upholstered boulders to recline on. I tend to be a little off beat. :P

I would have definitely used a colorful rug in an attempt to pull it all together.

Have you decided to keep the purple chairs?

Kelly...honestly the reason I even have the chairs is that they were $199 at Homegoods. They can be returned...tags are still on. Seems like a whole lot of style for little cost and I do like them a lot. The upholstery is burlap texture violet with silver nail heads.

I see the moorish origin to the shape and I see the potential to contrast them in a rock and roll kinda way. They are incredibly comfortable but I don't want them for their Hollywood regency glamour or to play up their girly appeal....not even sure it possible. I look a little of the fabric from underneath to see if bleach would take the color out or fade it. I was picturing spraying a mixture to evenly fade the fabric or dip the whole top of the chair to fade the color to while but pure bleach didn't do a thing. So it's as is or I could check to see if the fabric panel that wraps the back in the rear of the chair could be replaced with an ombré like the horns on the table to personalize them a bit....making them more rock and roll.

I feel ya. I think the shape/style/price is very cool. I wish I knew what Home Goods you were frequenting! I guess I just can't get past the color. I also wish by the way that I was not so addicted to Houzz :)

I like the purple chairs also. It is not something I would purchase as I am traditional. That is what is fun watching what you are doing. Something funky and different. Sounds like you still are not sure what to do? Will enjoy watching as you progress. Best of luck!

The new arrangement looks completely different again but I like it! The purple chairs give the room a more eclectic vibe. If you don't like the orange what about a bright yellow? That will pick up the color in your art & the gold lamp...can you tell I love that lamp??:)

Finndian,
I was going to just shut up and observe... And learn. But, I have one final comment. While I think you have appreciated the suggestions and enjoyed the creative process, you might be losing your original vision. There are too many cooks in the kitchen so to speak. I think you have made some good choices that you are proud of and that reflect your sense of playful style. Just keep working with what your gut tells you looks right and feels like home. You'll end with a

... Beautiful room. Good luck!

As I was scrolling thru all the pics this morning I saw one that I thought was nice. It had no purple chairs, just the soothing gray and with the snake picture I visualized yellow accents. One more opinion! Haha.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! The input was great. Help with the furniture placement, finding the horn table and Rubio monocoat floor coloring (which I'm experimenting with) and just feedback in general was invaluable for me. I learned some things I needed to learn to find the right items and I hope you'll all give me feedback in the future when I show them to you. I need to regroup and plan with all the new info I've learned.

I see I need to try to be tasteful and not appear to be trying too hard but I will continue to have trouble with placing a non-descript piece of furniture anywhere. I want to be fascinated by everything I buy... so we'll see how that works out! :)