Are considering changing the wall color or trim?

Since the coffee table must stay I would get glass and metal side tables that match to lighten and modernize your look. Your coffee table is modern and really neat; the lamp tables are old-style and dated. I would get pillows in the shade of the blue lampshade to brighten up all the dark leather. I'm sorry but the throws on the chair just don't look right. Perhaps one in blue and cream on the couch would be good. I'd consider moving one of the couches where the chairs are now, placing them at the edge of the area rug. Since you already have so much stained wood I'd consider painting the cabinet and fireplace surround in the adjoining room a cream color.

For a lighter look, I agree about changing out the rug, but I think you need one that connects all the furniture - otherwise, a rug on top of a rug doesn't make a lot of sense, IMO. Would it be possible to remove the rug temporarily and take a few more shots without the 'influence' of its' heavy pattern and darkness - see what you are really working with? Is the carpet below in good shape?

Thank you for the comments. In regards to painting: no on all accounts. The house is very open with high ceilings and it would be wildly expensive to paint walls. I feel like there needs to be continuity in that regard, keeping all walls the same color. DH would never let me paint the trim or cabinets.

The lamp shades are all black. And the throws are literally used every day, but I could certainly hide them somewhere. I'm sure you can't see the colors well, but the rug has rust, black, bluish green and golden beige, so that's why I pulled the rust and blue for the pillows ( which I don't love and am open to changing).

I would start first by just painting the wall color - white or light grey.

Then I would change the rug to a more contemporary pattern.

Idk if I can move the rug by myself. Lol. It weighs a ton. The carpet underneath is fine. Just not very interesting or particularly comfy. I do think I need a bigger rug. At the time, this one, which is 9x12, was the best I could find. It drives me crazy that it doesn't go to the front of the chairs! As far as the furniture arrangement, this is a huge room, but I feel like this is the only arrangement that works in here. Moving the two chairs causes us to not be able to see the TV well, and makes the room lopsided since the tv is off balance with the middle of the room.

My entire house is very "golden", I guess because of the woodwork and lighting. I don't feel like grey is going to work at all and white is an absolute no go. It literally clashes with everything. :(

These pics might give you a better idea of the rest of the room and the reason painting would be a nightmare. The wall color is accurate in the first pic-a golden SW blonde type color.

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. My suggestion was to put the two leather chairs where the leather couch is and put the couch where the chairs are now, only move it closer to the rug. I think that would give a more cohesive look to the living room. Are you not okay with the idea of changing your wooden lamp tables with more open and modern glass and metal ones? I personally don't see anything wrong with your wall color. I also like your rug although a more modern one in a lighter color would definitely lighten up the room. You probably need a size of around 11 x 13 to take away the somewhat narrow look, although you can try moving all the furniture onto the rug or at least to the edge of it.

I'm totally OK with getting new end tables and lamps. And I think if I changed the rug, a different style table would go easily in here. Can't change the furniture arrangement and still be able to see the tv comfortably. :(. The rug def needs to be wider. When I try to put all the furniture loser to the edges of it, everything is crammed together with no room to walk around.

I def like the idea of the rug yayagal posted. It's something I hadn't thought of. I would def need to find something more affordable and possibly less grey.

I now see that rug is actually brown, not grey. I think something like that would def work.

Are the walls yellowish or greenish?

Thank you. I like the 4th and 5th one. I'd like to find one that's very muted and natural colored. Just the sheer size that I need is making it difficult, plus budget is a concern. I have also been looking at end tables all day long! So far, I really like the first two. But I'm not sure about how thin and delicate the legs are on the second one. And every single one is too tall to go between our two chairs. What do you think?

I really prefer this one with a bottom shelf!

Maybe something like this Overstock rug? It has a tic of black to help blend. If you enlarge it there are a few other colors to use.

It's much lighter than the old one.

I think the end table you picked has a nice modern vibe and the price is very reasonable. It has an open and contemporary feel. If you replaced yours with these I think it would really change the look of your room quite a bit. They would also go well with your coffee table. I'm realizing one thing that looks "off" is that the long end of the coffee table is not aligned with the long end of the rug, but rather is perpendicular to it, and that makes the layout not flow as well as it could.

I'm probably being dense but if your rug is 9 feet wide and there's another foot or two between the area rug and the TV, would 10 or 11 feet from the TV really be too close? I think until you try moving a few things around you won't know if another arrangement is better or not. I would also suggest putting some bright pillows on the beige sofa instead of the brown ones you have, which blend into everything else, including the shutters. Pillows with turquoise and beige stripes or checks might be nice, and would contrast with the rug and give some relief from the solid colors of the furniture and pillows. If you try googling "living rooms with Oriental carpets" you'll see that many of them have different colors and patterns of accessories, paintings, pillows etc. I've just spotted your wall art, which I probably didn't notice because it's so muted, and there again something brighter and more colorful would give a new look to your living room without having to spend too much money.

Thanks again for the help. I hadn't realized just how far our chairs had "walked backwards". I moved them closer to the edge of the rug, and it's def better, but for sure, the next one needs to be 10ft wide at least. I have tried many times to rearrange this room. It's not the proximity to the tv that is a problem. It's the angle. If I move the chairs where the leather couch is, there is no way to get the chairs at an angle that will allow you to view the tv comfortably. If I move it to the side with the upholstered couch, it's the same issue, just closer. Lol. And yes, the art needs to go away as well. :(.

You are getting great suggestions! Have you thought about possibly removing the shutters and using fabric window treatments? I think that it will really lighten things up.

I'm from a family that is always cold, and I am always cold myself. So we have a lot of throws around. I'm going to try and find a blanket rack to put them on so they are not draped over EVERY chair and surface in my family and living rooms! (OK, slight exaggeration for dramatic effect, but only slight, ;) You might look for something similar. Google "blanket rack" and you will find a gazillion styles. You can even use old wooden ladders.