Craig's List???

I considered but at this point i'm not willing or able to take such a big loss since i still have to furnish most of the house

Maybe this photo will provide you with some inspiration. Your sofas are darker but I think you could make them work with some patterned pillows in the colours you like along with some cream and gold ones. Center a neutral rug in front of FP, and I think you could move your sofas in a bit. You could add two chairs with a small round table(maybe gold) in between them on the window side. If they were in a subtle print like in my inspiration photo, it would help to soften the overall look.

I think the couches are fine, it's the cushions and ottoman that are jarring. (I note that you are planning on replacing the ottoman) as well as the large expanse of brown wood floor. I note that you like blue, I think a large blue toned area rug & pillows will help bridge between the brown and grey and pull the area together.

What colour are the walls? They read green on my screen, which if true, could also be part of the problem.

Here's a few ideas to get you started, I especially lil the middle living room pic with the grey couch for your project... best of luck!

i'm not sure if you are painting , but I agree with mramsey-changing pillows will help a ton, a faux sheerling over the ottoman with a tray on top could be nice with an area rug...

No biggie, all is not lost. I would order some dark gray fabric from the company you purchased the couches from and cover the main pillows on the back. Real simple to do. If you don't sew, take them to the cleaners or an upholster. Then you can add a few colorful pillows. Covering the ottoman is real simple also.

Here are some samples using the colors you mentioned:

You can do a search using "dark grey/gray couch" and then select the style. These above are eclectic.

I don't know if you have the time, but there is a simple way to cover the pillows you don't like. You don't even need a sewing machine, just an iron to set the fusible bonding. HERE is a link to one person's DIY, but there are also lots of videos on no-sew pillows. The gray furniture is neutral; you can set any color or pattern on it. Mix and match color and patterns as you like. Consider wrapping the ottoman with a fabric tablecloth and safety pinning it in place underneath. Check out off-price stores that sell home goods for a better price.

With a new baby and lots of needs, I thought you could use a quick-change fix for now. You can always replace these later. If this furniture is good quality it makes sense to have it reupholstered when you can afford it rather than buy new again.

@mramsey This room is actually a really nice tan that we used in other rooms but it shows up green i think because of the lack of lighting? or light bulbs? so we may need to try one shade lighter or a new color. those rooms are beautiful, love how light and airy

@marlenem That is a great idea to center the room and get the furniture off of the wall however i don't know if it's most conducive due to the opening from the kitchen, its not very big, if you can at all tell..maybe 5 1/2 feet

@mindshift awesome idea to cover the backs of the pillows! wouldn't it be difficult to find the same fabric or are you thinking it would blend enough that it would make the situation better?

@finallyhome that picture with the pink couch is making me drool! love it. great suggestion to cover the built in patterns on the pillows. The problem with that room and my room is the set up but i feel stuck because of the opening the kitchen leaves this room with.

@emmarene that oriental rug is very pretty! great suggestion.

You have a baby! Congrats! The gray is perfect for keeping clean. The room is very dark. You need to pull the room together, not the couch. What's your style, contemporary, modern, shabby chic... sounds like beach or tropical with rattan. Mixed match patterns... shabby chic. You need a large rug. Going shabby you could do a shag carpet. Baby will love crawling around on it, but they make messes, so stay cheap or think of buying two rugs for when the first looks bad. Joys of parenthood. Go with a bright rug color or you could use couch covers to cover the gray couches. Say denim! Target has some great ones that you can throw in the wash. I would maybe recover the throw pillows a few with a different fabric. If your going with a denim couch cover, take the two colors to a fabric store and try to bring the two together. I would of grabbed a rattan chair myself to bring the room together and used the ottoman for it. You should really think about wall color and sanding down the fireplace to paint it. Say, white walls, gray baseboards and mantel? Red shag rug. A couple of plants. Artwork from your little one or even yourself on the walls. Personalize your space and have fun.

thanks so much! i totally agree. as far as practicality so far, the grey has been great just trickier for me since i'm definitely a cream/tan person. i especially love the thought of painting the fireplace, i'm just not sure what color would look right since i don't think i could easily paint the baseboards due to the whole house having oak baseboards. My style is luxe and glam with hints of chinoiserie (blue and white) as well as textural (wicker/rattan, etc). i am considering creating a seating area in front of the window with two chairs and a table and different shape rug, probably round. if you were filling the room, how would you arrange the furniture.. i don't like my current layout but since the room is narrow and with the placement of the fireplace/tv and the opening to the kitchen, it feels forced to put it this way.

I would also like to add i've struggled with the color of the fireplace due to the cream and not white marble on the fireplace

@emmarene where is that rug from? :)

Here

If you search Houzz using "grey with cream" you'll find some wonderful examples of mixing cream and tan with grey. It might give you some ideas about fireplace color. Cream with white is another good search, and there are some articles that describe how to pull it off (it seems undertones are the key).

I would recommend finding some fabric that has the colors you would like to combine or bring into the room and covering some of the sofa's back cushions with that. Also buy throw pillows that harmonize and personalize. The back cushions of my sofa have been in the attic since we bought it, since I prefer the eclectic mix of the pillows I have accumulated over time. It also prevents there being so many pillows on the sofa that there isn't enough room to sit comfortably!

Your sofas are very nice. Everyone agrees that it is the cushions that are not working. If the backs of the cushions match the couch, just flip them around. If not you should go to a fabric store and get indoor/outdoor fabric. Your room is so neutral that you could select any colour or pattern that you like. Have covers made for most of the cushions, I think some should be in a solid colour; again any colour you like with your grey couch. I also think you may have too many cushions so just eliminate some. The ottoman is the perfect size and will be great for the baby so maybe hold off on the rattan piece until baby is through teething and learning to walk. It would also be very easy to slipcover it.

I have a sectional that is a very similar color, my walls are tan and my floor is very similar to yours. I think an area rug will make a huge difference. Mine has gray, cream and brown, (and other colors) and it pulls everything together. I had buyers remorse at first because the charcoal gray was a huge shock after having tan furniture for so long.

“A really nice tan, but it shows up green”, probably because of the natural lighting coming from a different direction than the other rooms.

Easy enough to repaint because you won’t be doing trim.

I would do white on the walls, B.M Simply white and paint the fireplace surround as dark or even darker than your sofas, in a satin finish.

Keep the ottoman. It will look great with the white walls and keep two of the pillows.

For now, invest in 2 IKEA chairs, they are comfortable, surprisingly, and use the stripe pillows for the backs.

Bring in some serious colors in the rug.

Can you face the sofa to the fireplace; right angle the loveseat and put the two chairs opposite the loveseat. Nice big silver tray for the ottoman.

I think if you paint the walls a pale (almost white) grey & place area rug in front of couch you will be happy. I would paint the fireplace and add pretty throw pillows & artwork behind the couch. Drapes (not covering windows, extended on each side) would cozy up your room too

@judygdesigns i just simply love the idea of painting the fireplace dark and going lighter on the walls. Do I need to worry about the fact that the trim will be oak? will that look okay with dark fireplace? I can't pull the furniture too much off the wall because of the closeness of the fireplace (narrow room) and the positioning of the opening into the kitchen (5 1/2 feet). What do you think about chairs and a table, additional rug on the window side? seems like such a wasted space.

@dhadley i like the idea of curtains covering the blank space on either side of the large window but not the window. would you remove the blinds to let more light in or leave them?

I like your couches:) I think new rug and pillows can pull the room together. Not sure about your paint color though...but it might just be my monitor.

Are your couches the same size? Would it work to have them facing each other flanking the fireplace...

i love your first example picture, kjoy! i don't mind the color as much as the style. they just seem so modern to me, which my taste is very far from. i couldn't have them across from each other. one is a sofa and the other a love seat. also the room is narrow so the size just doesn't allow for it.

Allyarm, it depends on what you are looking at through the window. If it is relatively private i would remove the blinds. I have large windows with no covering looking out onto my backyard which is very private. My last house i couldnt do that because i felt like everyone could see in, especially at night. If it isnt private, maybe you could just lower them at night or get pretty roman shades in a pattern

If you paint your fire a dark color it will just jump off the wall at you. you can also paint your woodwork lighter than your walls, using the same color througout your home. lets see updated pics!

4 yr old thread!