To be honest , its all a bit dark and gloomy . Whilst I love the floors and your furniture is inoffensive you MUST paint out the skirting s and surrounds, this is causing most harm. Take away the dark curtains etc and replace your lampshades with either lighter or colored adding some proper color. all a bit dull.Get some colours in room that you like this is too much wood going on.

Decoenthusiast-thank you! I can't wait to get home and try the L suggestion. The rugs are fantastic; we just need to choose a pattern. Love the gray and orange together.

Malcolm-Dull and gloomy us EXACTLY how I would describe the rooms. They make me feel the same way. We feel that the wood is overpowering but colors will help brighten it up.

Can't wait to implement these changes when we get home!!

Remember to paint out all the wood trims and surrounds in fresh white linen paint ,leave the flooring though,then apply light touches get more delicate less bulky items , remove the lightfittings too if you can and add big ceramic modern lamps, best of luck and keep us posted.

Malcolm is right--there is too much wood trim and it's distracting--especially the pieces that are parallel to the floor but up eye level or higher. Those chop up your walls.

oh no no please don't paint the wood trim!! It would be a crime. it's beautiful!!! the reason your home is beautiful is because of the woodwork and the flooring. they compliment each other. I live in an older home with tons of woodwork and believe me it can be lightened without painting.

Sorry , but this is dated and tired , whilst often painting woodwork can be as you say a crime, not in this case. It has to be done! in design terms its not a good scheme and needs to be attended to. The floor is stunning and painting the woodwork will accentuate this. Sometimes tough decisions MUST be taken.

Please post the change-up! I'm loving those IKAT rugs too.

kpechette you need to do what you think is best for your home regardless of our differences in opinion. Having just spent a good deal of money replacing trim and woodwork that was ruined by painting (lead, of course) that is why I feel so strongly about it. Also it appears that your home is older and it is so nice to see older homes preserved and kept as beautiful examples of the past.

Of course kpechette needs to make the final decision but just because something was put there long ago doesn't mean it was ever the right thing to do. A great many of the design dilemmas have to do with rooms being poorly layed out by a builder or architect. Your woodwork probably never should have been painted but that's not always the case.

I can understand both perspectives about painting vs not painting the wood. We are renting this home though so whether we like it or not, the wood has to be a part of our decor.

A few updates:

We rearranged our furniture to try the love seat in front of the window, pics below. Due to the placement of our TV however, putting the long table behind the love seat did not work. Very disappointing since we loved this idea.

I purchased two lamps today: one color that matches the dining room side table, and a second that is more sea green. Removed the curtains, and we are currently lowering the art below the long couch.

Next up is choosing one of the amazing rugs from decoenthusiaste!

Still need to think through window treatments. Also, I'm concerned with the empty space between the living and dining room. Could something go here?

Better picture of the lamp:

Few more photos-apologies if these are duplicates, I'm only seeing 3 photos out of the 5 I posted

That does change circumstances if its rented , for all your information here is a 16th Century Dining Room I restored recently ,before and afters. Much Academic debate re restore/paint? I persisted and these are the results. It just shows you the possibilities.

OK, try this...the area with the table and the ceramic lamp and the picture above and the green plant. Take the picture down. Now move the green plant (Ihope it's not fake) to the end of the table from the lamp. Try putting the lamp on about 3 fairly large books to give it more height. Take the picture down and for now and lean it against the wall. The picture is hung way too high. When displaying anything on the wall it should be hung in reference to the furniture not the wall. So hang it low 4" above the table or just set it on the table. Play around with the objects on and below the table. Make little groupings of like items but just spreading a bunch of different things around doesn't capture the eye it's just busy and messy looking.

I think we have to defer to Malcolm Duffin and that awesome room transformation above!

The above space displayed by Malcolm Duffin Design is nothing short of spectacular! Couldn't possibly go wrong following the advice of someone whom has already undertaken such a task and achieved such stunning results

Been out of the loop for a few... I still think the furniture will work better if the large sofa is centered on the wall. Since you have it shoved toward the windows, the gap you're concerned about between the living and dining is not going away. Try centering the sofa and painting correctly on the long wall. Even if the two sofas aren't in a perfect "L" I think this will help. You may find this will allow you to pull the small sofa forward and find room for the sofa table behind it. I doesn't matter if the one speaker is sort of behind the sofa arm. Try it and see. Also, remove the skirted table from the dining room and use that floor lamp at the right arm of the large sofa.

Ok decoenthusiast, what are your thoughts? Note the picture from above the couch was removed temporarily.

I think it is working. What about you? Just get the picture back up (about 5" above the sofa back and centered) and I think your basics will be in place - then on to the rugs. Consider turning the dining table the other direction.

deco, it seems so many design dilema posters don't place furniture in front of windows. thanks for the many times you have coached the bed and sofas into the window space for a stunning transformation.

The set-up is really growing on us, it does feel slightly awkward though! We kept moving the coffee table around last night; we didn't know if it should be centered with the long couch, or with the TV stand. We just need to get acclimated to having the furniture being centered against the wall, not the TV/media area. This layout really brings the dining and living rooms together too which we love.

Next steps: We are refinishing the round pedestal table to a light grey finish, and we will re-hang the picture above the couch. We are also looking at curtains this weekend.

Onto the rugs: I like the Santa Ana Verden Ikat Smoke Rug and Charcoal Ikat Rugs, although I'm hesitant to bring orange into the mix. We will give it a try though!

Leelee- Thanks for the side table recommendations! I don't know if you can tell from the photos but I used your suggestions for stacking books to give the lamp some height. I also cleaned up the cluster of items on the top so they weren't so spread out.

Thanks to all for the helpful suggestions!

Glad to help if I can! I like to take advantage of a great view, but if there isn't one, and wall space is needed, the window area works for me!

When you can afford to replace the wood coffee table with a round glass one with a beautiful rug underneath, I think it will feel better to you. Center the present one with the larger sofa - 18" away from it is the maximum useful distance. Don't worry about the TV stand. They tend to dominate the room if we let them. Sometimes it is best just to ignore them a decorate despite them.

I like the idea of the love seat in the bay, maybe an octagonal area rug, you could pull a color from that for simple side panels on their own rods on either side of the love seat. One and a half width panel on each side will be enough, keep the middle window clean line. You could also paint an accent color in the bay to make the white pop.

I would also get rid of the table behind the love seat, push the LS as far back as possible. Then push the sofa down a little furthur if you can, I think it will expand the space. All you can do is try different things until it feels right.

Debra Kelly - that's the problem we just remedied - Needed to get a more intimate feeling and minimize the open floor space between the living area and dining. Still in process, just got the sofa centered and the sofa table behind the love. Rugs and a few more tweaks will solve the dilemma we started with.

How about a rectangle ottoman to put at a right angle next to the sofa. I do that alot because it's so practical for extra seating and you look over it so it keeps your line of vision uncluttered.

How about removing the ceiling fan lighting? Cove lighting could be a good option...

It is a rental, folks! Can't do more than move furniture and add some stuff.

I feel you should put up the sides on the table to help fill the room. Do you have more chairs? The chair seats should be changed with a fabric to bring out the amazing color on the side-board. The area is begging for a large area rug, again incorporating the color in the side-board.

Is hanging the tv on an articulating arm and moving the thinner sofa table beneath it a possibility?(i.e.. lose the media cabinet) It may help with your feeling the tv is off centre of the sofa. Good luck! Your room is looking great!

I've never even known there was this feature on houzz! But seeing this great collaborative effort, I just want to add: the charcoal ikat is GORGEOUS! Keep going! :)

Debra - The rectangle ottoman is an interesting idea. It would provide some extra seating space without being obtrusive. Great tip!

Aloha42- I don't have any additional dining room chairs at the moment, but it's on our list of next step items. We are also looking at rugs this weekend! Stay tuned for progress on that front. We are going to try extending the folds on the table, will post photos later.

Leslie- I really like the idea of placing the TV on the wall and removing the large/bulky media stand that we currently have. We'll do some research about this next week.

Decoenthusiaste- Question about the rug(s); what size would you recommend for the dining room? Just enough to hold the dining table/chairs or should we have a larger rug that fills up more of the room?
Thank you for the coffee table suggestion. It wouldn't have crossed my mind to try either glass or circular options. Excited to look for that piece after curtains/rugs.

Many thanks again!

Hi kpechette,

You've already made some stunning changes to your space! Agreed that a soft blue window treatment would really help lighten up the room.

Drapes are even buy one, get one 50% off right now.
http://www.3dayblinds.com/buy-1-get-1-50-off-on-custom-blinds-shades-curtains-drapes

Best of luck finding the right fit.
3 Day Blinds

Rug size should not be smaller than table top width and length plus 4 feet each way for chair scoot and sit space. Since one side of the room is a passage way between rooms I wouldn't extend it into the traffic area or you'll have to be rotating it to save wear. Have fun shopping!

A few updates:
We didn't find a rug unfortunately, but we tried several window panels and found one that could work. This panel is from West Elm and is called the Ikat Ogee linen panel.

Additionally, we would like to replace the former painting that hung above the couch. Any ideas for wall decor is appreciated!

I like the drape. You could use a larger diameter rod and match the finish on the grommets, hanging it high enough so the drapes just kiss the floor. If you live in the USA, homedecorators.com has been having a sale on rugs and free shipping. My clients and I have been very pleased with them.

I like the drape too -- it blends the darker color of the woodwork with the light walls and furniture nicely.

Ok, I've been out of the loop for awhile; wedding planning has consumed my life for the last several months! We are back from our honeymoon and ready to tackle the rest of the living room!

Putting out a feeler to see if we still have any help on this, or if I should start a new thread.

Decoenthusiaste- We implemented almost all of your suggestions, and next on the list is purchasing a new rug/coffee table. We decided to keep the Ikat window panels so we don't want too many patterns in the rug. Any suggestions are welcomed!

Updated photos!

I think another set of panels between the windows would look good. With solid walls and furniture, I think a colorful, patterned rug would work best, especially with a dark floor. Great choices so far!

Your room has so little color. White, black and brown wood. I think your room is begging for bright pops of color. The lamp you added is too muted and provides no pop. Get a rug with colors and add complementary pillows. I think the curtains are limiting.

Thanks, Bricklin! Thats actually a really interesting suggestion about the second set of panels. I haven't considered trying that out but I think it could look great. I hope they still sell the panels!

Laurae- Agreed about the lack of color! Unfortunately I waited too long to return the pale blue lamp but I do agree its very muted/dull. I struggle with color...I stick to earth tones/neutrals, but agree that we need something more in this room. What colors would you suggest here?

would you consider panting the coffee table -- I picture either something glossy or a chalk paint. I know it's a bit trendy, but a muted coral or a turquoise are what come to mind.

Emily- thanks for your suggestion! I think painting the coffee table is a great suggestion, and i have often thought about staining it in a darker color. I think there are too many wood tones in this room, between the wood trim on the walls/windows, floors and the table. Which is why I'm thinking about a totally new coffee table. If you can, check out my other post titled "need help with living room decor." Would love to hear your thoughts about the recent changes!

I think it's looking great! The couches look better in this arrangement, plus with the table + lamp behind the window-wall couch, it gives the room a larger feel. I'd turn off the ceiling fan light (A ceiling fixture rarely adds anything good to ambience. :), pull the floor lamp a bit away from the wall (i.e. more centered along the arm of the couch), and the rug choices decoenthusiast suggested look great -- something along those lines, larger than what you have. I think if you do those things, add drapes in the between sections, and paint the living room, we'll all be right over for the party!

Thanks Emily! I actually just moved the table from behind the love seat into our dining room and pushed the love seat back against the windows! We did like the arrangement before moving the sideboard but it just felt too cramped after the move. Here are a few photos! What do you think?

Art Deco:-

http://www.mokumtextiles.com/metropolis---catherine-martin-by-mokum

This is great space, but stop.

Get your backgrounds correct first. Get rid of the ugly shades in the windows and get some decent roman shades or wooden venetian blinds. Blinds to go are not expensive and just fine or go to the Shade store and see what they have. No rollers - make it look upscale. If you feel you need curtain panels at either end of the bay go to Restoration Hardware and buy some nice panels and good looking hardware. Not expensive and look first rate.

Next paint your walls a nice color rather than white and buy a decent rug that fits the room. Seagrass is not expensive. Restoration Hardware and pottery barn both make nice rugs that are not too expensive.

Now get rid of the matching shabby chic sofas. Go to restoration hardware and buy a nice stylish sofa in one of their chenilles or linens. Looks first rate. Then buy a smart lounge chair from them. If you ne

Throw out that ugly coffee table and also go to Restoration Hardware and see what they have that is simple and stylish.

I do high end interior design, but there is nothing wrong with any of these less expensive companies like Restoration Hardware or Cisco Home or Oly. We use these as fill in all the time, but stop wasting money and time. If all you can do is one thing at a time, go get things picked out, put it all together at one time on a little board and then do one thing every month until it is finished. Look at the shelter magazines or Houzz for ideas and if out of your price range, copy it in less price things. Believe me it can be done.

This could be a great looking space, but I almost want to see you through everything out and start with one good looking piece.

Thank you, Edward! We have since moved from this apartment and believe it or not we did actually end up throwing away every last piece of furniture. Below are a few photos from our new place. Still need to figure out a vanity in the bedroom, and bedding but overall we love the look of our new decor. Would welcome your input for improving the master bedroom if you have any thoughts!