Hi!

We just celebrated two years in our home and while a lot of rooms are making progress, nothing is quite finished yet. (... Is any room *ever* finished?). When taking the photos for my own documentation of how each room is evolving, it's very apparent to me that our dining/living room space is lacking.... But I'm not sure what will make this space feel more finished.

We spend about ~75% of our waking/at-home hours in this space, so it's the center of our every day. I describe our style as "practical/comfortable semi-mid-century-modern." I'm also a minimalist in the sense that I don't really like to have stuff just to fill a space -- Things feel like they should have more purpose than that. Additionally, I struggle with the concept of "art" for my home -- I need pieces to feel very personal, hence the map prints from each place that has been important for my husband and/or myself.

Major changes we plan on:

1. Remove acoustic tile ceiling/lathe/plaster underneath, drywall ceiling, add recessed lights.

2. Remove ceiling fan over dining table, add/center a new light over table

3. Add new ceiling fan over living space

4. Paint the wall (Blue and grey neutrals are the story of our house.)

Other notes:

The total space is about 14' wide by 30' long.The 4 "walls" in the space are: (1) Wall, (2) Brickwall + Fireplace, (3) 6 6' tall windows + sliding door, (4) wood cabinet with pass through / door to kitchen. We think we'll probably remove the wood cabinet and open up the wall between the kitchen + dining table and put a breakfast bar in to separate the space. However we have some flooring/structural considerations to work through first.

I think filling the blank wall will help to some degree. (And I've considered shifting the thermostat over to be in line with the light-switch, just to remove that stumbling block.) Perhaps a longer buffet?As for "art" for that space, I like the idea of modern gallery set-up with large white frames / large white matting and colorful photos. (Perhaps a layering of white frames like this, but with the hanging apparatus hidden.) Or perhaps a frames/shelving to display my collection of vintage Life magazines.

For the coffee + end tables -- I'm hesitant to stage the tops of them with any knick-knacks. We built them with cubbies so that I had a place to put things without cluttering the tops. As for the coffee table, we often place the square cushions on top and use it as a make-shift ottoman. Or it's filled with snacks for football Sundays. :) Placing other items on top doesn't seem practical for how we use the piece.

For the layout of the sofa + chairs -- they were pieces I already had, so they weren't picked for this space. I hesitate with a different layout because right now I love how when I'm seated on the sofa I have an uninterrupted view of the fireplace + TV + backyard. Moving the chairs to block that view would mess that up.

I've toyed with the idea of some colorful shelves or art on the brick wall. I've dreamt of hanging air-plants, but I don't know that we get enough daylight in the room for that to be practical. Also, I *LOVE* the parquet. It's not going anywhere :) I know it's not everyone's thing, but it speaks to me. However, rugs are necessary for the comfort/mobility for our doggos. Let me know what you think!