Well, it looks like you're not overly stuck in one direction and that's a great thing when you're on a limited budget...

Why don't we try to make your room feel like your inspiration room?

Here's a rug for you to consider...

Very fuzzy, not TOO much white, and 209 dollars.

I'll keep going...

ETA shows currently out of stock for that, but you can be notified when it comes back in...they should honor the coupon price...

This one, to me, feels like the Marah Rug...

Link, sorry, uncooperative laptop..

https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-shaggy-trellis/Ivory/200OZST01A-P.html

I love the look of your post ideas. Does your DIY skills include sewing or embroidery? I think the like curtians with the line of red from one of the anthropology links would be easy to replicate DIY in any accent color you choose. Another theme from the pictures that would be easy to incorporate is some plants with hanging down(string of pearls, or spider plants on those ledges could work. But first . . . Another option for tv center would be a low long dresser. We picked up a vintage mid-centry dresser at a used furniture store for cheap. We couldn't even come close to making something for the same price.

Totally get it about the t.v. and being happy with it even if it aesthetically isn't the right size.

Looking at grover's photoshop, I think the t.v. looks more appropriately sized on the brick wall. I have to think it's also much more comfortable to watch it from that distance. The wall you have it on -- the t.v. dwarfs it. It also makes me nervous as it looks like someone could knock into it easily as they pass through. And looks too close no matter where you are sitting on the sectional. Distance for viewing a t.v. that size is much better if the t.v. is on the brick wall, I suspect. But I don't know the dimensions of your room and photographs can be deceiving.

Maybe relocate the chair in another room temporarily and move the t.v. to the brick wall, live with that for awhile to see if you like that arrangement better.

I'm not much of an expert so take my advice for what it's worth. I will be following as your room has potential and you are in good hands!

If you often have blankets on the sofas, it's nice to have something to keep them in. A tall basket would hold more than one blanket. Or a storage ottoman.

Love it Grover! That's what I was thinking. Can you also change the drapes? And put a sofa table in forefront there, with a pair of lamps? Could have a couple of baskets for the throw blankets.

I like the console #1 that blends in with the brick. But I'd do a lighter coffee table, like console #2. Then again I could change my mind if the drapes where lighter.

Jemma - you said you need blackouts. Is that because of t.v. glare? If you moved the t.v. to the brick wall you may have less glare? Or did you say for privacy? I don't think you need blackouts for privacy, but I don't know your neighbors :-)

I just happened upon these pretty little drapes...except they are sheer..

I thought I would pass them on to you anyway.

They're only 17 dollars a panel and you would need four.

Pier one and there's a coupon code for free shipping.

They reminded me of the Anthropologie paintings you liked. :)

I meant to comment on the curtains and forgot. I think the curtains you have are fine; there just aren't enough of them. If you got two more panels exactly the same, you'd have that problem solved. Curtains that are meant to close should be 2 1/2 - 3 times the width of the window.

I would describe your style as West Elm Does MCM : ) .

Don't forget that Urban Outfitters is owned by the same company as Anthro, and has a similar vibe for much less $$$. Here's what UO has for rugs and curtains,

https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/rugs-curtains

Should you be considering the console/buffet/media cabinet idea further, I found that the wood on "free" pallets simply wasn't worth the trouble to pick up. I like (and have used) fence pickets from Lowes. Still distressed and you can pick through them to get the straightest boards. Plus a six foot picket is three dollars.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Alta-Forest-Products-Common-5-8-in-x-5-1-2-in-x-6-ft-Actual-0-57-in-x-5-5-in-x-6-ft-Natural-Western-Red-Cedar-Fence-Picket/50333333?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA--LumberAndBuildingMaterials--WoodFence-_-50333333:Alta_Forest_Products&CAWELAID=&kpid=50333333&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=2516&k_clickID=d2f6824d-cc2e-4c43-abb4-5fd575a5b7a0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8O6kr-eH2gIV1LbACh2XJwY2EAQYASABEgIG9fD_BwE

Sand and stain gray and you're gtg.

(Just a tidbit of handy info to keep in the back of your head)

following

I also like these for your living room: ....I just love the Ikea Frosta "stool", but with your talents, you could do this to give you one or two extra tables (this will stop your room looking too rustic, I think)....plus 15 dollars :)

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ikea-frosta-tablet-side-table-hack-165167

Okay, I've talked too much, :)

ETA: If you got curtains in the solid color of your inspiration room, it would give you "look" of the painted accent wall....(I don't think you can paint any walls, right?)

What is everyone's thoughts on doing a 'light' white wash on the brick wall to brighten up the space? Like mix 1:2 white primer to water and white washing that brick?

Not fully painting the brick, but just brightening it... i think the way it works is more white ends up in the grout lines soaked up so it makes the brick more bright and the room feel 'calmer'?

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-whitewash-brick/

Bob Villa how to whitewash

I like the brick the way it is. Especially if the TV ends up in front of it, the TV will blend better with the darker brick. The rest of the room is light and it has a good window.

What do you mean by keeping your x-frame table? I don't see one in your pictures.

I would also love to see new pictures of your existing room with these changes: remove bookshelves and chair, move TV and cabinet to fireplace wall, remove all items from fireplace wall. Remove blankets, pillow and items from coffee table for the picture.

intelinside1 - I don't think our landlords would let us change the brick, but we are quite happy with it as is. The floor in the kitchen and the strip of floor along the brick wall is also brick.

pennydesign - I love your ideas! Those rugs are great - I think I really like the shaggy trellis rug! I like the idea of the FROSTA stool-come-table, and I could even paint it in a fun color to add a pop!

Allison - The DIY drapery is definitely an option. I am proficient with sewing in a straight line, and what I can't do my mom can. :) Great thinking! Awesome dresser, btw. I'm keeping my eye out on Craigslist.

Jennifer M. - Strangely, the TV distance right now is just fine (we both sit at the back of the sofa), but would be great on the brick wall, too (and less glare). Genius idea about trying the arrangement out for a few days. I realized this morning that convincing my SO to move the chair out of the room will be more difficult that I thought. Maybe if everyone on the internet agrees it's too crowded...

I suppose we don't need blackout curtains as much now as we did when we bought them. Privacy is important, though. Our window faces a residential street, and being near a high school and a bus stop, we have a lot of pedestrian traffic. It's also been important for the glare, but, as you say, if we move the TV that won't be much of an issue (I hope).

partim - We do have a basket that is overflowing with blankets. I've just counted and in our living room alone we have 9 blankets. Yikes. I don't even like all of them, they just have sentimental value. Here's the basket, minus 5 blankets.

And here's the room minus the knick knacks. I'm not moving the chair or TV yet for my partner's sake.

The x-frame table is below the clock. This also shows just how much room there is behind the sectional. Should I move the sofa back a foot or so?

groveraxle - You are quite talented! It's so helpful to see everything in the room - especially the rug! You're right about the curtains. That explains why I always feel like there are gaps on the sides!

beckysharp - Excellent point about UO - I'm looking through the link now. They have a lot of great stuff! Is anyone out there a rug expert? I'm too indecisive.

Helllooo Mr. Pugsley!!!!???

Do you think you could do us all a huge, and temporarily move the chair out and put the tv where the chair is? We would like to see what it looks like..and we need your muscle to do so...

'kthnx,

Penny.

Is your partner against moving the chair out and the TV in front of the fireplace?

You don't have too much room behind the sofa. A spacious entrance is good. I wouldn't move the sectional back. I would restyle the x frame table a bit. Stand the records upright - use a heavy bookend to keep them up. I'd remove any decor items on top of it. Maybe add a shallow bowl for keys etc.

The little cacti look cute in the small window. I don't like the 2 pictures separated by the small windows. I think the windows are enough there. I'd hang those pictures elsewhere side by side, or one above the other on a smaller wall such as over the X frame table. Then move the clock to where your TV is currently.

He wants to keep the chair in the living room because apparently, when we have 4 people, he doesn't want all of them on the sectional (that has 5 generously-sized seats). He said he's not opposed to moving it back and forth when we have said company, though, to be fair, the chair is a pain to get through the doorways.

Consider something like these to give your room the feeling of an accent wall, without painting.

If this...is still your inspiration room

Coral and gray is a lovely color combination.

Glad you can sew, a little. Pillow covers are so easy and cheap to make (I can't believe the cost of some of the ready made covers I see online)...

If your partner is OK with moving it back and forth when you have company, then I'd move it out of the room.

pennydesign - I'm liking those curtains! I think my SO might think it's too much coral, but maybe something like these with it as an accent? Of course the couch would cover the fun part on these :( .

I've talked my partner into trying the TV against the brick wall (success!) this week. We'll do it sometime this week or next weekend as I go back to work tomorrow. I'll post pictures when it's moved. :) Thank you again for all of the continued help!

If I see any others that might work besides those you picked out, which are lovely, I'll just throw them your way.

Look forward to seeing the tv over there...

Love your little plants.

Don't work too hard.

I wondered if you might consider doing painting dropcloths as curtains...

I think it might give you the look you like, and add some texture and privacy.

I will add, though, that you would need to bleach them as the color they are (like putty) will make your room lean too rustic (that's just my opinion, though...if you like them as-is, that's great).

http://ourhandcraftedlife.com/no-sew-bleached-drop-cloth-curtains/

I just love the look for your living room.

If you wanted to add a little something, you could do a line or two of trim on the cheap and they would look like the curtains you posted as one of your likes above...

Bonus: Sometimes, you don't even have to sew the dropcloths to fit!

Instadrape....

For your flowers/birds love...I was thinking a piece of fabric stretched over a wooden frame makes for lovely wall decor...you could diy the fabric or buy online...this one is 25 dollars from etsy but cheaper is available, too. There are loads.

Anyway...Just a couple of budget ideas for you to consider...

:)

Also...I was wondering if you would be open to dying your gray chair? I think a navy blue dye should cover and would look lovely...

We have the sofa in this line..World Market, right?, so it's a slipcover. I know from experience how badly these fade and that they're not available any more.

Just another thought.

I'll shut up again now so I don't keep bumping needlessly.

:)

pennydesign - loving the drop cloth curtains! Great texture and price point! My dad has some spare white IKEA curtains that I'm going to try briefly to see if white will work with the white walls, and then I'll look into embellishments if needed. Excellent find!

You're definitely right about the World Market chair. It is fading horribly. If we ever put the chair out in the open again I will have to consider dying the slipcover. Another wonderful idea!

We have a few pieces of art that we never got around to framing or hanging, so hopefully we won't have to buy anymore, but the idea of framing fabric is a cool idea. I've also seen people do it with whimsical wallpaper samples.

The TV has moved!

Blank white wall waiting for art. Would a slim console table (this size with shelf) work here or where the bookcases are currently? It would be nice to have a designated spot to charge my laptop.

And our kitchen armchair! It will stay there until I hear from the SO that the TV is good where it's at. The sooner the better, though I am enjoying a comfy place to sit while I wait for things to cook.

And yes, I know that the knick knacks are back on the brick shelves. They'll move eventually, but for now I'm too tired to find another spot for them.

Any further suggestions?

If you're going to build a console, I'd have it go all the way to the wall and get rid of the end table there. Put that lamp or a taller one on the right to help balance the TV. Since you are losing a chair, perhaps you could build a console that's open under the TV to allow you to slide a stool or a couple of poufs.

Something like this:

56''media base : Otello Collection, Furniture manufacturer contemporary -- HUPPÉ · More Info

Big improvement! I like the TV on the brick wall. Next step, remove all the stuff on the brick shelves, and move the bookshelf to another room. I'd leave the bookshelf wall bare except for wall art, since it's the pinch point in the circulation path.

It looks SOOOOO much better, yes use coral for an accent color. Look for art with that color in it and pop the couch with a few patterned pillows and a dab of coral.

RUG

Just my opinion...I think the tv needs to go down further just a little....maybe 12 inches is all.

I would also move the sofa further away from the TV a bit to visually "uncrowd" the passageway to the kitchen. I might consider switching the bookcase and x table/clock...Maybe you could use the x-table for your laptop and stuff.
OR it's pretty easy to clear a shelf on the bookcase and use that as your "desk shelf" (run a cord behind the shelves and cut a hole in the back at the bottom so you can leave a cord available without plugging/unplugging.

Angle the chair into the kitchen...It invites people to sit and chat while you cook. Colorful pillow on there, too, but rug first...(after a real good floor scrub! Stove and fireplace areas.. especially walkways...are rotten for keeping clean. Maybe some kind of sealer is needed? Anyway, been there with the floors, and a sealer makes a thousand percent difference in dirt not sticking :))

Here's some of the art that I already have (the map is massive). Should any of it go on the blank white wall? I think that this wall is now the most daunting thing to me. I'm not an expert on hanging art at all, and clearly I have completely random pieces.

Oh I kind of am in love with the posh peacock...

I like all these pieces. How large is the wall, and how large are the art pieces?

The map, including the frame, is about 45" x 62".

The "Fowl with Pearls" print is framed in a "fancy" gold frame with a navy and white mat. It's about 26.5" x 32.5" (with frame).

The Washington print is supposedly about 11"x17" according to the site it came from, but honestly I haven't seen it in 3 years and thought it was bigger. No frame yet. Frame and matting ideas?

Harry Potter is also not framed, about 20"x30". Frame and matting ideas?

Wall is about 179", but about 20" of that is going into the carpeted hall leading to the bedroom (see the third photo I posted in my first ever comment, on the right of the room). I would say about 159" then.

I would use the map, just because it is the largest and will fill the big wall best. Another one could go to the left of the window in the dining room. And I'd use another one instead of the clock, because these have much more personality and oomph than the clock. (I'm not a fan of big clocks as decor.)

That is awesome, groveraxle! Thank you for the visual!!! I'll have to go on a frame hunt after school today.

We've narrowed it down to a few rugs. We eschewed light colors and shag due to practicality (much to my chagrin).

In no particular order:
Chroma Tribal Cartouche Medallion Rug

Chroma Tribal Tree Of Paradise Medallion Rug

Tunis Sevana Tribal Accented Diamonds Rug

Albina Streaked Trellis Rug

Any opinions? I've hit a wall.

Quite a departure from what you initially wanted!

I can't do what grover does, but this might give you a visual with your brick and sofas...

Not sure I like the third one...it looks too pink with your brick.

I think the trick here, in your room, is to make sure the rug doesn't add to the "country" or "lodge" look...(Unless you want that, but I don't think you do.)

I think I may need to call it quits on the rug search. I don't think that the right rug in my price range exists.

Of course it does! Don't quit!

Lets just focus on a main color...now what color do you want it to be? Most colors go with gray. So you just have your brick to deal with. So (for me only) that would mean no pink tones.

Show a couple of expensive rugs that you love...we can probably help you find a good dupe, or at least one that "feels" similar...

I like the Tribal Tree of Paradise, but in the orange version, not the pink one you linked to. Goes better with your brick.