Here are the rest of the photos. Oh yeah... planning on sheets instead of the blinds which are broken and a drapery panel on each end.

Sheers not sheets

And will be looking for an area rug

I would move the sofa in front of the window and the tv to the wall where the sofa is. Bring the smaller chair to where the TV currently is. Down the road maybe get rid of the carpet and go with hardwood or laminate and a large rug (you might be able to do a rug now over carpet depending on the pile). Definitely go with curtains that add more color.

@spencerlewis. I can’t put the sofa in front of the window. We did that before and sun damaged the sofa. It’s too hot for that position

The tv where the sofa is would reflect the window.

An area rug would be perfect to hide the flooring. 8x10.

I think the room is 16x20.

Houzzers might not like long range plans? I will post progress pics.

If I can get bits and pieces working it gives me encouragement to work towards the goal.

I can paint. The wall colour isn’t working.

I can sew. The end table cover isnt working. It seems too yellowish.

I can diy. I have done the bookshelves.

I am thrifty. I watch sales and garage sales.

The couch is a cool grey. The wall is warm grey. How to fix? Paint the walls navy? Or a white/cream? I prefer neutral rooms with spots of colour. I want a calm comfortable reading room.

Mid century modern I like as well as traditional. Not into knickknacks and stuff other than pillows.

This has been such a hot summer hasn't it?

Have you thought about getting some sort of peel on coating for your living room windows? Check out Lowes and Home Depot.

That might solve a couple of your problems.

It might make the living room less hot, and by reducing the sunlight into the room, make the paint color on the wall look less green.

It will also reduce discoloration of your furniture.

Please do this very soon, or your new sofa will change colors very quickly, and the sides will be different and the front.

If it works very well, it might even allow a different placement of your sofa.

@loonbab. One of my favorite places is sitting on the couch looking outside. Not twisting because my back is to the window.

Need sheers and drapes. I have always hated blinds. These are broken and cannot be opened completely.

Need to work with existing ... with a picture in mind of the style/colour of chairs to look for and save up for... to repaint the walls but what colour... to sew end table cover but what types of fabric... and what style/colour of area rug to watch for. I am patient mostly because of a lack of immediate funds.

The brown chair is too massive in that corner.
More art hung at eye level to an average-height adult will help liven up the room.
Try arranging the books with some stacked on their sides and some standing vertically for a little more interesting look.

@felizlady. Definitely that brown chair is too big. The two prints on either side of the fireplace I would have liked to hang side by side above the couch but they are different sizes... just enough to look odd but the fireplace spacing seems ok. I hope.

What do you think about a picture rail behind the couch for assorted sizes of family pics?

We live without furniture in dining room for 2 years and no sofa in living room for a year. As you can tell, I would rather live without furniture that doesn't work then with place holders. Your new couch is very nice, but I can't see it because of that skirted side table that doesn't belong with that couch. Also chair huge and another one don't know it it will work. Start by removing everything extra. Find best furniture placement before rug or anything else...

@sofilbr. What kind of end table would you suggest? I can definitely remove the round end table.

You know those decorating magazine that post a pic of the most expensive lovely item and then post pics of medium priced and lesser priced items with an almost similar design. That’s what I am aiming for. Show me the best and I can look for something similiar.

Why doesn’t the skirted table work? There is nothing that would change it for the better?

Awesome comment!! Thank you!!
I have been thinking ever since we brought in the couch that the wall needs to go cream. Nice to have confirmation.

Navy on the green rocker is what I was thinking too but thought it might be too bold. And no skirt? The original had one. But that was long before the 60’s and 70’s

Am getting excited instead of frustrated.

I think navy would be very nice. Every room needs some contrast. But to test the idea, put a navy throw blanket on the chair instead of the patterned one and leave it for a few weeks. That will give you enough time to see it in many lighting conditions and to get used the idea.

@jenniferk. I turned the patterned blanket over to its blue side and know navy is the right direction. Going to get a quote and then save up!! The chair while old is very comfortable.

If you live near a major metro area here are places to look; warehouses that sell used hotel / office furniture, and the usual Salvation Army / Goodwill / etc. Yes, furniture and upholstered pieces will smell of smoke and may very well be scarred...but, with effort, these issues can be overcome. Remember to bargain, the price asked is not set in stone. Almost everyone here had to "start somewhere" and it's a kick to hear someone compliment a piece you "re-imagined".

@chiflipper. My favorite places are thrift, consignment and “junk”. Can find some classy stuff there. Now that I have some ideas of what to look for...

Linda, go to those thrift stores! Many large churches have stores affiliated with them

IMO the shelves beside the fireplace have totally taken away from the great MCM vib eof the sofa , Way too much clutter on those shelves the skirt on the table is from another era , maybe think about the style you like before doing anything else . Too many different directions are just confusing for you and for us. I think the TV is taking up a huge a mount of space and IMO the sofa in front of the window with a proper console for the TV and the TV wall mounted on that large wall with some display and storage would have been a better idea than the fireplace shelves. Besta from Ikea is an awesome system for creating TV storag and display all on one wall. There are literally 100s of ways of putting the pieces together to make it look custom these are just a couple.

@patriciacolwellconsulting. The fireplace is huge and dominates this 13x16 room. I don’t like it. We don’t use it. When we moved in, the shelves on the right side of the fireplace left an unbalanced look to my eye. Last week I painted over the brass screen with black.

The left side of the fireplace was an opening to the family room on the other side. I closed the opening to give more quiet to the living room. Now I can watch tv if I don’t want to watch sports on the other side.

I kind of like symmetry so I built the left side shelves last week. I do intend on styling the shelves and will have to google and research that job. I am a voracious reader and will try to downsize my favourites.

We do like mid century modern but will mix it up with what we have and what we find. I am excited to save for reupholstering the green rocker to a navy fabric and better seat cushion, and to find a mid century vibe for a reading chair.

The skirted table has likely had its day and usefulness over the past 20 years. Thanks for confirming it’s from another era. I thought perhaps there might be a creative way to make it work. Maybe I will sew up a subtle navy skirt in the meantime? I can always use the fabric later in a quilt.

I appreciate all the comments. Thank you.

If you really need to keep the skirted table, try a short, inverted box-pleat skirt for a tailored look. And let her legs show.

Also, since you don't like the fireplace, paint it the same colour and gloss as your bookcases. That will help it all read as a unit and will lessen the impact of the fireplace.

Linda, your comment about how the fireplace dominates your room reminds me of my own fireplace dilemma. I purchased a house with a wood-burning fireplace and a huge surround. It was outdated and dominated the space, limiting how the room could be used. We live in a place where there are only a handful of days when one would consider making a fire and typically those are no-burn days for air quality reasons. The fireplace really just functioned as a big hole in the house, letting in both cold and hot air. For several years I considered various options for improving it, most of which would have required big expense for something we didn’t need or want. We finally decided to remove the fireplace, then drywall over the opening. Best decision ever. The change expanded our options for how to use the space as well as making the room temperature more comfortable. Have fun making your room just the way you like it!