Yeah, with that many pillows, I don't feel invited to sit!

You should be able to make a room feel like home even with dark couches. Get some art that pulls in a bit of blue along with the neutrals (and that you like). Add some end tables with lamps, maybe a light patterned throw rug to leaven the solids here, and a coffee table that fits some subset of the adjectives that you identify with. That should go a long way toward making it feel homey. You'll get used to it.

Thanks. I took the pillows back. I just didnt have a new pic. Ill be using the room daily. It will be the girls room/mammas den. We designated the living room the boys room/man cave.

I love all of these ennd tables individually. Can any work together?

Existing

Or this?

I think i would look for recycled furniture pieces. The are warm and rather indestructible. A faux fur throw for each end of sofa for blocking any basement chill. A couple lamps and a couple accent chairs. I would make it for the boys!! I can’t imagine a man’s cave working on main floor.

Thanks. Both rooms are on the main floor. Its a ranch style. Where would i put accent chairs when I have couch loveseat chair/ottomon?

Sorry Jaclyn, I didn’t see the other photos before i posted. Here is one concept for you. Not a great mock up because I don’t have a clean photo. If you could remove the pillows and extra items then i could do mock ups of items you post for you. I am confident this room can be improved toward your goals.

Is this room open to another room -- dining room w/table in bottom left hand corner of your second pic?

A to scale drawing of the room w/size/shape of the room and locations and sizes of doors and windows indicated would help (graph paper, straight edge/ruler, #2 pencil)

Is the cedar chest an antique? Have you considered using it as a coffee table? and/or changing out the legs for wheels intended for heavy tool boxes?

Your lamps wouldn't necessarily need to match if your lamp shades do.

If you'll pull your sofa away from the window a bit, you could add a sofa table on which to set some decorative flower pots and your favorite plants.

If you like metal accessories such as plant stands, you might also consider black ones rather than a lot of brass or plated brass. RustOleum black spray paint can turn a thrift store find into a treasure (w/RustOleum Rust Reformer base after a bit of sanding away any loose rust as needed). I repainted a base and replaced the top of one w/a vintage cutting board. A basic solid wood bar stool can work for a plant stand, too.

I prefer the vertical blinds to the roll up/down shades.

You might reconsider your style choice for end tables and/or coffee table and see if you can find some w/storage that you like. A two drawer filing cabinet (or w/third shallow top drawer) could be worth considering for end tables.

You can actually paint that sofa. Try fusion mineral paint. Not sure if you are a diyer but look up videos on you tube. You can make it more "you"

i should clarify. i had a typo above. this is the first room you see when you walk into my house. i was standing by the front door when i took the picture. so this is like the main living room. the boys have the bonus room.

@flo Mangan, thank you for taking the time to do a mock-up. I like where you are going with this. Here is a clean picture. Sorry it's so dark. I took it last night and there is no lighting in the room yet.

@suezbell, the table that you are seeing is my old dining room table. I'm using it as a temporary TV stand because I got a new dining room table. It won't be there for long.

The cedar chest is an antique. it was my grandmas. i would love to use it as a coffee table but the back of it is made to go against a wall or bed. this is first room you see when you walk in the house.

i tried putting my entry table behind the sofa but it isnt talll enough. everything i put on there was partially cut off because the sofa was so much taller. i do like your idea of a sofa table....just need to get a taller one. for now, the entry table is on the wall next to the chair because i dont have an entry wall. however, the front door /entry way is to the right of it.

thanks for the tips about plant stands. i'll look into the the rustoleum

@georgia maria, i'm definitely going to check this out. thanks!

here is the 3rd side table that i love. just wondering if i can make it work somehow.

Just a thought: given that a) This is the first room one sees upon entering your house b) you have plans for gendered gathering spaces c) you hate this furniture and it doesn't represent your preferences at all...

Why don't you just give the dark leathery furniture to the boys (who universally love dark leathery furniture) and furnish your room in the style that best represents YOU??

I have had surprisingly good luck with slipcovering couches off amazon -- I used Churnyl the 2 piece. They have really improved. Different colors and patterns.

As for the cedar chest, a much-loved antique can find a place in any home. I would position it in front of a sofa as a coffee table with the back toward the sofa. It will be close to the sofa so the back will be all but invisible. And it will be a conversation piece in real life just like it is here on Houzz!

Sure is a lot of heavy furniture for a relatively small space. Are you sure you need it all in this room? I have to do some design work with a client today but will see what i can do later tonite.

@lindsey, they have our older/huge/dark grey sectional in their. it's must better suited for a man cave and lounging around watching the game, etc. eventually i give this away and buy one i love but it's not in the budget at the moment. also, good idea about turning the cedar chest the other way. i was going to put it in my room... we just moved in...and it's pretty heavy so it just hasn't happened yet. it glossy cherry wood so not sure how it would look in here unless i refinish it.

@churnyl, thanks for the tip. i'll check out the imporved slip covered.

@flo mangan the tv stand (table) is temporary until i get a new one but i'll definately need a tv stand of some sort. the entry table can go. i'm just bummed i wont have one cuz i love decorating them for the seasons, etc. id like to keep the couch, loveseat, and chair because we have tons of family over all the time and ample seating is a must. i agree that it's a lot of heavy furniture for one room. ideally i would have picked something completely different. thanks for your help!

I will answer your question about the end tables...I like the open metal one and I like the last one you pictured best. The second one, not so much. I have our bonus (TV) furnished with navy leather furniture and it gets lots of use....and easy to keep looking nice. My house has light walls and darker furniture so I like your room also..

Thanks Erin. I was leaning towards those two as well. I just wasn't sure if they would work together. i appreciate you sharing your experience with your navy leather furniture. don't get me wrong, i do like navy... just dont feel like it goes with my color scheme so it's a struggle to make it work. but maybe it doesnt have to . also, the style just seems a bit dated to me so hard to mesh with the look im going for. again, thanks for sharing

Is selling the furniture an option? Maybe you could get enough for it to get a pretty sofa. Or you could sell just the loveseat and chair to get one pretty accent chair. You might even find something that someone else has grown tired of that moves you closer to your desired look.

Trust me, I do understand the need to stick to a budget. But I don't see any usefulness in trying to buy little bits and pieces to make this work when it is the exact opposite of where you want to head. That's not good use of your money.

You love the console, that is obvious. It sounds like it brings you joy and a sense of something to look forward to each season. Better to sell Grandma's chair for $15 and keep the piece that gives you joy! Paint it a lighter colour if you want. Take one or two pieces of the huge blue set out of the room and replace with a chair you love and skip the side tables for now. Move the console to the long wall on the left in the first photo, where I suppose a TV might go otherwise. Now your room has a focal point. Center a sofa across from the console. 'With the cedar chest as the coffee table. Place the new chair by the window. Now your room is opened up and starting to show your personality. That would be my strategy anyway.

Small wire like tables won’t visually stand up to the heavy furniture. I would rearrange furniture before any other items are added. Put the sofa on long wall and love seat in front of windows. This will open things up. Put TV on console on short wall facing long sofa. A nice tripod floor lamp in corner of two pieces of furniture for height and night lighting. No end tables. A nesting pair of coffee tables will serve both sofas and nit take up too much room plus white surfaces (i will post tables) will lighten and be adoptable to your look down the road. Start there.

Possible coffee table(s).

Target has upped their home goods and this is amazing lamp for $75.

First, isn't it nice us stuff for free. Sous family members to give us stuff for free. Second, I don't think it is bad in fact I think you have a lot of nice elements even the sofa set, the end tables - love the gold, the mirror.

I didn't read all the comments but how do I put this diplomatically. The pillows aren't bad at all on their own but they don't really work here at all - too many too much. Right now you have some great stuff but they have been presented in a way that makes them compliementary and complementary.

I also am poor so I apologize to all you real designers and knowledgeable people of which I am a nobody. I took some weekend classes and love style and art and have done some theatre work - set decorating and stuff so I am not like most of you who seem to know a lot.

But I a a pragmatist money doesn't grow on trees.

it is a basement and that has some stereotypical challenges. I like the mirror but it needs to be higher try to emphasis the decent height or create height and light in the basement (you even have a window - bonus! some a few mirrors even rectangle to emphasize height and reflect light is nice - good choice with that on the end table. Paint - I am thinking even going with your love or like of turquoise/teal say white, grey and black with accents of turqupoise/teal - think area rug, knicknacks and a blanket A few sheep skin warms up the place and some nice floor lamps for texture in the room and light. Ikea use sell these very heavy paper (not the cheap rice paper ones) that were off white and very 'crinkly. Clean, Asian minimalist/mid century mod look. You should be able to blend gold and silver metal since you have both probably. I honestly think those pillows together and that many are an eyesore - kind of an interior design faux pas or malfunction. Some abstract art on the walls that draw the eye upward would be nice. Some wicker type baskets for storage of blankets or whatever will give a more warm look too (along with the sheepskin.Try to give the place a finished look that is YOU! And enjoy!

Buy a couch cover. Put trunk if can near entry & hang mirror above it. Nice end tables.

I do recommend looking at Target. You can really stretch your budget there these days. Pier 1 and World Market have some nice nesting tables as well. West Elm has a great set, but they are more expensive.

Here are the West Elm ones i saw. Super sale price for these tables that can work now and in the future! Build for the future!

Super neat for a two sofa set up like you will have.

If you can try my suggestions for rearranging furniture, you will have more room at the front door for a possible small drop zone with some type of table possibly. The longer sofa on the far wall is a much better look in a smaller room as well. Any thoughts? Oh, I think you might be able to angle in the chair and ottoman if we relocate that chest and wood TV stand? But some measurements and sketch of the room, and I can do a scale drawing for you and make sure and save you pushing stuff around!

Your room needs some softness. Vertical blinds are for offices. Nice cheap drape panels will help alot....https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/tapestry-floral-grommet-top-curtain-panels-pair/product/78229?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid%20search&utm_campaign=pla&sourceid=7SPFGPLA&gclid=CjwKCAjwu5veBRBBEiwAFTqDwZvS4jiD9rfc9_jl4vUM5nYrJdmaKop1tZAP1p2HimhXvOMToCVH9BoCutAQAvD_BwE Might need 2 pair, it comes in Navy, Blue or this tone Natural, which I thought warms up the space a bit. ....Course you might prefer a trellis design, but with the solid color surfaces and gold accents, I thought this one looked very nice, and the blue/gray in it is brought out by the couch, too.... Lovely space! and with some touches, you will come to enjoy the freebie furniture and make it your own..

https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/watercolor-floral-lined-grommet-top-panel/product/76349 Another print you might enjoy looking at . 3 variety's of colors also. Anything watercolor, is very pleasant to live with........

I have used my grandmother's cedar chest as a coffee table in my family room. The unfinished side faces away from the main viewpoint. In our case the unfinished side faces the fireplace. Needs to have a runner or coasters or something.

Like this.

Also ....

won't. put it on the curb with the vertical blinds

If you are DIY inclined, you could make a basic bookcase for behind your sofa to be the height and width you want. Check You Tube "how to" videos to see if you think this is an option you want to try.

Also, you might check used stuff stores -- Habitat for Humanity, consignment stores, charity sponsored, thrift stores, Goodwill -- for used pieces in fairly good condition and/or that you could paint, if not black or white, then another color you're choosing for your room.

Would keep the blinds. Even if you add drapes, you could choose drapes w/a valance on the rod between the panels to cover the top of the vertical blinds and open them all the way to behind the drape panels during the day but close the blinds at night rather than closing the drapes.

I would like to remove vertical blinds but im not allowed to becbecause its a rental. Also cacant hahang bblindbblinds or paint. For some reason the house phone app wants to double up my words every time I try typing. Please forgive all the errors it is acting really weird. Because of this I will reply to the rest of the comments tomorrow but I wanted to post a picture of the wall that you don't see in the other view. I have thought about putting the couch on the long wall but did not because I thought that right when you walk into the house you will see

TV. And I did not want it I TV to be the first thing you see

The back of your cedar chest doesn't look that bad in the pic. Would use it. Face the front toward your sofa. Perhaps you could let the back be a "divider" between your seating area and the walk path between the front door and the next room.

pic from other angle

left of chair. cant really turn chair to an angle cuz its so big

i worked on this today using wayfairs app. thoughts?

Nice job. I had the room turned around so i see the orientation now. Thanks for the additional photos.

A lot of those pieces have Moroccan inspiration. The shapes in the accessories that you've brought in all work together well (the rug, poof, gold side table, and wood table work with each other), however I don't really like that with your house. Personally I view furniture as existing to A. be functional of course, but B. accentuate or compliment the architecture of a building. It's like after you put your whole outfit together, you choose earrings to compliment the rest of your outfit. If it were me, I'd stick to more traditional furnishings like your home (it seems traditional, am I wrong?).

That makes sense. However im renting and will be buying a home in. a year or 2. Id lilike to have pieces i love cuz i dont like how his home looks at all. Traditional just isnt us. We love to travel. Love boho . My goal was to make the room more me cuz i hate the house and dont like ththe

In that case, I like the rug, wood table, poof, and side table together. I am not sure if the dining chairs are your style/go with your proposed furnishings. I would get one item at a time, just fyi. Start with layout and then rug. lighting is going to be very important as well. the color of the lights will need to best compliment your fabrics and other colors in the room. forgetting about perfecting lighting and the lamps can really make a room feel off

it bothers me how the room seems to be blocked if one is entering from the entrance door. the single chair kinda blocks the way, does it not?

I agree with J D’s last comment. After seeing your foyer, I see that you do have an entry table. Can it be flipped to the opposite wall ? Also,
removing the table as you enter the room in question, it will definitely open up the space.
I think you did a GREAT job with the mock up.
Just one additional...... keep looking for a large basket ....even in thrift stores, to place all of your puffy pillows when not in use. I can appreciate that the girls love them.

Thanks for the feedback. My grandma ggave me the table well. I am going to strip it this weekend and restain it. I don't know exactly what color but more of a natural wood tone rather than shiny honey oak. I also plan on replacing the chairs eventually. I'm going to replace them with something more my style. But in the meantime they're just there for the function. I'm totally open to moving the entry table. I tried putting it behind my sofa but wasn't quite tall enough because everything I placed on top of it disappeared. I also agree that the chair is awkward and blocks the flow of the entry. Just not sure where else to put it. I know aesthetically it's not the best but we have lots of family over on a weekly basis so the seating is important at this time. Eventually I'll buy my own couch set. But for the meantime this is just going to have to work.

I haven't had time to read all the responses but I hope you are having fun. I do suggest you do a few things as things can easily get out of control. 1. Decide what are your main goals with this room - use and overall vibe you want. 2. Set a budget and include/consider what things you have for free - talent, skill , labour, recycle things etc. 3. Work WITH what you have and not against. Try to take the positives and use them well - okay and minimize the negatives. You certainly have some very nice pieces - end tables and I appreciate granny's sofa set may not be totally you BUT it is far better than some orlon print from the 1970's with cowboys, flowers or whatever. I do feel that the way the mirror and thigns were your room was a bit "bottom" heavy and you need things to ligthen up especially since the darker sofa set is not your fave color so add things that lighten up the space. I think the boho chic is great but you have to think. For example a fabric piece on top of the cedar chest might tight in colors but if you aren't careful it has that university this is what my parents gave me from their basement. So even some glass ware that is spray painted ie vases or bowl for the chest as a bright modern vibe might help. A cool light fixture might be nice - mid century modern like a Sputnik or globe. Like I mentioned before a basket or two will warm up the look and as one poster said be great for pillows. A great throw would work or two to maybe lighten things up. Faux fur? I agree window treatments even fake ones will make the place look more like a home. I would be tempted to encourage you to do a palletes of blue actually and white/cream. Though I considerate you wanted boho chic. I think with boho chic the key might be not simply to have white/cream accents but blend or even have contrast of sky blue / medium blue, cobalt, pale blue etc. a fabulous painting even a DIY - different widths of shades of blue leading to white/ off white. The furniture is farily flexible. It could go Cape Cod/nautical or fairly modern with chrome, or mid century modern with teak, gold and some additional pieces - though the cedar chest might need accessories to help blend the look. Let's be truthful generally the places that are perfectly coordinated -not necessarily matchy matchy but slicly put together and have that designer or designed look also don't generally look very homey. Even in "wealthy" homes there is usually something that seems a bit out of place - because we are human and sometimes transcending our "look" ie mid century modern, super moden, contemporary, French Country, minimalism there is a piece we can't part with that may not super go well. That's fine. You have to live there! Enjoy

the only thing i can really think of to improve the overall layout involves moving the tv, and thats probably not worth it to you since you are planning on leaving soon.

so if you want your grandmas table to be seen, but not be in the way like it is now, you could do this: use her table as the tv console and then use the other table either A. behind the couch (its taller than your grandmas table so it might work there and be tall enough) or B. in the dining room under the artwork.

I read all several times....I’ll bet you are sorry you asked!!!
Your layout is the best considering this is not a permanent address. I would suggest, however, that you hang the mirror over gmom’s table......
Not Too High!! Eye level to it’s center. Do the same with the art piece on the window wall...it is too HIGH.