Beverly nailed it! Listen to her. I was wondering why you had a rouge side table next to the ottoman, it was just overkill. Beautiful room and home, just needs a few tweaks!

You have lovely taste and with a few things eliminated (well quite a few) it will look even better.

Too bad they put the patio door on the right, instead of the left, you could pull the sofa back a little. In fact, you could still do it, as long as you don't need access to the outside (say in the Winter). Don't know where you live.

following

When the question is “To declutter or not?” the answer is pretty much always going to be YES!

For window treatment, my plan was to save up and do really tall curtains because of the height of the ceilings. Also below are pictures giving you an idea of the whole room and flow into other areas.

It might be easier if i tell you what i am going for before

I don’t have any kids or pets. I would like to go for a staged look. I don’t spend a lot of time in my living areas unless i have a get together. I don’t want it to be completely devoid of personality and warmth. I want it to be comfortable but elegant but at the same time, look lived in.

So some of the pieces are really personal to me. Like the African figurines. They remind me of my childhood when i grey up in Nigeria and had to fetch water everyday. So i would like to keep that if possible.

This is where i spend most of my time when I’m home. Either my bedroom or home office.....

So I’ve started to remove items. Apart from the window treatments, i really would rather not buy anything new as i am currently having work done on my backyard and that budget is strained.

I did order blinds... 2 inch faux woods from JCP but I’m dreading them installing because i love the open windows

I think you’ve been pretty successful with “the staged look”. But I (and I suspect most of the other posters) much prefer the aspects of your room that are personal and interesting (ie NOT staged). Like those African figurines!

Ok so i will remove the place settings at the island.

I’ve removed the side table by the ottoman and put the Chrystal vases away.

I have also moved the silver vases to my formal dining area.

I’ll take pictures and you can tell me to keep going. Let’s remove layer at a time. Let me get some pics

Okay, what do you think so far? Before and after

Lyare you are being a very good sport about this-- your home is really beautiful and you have done a great job with it. The tweaking is the hard part, but I can so relate to having more "stuff" than maybe can be displayed optimally.

I struggle with this as I am not usually one to have tons of things but we do tend to accumulate and attract things that are meaningful to us.

I think the console/buffet looks good, like it belongs. I agree that thee was too much on the top of it (under the tv) but I think the bowls or whatever it is in the cabinetry glass looks very nice and tasteful.

Not sure if you saw but I m curious as to the dimensions of the console and the tv particularly the height of the console . It looks like the TV is at a good height for viewing. EDITING as I see you just posted before and after. The console looks so much better with less on the top, and the hearth as well looks better with only the one thing not two. As I said, you are being a good sport.

Brought the painting down. The guy who mounted my tv was supposed to hide the wire behind the walk but he never came back to finish the job

Once again you have lovely taste. Suggestions:

Move the elephant pillows (from bedroom) to your office on the sofa.

Do you need a chair pad to make your office chair move more easily?

Remove the fake flowers out of the vase, and just use the empty vase.

The extra side table from the living room might look better between the 2 chairs

instead of the glassed top one.

This is where we are right now. What do you think?

MUch better! Take another look at Beverly's picture. Still some fake flowers that are not helping your room. The TV should be lowered for sure.

Move the sofa away from the windows...just about 6 or 8 inches.

Please don't put curtains on the upper windows. Let me show you some pictures of what you don't want to do.

There are shades or blinds if you need light control on the upper windows. Someone with more knowledge of those will give you some tips. I just know that curtains are not the way to handle the upper windows.

I think you're almost there. Lose any plants that are fake.

Hang the painting 5" above the mantel, then allow your figurines to stand in front of it on the sides. Don't be afraid to overlap stuff; it connects them and reads as a single vignette.

All of the statues and pillars and fake plants were at odds with your cool ethnic accents. You did the right thing.

Now we are seeing your personality...and I love love love all the light in your space.

Nigeria. You've just unleashed a monster. My coffee table is a Senufo bed, my table runner a Kuba cloth skirt, and my mantel art was painted by a young man from Togo and has a Yoruba crown sitting beside it. I am in love with African art.

So I've replaced your boring vase with a Bwa plank mask on a stand. I also fixed your mantel.

P.S. The little dots of red in the room are just the right touch of spice.

It seems to me that people who mount their tvs always mount them too high. I think you've made great progress decluttering. It looks much better.

Did you run out of red X's?

You’ve made great progress. I can see your lovely and interesting collections now, no clutter!

I think mdln just left me with the sectional lmbooooooooooo

k9arlene, this mount was done by Best Buy lol

Lyare, maybe mdin wants you to buy a whole bunch of red x's and sprinkle them around the room...?

A couple more spots of red and a Senufo stool for an end table:

Your room is fantastic: beautiful light, airy, beautifully presented. Are those plants behind the sofa? The look a little short for that particular spot in the room. However, they are a great idea. If it were me, I think I'd want a tall, live, indoor tree right in the corner between the rows of windows. It'll add something less tidily shaped than what you have in the rest of the room, go nicely with the outdoor/inside features of the room, and pick out the woodsy, natural, table bases.

And really, those bar stools remind me a little bit of African drums (the stringing on the sides of West African talking drums are like those woven legs); I can almost hear the sounds....

Now that you've removed the clutter and you're down to meaningful essentials, the room is starting to come alive! The sounds, the shapes, the feel, the textures..... Yep, a significant tree....

So to make sure I’m on the right page, one red pillow, coffee table, a red glass sculpture, raise the painting on the mantle 5 inches above and let the figurines overlap, then order a senufo stool and use or as a side table.

I do prefer this as an end table. It’s not native to my land but it’s a milk stool used by Tanzanians (the hehes)

But as i mentioned early, i really don’t have the budget to buy anything more in this room and those tables are usually about 600 a piece.

following...

You’re making amazing progress! The only other little thing that bugs me, is that I think there is too much repetition of that pillow/throw fabric. Eliminating one or two of those in favour of something else coordinating but different would be better

Lyare, the room is shaping right up. Let's do the free and cheap stuff first. Do the mantel, remove that big vase of fake flowers, add a red pillow on the sofa, put a red candle on the tray.

For a bit more variety, you could replace the side table with this Bamileke-style table from World Market for under $200. When budget allows, find a tall, stunning African artifact to replace the fake flowers.

You have a beautiful home and lovely things. The matching throw and pillows are discordant to me. Pillow should be made from a different type fabric that a throw... the throw reminds me of extra pillow fabric draped over the ottoman. Do you have a softer looking one you could use?

Do you have any suggestions for the throw? I’m going to AT HOME today for the red pillow and candle and so i can look at throws but need to know what color you’re thinking

I would get something soft and textural in cream or beige... but I have a preference for neutral, maybe you'd prefer something brighter? Like a chunky knit or faux fur.

You are all amazing! Great work everybody. What a team.

It looks very nice! Your personality is shining through! Has anyone suggested removing the chandelier? It looks like it should be over a breakfast table or something. Also, agree on the TV needing to be lowered by about 8-10".

There is supposed to be a breakfast area behind that i did not need. I’m eventually gonna remove the lighting and cap it off

Not recommending , as I am not a pro. Just made me think of your room.

lyare l, good job of editing. You have great taste, and you are very brave. What is your favorite color? While I like red, it's been done. You can use any color with your black and white - turquoise, purple, rust, etc.

ps: Don't hide those windows. They make the room!

This is a very, very inviting room and has been from the start!! Although I definitely think it is getting better. I can see why you spend alot of time here.

For me--the only thing not dealt with is the vases at the base of the fireplace. The fireplace is really beautiful and doesnt need those vases IMO,

But overall I liked the room when I first saw it (and it is not even my preferred style). I just think it is nicely done.

With no kids or pets, the heirloom crystal vases are easier to place, if you still want one or two out. I like them on a bathroom counter if there is space with something in it, for example.

My grandmother collected "American Brilliant" cut glass and I have quite a bit. It's more versatile than one would think and changes personality based on the contents. If you display them empty, you need proper lighting to make them look good.

Thank you so much Houzz family!!!! I took most of the advice i received here and seriously decluttered. I love this space so much more. I doesn’t feel cluttered like it used to.

From the bottom of my house, thank you!!!

Looks really nice. The answer (generally) is fewer things that are larger in scale.

You have a lovely home.

It looks great!