Hello! I actually love the way the piano looks and what you have so far. Maybe add some color to the walls?

We were going to suggest the same thing Jeannie! An accent wall would make this room even better!

Piano appears to be on an exterior wall which is not good for their health. I'd prefer to see it on the stairwell wall. The toys look like your kids are old enough to play in their own rooms, bringing a few items to the public area of your home and returning them to their place after play. A storage bench for a few family board games and books, and small play items would be great, and it looks like you may already have one in front of the window. Love the two reading chairs and would move them to the present piano wall with a nice bookcase between them. Style it with 1/3 books, 1/3 decor items and 1/3 open space.

What color would you recommend for this room. I LOVE how rooms with one wall "wall papered" look. It might be too much for this wall, because of the pattern on chairs?

Hmmm....This is our multipurpose room. The kids have some toys in their bedrooms, mainly books and bedroom furniture, as I am a true believer those rooms should not be cluttered with toys and mainly be for relaxations/sleeping. I LOVE hearing the interaction between the kids while they play - they're children for such a short period of their lives that I am not willing to get rid of their toys from this room as of yet :)

Will play around and try to move the piano to the staircase wall, although that's where we thought about putting the built ins. I've thought about moving it there before, so I'm excited to see how it would look like.

where is the Arhaus bookcase that you are referring to?

oops, here is the bookcase and the other side of clutter :)

LOVE the suggestions. I've always liked the under staircase storage, in our case, there is staircase leading to the basement underneath the staircase going upstairs. The colors of the chairs are blue, touch of green, gray and brown (some of my friends said they see orange in them too - I don't :))?

I can picture the silver wall paper, that would look really great! Do you think this will be a trend, or something that will stick around for a while?

Oh, and one more question, what color could I add into this mix to make this room less masculine? Is the lamp next to the chairs okay? Or different style?

Silver is a classic color and is very versatile, especially if you only put it on one wall. I think it'll last you a long time. :)

Would you be willing to paint the wood on the fish tank a black and then distress the edges? It seems out of place as is.

I think a soft, sunny yellow would add a pretty feminine touch to the room. You can also make the different rooms of your main level flow with this one by adding aqua and yellow accents to the other rooms as well--not much, just a touch. :)

Moving the piano is a smart move. You can use the wall space for a lovely piece of artwork, wall decal, or a funky storage area (like the one I attached before). Also, I would take similar curtains to the aqua ones on the other wall and add them to the two windows to add color to that wall.

I think you need different lamp shades, if not completely different floor lamps. Something To create better balance in the room, I'd suggest adding a table lamp to the table between the armchairs and moving the floor lamp behind the left arm chair to a different area. The one by the fish task would benefit greatly if painted a bright color, like aqua, and had the current shade replaced with something more feminine and bright--white linen would work.

A few more ideas:

Might be fun to wallpaper that stairwell wall as a backdrop for the piano.

decoenthusiaste - that's what I was thinking too! Would you wall paper just that wall or the wall going up the stairs too?

B.L. Rieke CHB - thanks so much for the ideas and pictures. Great inspiration! Unfortunately the lamp by the fish tank is on it's last leg (s) :) The fish tank will get repainted like you suggested - will probably move it out of the room once we decide on the bookcases. What do you mean by the balance in the room? Sorry, I'm new to the deco terminology :) Taller lamp? I've been trying to find a taller lamp, it seems that most of them come in 60in heights.

I LOVE the idea of adding yellow, don't you think it would clash with my grays, and blues, greens and the silver if I do the wall paper?

Thanks so much for the lovely ideas everyone!

It looks like more than anything you need to think about function first. If you think you'd like to organize ar hide any of the things in the room, go for a bookcase or low storage cabinet. A light biscuit color with a blue tinted ceiling would be cool.

@ Jeffrey Brooks Interior Design - Yes! I do want to be able to hide toys/games when needed. Would you leave the bench by the window - a realtor friend of mine said that it closes in the room, making it appear smaller when the bench is under the window?

OH, no! It closes in the room???

If the lamps on its last leg, then that grants you a great opportunity to find one perfect for your room. :)

By balance, I mean that there's a big lamp and piano in one corner, and nothing in the other corner (except for the tiny picture). All of the focus is drawn to one corner (and one chair) instead of the "big picture." To make a truly great space, the attention drawn needs to be spaced more evenly (not perfectly), that way the whole space can be appreciated.

Height is a factor, but definitely not the most important one on a floor lamp (the height of the one you have now is appropriately proportioned with the height of your arm chair). The shade size and girth of the stand itself are more important--different combos of each convey different styles. If you want something taller without the hassle of seaching for one with perfect height, you could stick a couple of askewed decorative hardcover books underneath the base. Of course if you have dogs who like to chew on things, that may not be the best alternative.

Anyways, a good way to balance the floor lamp, you could add a piece of artwork or a decal to the wall behind the right chair. Also, because perfect balance isn't what you want persay, you could add artwork to both sides. The purpose of adding something to the right corner is to at least draw some attention to that part of the room. :)

Yellow, when paired with cool-toned colors like silver, blue, and green, adds pops of contrasting color, making the room more cheery and stylishly art deco. It's a great way to add dimension and "life" to a evenly toned (i.e. all cool tones) area. I've attached some pictures below to help you visualize this effect.

And Jeffrey is correct--first you need to get your organization figured out before the room can start really coming together design-wise.

@B.L. Rieke - thank you so much! I wonder where I could get the lamps like the ones you posted - really LOVE them all! Yes, for the storage the IKEA bins won't do anymore :) I am wrestling with idea of a built in (what color?) with either doors or drawers on the bottom or the Arhous cabinets. This room gets tons of day light, but in the evening it's only the floor lamp and the light on the ceiling fan (really harsh).

Again, I appreciate the generous comments and ideas - thank you!

You can find a variety of quality, stylish lamps anywhere from Macy's and Nebraska Furniture Mart to online stores to antique shops. For large chains, go online and see what they have. If you want a less expensive vintage product or something that you can spruce up yourself (via a new coat of paint, new shade, etc.), try visiting some of your local antique shops--you might be surprised by what you find!

Here are some resources as examples:

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/uttermost-table-lamp-pratella?ID=682728&cm_mmc=Google_DMA_Home_Lighting_PLA-_-PLA+Home+Product+ID+-+Lighting_682728-_-32285128184_-_-_mkwid_uTe4HReO|d{device}_32285128184%7C-%7CuTe4HReO

http://www.build.com/uttermost-28877-distressed-burt-yellow-pratella-burnt-yellow-floor-lamp/p2106804?source=gg-gba-pla_2106804____31741909519&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!!!43372717519!g!!31741909519!&gclid=CJfS6Z2lyLgCFUlp7AodVUsAVQ

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/silver-baroque-giclee-4-light-floor-lamp__84019-87827.html

A built in would be more expensive, but would definitely leave more open space--if you can afford it and can find a great contractor to do the work, go for it. If you go this route, drawers are often better for toys. Also, I'd recommend a black or dark brown stain with distressed edges to provide contrast with your light walls. Would also recommend painting your walls (not your trim) a bit darker neutral other than what you currently have, such as heather grey or even a powder blue--they're softer on the eyes and better for a more relaxing sitting area.

Have you considered replacing the fan?

Finally back from a mini vacation :) Thank you, thank you for the links - the lamps are ordered. And, yes, we are replacing the fan - where is this one from? I looked at Home Depot - couldn't really find anything that resembles this. I still would like to wallpaper the piano wall. I've never handles wall paper - is it hard to put up/remove?

Welcome back!

Which lamps did you decide on? Also, the ceiling fan is located here (and its on clearance!): http://www.lampsplus.com/products/52-inch-casa-optima-silver-baroque-ceiling-fan__86646-89810-44803-j5458.html

As for hanging wallpaper, it can be difficult the first time around. Mistakes are very hard to fix if you're not careful. Overall, you have to be very precise and very thorough during all stages of the process to hang it correctly via DIY. At least you're only doing an accent wall! Here's a good site with helpful hints and the step-by-step process with visuals: http://www.wallpaperdirect.com/how-to-hang-wallpaper.php

I have done my share of putting up and taking down wallpaper. I basically told my husband if I ever get that notion again to just shoot me! LOL

pearlmelba.......you made me chuckle! You described it all sooooo well!!!

Thank you for the link! What a great deal! Hmmm, maybe I should stick to stencils? The "piano wall" is 2 story high - yeah, maybe I'm aiming too high with the wall paper idea :) - I will definitely practice on my powder room though, which is another room in need of work :)

That is a honkin' wall to think of wallpapering....not sure you could do it alone, no matter how talented. Thinking about the paper and lining it up on a ladder, well, heeby jeebies!!! Stenciling is a challenge, too, that high. I always hated papering behind the toilet in powder rooms!!! Sorry to be such a downer here. I just did not know the room was that high....went back and looked and now I see that!

@abbyjean - This room will be painted by a pro painter - with my fear of heights, there's no way I'd be able to paint this room on my own :) Although, you know, I have this bottle of wine I've been waiting to try :) J

@pearlmlba - I'm not much into following trends, but for whatever reason, I really like the wallpaper look, but I will save it for the powder room, which is 5x5 :)

Oh, @ B.L. Rieke - yellow lamps, one of each :) - too matchy matchy ? I can't seem to find anything more perfect than what you suggested.

May I suggest that wine for before, during AND after???

Abby I like how you think. Everything goes better with wine.

It just runs all over the place......I can SMELL it right now even!!! We're talking paste here, not wine! :)

Lol

@abbyjean where did you get the wall paint?

OK, maybe I did start Happy Hour with some of that wine, but why can't I figure out what wall paint you mean, mylespd?

Terribly sorry haha, I'm new to terms relating to decor

Wall Paper?

Please do not be sorry....just having fun here. If you are new to decor and wall treatments, I am SURE wall paper does sound funny! BUT it is just that......patterned paper that gets glued to the wall instead of painting the wall.

Hmmm, since this is a discussion I started, can we please go back to discussing my room or wine ? Food for thought - if you don't have anything nice/creative/constructive to say - don't say it at all. Peace!

I'm genuinely excited to see how those lamps will liven up your space! And no, definitely not too matchy-matchy. You need to have some semblance of flow in a room and using lamps are a great way to do it!

Also, what's the consensus on the walls? Most professional painting companies will offer a wallpapering service too, so don't give up on the wallpaper if you love it! You can watch them paint and hang the wallpaper with a glass of wine in hand (sounds good, yes?).