Hi Secluded. I love your art, but I would rather see it stand as a statement piece. Spreading the bright orange around the room is not helping. It risks looking a little like a Caribbean carnival. That intensity of orange needs grounding with deeper, earthier tones if you want to use them in this space. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you want this colour combo in your elegant living room:

Your ottoman is large and a very bold colour, in stark contrast to the rest of your furnishings. On top of that, it is a slick leather. The shine makes it even bolder. If you want to keep it this space, I recommend you bring in more pale greens, teals, and mint shades to soften it. Texture like the wool blanket will also help. So will accessories for the ottoman. I prefer the first tray you had. You need large accessories. (The new tray is too small.) Add books and a solid bouquet of flowers. They will help break up the green and the shine. They will also add texture, life, whimsy and a little personality.

At the RISK of repetition : ) Wicked has this exactly right. You are far too hung up on a limited palette The room is fairly screaming for some deeper brown tones. some pattern....some deep warmth. No more orange please. I don't love the tray, sorry. In fact, just go to Barnes and Noble and the sale tables. Buy some big wonderful coffee table books. They need not MATCH anything. But a bowl on a stack or three.Jeeeesh. Really, just get past the tray concept entirely.

At some point, if you don't loosen up, become less fixated on this match thing, all you will get is a stilted room. I don't thing you want that : )

The magic of books.

I'm with Wicked on this.

I'm with Wicked and the pillows are still driving me nuts .............

The flatness makes me want to reach IN and shake the place..UP : )

SHAKE , SHAKE RATTLE SHAKE : ) The teal in the art and in combo with ottoman is already PLENTY

Deepen/warm things a bit...bring the rug tone UP into couch and chairs. ...AND DEEPEN the tones.You will have a far richer and more inviting space.

Fact is, you need NO oatmeal pillow, and NO teal unless limited into/within the pattern and deeper in tone.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/686612378/moroccan-ikat-throw-pillow-cover-brown?gpla=1&gao=1&utm_campaign=shopping_us_ThePillowSpot_sfc_osa&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_custom1=0&utm_content=7090473&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuefvBRDXARIsAFEOQ9HyXm-hMuzU09TSBRFp0gIDjyFtKC4VoByNRa86kaNq9txDRuqeq5saAjOREALw_wcB

I hate to bring up the owner’s desires (tongue pushing cheek out) but the ideas above have been suggested all along but the owners like their look. So if they change their minds, your input might be absorbed.

Alas..............true : ) It's just that often, despite what someone may be asking........they don't realize what they should be asking. Like I said....alas LOL

Which means it may not really be all about the tray. Alas, yet again ?!

Lol!

That is so funny.

No kidding!

Hilarious! A bit too true!

Secluded,

Please take another picture,. EMPTY the chairs and the sofa, and remove the throws. Someone talented here...........? Photo shop as I suggested. Please?

Secluded,

I think the reason the PROs aren’t leaving you alone is because you are so close to something wonderful.

You have a beautiful home, certainly above average and on the cusp of something wonderful; a magazine worthy space.

BUT, it is not there yet. A few simple additions/subtractions to create visual depth and texture would pull it up to that classic, inspirational, wonderfully pleasing, level of design and comfort. Then you would have a world class home in which to be truly proud.

One that is a reflection of your intelligence and good taste.

I hate to say this, but now it looks a bit like a Wayfair room. And I say this as a former PRO in the design world.

Ditto Ulisdone, Jan Moyer, wicked white, Flo, and all previous. Here's my 2 cents because I have been where you are (though not near as much money and less formally). What's going on is that you have a well designed family room. Great classic layout, furniture, storage, wall color. People are saying stiff and too staged but it seems you want a more formal style with beautiful art and objets d'art, just not too many. Your home has transitional elements, look this up on Houzz stories. Beige (neutral) with bits of color like the paintings. Foundation, powder, colored chapstick, and small gold posts with a low ponytail--a solid look to go to work or to the store.

What we are reacting to is, now it is time to continue decorating. This is the bells and whistles--pillows, throws, objets. This is eye makeup, blush, jewelry, lipstick. Because someone designed your room well, it will be hard to mess it up with decorations, especially if they mean something to you, just not too many. Instead of the glass wall art, what about a saying written by you in calligraphy, and framed? A couple of framed family pics in the built in or on the sofa table would be nice. Your ottoman and tray setup can stand on its own if y'all eat there, or put thing you use as previously suggested.

The pillow and color suggestions were great! Pillows/accessories don't have to cost a lot. The patterns also don't have to be exact if the colors are in there. My trick: get a bunch of pillow cases or scarves and drape them over your pillows to see what looks good, you can always use or return them. Take your time with this, relax, have fun! Remember: the room is still designed well.

Hi Secluded. I hope we haven’t scared you away. We are truly only trying to help. Such a lovely space. You have done such a great job already! It only needs a few tweaks in my opinion Jan’s idea of warming up the accessories and bringing up the rug colour is a good one. Here are some ideas where the art is the star against a neutral backdrop. Only echoed ever so slightly through accessories. Notice also in the last one how the accessories are not a perfect colour match to the art... Yet they support it and help bridge it to the rest of the space.

We scared her away, because she is still fixated on the MATCH : ) The very thing that is "killing" the room. The room that could be 100% sensational. : )

Or....she's out Xmas shopping and lost her car in the mall parking lot.

I'm afraid she is out buying more pillows to put on furniture. :-)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>This is to all of us especially Jan Moyer: I can remember not that long ago (joke--70s to 80s) when "decorating" really was all about the custom pinch pleat drapes, flowered, that had to match the couches and chairs. Or the curtains matched the pillows and rug exactly. When everyone had tons of fake plants and apparently waxed each leaf with mayonnaise once a week. When "you don't break the set!" When you wouldn't dare mix styles or colors. When even a real flower arrangement had to match or people talked about you. When everything in the room was chosen because it matched. If people had any personality in their homes they felt bad because they could not afford a decorator. Decorating has really come a long way baby! Rules are relaxed and it is just as much about making a home for the owner.

It is a personal love for me, a child of bronze short shag matted carpet, olive green chenille paisley sofa and chairs in plastic, and the plastic mirror and wall candle sconces the same color as the carpet. [And pinched pleat custom drapes in bone white because...they quit making the olive green fabric! And...the dusty fake fern in a basket in every room. The one I watered when I was little and got a whipping for!]

Can't wait to see what you do with it Secluded. Happy Decorating to All, and to All, a Good Night!

Whoever mentioned a candy jar in this thread, I bought a glass one at the dollar store and filled it with candy. When my granddaughter came over she told me that the candy jar made my house look cuter. LOL.

Love kids perspective!!! Makes me smile!

Kids are the best ! Twenty odd years ago, I was finishing an install for a client. Her daughters ( five and six ) came home from ballet lessons as I drove the last nail in a picture hook.

"Mommy! Our house is OOOH LA LA !"

Better than anything mom could ever say .: )

I bet she is running around with last minute shopping and meal preps. I can’t believe believe Christmas is on,y three days away! I myself am off to yoga before the last minute crazed shopping.
Secluded... here are a couple more ideas for pondering when you finally settle down for a cup of tea when the madness ends! Love these bookcases. Notice the layers of texture. Think touch and feel... not colour or pattern. I would bring in more gold, metallic and some rough, organic textures. The articulated sconces are a nice touch. I would also think about about replacing your chair in front of the fireplace with some statement stools. Love the lines on these. The hide is a great touch too. Adds texture.

Here’s a wider view of that living room. The touches of black really help punctuate the space.

Secluded you have a fantastic space. It’s the matching pillows, throws and decor on each side of the fireplace that are tripping you up. Shake it up a bit and find pillows/throws that have bits of teal or orange but not the whole thing. If you make any changes please update, I have been following this thread since the beginning.

Get rid of the orange throws. They are too jarring in your lovely serene room.

Yes, those AND the teal pillows which are too repetitious. : ) But it isn't gonna happen. That is because, what the op is not grasping , is that all colors all have their best "medium " within a room, and they have their limitations.

The orange in the painting? Fabulous. The second you repeat it exactly in the throw, you dilute the fabulous, and cheapen the room. The teal ottoman, already a repeat of the art......? No more necessary, and a deeper tone if at all. What's missing? The rich deep tone of the rugs. The texture.

In one sentence?

The missing deep tones "kill" the painting she loves so much. Dilutes it.

Jan, you are not wrong but badgering the OP is not doing anyone any good! (It’s a wonder pros have any clients at all if this is how they are treated.) Her pillow choice may not be how you would design the space, but she has them now. And she clearly spent a great deal of time and effort selecting them. Not everyone can see the end result you are pointing towards. How else can we get her to see the potential of her space? Can we show examples? Help bring the vision to life? Even better if we can work with what she already has. Perhaps once she gets a taste for the possibility, she will be open to changing existing pieces.

Jan Moyer....maybe you forgot that it was you who suggested to the OP to get orange throws.....

As to how your house is seen by...

You might add that after purchase, some times the buyers see it as a

White elephant.

Believe me, I would never treat a client with this level of distain. Not my personality for one thing but also it just isn’t helpful. Jan has great ideas but is quite unfiltered many times. Too bad because then good insights and recommendations don’t get considered. I can honestly say, none of my fellow designers around here behave in a rude manner at all. So it’s not all designers at all. Most of us bend over backwards to go above and beyond to make clients happy. Have faith! Merry Christmas!

Hello Secluded, happy New Year ! I would love to see any updates, maybe on a new thread ?

Thank you drblount10 for inquiring about want to see an up date. I didn’t get a notification that you all were writing on this string until today when I perused advice from you all.

I added to the room per advice as follows:

Texture; fur blankets for the back of the couch and I bought orange cashmere blankets to that I will change intermittently. Both textures and colors were suggested so I bought both to see which one looked best in the space, but I like them equally and I kept them. Today u see the fur.
Lighter color wood tray is new, but I’m not loving, so I kept looking and finally found an 16” organic root wood tray to buy. Wickedwhite it suggested long ago and I always loved the idea. See picture below. Hopefully you see the fur blankets on the back of the couch.

Lighting in built ins are new.

Looking good. Like your tray styling in kitchen. Your added texture was just the touch you needed. My only thought is for a larger tray on your ottoman. Maybe that’s the organic one you are considering? You could do 2 trays since the ottoman is nice and large. Just position them in opposite sections of the ottoman so more people can reach them if needed. Love your beautiful home!

I am happy to hear from you and very glad you are enjoying putting your own touches on this beautiful room! I do like the fur texture, by the way. Keep us posted!

Hi Secluded. So happy to see you making progress in your space! I love your new throws! They add exactly the kind of texture your space needs. I don’t recall recommending the ottoman tray you are considering. (I did recommend adding books though several times!) Books add warmth, personality and that lived in look. Your home is so beautiful. Love the bright airiness of the space. Beautiful windows, trim... furnishings. For me, what stands out is the ottoman. The colour is bold.. in stark contrast to the rest of your furnishings. The shiny leather only makes it more dominant. If it were my house, and budget allowed, I would replace it or recover it. (We all make mistakes and sometimes we just need to bite the bullet!) If that wasn’t doable, I would work to neutralize the ottoman by adding a very large square, light coloured tray (aim to cover at least 50% of the surface) and books to break up the heavy teal surface. I would then add a decorative box and a small plant or vase of solid coloured flowers. Keep the colours neutral. Let your art be the star and dominate the colour show.

I would rework the shelves along the lines of photos I posted earlier. And I would lose the little chair in front of the fireplace. (Style, colours and proportions do not fit the space.) Instead I would leave that space open or maybe try pretty fireplace tools, a basket of birch logs or some pretty sculpted stools.

Good morning Secluded. I was looking at your new pics again. Your chairs have beige pillows with a Greek key design, are these new or were they there before? They look snazzy and they have the texture idea Jan and other pros were talking about. If it were me, I would try swapping these for the plain beige pillows on the couches. Or see if you can find another beige pattern with contrast to swap for the plain ones on the couches. FYI I am in couch pillow limbo too because of my new place, so I can relate to taking your time.

On the tray, as long as it is big enough for what y'all need, I think you are ok with either the cherry or the raw wood.

Are the red wooden chairs staying in this room or do they normally live in another room? If they are staying, would you consider recovering them?

I hope you are also considering shopping through the house for meaningful items for the built-ins (photo albums, calligraphy items, family awards, magazines you like, art books, movies, items your husband may like). I would not mind seeing something turquoise and something orange to repeat your accent colors. Personally, I like your ottoman color.

I don't want to put too much of myself in your house, though. Please let us know when you have achieved a look that you like. You have a beautiful home, ready for your next cocktail party !

I've enjoyed perusing this thread--lots of fun. I, personally, love that kitty almost as much as she loves that chair!! To me, this room looks just beautiful. I understand what the pros are saying, I think. What do you like that makes you, you. I personally don't have a problem with that because I have TOO MUCH of that stuff around--things I just love, shells, wood, foxes, Indian artwork... LOL. I really loved the painting you did on the tray, by the way. To me, that reflected your own artistic side and I personally liked it a lot. Maybe some way to pull in the calligraphy that you mentioned you do.

Hi all, You all are so helpful. I’m going to answer questions, but to whom asked me I don’t recall as I sit here typing. I’ll do my best.

Wickedwhite, In the photo below is a large tray I can strie faux finish. Will u tell me the color tone? I’m open to buying a chair to flank the fireplace. I wish to keep a handy chair there! Will u show me a chair that gives the room the exuberance it needs? Sorry, I thought you sent a picture of an ottoman with a organic looking root wood tray that held a flower vase....I liked it a lot. I’ll not order the root wood tray at this time, k.

See the fabric memo with the squares, well, i considered that as a pillow for the couch instead of the teal polka dots. The paisley memo I liked as well, but I can’t remember the brand..it probably isn’t the right vibe anyhow. I had a really hard time finding colors matching my art, but as I read advice, I don’t need to, I just need colors that point to the art....something like that. FYI, see the teal leather memo? That’s my ottoman! I totally thought my ottoman was going to look darker, but the designer said she ordered the correct one. Hmmm.

Someone asked if the fireplace chair can be repurposed. Yes it can, I use them (I have a pair) during dinner parties so they can stay in the dining room.

Thank you someone for liking my cat. She, Gracie, is the sweetest thing. She’s a rescue, 2 yrs old they say. She really rescued me bc my other cat of 18 years past away and I was broken hearted.

The built ins. I do understand the design direction, balance, shapes and textures. I haven’t given it much more thought since the holidays, but I’ll pursue it again in May. Right now I’m in Bridal season...I’m a calligrapher. Plus, I’m in Spring semester of teaching Parenting Techniques up at the Federal Prison. In May my life comes back!

My design dilemma is the ottoman tray color and a chair for the fireplace area.

The blue dot fabric (on the chair arm) would look amazing on those chairs. It would give you color, texture, and interest without straying from your sophisticated design and looking too crazy.

Hi Secluded. I like the tone of the latest wood tray you found. The problem is the scale. 16” is far too small. You need something much larger. (The idea is to hide a fair amount of that shiny green leather, which in my opinion is in complete contrast to the rest of your room.) I would embrace the calm neutral vibe you have going on and let your art be the punctuation. Put the dining chair back in the dining room. The scale is all wrong here. I would replace the ottoman before purchasing any other furniture. Sometimes we make mistakes in life and we just have to bite the bullet and start again.

Hi all, Hope you all are well. I am.

Per request, here’s an decorating update as of today. I’m still playing with room, but I thought you’d want to chime in on what I’ve settled for so far.

The ottoman has been toned down from a dominant blue to a green tone. Because of a green tone, I found an opening to bring in the color chartreuse.

Chartreuse has been introduced on the shelves along with unsymmetrical design touches someone said to do. Someone said to shop in my house and that’s where I found the chartreuse ottomans. I’ll add photos and decorative elements to the shelves, but I have a question before I do....

Here’s my question Designers; what should I do with the open white built-in unit to the left of the shelves? The opening can be more shelving, doors can be added or rip it out. The cabinet man made a mistake by adding that. What should I do there? I thought about a lit long painting...to be exact, a painting in neutral colors as not to compete with the colorful big painting on the other wall.

The tray on the ottoman is back in play, sorry...the off white tray, was jarring. I’ve was shopping for pillow fabric up until we all sheltered in place.

I remain grateful for your design directions.

Such a really lovely room. The art is great, The accessories too. Lamps are perfect, but your ottoman had babies and they look nothing like the mother. Hmmmmm

Don't sweat what you place on the ottoman. Leave it bare until you bring out a tray for drinks and snacks. The color and the tufting is enough decoration by itself.

Lol, ottoman had babies, you’re funny! I’ve got to admit we love propping our feet up on them! What do you suggest instead of the twin babies? I am happy to place them back at the foot of the guest bed. Thank you!

Hi Secluded! Glad you and your family are well. I'm afraid I agree with Beverly about the little ottomans...but...

What about using 1 ottoman with 1 red chair, then upholstering the chair in a similar color fabric?

You could also use them on either side of the fireplace as benches, and repeat this new color in 1-2 pillows, a throw, and/or an accessory or 2.

Again, your base design is spot on, big ottoman included. On shopping in your house, I was thinking accessories, family albums, keepsakes. One thing about shopping in the home: it is free with an unlimited refund policy! Keep us posted.

Thank you for your help! To see samples of small ottomans I could buy online that will match the large ottoman, I’ll Post a new Design Dilemma for you and community, k. The Post headline will be “Need help finding 2 Sm ottomans to match Lg ottoman”.

Things are looking good. My only warning would be NOT to put real candles on the ottoman tray if that thought ever occurred to you. They are fine on the stable kitchen counter, but not on an ottoman which people could use as a footstool.

Oh my, I hope your advice is not from a fire experience you had. I won’t put candles on the ottoman, thank you!