By the way, this will be the formal area, if that makes a difference.
Also open to suggestions on what new piece to get or remove from here.
And excuse the mess; we moved in recently.

Facing the window and chairs on the other side good luck with your new home

Face the window. That color looks awesome on the wall color, too. Do not block your entrance area....use it to welcome people instead. Looks like it will work with your tv viewing, too. The two white chairs can sit in front of the window, and still work there and not obstruct the view. Put the colored chair to the right of the couch, angled right toward the tv. SMASHING piece of art over the couch!!! Patterned panels for the window area.

You've got a real mixture of styles here. You say you're willing to trade in or out. I think the marron/red chair and matching ottoman doesn't really match the rest of the furniture. Are you willing to swap that out? What sort of style do you favour? Looks like modern to me but maybe I'm misunderstanding.

Hi Acaba. I agree with Abbyjean above. The intense red of the sofa, chair and ottoman (are they all the same colour? not sure) will need to be broken up a bit with throw cushions, but I suggest you pick your art first for clues about the colours etc that would work. The art itself will help determine the style of the room as a whole. Get something you love, love, love. And I hope the doodad on which the TV perches is temporary -- it doesn't fit well with the rest. I think you need a more solid-looking piece there, which would also balance the chest of drawers you have on the right side. I hope you're going to have fun styling that, eventually.

Anthip, Rina;
TV stand and chest of drawers will definitely go.
I am also considering re-uphostering the sofa and the armchair+ottoman in a softer color; so tired of the red;
Would painting the wood on the armchair a glossy white or black help modernify?

Abbyjean, I was thinking artwork above the fireplace and a large mirror on the wall behind the sofa.
Do you think that will work, too?

You could consider a glossy black or white for the wood; I'm not sure it would modernify much as it's their shape that dates them. But wonders have been done with paint and the right modern upholstery on old-fashioned chairs. Just don't do it before you find an upholstery fabric you love -- and a softer colour would change the whole visual direction and weight of the room. It could also make more sense of combining those pieces with the small white chairs and address the style confusion Anthip mentions. The choice of that fabric is crucial, together of course with a work of art that will 'speak to' the new upholstery. You might consider a different fabric for the ottoman? Plain for the sofa and armchair, pattern for the ottoman?

What is your taste in art, by the way? Modern, traditional, abstract, serious, romantic, playful? So much choice!

abstract for the art, definitely.

Great. The little white chairs are looking better and better with that in mind. So I'm imagining a neutral or near-neutral for the chair and sofa, and for the ottoman a pattern that picks up on that as well as one or more colours from the art with a bit of white? And then, quite possibly, white for the chair and ottoman wood. I know I'm moving away from your original question about placement, but I can't help myself.

No, no, Rina; I am liking this; do move away from the original Q.

Is the sofa top quality? Is it worth reupholstering? I think the chair could be modernised with paint and a modern fabric (see photo of a chair we have treated in this way). You would need to really ham it up and make it a quirky feature though. Play up the fact that you're modernizing an old piece-be obvious about it. I think the sofa is still very traditional-the curved arms mean it doesn't really match up with the white chairs. Can you afford a new sofa? Otherwise I'd suggest slip covering this one until you can. Reupholstering is a costly business.

Thanks, Acaba. And wow, Anthip. Now that is a chair. I've been looking at art and upholstery sites and came up with this much, much more conservative selection -- just as examples of playing with the three elements of seats, ottoman and art. But for the record, the fabrics come from fabricguru.com and the art is Painted Ponies by Frances Merino on fineartamerica.com. The plain fabric is a bit greener than I thought it was, but close enough to an almost neutral for now. The other colour is me taking the liberty of repainting your walls. Now if I don't go and do something that has nothing to do with being online I'm going to feel very, very guilty by the end of the day.

Chemayne,
I love those rugs. Along similar lines, I was looking at this one from West Elm.
The white chairs are actually part of the dining set; they could be here perm or temp, depending on which way we go. If I remove them, what kind of pieces would you suggest instead? 2 new sofas across each other or sofa+2 armchairs?

Oh, wow Antnip, that is some chair! Not sure if I could be that bold, but will consider the unexpected. I am trying to manage with the pieces we already have; I suppose I could afford a new sofa, especially if re-upholstery will cost almost as much as a new one.

Rina, I like the art; not so much the fabric. I think I will steer clear from reds and browns as I have lived with such colors almost all my life!

Okay I'm still online because I've got bills to pay. :( I was going to say that looking at the lovely rug you're considering, scrap my colour choices.

Great space! I would start with a gorgeous rug to ground the furniture. I love this glass coffee table. Art that brings the gray and red together. I like the sofa facing the FP- this is the focal point of the room. A sofa table behind it would really look nice as well. I would put the two white chairs in front of the window with a simple white table between. This does not block the view. Then add a fun accent pillow to them for punch. The red chair on the white wall with a floor lamp. A soft curtain so the light is not blocked in the room.

Hi again. Okay -- now I'm thinking go with your instinct on your rug, or the ones previously suggested. I love some of Kelly's suggestions but if you are dumping the red that changes things. I would consider taking the grey from the rug you choose, make it darker to a level you're comfortable with, and use that for the couch and chair . A tweedish texture would be nice. That leaves you free to pick almost any colour you fancy for the ottoman, patterned or plain. I'm still not sure that painting the wood on the chair will work, but a very high gloss white is worth trying unless you want to change it for another (get expert advice on what paint to use). Then you can choose your art with the grey, white and ottoman colour in mind. I'd fancy something a bit wild in the way of a painting (a nod to the tiger stripes?), but if you prefer more austerity, a large monochrome black/grey/white work could be stunning. Of course, those can be wild too.

PS I'm too tired to reread comments above. Has anyone started talking about window treatments yet?

I suggested a gray sheer, but it seems she may be changing her colors completely.....

I was thinking plain white semi-sheer linen for drapes; there will be no privacy or light management issue in this room. I like the gray sheers Kelly suggested, but if I go for a grayish sofa etc., will there be too much gray? Not sure if clear form the pix; the walls are gray, too: BM Collingwood.

Hey acaba, love the furniture. I think maybe art above the chairs? If you like abstract, check out the iPad app called ARTtwo50...it lets you take a picture of your space and see art virtually hanging on your wall. It's all originals (so no ikea prints) and you can see how pieces will look exactly in your space. I've found a lot of big bold abstracts that I love, and for 250$ for an original oil painting, I have bought two. Hope this helps!