I am also considering the earlier suggestion to finish the mantle off to the ceiling with a little crown bump out ... do you think the added height would help draw attention?

You could do that. But, I think adding a very tall plant/tree, then something simple above the tv would help.

How about something like this?

Ha ha just kidding

Re: focal points

Great Houzz article explains having two or even three focal points!

Hang on...trying to link.

Not having success. The title is:

Capture the Eye: How to Identify and Work With Focal Points

Not a fan of word art, but something that size would be good. Another consideration would be simple box pleats on the windows.

Haha, eschism. But the scale of that looks just right! I think it also looks fine just the way it is.

re: focal points and your framed tree art ...

Find in Houzz Stories: Capture the Eye: How to Identify and Work With Focal Points

(Sorry, i can’t seem to link it here.)

Back to earlier this a.m., I think...Kudos to your husband for hanging your new light fixture. It looks really nice. Well done!

Being an Aussie, I find the photos revealing a lifeless room. For me I would be adding bright patterned cushions, and a patterned rug. I know it is winter now in the States, but I find the dark accessories adds to blandness, even the dark fireplace is lost because it is so receded into the wall. For me the room requires lightness, via a muted contrasting colour, and a sense of being a ‘living’ room’. A beautiful bunch of flowers or so green leaves will bring life to the room.

Kbod ... I am with you and am just getting started here... definitely going to get more color going when I get the couches and the rug has been nagging at me That maybe it needs more color. One of the things that doesn’t show in photos at all is the view from the windows which run the whole wall through dining area and is colorful and lush In person. Phone pics just wash out the windows but In The daytime it is beautiful with birds all about. And much more colorful than the pics suggest although I totally agree I want to work in more color Inside. If you see the before picture I had very colorful walls for 15 years ... in fact when we moved in I said no white no beige no cream or ivory shall remain. Right now I am detoxing from color overload and trying to reset with a more neutral scheme and will add color back in carefully.

Lucky you with that gorgeous yard and beautiful windows!

I love your natural oak china cabinet. I wouldn’t paint, instead if you are finding in too dark, have the wood lightened by sanding and waxing. Painting covers the beautiful grain and value.

thanks for posting, you're brave! i would reconsider the "no sectional" mandate you've made for yourself. a sectional that tucks under the stair railing, and extends perpendicular to create a walkway between your living room and hallway could create a cozy space that allows you to spread out, and to open up those gorgeous windows. when i moved in, my home had an abundance of over-sized furniture -- every wall had a table or chair or couch against it. now i have fewer, more useful pieces, lots of light, and a flow created by strategic placement of furniture into the space itself, not just pushed against a wall. your gorgeous new greige walls, and all that light, might benefit from fewer, smaller-scale pieces of comfy furniture.

Hello eschism, hope you and the family are well. Any updates on your great room?

Yes I will be updating next week it has been a roller coaster ride since my original post. I ordered the couches in February 14 and decided while I waited for them it would be a good time to have my floors refinished. I’m a nutshell my “recommended” floor finisher with 20!years experience had a family issue and sent another crew and they did a horrible job. My contractor scheduled another crew to come redo them the following week and the day they were supposed to come our state went on lockdown and job was delayed. At this point I had had no stove and furniture and fridge was in the garage for 2 weeks. Moved stove and fridge back to wait out lockdown. Also got the call that my sofas were finished but due to lock down couldn’t be delivered. Finally may 1 I got the call sofas were coming and so re-rescheduled the floors, moved stove and fridge again and went back to the hotel for 4 days. At last on May 5 my floors were finished and on May 8 I got my new sofas. Since then I found a Rug I adore and decided to ditch the grey wool one I posted earlier. It worked great in another room though. The new one is a rusty orange hand made Persian I found on sale for 75% off. I spent more than I planned but it was exactly what I wanted ... something that would blend in with the hardwoods and warm things up in the room.

I also found this great Grey pouf to go next the fireplace instead of a chair since space is a little too small for a chair there it’s about 24x24x20 and I think the scale really works with the sofas.

Lastly I found these coffee tables at the Bernhardt outlet for about 85% off retail ($300 for both) I put the two together to make a large square. I love how the chrome stands out on the rust rug

1 am just trying to get a few pillows and accessories and then will post some photos of the room. Overall I am very happy with how it turned out Although I’m sure it won’t be everyone's cup of tea ha ha. The struggle is real in window treatments which are the last thing I have to figure out.

Sorry about your floors! I’ve had a similar nightmare in the past, and it resulted in replacing the floors! 😩 Can’t wait to see your new reveal!

Some inspiration for my room

Looks good.

You might consider a wheeled coffee table or a pair of smaller ones -- rounded corners so you don't end up with knee knocker corners -- giving you more easy placement options.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Industrial-metal-wood-Round-Coffee-Table_50014071180.html

https://www.wayfair.com/Union-Rustic--Brien-Wheel-Coffee-Table-with-Storage-X111323832-L441-K~W000212721.html?refid=GX433511748878-W000212721_861220631&device=c&ptid=902708007761&network=g&targetid=pla-902708007761&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=88323357&fdid=1817&PiID%5B%5D=861220631&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwr32BRD4ARIsAAJNf_1EJn8Rk8T5SJfBlSuVPY7X-4W67cu0i5y3BddiLRAg1yMnQ9gGzd8aAifoEALw_wcB

https://www.google.com/search?q=small+round+wheeled+coffee+tables&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk03IeABxTSNtzzjkEy5HBanf0ngLUw:1590715688119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAm53c9dfpAhW8l3IEHfAFCM0Q_AUoAnoECA0QBA&biw=1366&bih=654

Rolled-arm sofas may be more comfortable for lounging, but the arms take up excess room. Narrow-arm sofas with several pillows may work just as well without the bulk of the arms.

Waiting for room reveal...

Following.

Oh my! Sorry to hear about the ordeal, I can relate. Looks like you all managed to weather the storm. We can't wait to see it!

fabulous! love the feel of the room, the warmth. great job! does it make you smile?

Wowza! What a transformation. The wall color, the sofas, the coffee table, the stunning artwork, the symmetrical mirror and the disappearance of the ceiling fan...great job! You must be thrilled with the outcome. Enjoy!

Woohoo! Please post the bottom two photos again! I only saw the first two until I went back and looked again. I wouldn’t want anyone to miss this! What a transformation! Love new sofas, table, and the oar!

Thanks Dsimber I didn’t know you couldn’t see the new photos (love your name by the way I am a december baby!)

yes Theresa it really does make me smile! I learned a lot about myself and my style during this process. It was very frustrating at times and I doubted myself a lot but really couldnt be more pleased with the end result.

Beautiful. Congratulations.

what did you end up going with for window treatments?

thank you for sharing the end product.

Beautiful! It looks so clean and tranquil! Love the couches you picked!

Theresa I still have not decided on window treatments. My first thought is a simple shade in a medium grey kind of like my inspiration photo I posted earlier but I haven’t ruled out a simple cornice or some additional molding. here are few things I am thinking about. please feel free to offer any ideas!

I really like them just as is, but simple is the key. I think I like the simple shade idea over the cornice or the added molding. I think the shade feels more today than the cornice, but that's just me

The TV is much too high. Put it on a swing arm where the mirror is now. Put art above the fireplace.

Jbtanyderi, when I want art I just do this 😉

Love the new sofas (what a difference they make, right?) and the art above sofa. Is that a photo you blew up?

It’s beautiful! I love the rug. May I ask where you found it?

Great response! I need one of those TVs, too! 😉 In such a short time, you’ve asked questions, chosen carefully which advice you wanted to follow, and have arrived at this amazing result! Well done!

The sofas are perfect! Aren’t you pleased that you stayed with your vision rather than succumbing to the pressure to use a sectional?! You resolved every issue which, as I recall, started with the placement of the mirror that now provides balance and light.

I agree with Theresa about the simplest of solutions for your window treatments. You posted some great options. I am just so happy for you!

Posters late to the thread really need to read all of the exchange before posting. Or at least ask, rather than telling what “needs” to be done. A tv on a swing-arm would totally ruin what you have here. Your tv is perfect for the way you and your spouse use the room!

Does your daughter like the end result, also? I seem to recall that she didn’t want change?

Congratulations! Well done. It looks comfortable and fresh.

Becky, here’s the short version: I got it at a furniture store called Stickley and Audi.

heres the long version: when I started envisioning the room I wanted back in January a rust colored rug was at the top of my list. i went everywhere looking for one and just could never find the one I saw in my minds eye so I moved on and tried about 15 other rugs in the room finally getting the grey one I showed earlier in the post. but after having it down for a while I realized I just did not love it At all. in fact I had just given up on getting a rug and was going to keep bare hardwoods up until the stickler and Audi visit. they are a store I rarely go to since their stuff is mostly a little pricier than I’m willing to pay. But as luck would have it I decided to pop in to look for a coffee table and saw a beloved flash of rust all the way across the room. I hesitsted to go over just knowing it would be more than I could afford but my curiosity got the better of me. When I saw it I knew 100% it was the exact rug I had been searching for and as I expected the price was 😮. At this point the salesman had walked over and pointed out to me that all the in stock rugs were 75% off retail due to the fact that the store was moving away from the hand made Persian rugs and more to the machine made style and they were trying to clear these out. Now even at 75% off it was more than I ever imagined spending on a rug but I knew it was the rug I had been searching for. I asked if I could take it on approval and he agreed. When I put it down I knew I had to have it so l asked hubby what he thought figuring he would balk and he said he loved it and if it would keep him from having to drag any other rugs in and out of the house I could have it! Ha ha. he‘s the best! The hardest part was after getting it I had to put it away for 3 weeks since the floors were still curing So I’ve only had it down for a couple of days and absolutely love it! It jus gives me the coziest vibe!

Wow! Great transformation!

The “Best Answer” business I’m seeing at the top of threads is annoying! I wonder if we all see the same one. On this thread, I see a three-month old comment and images about a sectional. 😩

Who determines “best answer”?

Dsimber. thank you so much for your thoughtful post. this has been such a learning experience for me and I did take very comment to heart, pondered then all, moved furniture around, replaced the mirror with 3 different things trying to find something else to go there since everyone seemed to hate it, but I just loved it and so did my hubby and daughter. that was the first decision I decided to just stick with my gut on but it was very hard to do since everyone Strongly didn’t like it and I thought I must just have horrible taste ha ha

I did take the advice to ditch the curtains and for a while I hated it as I think curtains bring so much life and character to a room and was sad to Think that I couldn’t have them because of my weird window over the stairs but I knew everyone was right on that one so down they all came and after getting used to it I really started to like my open windows and the thought of how much easier it would be to keep clean and thought it fit into the more streamlined look I was going for. I also removed the screen from the windows and that made a huge difference and made the view so much brighter and colorful.

i remember the conversation about the tree art being too much of a focal point in the room and I moved it to three different places in the house but I missed and loved it and decided I would have to find a way to make it work. I remember the suggestion for needing something above the tv and a little something above the mantle And then your supportive comment about multiple focal points that gave me hope that I could make that picture work. I can’t tell you how hard I looked for something long and skinny enough for over the tv that wasn’t a metal scroll or word art. one Day when walking through home goods I saw this oar and it made me think of one of the best/worst vacation stories our family had. We had gone on A sunset kayak trip that would last until dark where we would see the bioluminescent lights in the water. Well we saw some manatees in the water and I told my daughter to take her phone out of the pouch and video and splat it slipped right out of her hand into the water. The guide had to strongly tell her she could not jump overboard after it in the Florida waters. At that point the most beautiful sunset hit its peak and I was doing the mom thing telling my daughter to SMILE! And I have the best photo of her with tears in her eyes and her strained attempt at a vacation smile ha ha ... then about 30 minutes later we were heading through a narrow mangrove tunnel and a lady got stuck and the guide told my husband to go around her and as he did the lady jostled his kayak and he flipped completely over and guess what... his phone slipped out of his pocket and it was claimed by the Florida waters too. He was livid and soaking wet. Well after the mangroves it was dark and we were able to see the bioluminescent lights and fish darting which was so magical but not as magical without 2 phones ha ha .... we laugh about it now though. anyway I saw that oar and said hey thats Long and skinny and would fit over the tv and will always remind us of that crazy night. I painted it myself and distressed it so that was fun too...

then the comment about the grey rug making the room feel cold and lifeless... this rug I loved how dare they! But as I lived with it I realized they were right and I agreed the rug did not give me the warmth I wanted so I moved it to another room and eventually found the rug of my dreams (story below ha ha) then came the refinishing Nightmare and corona lock down that put everything on hold. Argh. Anyway It has been quite a journey and tears have been shed! but through it all I think I found my design voice in learning when to take advice and when to stick to my Own vision and the end result is something that I truly love and am proud of how it turned out. I am so thankful to everyone who took the time to help me!

I’ll s the change! I hope you enjoy the fresh update for a long time!

Oops- I love the change

eschism: Great vacation story! When I saw that oar, I was reminded of a family vacation moment of my own. It is a sweet memory of my older son who kept pushing my kayak into the reeds. Not nearly as full of twists as your story, but it has me wondering if I could incorporate an oar somewhere in my home decor!

Also, great story about your process these past three months. I was there all along. Funny that you mentioned the multiple focal points article...I had shared that out of frustration for you. 😉 I have the opposite problem--no focal point--in my current home. By posting my many problems, I have found ways to resolve some of them, and I am liking my space much better. It is taking me a lot longer than three months, but that’s my process. You really have accomplished so much in so little time! Congratulations!

Looks FANTASTIC!!!

What a beautiful transformation....I love it :)

Great job ... it’s warm and cozy... love the rug and the couches and the table, pouf too. You should be proud!!!!

Congrats on being bold enough to use that navy blue with the rug. Way to go !

Looks amazing! Love what you did with the space.