Your pup!! :)

The marketing photos look like a larger room. The sectional needs to be pulled away from the wall. It looks jammed in the corner. Floor lamp should be in corner behind the sectional. Ottoman is too large and doesn't work. Chair should be placed as in marketing photo. Are you planning on a rug? The TV needs a piece as wide as the space and no more than 5" shorter than the height from TV bottom to floor. I agree the gray paint isn't working

I agree everything is monotone and nothing pops. You could try an area rug and a new console to start. Some art work on the wall by the sectional.

You just need to add some personality and light in the room. Fill the bottom of the tv alcove with a low cabinet, and hang the tv just above the top of the cabinet instead of having it hung so high. If you hire someone to make the cabinet, pull of the trim so that the cabinet fits snugly in the space. Pull your sofa away from the walls, and add a large rug to the room. Place a sofa table behind the right side of the sofa with two lamps on the ends, and a large piece of art hung over the center. Add colorful pillows and long draperies, using the art for color inspiration. If there is space, angle a chair between the tv and the door, facing the sofa.

The listing photos have all the lights on so do the same and then take pictures for a more accurate comparison.

the listing photos have all the lights on, but also use professional photography with wide angle SLR cameras -- so I'm not sure if the op is going to get anywhere close to that with photos taken on a smartphone.

@User I LOVE your living room! And your view is beautiful too! Thank you for your comments. I'm going to ditch the big bulky ottoman and get a coffee table. I'm going to order a black knock-off Eames lounge chair and ottoman. I got a paint sample today... Hopefully i'll be painting by Tuesday! Thank you again for your comments I'm starting to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I really regretted buying this sectional but I think I can make it work.

@Sammie J I love the idea of a table behind the couch. I pulled the sectional away from the wall and moved the ottoman away and the room feels so much better already! THANK YOU!

@Sammie J The TV area is where a fireplace was. It is such an awkward room. The TV was left for us by the previous owner. If we lower the TV the strange 'dead space' will be above the TV instead of in-between the TV and the cabinet as it was with the previous owners.

@jck910 The magic of marketing photos! Plus their couch was small and uncomfortable.

The sofa is too close to the wall. Possibly a sofa table. Ottoman way too big, the round coffee table looks nice maybe try something similar. Cabinet under the TV, which will provide storage too. Rug under sectional. And you are right the walls look nicer the other color it compliments the floor color better. I would also move the lamp to the other side where there is more room and maybe add a set of nesting tables in a corner and lose the snack tray! : )

I don't think the TV looks too high, given its large size and how far it is from the couch. basically, you want to be able to look at it straight on from where you're sitting. but it's easy to move if you need to, and I really think it shouldn't be too difficult to find a low console that fits below it.

how wide is that nook?

if you can't find a decent console then you'll need to go custom. simple built-in shelves below the tv would be really easy and would not cost much at all. just keep them relatively uncluttered and it will look fine.

@User ok thank you. ... yeah.. maybe open shelves are the way to go. I was trying to think of how much to have open vs behind a door or drawer but open shelves might be the way to go. So far it's been pretty hard to find something. haha I was surprised. it is 4'8'' wide and about 3' high

one thing you can try is asking your real estate agent. they might be able to track down what piece of furniture was used for the staging.

I googled "54" credenza" and found a few cabinets exactly that width -- perfect, as it allows a 1" gap on either side. a big downside is that closed storage can be an issue if you have a cable box or some other thing you aim a remote at. if you want to get techy, there are "infared remote receiver kits" that allow you to have closed storage and be able to use your remotes w/o opening the cabinet doors. I've never used one, but it's a great solution.

from wayfair (it comes in different colors!):

from burke decor:

also from wayfair:

fromwest elm:

also, I see you have a few speakers. one solution would be to replace those with a sound bar on top of the console. we have one (by bose) and the sound is excellent.

less ideal: if you had one of the cabinets suggested above, you could remove the feet to make it shorter, and then your speakers (might) fit on top of the cabinet.

@User You're amazing! I love the one from West Elm. I think white is the way to go to contrast with the black tv (when it is off) Thank you for all the speaker advice too. We just have the one sub woofer that is on the floor right now. the rest is wifi stuff.

@User What do you think of the new (sample) paint color?

nice! that will really brighten the space!