I am seeing a lot of straight lines in this room. The furniture is lined up with the windows and the rug is lined up with the fireplace, as is the coffee table. Straight lines going across the mantle and then the little pieces are scattered around the perimeter.

Slide the couch all the way back to the wall behind it and bring the rug and coffee table with it. Leave the love seat by the fireplace. Move the desk from the corner to in front of the window that is behind the love seat. Will that small console table fit behind the love seat at all? You need a taller lamp on the table by the couch....can't tell....that might be too crowded behind there now, too.

Also wondering about taking the small benches from under the coffee table and putting them in front of the fire place.

IF the desk needs to stay where it is, I can see taking the pics from the mantle and stacking them over the desk and finding ONE big tall piece to put on the mantle instead. You could put a large mirror over the couch now as it would reflect the window.

Panels on the windows in a color from the rug will soften the edges of the room, too, but I also love the blinds that you have there now.

I'm not a huge fan of rug on rug so I wouldn't put one in myself and if I did I'd make it neutral so as not to dictate the color theme of the room especially seasonally. I love natural fiber rugs.

There is a lot of brown in the room. Add some color! Think seasonally if stumped.

I do like the parallel of the sofas especially if there is another room adjacent. Is there a purpose for this space? Sitting room only? TV viewing (I don't see a TV). I'd add some texture with pillows on the sofas, Large art/mirror/screen (set of 2 or 3) on the back wall - something round over the fireplace possibly to break up the lines. Remove the smallish tables.

I like your window treatments, they're simple and don't block light. Add end tables and table lamps near the sofa (s).

While not exactly the same room here's a couple staging jobs I did with sofas on the parallel. Good luck!

Thanks abbyjean.

home star staging:yes this room is connected with the kitchen.this room is not a tv room. It is a room where we usually read or just lay around. Do you have any suggestions for wall decor?

You have a great start, my first recommendation would be curtains. I would dress up the mantle with a one larger piece of art or a mirror. Definitely move the lamps next to the sofas. I would also push the sofas closer to the rug.

It just seems like all the heavy stuff is in the center of the room and then you are left with small spaces at the perimeter if it stays this way. And it is such a nice big room and small spaces seem like a waste of a room.

A series of photos/art/screens on the back wall - a mirror or something round over the fireplace... They don't have to be as large as the samples in the photos - just help spread the visual field on that large wall. You can also do bookshelves or a better size desk on that large back wall eventually, or behind the sofa.

I was going to suggest making an L with the pieces to open up one end of the room, too, but then the back of the couch would cut off the kitchen and not sure if there is room???

Sooooooo IF the couch went straight back against that wall, THAT is the part that is open to the kitchen then? Would it make it feel more open to the kitchen with more space right there??? Would you have a patterned chair that you could add to this room to break up the solid leather and put it by the fireplace in front of the window if the couch moved back?

I like the idea of using the area behind the love seat for a book shelf with the desk.

White wash brick, go on line for directions. Hang a picture with more color on firepl. Panels on windows on ends. A print with color. Add pillows to sofas space apart more they are two close together. Add bigger square coffee table go glass. Add tall pots on end in color. Pick accent color. Use that around room. Pant all trim white.

Paint mantel white. Table on back wall too small need a long 6 ft chest in a color, set up as a bar with wine and glasses. Add a big 5 ft mirror in dark frame. Add palms in corners. Add bamboo shades to window under panels. You Ned art in color n wall by window. Or use prints you have on firepl. There. Put lamp big n new chest put floor lamp by desk. Get a fabric chair for desk in color.

Hi there. I totally agree with keeping the furniture the way it is set up - it is set up perfectly as a seating/conversation area and brings attention to the focal point which in this case is the fireplace. You have lots of decor advice here re: colour and so on - I won't chime in and overwhelm you in this area. However I am wondering if you have thought about re-facing the fireplace? I've attached a picture of one we have done recently - made a huge difference in the room.

It seems to me what is really throwing off the space is the installed mantle-could you possibly remove that crown molding? Rather than using the mantle to prop your artwork/pictures on, simply hang them around the room (this will draw the eye around the room and keep the setup from being too central on the fireplace).
Rather than using the crown molding as the central point, replace it with a single piece of artwork or a funky mirror. The rug's print is also very distracting-maybe instead of using a crazy print on the floor, you could find a funky painting or intricate metalwork mirror to be a focal point on the fireplace?

Here is yet another option. Since the fireplace is such a large part of this room, making it the focal point is a great idea, as Bling & Bang already suggested. There are plenty of options for refacing the fire place, cultured stone, tile, maybe even paint, although I would discourage this route.
From what I can tell from the photos, you seem to have a bit of a minimalist approach to decor. Often, this style seems to be lacking in personalized touches. There is a way to keep the minimal look while adding what I call personal moments to the room.
If this were my space to enjoy, I would look first at the purpose. You have stated that this is a lounging area, used for reading. This makes me think cozy. The leather sofa and love seat (I recently had the exact same set) are perfect for this. Simply adding more soft textures to the room will achieve a cozy feel also, think pillows, throws and full length curtains. Also, adding a few reading lamps to the centre of the room will encourage curling up with a good book.
Good luck with your project. See an example of before and after photos attached.

What is opposite your FP? We haven't seen the 4th side of the room.

I think your furniture arrangement works well for the space. A little softening is what the room needs. Drapes, a lively pillow or two, art over a longer console on that back wall will make the space more inviting. A bit of tweaking is all you need.

The fireplace is a focal point in the room and there are many ways to improve the appearance of the existing fireplace. The red brick does give the home a very dated look. I am not a fan of painting or staining the brick. It is my opinion that the paint is more of patch job and doesn't really create a focal point.

It was mentioned earlier about using a thin stone veneer and we have outstanding results with our stone that we manufacture and install. The stone can be easily applied over the brick. For the hearth, we remove the top layer of brick and then use either our hearthstones or a limestone slab. You can also refresh the free standing fireplace grate.

Different stone styles create a different feel for the room. Cobble stone is a softer look and the ledge stones create a more rustic or family room feel. Even the choice of using a mortar joint or no mortar joint effects the look.

Each of the four attached pictures are using our manufactured stone and each fireplace was originally a brick fireplace. I added the picture with the clock because it creates an additional point of interest on the large wall.

Good luck with your project. Feel free to contact us if you have further questions.

Looking at your last posted picture, I'd suggest whitewashing the brick fireplace, if you can't afford to reface it, and staining your mantle a darker walnut color. Then I'd get a sofa tale to put behind the sofa on the right. A large round starburst mirror over the fireplace would help add some visual interest and would also break up all the hard edges to the room.

This is view from kitchen area.This living room is connected with the kitchen.Many of the suggestions were to add more color with this room. What color works good with oak & red brick?

OK.......that is where the opening is.......so now I would like to suggest moving the other piece back so the open feeling would come as you ENTER the room from the kitchen. Then maybe there would be room for the desk under the window by the fireplace or is there a full wall to the left of this entry here? A desk might fit there, too.

Color comes from the rug, which I feel adds a lot with so many solids in this room. I normally do not like rugs on rugs, but this room needs something to break up the leather. Color will come from a big piece of art on the mantle and with the pillows and throws on the furniture.

I agree that green is a natural choice!

Could u put 2 single chairs on front of the windows and move the couches more towards where u r standing with the camera? U could really go all out with the chairs and make them pop art chairs - im dying to try this! I agree u need some colour in here, its so neutral. Post photos of what u do!

groveraxle, how did you edit the photo by adding curtains and changing the rug? is there a tool i could use myself?

Ki Ha, I use a program called Photoshop Elements. It's about $100 and there's a bit of a learning curve. But if you have a rug or drapes you'd like to see, post links to them here and I will insert them into your room. Just don't ask me to move the furniture; it's the one thing this program won't do.