@dani_m08 I actually have one in my entryway. Maybe one of these days I can motivate myself to move it in there to see what it looks like.

My mood boards give bookshelf or lower storage cabinet option to give the ability to hang wall art over it….both rugs have a nice varigated modern soft print that hides soiling but would not overwhelm the small space.

@Home Interiors with Ease @dani_m08 good point. Not really something I have considered, but I suppose I could explore something like this…

I'd need to figure out a way to make it work with my Xbox, router, etc…

Did something similar on the opposite side of the room, but with a bar cart and it turned out pretty nice

Quick mockup to see what that would look like…

Oh, that's so much nicer with the low cabinet! Gives you the negative space you need in the room. I would look at bar cabinets-- they tend to have the most interior shelf shelving for small pieces, to give you enough storage for all the electronics.

I would remove the bookcase altogether. Can you move the chair to next to the sofa? That would visually open up the space. I would do a light rug… the blue weighs down the space. You can bring in navy pillows for ”balance”.

Love this Nathan James cabinet…nice quality reasonable price too…I do think a cabinet would look much nicer than a tall bookcase.…adding wall art on that side of the room would also be a plus.

Have you considered swapping the dining room rug and the living room rug?

Assuming I'm stuck with the items shown below for the foreseeable future…

I'm still trying to figure out why the bookshelf (being flat on the wall) is bothering me. Could it be the chair on the left that's anchoring that side being angled in? Maybe it should be straight, facing the coffee table? Regardless of what's in that right corner (bookshelf/console/etc), it's going to feel disjointed to me being flat on the wall (in that corner)—like it's there, but it's looking away, like it's trying to not be part of the room.

I think part of the issue is, 95% of the time I'm entering the room from the kitchen which is between the two areas. When the shelf if angled in, it's the first thing you see in the distance—kind of drawing you into the space. When it's flat on the wall, when I enter the room from the kitchen, it just looks like it's floating off into the distance. Does that make sense?

I'm so stumped on this. In a perfect world, something rounded (like a big plant) would probably be the best thing over there, but I need something there for my electronic stuff attached to the TV. Ugh…

Try moving the chair to the corner where you have the bookcase and take bookcase out………use a basket to store compoinets behind the chair….you need one with a lid and you cut a small hole in back for the wires. How much “electronics stuff” do you have?

Like in the DR the pretty window draws you in I feel the big bookcase is very distracting..the least attractive thing in the room🤷🏼‍♀️

@Home Interiors with Ease unfortunately the chair will not fit over there because of the sectional (it's not reversible).

Oh darn thats to bad..my daughters can be flipped..nice feature to have…I still say remove that big bookcase. When you are able get a small nice basket to store the stuff…it can just tuck away in the corner and still look nice……or in the future a new low storage cabinet with style to blend better with your decor.

Just a suggestion..have a panel added to the side of fridge to match cabinets or painted white to hide the side of fridge from your pretty living space…

Even just a plant looks better to me…

I would say no tree you already have one in the dining room and no artificial pretty please…..and it will not hide your “stuff”…a low snake plant would be better but again what to do with the ”stuff” unless the basket or pot holding a plant is large enough to hide it all behind it

What if the console was oval and angled in like the book shelf?

Here is the Nathan James console suggested by @Home Interiors with Ease…

I would not angle anything in that corner..you have a lovely window and drapes… I love the NJ cabinet it really suits your space….and allows you to add wall art..so nice…it really opens up the room…and you could position the chair straight too…I very rarely suggest angled furniture.

I wonder if you don't like the bookshelf straight because part of it is against the rug and part not, which is really noticable because it is white, this looks nicer when cornerwise, as per your rendition above. This may not be so noticable if using the natural wood console.

With a low cabinet straight on wall it would allow you to add wall lamps flanking the window instead of a floor lamp pushed in the corner..something to think about.

I agree that bookcase has to go. Your room will look 100% better. I wouldn’t add a tree there…just more clutter.

Well, I'm stuck with the bookshelf for a while, so…I guess it may as well be flat against the wall. That seems to be the overwhelming winning opinion (if keeping the bookshelf). It's growing on me…

I grabbed a plant from the other room and stuck it on the windowsill and I think that's helping a little. The room does feel way bigger for sure!

I mocked it up with the new rug, darker baskets, and new plant on top of bookcase. It's not perfect, but I guess it could be a lot worse! I think it's an improvement from when I first started.

As someone suggested above, I might also explore putting some stick on wallpaper on the bookshelf backing for a little more contrast.

Any ideas for inside the shallow fireplace? I have a little dog teepee in there right now, but was thinking about putting some logs or something…

I think it is much improved. Can you swing that chair around so it’s facing the tv? It might open up the room more.

It definitely looks better. And yes, logs in the fireplace sound right.

Try some construction paper on the back of the bookcase before you permanently wallpaper it. It could be a good idea, or you may hate it. It will add contrast to a corner you just tried to tone down.

I don't suppose you would want to split up the sectional? That would open up the entry to the room. (Hard to know where to put the coffee table so it makes sense, though.)

I would have to try to swing the sectional around with a slim sofa table behind it and put the tv in a lift cabinet in front of window. Round mirror on fireplace stone.

You can have a slim cabinet built or get a slim cabinet - and customize it with the lift mechanism. They sell the mechanism on Amazon.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ogIlWb24G_A

Trying to put a few finishing touches on this area consisting of:

- Window Planter (what is pictured goes in my kitchen)

- Fireplace decor

- Leather element (pillow)

I really like the brass log holder and it will fit nicely inside my fireplace (non operational). I'm a little unsure on the window planter though. I already have two terracotta planters on the bookshelf so not sure if I should continue the theme onto the windowsill or go with something else like a grey or bolder color?

I have this same leather pillow in my window nook on the other side of the room. Was thinking about getting the same one for the couch, or should I get something a little different or in a different leather tone?

I'm also going to lower the TV a little to be flush with the top of the bookshelf (photoshopped it in the pic)

Thanks for all your help so far!

Here is an updated mood board with those iteams. Maybe a ribbed leather pillow to mix things up so it doesn't match the other leather pillow exactly…

Only suggestion is no more small potted plants scattered around…would not put plant on the windowsill takes away from the sophistication of the space.

New rug? both navy..I think that is what needs to be changed out..why another navy?

Lighter rug will really open up the room visually….

@Home Interiors with Ease because two of my dogs are black and they shed like crazy! The darker rug hides the fur. We have a lighter rug under the dining table and I have to vacuum it every single day (Dyson FTW)

Are than any simple tweaks I can make on this side of the room to reduce the "matchy-matchy" look that I've fallen into? I was thinking a different table runner, botanicals, or different pillows in the nook maybe?

I have a pretty defined color palette that I've stuck to, but am struggling with the in-betweens/neutrals that soften the space. I'm a freelance trade show booth designer so I work with a lot of corporate colors/brand guidelines/clean lines/etc, so this kind of stuff is outside of my comfort zone. Any advice is welcome!

A runner with a print, a fruit bowl, or fresh flowers. Something that brings a few pops of contrasting color would add a lot of life to the space.

Have just read through your post and can see the consideration you have given to your space. Glad you came round to the bookcase flat against the wall design. It did strike me whilst I was reading that the part of the reason you were hesitant to go this route was because the book case height is very dominating. Your boards showing the console actually opens the room up as you can see the wall. Since swapping out the book case didn’t come to fruition I realised that you might be able to gain that sense of openness if one thinks about the bookcase.. In your pictures, I thought I noticed that the backing to the unit is not one full piece. Is that correct? If so, would it be possible to remove the backing from say, the upper 2 shelves so that you can see the wall behind without compromising the strength of the unit? If this is possible, you might achieve a more open feel to that corner of the room, without the loss of function that the bookcase provides.

Lovely rooms! One of these days when you are ready to replace the white bookcase with a lower console it will be even better! Meanwhile, IMO the rooms just need something “unexpected”… just small pops of color/texture that step outside of the navy/camel theme. Persimmon? Turquoise? Green Apple?

Here's what I suggested 10 days ago but it may have gotten missed since you were more focused on the rug: Another small thing that will elevate the rooms is to use down/faux down pillow inserts so you have rich-looking large squishy pillows. You have really nice spaces and I like your color palette but perhaps it's a bit too perfect; one or two things that are vintage or an odd color would add depth.

You could put a pillow in a different color in your window seat. I'll also add to swap out the faux plants for real ones -- the faux ones read more corporate. Or maybe keep only the faux tree and put real plants elsewhere. The tall dried centerpiece looks off scale, something low and long might look nicer on that table, like a long planter with ferns, or a large bowl of real fruit (or mini pumpkins right now since it's the season). Or just leave the table totally clear. I'll say again that your spaces look really nice but since you asked, you must feel there's something still missing -- I read a tip from a designer once that you should have at least one thing vintage and one thing living/was once living in each room.

Hey you need to vacuum the dog every day LOL! But in terms of decor, can you switch the lamp and bookcase. Then the light wouldn’t reflect on your TV.

@stiley that is great advice. I think you're spot on that the colors are too perfect. I need a wildcard in there to break it up, especially on that dining room side.

Some Photoshops below:

- Do you like this dark earthy green throw pillow on the window?

- Someone also mentioned a patterned runner, but it might be too busy. Thoughts?

- I haven't seen it without a runner in a while. That might help too…

- Subbed a green plant in the vase

- Put some logs in the fireplace and a vintage looking leather pillow on the chair

In regards to the faux plants, the fiddle leaf is fake, but the snake in the corner is real, as well as the prayer plant by the big print. I think I'm about 50/50 faux/live in my house. I just don't get a ton of light since the back of my house faces North. It's hard to keep plants alive…

These are the pillows I'm thinking about for the window nook. Do you think that the "Raj Green" is adding depth to the room or is it too saturated? Maybe something lighter?

https://www.cb2.com/raj-green-silk-throw-pillow-cover-16/s462297

https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Lovers-Lambskin-Pillow-Cover/dp/B07J2QXD95/ref=asc_df_B07J2QXD95/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693711674101&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9184512568562982436&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022872&hvtargid=pla-759494818748&mcid=5c76141758763959b7b2f6bec6c47618&th=1

How about something in a print? Maybe a geometric? One color that “matches” is too plain.

Here are some pillows and vintage accessories that might be your style; I think adding pattern, a different color, and some vintage adds depth to the room. All these are on Etsy.

You could go into a subtle neutral direction…this direction would help blend in the white bookcase…that blue rug makes me crazy..what about a a patterened dark rug..with rich warm colors to hide dog hair?

or add color

This is what I ended up with for pillows. Mixed in a couple midtones and added in an olive green

It works!

@RedRyder thanks for all your feedback!