Painting is the least of your room's issues.

1. Get rid of the floor mirror. It has no purpose in this room
2. Turn the Expedit cabinet sideways and use it in front of the patterned wall
3. LOWER THE TV AND MEDIA UNIT BELOW. It's mounted too high on the wall
4. The rug should be larger under your sectional
5. Select a large piece of art for above the sectional
6. I have no idea what is placed behind the sectional, so can that stuff be removed?

I agree you are long way from painting. Takes those ugly drapes down , remove the wallpaper , lower the TV get the Expedit out of there ansd all the stuff not needing display Put at least 1/2 the pillows away to start.

Not good photo, too dark to work with. Start from declutter first, remover wallpaper at all. I would go with some neutral color greige/off-white/cream.

May be your mirror would work better above the sectional.

I like Bev's idea with horizontal shelving.

Not going to lie. THE FIRST THING YOU DO? Get the mess cleaned up. Every last thing you do not NEED or want, is out.

Then lose the black/gray overdose, along with the couch as BED concept. Nobody needs that many pillows. Yes the tv is too high, no that is not a good place for a floor mirror.

You've got a mess in a veritable tomb. Start with a major prune.

Agree with Jan.

You Have Too Much Stuff. You have some time on your hands? Declutter and purge furniture, decor, and just plain stuff. It appears there is even furniture and stuff in the hallway!

The first thing I would advise is to get more light into your place. Since you are in an apartment am assuming you can't do much with the ceiling lighting but you can certainly bring in more lamps.

Please retake the living room photo in daylight with all the lights on.

Lol! Maybe don't take pictures with the lights on, UNTIL you have purged. You might scare the living hell out of us.

It looks like a nice space to work with. Make sure to add better pics after cleanup. So sorry to hear about losing your job. It’s good to have a project!

Here’s a rewritten version of your message to make it more concise, clear, and focused while maintaining its heartfelt and genuine tone:

Thank you, everyone, for your input—both the good and the constructive. I live in an apartment in NYC and have faced several challenges recently. My bathroom has had multiple leaks from the upstairs neighbor, which required me to take time off work for a plumber. Unfortunately, the plumber didn’t always show up as scheduled, and the super could only give broad timeframes (8:30–5:30), making it impossible to take additional time off for the handyman to prime and paint the bathroom.

I initially planned to paint the bathroom myself, but life took a difficult turn. I lost my dad to dementia, and that, combined with losing my job in December and my beloved miniature schnauzer of 16 years crossing the rainbow bridge, left me in a slump. As a result, my dining area became a storage space for paint, primer, and other accumulated items.

The living room wall isn’t wallpaper—it’s a stencil I did years ago. I know I need to get my home in order, which is why I’m reaching out for suggestions and ideas. It’s been frustrating and emotionally challenging, but I’m optimistic and ready to move forward, even if it’s in small steps.

I’d love your advice and visuals to help me transform my apartment into a beautiful, inviting space. Thank you for your support!

Before anyone here judges, Yes I used AI to organize what I wrote because it was all over the place!! FYI I tell on myself !!! Just like I know my apartment looks crazy however what you see is real! No deleting/removing clutter no removing anything using apps I don’t hide or sugarcoat the truth is what it is !! It’s a mess and I’m aware and acknowledge it period!! So please assist me to get out of my slump!! Thank you!! 🫶🏼🥰

I see a place with life going on (ie paint cans, laptop by couch etc). I also live in a smaller apartment and when projects happen such as painting it will be front and centre. There is no basement/garage/shed to hide those things. It will all go away after you're done. I do agree with BeverlyFLADeziner that the tv needs to be lower. Would you be able to sketch a quick floor plan for us? Before you paint you might want to change your layout (or not). It might be interesting to flip your sectional and your tv. It would open up the window area and I think the stenciled wall would be a nice back drop to your sectional.

@ nellibean I’m definitely opened to rearranging regarding the tv my dad installed it he's no longer living so that would be difficult to do I have a brother but he's paralyzed so its just me I also want to get rid of the stenciled wall I would like to do an area with slat wall

I'm sorry for all of the heart ache you have been through. I hope that a purge of your space and some decor projects lift your mood. The green and white left poster burried behind your desk is lovely. I hope it takes center stage somewhere in your space.

Very sizable living space for a NYC apartment. Do you have any interest in placing a table and chairs near your window? There is such great sunlight coming in and it seems like a lovely place to sit.

Damn the plumber and damn your super. Shaking my fists at them.

I presume you don't have much extra to spend since you are out of work. But, I'm wondering if you could pay your super to rehang your TV for you. I pay my super to do handy work in my apartment. Mine recently installed window blinds at a fraction of the cost that a Task Rabbit or handyman would charge.

Kendrah said it well. I'm also on a fixed income and rarely hire anyone to do things at my place, but sometimes it's worth it. It's also hard to find someone to do small jobs. My friend also hires her super for small things she can't tackle on her own. I really like Kendrah's idea of having a table by the window. I have one more suggestion regarding your tv. You could use the sideboard you have in the entry as a tv stand. I know it's a trend to have televisions hung on the wall but they don't need to be. Good luck with whatever you decide. We would love to see what you end up with.

Sometimes I ma harsh but it also lands on the OP to give us info thta is helpful like a bunch of tradgedy in your life. I then try to be kinder. I do understand that slump we lost our middle son , both of my sisters and my hubby went blind all in 11 months . I did not actually think about much so good on you for wanting to tackle this . The declutter for me would be the best thing to do even if just moving all the stuff to one side so you look at it with new eyes .

Wow what a run of sorrow. Sounds like you’re picking yourself up bit by bit and personally I agree that a refresh of your living space will help raise your spirits. What everyone else has said re cleanup - if you need and like your stuff, just reorganize and consolidate so it’s not scattered around. (I think people who don’t live in a normal NYC apartment don’t understand how little storage you might have.) on the other hand, preparing to paint will sort of force you to reconsider, box or kick to the curb everything not essential. Maybe put painting at the top of your list.

Would the white cube shelf fit under the tv/shelf? Maybe help it make look not so high. Maybe try leaning the big mirror to the right of the tv. I'm excited to see your progress once you get going.

Living in any NYC apt, even in luxury, means compromises. Some folks will fill ANY amount of available storage. Mansion or trailer? In it comes, and it never goes out.

I'm not a gigantic fan, but Marie Kondo has helped more than a few separate treasure........from pure trash.

https://konmari.com/what-is-konmari-method/?srsltid=AfmBOorH1LNOrHcOROnd4M-lpwvVyvyzkaVRHsLFTZw7j31XniD4Pz9U

Tip on left over paint: call someone to get rid of alllllll of it.

I'm sorry to hear all that's happened to you...

I show below a budget friendly update with colourful accent colours to make the room welcoming and cheerful. Pick a large canvas art you like and coordinate accent pillows with the art. Turn your white Kalla unit horizontally a place it under the TV.

Here's the idea...

Rug and curtains from Ikea, pillow covers from Amazon, art from Great Big Canvas.

And here are ideas for your dining area...

@lisedv thanks for the visual This is what I'm looking for I need to see the ideas with pictures I definitely am going to get rid of the Ikea kallax cubby the Ikea mirror I have no idea what I will do with it repurpose? Sell it? 🤷🏼‍♀️ yes, I lost my job however I was saving money before I lost it my agenda for the new year was to freshen up my apartment now I definitely have the time now I welcome any and all ideas visuals are even better I thank everyone for their input and look forward to incorporate your ideas in my space I hope everyone is having a healthy and happy new year!

I'd love to do possibly a slat wall 🤔

Perhaps you'd better make sure you're permitted to do a slat wall if you're in a rental apartment but here is one idea with the slats behind the TV...

@hellogsrdener thank you

@lisedv I like the idea of the slats where the tv is at I would like to paint the living room a neutral grey color (no blue tones) but a true grey thank you for your time and help I really appreciate it 🫶

With just that window at the front of a long room, I don't think grey is the best choice of colour I would opt for a warm white rather than a gray to make the room brighter and inviting especially with your large dark sectional. A warm white will also look better with the wood slats.

I've seen the color from SW Alabaster on several posts on pintrest very nice

This is a better picture of the living room before life put me in a stump… Yes I am fully aware that the rug should be bigger however it served its purpose for my dog he loved rugs may he be running around the rainbow 🌈I

Hi hope everyone is having a great 😊weekend! encountered an issue with my sister and her dialysis but all is good now putting my attention back to my apartment please continue to submit visual ideas as i will be going to purchase some items to create my space thank you everyone!

@lisedv Hi hope all is well i decided on white dove will be buying the paint this weekend

I'm glad to hear your sister is doing well now. Great! I'm sure you'll love that colour, hopefully you did a colour test as suggested before painting the entire room. BM has sample size bottles that you can paint 2 coats on Dollar Store bought large cardboard or corrugated plastic board.