Can you give a specific dollar amount to your budget? Also, what style do you now like? The answer to both of these will help us give suggestions.

I'd start with a good declutter - Get rid of the welcome sign and the bookcase to the right of the welcome sign.

Swap out oversized pieces for smaller ones - smaller ottoman, smaller side table next to the sofa.

Get a new coffee table with cleaner lines, maybe a glass top to reduce the visual info in the space.

Ditch the long console table with pictures. It is not a functional piece of furniture and it takes up too much real estate in this sized room.

A new piece of art above your sofa will create a whole new look in here too.

Id like to keep the budget under $500ish, mostly because i do plan to buy a new couch. I have been considering an accent wall but wasnt sure which wall or style. slowly trying to break out of the gray phase from my 20s.

the current tv stand does have a built in electric fireplace which i use a lot in the winters, so id like to keep that or find an alternative fireplace solution. also im not bound by cable hookups so the tv can really be moved any where

swap the brown too-wide fireplace with the low white bookcase so you have your fireplace and a narrower spot for the TV.

Start be removing (temporarily) all of the decor/art.

Rearrange the furniture. I like the suggestions to swap the white low bookcase and brown fireplace console. Remove the etagere.

Buy a larger rug.

Replace the ottoman and cocktail table with a combo unit (the one shown below is just an example of a unit).

Being back 1/4-1/3 of the decor/art. Don’t bring back the ‘home’ and ’welcome’ signs. Hang art at an appropriate height.

Good luck and please post ‘after’ photos.

There's a lot you can with around a $500 budget of yours. Nothing I show is expensive but you need to start by decluttering the room. Use the ottoman as coffee table, replace the TV cabinet with the white bookcase, a new rug, new lamps, new art, all from Amazon or Wayfair.

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Way too much stuff in a tiny space IMO the white display can go for sure . I think the TV stand is too dark and too high and impedes the walkway so The TV wall hung on the wall where the white cabinet was and maybe just a shlf under it Then a much smaller scaled sofa when you cahnge that and one choir with a much smaller ottoman Art hung lower above the sofa . Down the road some lighter looking tables maybe even some glas and metal Just really lighter looking furniture and nothing not needed in th space

I like all these ideas. but for more context on making the white shelf the tv stand, its is the same width as the brown tv stand (16.5 inches). the white table is 6ft long and tv stand is 5.5ft long. So im having trouble visualizing tht part.

i was thinking of building a fireplace on the wall that leads to the hallway and shelves on the side. this would get rid of the current tv stand with fireplace, and both shelves. Just not sure how it would look in this space. i drew a picture (obviously not to scale)

my dad built my coffee table/side table as a gift last year so id like to keep those at least for a little while longer.

You have way too much in this room. What are you willing to part with? Is the white console shallower than the fireplace? If so, switch them. I assume the treadmill has to stay there but remove the shelving unit and welcome sign, sign over TV, and lower the art over sofa. Get a smaller ottoman. All the decor needs a good edit. Keep only what you love. Cute doggie!

You need a larger rug

Yes definitely agree about a larger rug. i have been looking for one that doesnt cost a fortune.

i have made some modifications based on above suggestions that dont cost money now lol.

new rug and lamps are first on my list of purchases.

I'm going to go wall by wall. You have two ends of the room crammed with furniture that need to be uncrammed. There's no flow in the room. It's like an obstacle course. Here goes;

--No accent wall because you have too much stuff already breaking up the visual field.

--Current couch. Flip all the cushions now and regularly until you get a new couch. Fluff up the pillows regularly. The couch looks sad and droopy. Just keep pillows fluffed up until you get a new couch.

--TV wall: Remove your "message" sign. Swap narrower white bookcase for fireplace thing. The fireplace cabinet is too deep for the path through the room.

--Remove all fake plants and small surface objects, all of them. Just stop with "stuff" on everything. That's what the low bookcase is for.

--Get a thrift shop side table for the other side of the couch same height as your other side table. Paint it white to complement your other one. Put your other lamp on it to light up that corner--NO PLANT!!!!

--Rehome the bookcase by the window and ditch the Welcome sign. NO SIGNS, NO FAKE PLANTS!!! With the bookcase/etagere thing gone, move your exercise machine toward the corner.

--Lower the art over the sofa so it's no more than 18" above the sofa back. It's too high and doesn't connect to the room.

--Eventually get non-Eiffel tower table lamps in slim lines with a blue base that matches your accessory color.

Antoinette Ceramic Table Lamp · More Info

--Your rug is a nice choice but needs to be bigger so that sofa feet and ottoman fit on it.

Most of these steps don't cost a penny. Start saving for a great rug. You picked a nice pattern, but it looks skimpy.

I hope you come back to your posting to show us how the decluttering and swapping go.

Ended up finding a new rug today at Menards. i bought a bigger one, but not sure i got the placement right. without a second pair of hands its difficult to move furniture and rug lol.

i got rid of the tall shelf and some of the fake plants.

next on the list is new lamps.

i know everyone keeps saying to put the white shelf where the tv is, but it is literally the same width as the fireplace stand so it really wouldnt solve the walkway issue everyone refers too. also i would like to keep the fireplace since i use that a lot in the winter.

for right now id like to keep the white shelf but the bare wall above it is already driving me crazy but not sure what to put there since i moved the other picture above the couch

It looks like the depth of your TV/fireplace stand is deeper than the white bookshelf, which is why we're all suggesting that. But we could be wrong. I don't think you're really seeing what we see--a squash, jam packed living room. So it's not about the rug. I'm still seeing pointless "stuff" on surfaces, which looks cluttered. You have too much furniture in a small space: not one but two cabinets, a large coffee table and an ottoman, an oversized armchair, an exercise machine, too many droopy pillows on the couch.

Have you considered getting a great looking, but well proportioned recliner since you have to keep the coffee table but selling the ottoman?

GDF Studio Jemma Tufted Fabric Swivel Gliding Recliner Chair, Navy Blue · More Info

Get the "stuff" off the white bookcase. Get an affordable print or two from society6.com for your blank wall. With the surface clutter gone, the print will stand out. These are a good palette, but there are many choices, sizes, and subjects.

Why is there such a gap between your fireplace cabinet and the wall? I should be leaning against the baseboard and would look better from the side.

im thankful for all the suggestions. I can see getting rid of the stuff on the coffee table and keep that minimal, but i guess in my mind i dont see the surface stuff on the white shelf as clutter.

the big chair and couch, i hope to replace sometime next year so the ottoman will probably go then so dont want to spend money now getting a smaller one.

What if i got a floor lamp for that corner by the white shelf and removed the lamp from it?

Electric fireplaces do not need cabinets.

Powerstrip was preventing it from going all the way back, honest didnt even realize it, but i fixed that.

the wall mounted fireplaces are what i would love to have, but not ideal right now as it would require some rewiring to hide cords if i hung the tv above it, and planning as i have quite a bit hooked up to the tv (nintendo, apple tv, surround sound, etc)

I still suggest you remove the coffee table and place the ottoman in front of the sofa. If you need to use it as a coffee table, place a large wood tray on it. There's too much furniture for the space with the 2 pieces side by side. You'd then be able to bring the armchair more forward and place a tall live plant behind the armchair by the window. Put your framed art back above th bookcase and buy a larger one for above the sofa. A floor task lamp in the corner would be better than a matching lamp on the bookcase.

The OP stated her father recently built her the coffee table and side table as a gift. I can certainly understand why she wants to keep them.

Oh, ok didn't see that about the tables.

kayla, you did a great job today of listening to suggestions! I hope you can see the improvements in your space with what you did so far.

If you put a art work over the bookshelf, and add a floor lamp in the corner, remove the clutter on the top shelf to focus on the art work.