I had to look it up, even though my husband is an veteran NFL player. He still gets lots and lots of mail, collectors looking for him to sign cards. I never, ever thought about what is done with them. Evidently, there is a formula:

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=how+to+sort+a+collection+of+baseball+cards+images&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

There is no other room for the BB card sorting?

Clear off the mantel. Put the "girl on the beach" art on it...leaning it is fine.

Pull the secontional away from the wall, lining the back of it with the edge of the fireplace wall. Then you can walk behind it to the other room.

Big purge: remove everything else in this area. Including the window treatments. No need to throw out hubby, who is sleeping on the sectional; you can remind him he has a bed.

Purchase a chair for left side of the fireplace. Keep the art over it.

Now, you can cover the sectional for the other members of your family.

The chaise at the end is not necessary.

There are ways of hanging a t v on the wall without all the wires. Can't help you there.

Invest in a taller, wider t v console.

There’s definitely other places for it! I would like to have an area where he can bring them out while he’s working on them and then put them away when he’s done. So like a working desk with a lamp maybe? But this corner is a new development, as the garage was getting too cold.

Then decide on the area for him and his collections. If he organizes them, (refer to my suggestion) new ones easily will be added.

It sounds as if you are trying so hard to accommodate. This hobby is his.

Excellent advice above. Add curtain tiebacks that don't look like rope dog toys, some thing like this style: https://www.amazon.com/StangH-Curtain-Holdbacks-Tiebacks-Decoration/dp/B09XLCT8VV Since the dogs clearly want to look out the windows, shades you can leave up halfway may be okay, but check on child safety features before buying.

There are reasonably priced baseball card storage boxes. Or look at Ikea. At the simplest, get a bookcase that has glass doors (like Ikea Billy bookcases can be equipped with) to keep the dust and dog hair off them. Your husband could look at the Ikea website.

Rooms are often full of stuff when you have toddlers and dogs. Try keeping only one decorative (useful) pillow per human on the sofa and put the rest away to rotate in again in summer. The washable throws are great for dogs and humans.

Hang art and photos on the wall where it's too high for dogs or toddlers to grab them.

What about a convertible coffee table that has storage for some of his cards as he works on them and a tabletop that raises?

First things first... clean the rug to remove the stains.

I'm suggesting a wall unit with lots of storage for all the items I see in your space. For good pricing look at Ikea Besta for the TV wall unit and Tonstad for the desk. The fireplace tiles seem to be in good condition and coordinate with the decor, consequently I don't suggest any peel & stick tiles, spend you money on improving your decor.

Get Stanley Steamer out to clean the carpet. The house we rented while building had white carpet upstairs, where my husband hung out with our 3 dogs. The dogs didn't have accidents, but just tracked in lots of dirt on the white carpet. It looked like new carpet once the cleaners were done with it.

Housekeeping Tragedy.......? Ask for help from the napper?

Box up every doo dad, all the candle clutter until you have cleaned the hell out of the place.

That means carpet first, and it the stains belong to you, your dogs? I would not rent to you.

I don't mean to be harsh, but seriously.......a little pride of home is in order!

Draw and measure the room, so we can figure a hidey spot for the baseball thing, which needs to go away.

That means a sketch, uploaded as a jpeg, walls, windows, fireplace noted in feet and inches. Assuming the sectional remains, a drawing with its configuration, and dimensions.

You are going to need some wall storage......

Wainscoting is the very least of the issues.

I am not sure what homey means to you but you start with a big cleaning of the whole space and a huge declutter and if you dog is peeing on that rug shame on you . If not then hire arug cleaner since your dog will pee where other dogs peed that is afact and 3 dogs are just a pee factory. Sorry I am dog owner and I would never rent to someone with 3 dogs and carpet .If homey is the plan then explain what that means to you and for crying out loud fix the drapes they move pretty easily on the rings .Get the napper off the couch to help . I trully would talk to the landlord about that gross carpet he would be much better off to buy LVP for the next renter and you

Yes to clean clean clean, declutter. IDK what is going on with that carpet but given your toddler it has to be dealt with first and most likely often as stains that engrained will return. What are the dimensions here? I am not a fan of the standard 'move the furniture from the wall' silliness if the room size is standard. It could work if you have the footage to turn the sectional so it faces both the TV and fireplace and then tuck the desk in the corner to the right of the painting of the girl on the beach. I agree she would be lovely on the mantle and NO NO NO to messing with the brick. What's so 'outdated' about it??? It's pleasant enough and no landlord is going to want you messing with it. To hide the card mess and allow hubby to sort and watch TV I would shop for a desk assembly that closes things up when not in use. I really hate shades but in your situation with dogs wanting to look out I think the curtains need to be pushed all the way open, remain stationary and install shade that raise to above dog height. IF the landlord allows (and I doubt he will) that beam could be painted brown but I am not sure what that gives you since it's just the one. The more I look at your space the more I think the TV should have been put on the wall the sectional is up against. That way there is no way the desk would be side by side where the mess of it stares at you as you watch TV. I

IMO you have not taken advantage of the best view of your room.

The sectional should be placed on the large wall. That is a much better composition for the room.

The TV should be placed on the smaller wall

Place your desk area on the far wall along side of the sectional.

I'm struck by your interest in putting stick-ons on the fireplace and other cosmetic fixes telling us: "don't mind the carpets." As you can see from answers so far, the pros and other Commentors do mind the carpets and the clutter everywhere. You are not seeing what we're seeing, a disorganized space with random pieces like that ladder with stuff hanging off, a perfectly acceptable fireplace with a mantel cluttered with "stuff," depressing curtains, pillows all over the place on the couch, an area rug on top of stained carpeting.

To upgrade this space, deal with all the stuff that should never have moved in with you. It's your "stuff" that needs rethinking, not the space itself, which is large and pretty nice. You have big windows, but dark curtains, a nice fireplace with cluttery stuff on it, a light carpet but it's dirty. That's what needs attention.

A couple things needs to happen if you truly want a homey living space:

--Move everything out of the living room and get the carpeting cleaned. If you can't do that, then don't read anything else on Houzz. Cleanliness and organization is homeiness!

--While stuff is out of the room, declutter everything that never should've come into your new home: the duplicates, the things you haven't used in years, things you're saving "just in case," mindless decor items. Get rid of it so you can address storage for the things you really value, use frequently, and need want to keep. Go on YouTube and watch this video for how to declutter a living room:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fHZydAUOJE

--You want your husband to have a nice place in the living room to relax, do his hobby, and watch TV. So work on that. Get him a desk with some storage that fits right into the corner to the left of the TV so you don't see his hubby corner when you walk into the living room. Ikea and Wayfair have desks like that and file cabinet/drawers that fit underneath where he can store those boxes you now have piled on the floor. Measure carefully so the desk tucks right into the corner next to the doorway and rolling drawers/file cabinets fit neatly underneath the desk. To the right of the new desk.,get a long, low, storage shelving like below that goes entirely across that wall. It should look something like this and run from the desk you're going to get and right to the window. Match the desk to the storage unit so they look built in.

My Houzz: Kid-Friendly DIY Charm in Southern California · More Info

Going forward: rid your possessions of little pointless pieces like that ladder with stuff hanging off it; no other extra pieces but the desk and storage system. That's it.

--I know you don't want to spend the money, but you need light curtains for your space. Use JC Penney coupons to buy new white curtains or check out Walmart, Amazon, etc. Get curtains you can push to the side to let in maximum light and view.

--You're stuck with the sectional for now. So be it. In the future, do not buy another one. When budget allows, get a comfy sofa nd two comfy armchairs with low backs, low arms, not another manatee sectional. Get rid of all the sofa pillows.. They look messy. Float the couch about a foot away from the wall so as not to look as if it's sticking out the way it is now.

--Remove all the doodads on the mantel and look for a couple framed art works to put on it, The fireplace does not need NOT STICKERS but an edited mantel. Resist the urge to add a bunch of meaningless decor items.

Your Design Dilemma is actually a clutter and organizing dilemma, which won't cost much to fix. If you move, then you have a hubby/hobby desk and attractive low storage unit to go below the big TV. To sum up:

--Move everything out of the living room for a deep clean.

--While stuff is out of the room, ruthlessly declutter your possessions after you look at the YouTube on decluttering.

--Get a desk with storage that tucks into the left corner and a matching long, low storage unit that runs to the window. (You may need to order two so everything looks built in but you can take with you if you leave the rental at some point.)

--Look for some art work to layer on the mantell--two pieces max--and just one or two of your favorite decor items, then chuck the rest.

Beverly and lisedv have some great ideas. Do consider those seriously after you do your deep clean and decluttering.

@lisedv has the right idea with lots of closed storage and a small desk at the end for your husband's baseball cards. It will also help balance your large tv and also give you some storage for kids toys. You're probably going to need an enzymatic cleaner for the carpet if those are pet stains. An investment in a small spot cleaner may also be of help. If you're capable of doing it yourself, the drapes should be hemmed so they're just barely touching the floor. I like the idea of tiebacks if you prefer to keep them off the windows to let in light. I think getting the baseball card area decluttered is your first step and the carpets cleaned up as well, then you can go from there to add decorative touches.

I agree with almost everyone. OP, please do not feel people are attacking you or your ideas. It's just that we see your space with fresh eyes and want to see you make the most of it (and spend whatever money you have to spend wisely).

First, banish the dogs outside permanently. I thought the carpet had a patten on it on that one side and was astonished to learn it was actually dog pee. You'll need to remove everything that can be removed to have the carpets cleaned. Do not try to save money here; hire professionals. Once you have that all cleaned up, you can return some of the items to the room. To make it look and feel nice, try to put back no more than half the items.

Someone mentioned JC Penny's for new drapes. I agree. They will be reasonably priced. Go with a light color. If you need or want them to be opaque so neighbors and passersby cannot see it or just for your own comfort level look for solid but still light colored ones.

Remove all dog-related items including protective blankets on the sofa. That will help. But it is also important to pare down; that is the primary way to make your home look and feel very different and welcoming. Don't buy anything new right now. Think of this as a two-part process to get to where you want to be. The first part--the thorough cleaning and decluttering--will be the hardest but it is also the part that will allow you to build and support the second, the decorating, part.

You can do it but you need to "set the stage first" as it were. I wish you the best. Please keep asking here for more help. Some people are truly blunt but they are honest, excellent, and offer superb advice.