If you want the place to feel homey, paint those dreary gray walls. I've gotten great furniture from antique stores (which is often a fancy name for used stuff stores). Getting a comfortable couch is not as easy, but other furniture is certainly available.

I'd put some seating in the room with all the windows and use it as my main living room. If you love the room, you'll spend more time there is there's a comfortable chair.

A round table or square card table could be used for eating as well as hosting a folding puzzle board. Put the puzzle board on the island when eating at the table.

Honestly......this is nothing more than planning, and you have a THREE seasons room ! (measure/add a drawing as you did above) as it is a possible fourth season room with a space heater, and the sliders open. You'd be amazed how quickly you can warm a space!

You are in a home alone, two people, with few guests. You have a very decent primary bedroom, and a possible cozy den and an office or bedroom.that give you extra closet space.

Stop looking at a living room as the entirety of this home, It has flaws you can work around, and you need NOT sit at an island as you do a dining table. These are meant to be a perch, a short stay "sit" . a visitor to chat, a cup of coffee or glass of wine while someone is cooking! . You'll live.............

You don't need card tables, chairs to store, hand wringing. You don't need every room to do every single function. Jeeeeesh! : )

Already, epiphany #1 from this discussion! We need to make real use of the three-season room. We were subconsciously thinking of it as "outside" instead of a true part of the home. We thought we'd just use it basically the way one would use a back deck. But if we could heat and cool the three-season room it really would take so much pressure off of the living room. And with a comfortable temperature, it would be a lovely place to be!

Will post more later regarding living room layout ideas. Thank you for the help, we are grateful and excited. :)

I'd start by taking advantage of the counter height bar on the living room side. Multi purpose for all your table top needs.

Find a counter height table and butt it against the edge of the bar. Great for serving from kitchen side.

No, even better than the table is something like this counter height console (which you can make it work in any where) and but it up against the edge of the counter. It will give you room for your legs without extending too far into the living room as the table I first suggested.

Epihany..........? No kidding: )

Ask to install a mini split for ac on three season, and start search for safe and effective space heaters.

Worth it to the landlord for the future.

Just for a fresh view of the space with fresh paint and furnishings. Your specifics will depend on what treasures you find in your local thrift stores. Over time, it will become unique and personal to you. (Chatgpt chose some of these items, like the white loveseat; not necessarily what I would have chosen.)

Here's a floor plan for this arrangement--although other plans suggested above can certainly work too.

(Started to color it, didn't finish!)

Best rendering yet simplynatural! The console as extended table was an ok idea if you didn't have to walk through past the cut out in the kitchen. Seems like there ought to be seating facing the TV if it's going to remain there, however

Thanks, @arcy_gw. There is a sofa facing the TV in this arrangement; it's just out of frame on the left; see the floor plan. Maybe should have shown just a bit of it in the lower left corner, like this:

Three-season room measurements and photos:

^The table came with the house and I'm fine with it. Will spruce up the wood.

We'll see how it goes having meals out there. And there's still the option of eating at the island (on the kitchen side) with our feet in the base cabinets. It's actually a pretty comfortable sitting position, at least with a 24" seat height. Other than being weird, maybe there's no issue with it.

Regarding the living room, there are a few things I want to mention. And a question.

After we first looked at the rental, our initial idea was to move the TV to the opposite wall. Now that we've been in the space more, we are leaning towards keeping it where it is (but lowering it.) I'll explain why.

The first reason is that when we're actually in the room, the two walls around the fireplace feel like the direction we want to face. The window makes for a nice focal point, and I enjoy the view from the corner next to island:

The second reason for specifically keeping the tv in its current location is how it is mounted to the wall:

Removing it could open up a can of worms, and the landlord would want it put back when we move out. (When he originally showed us the house he seemed pretty proud of the "included mounted tv" haha!) We feel like we have the best chance of the landlord approving the changes we want to make if we keep the list to a minimum, so if the tv actually works out fine in this location maybe best to leave it.

So here's my question: if we do end up keeping the TV on the wall it's currently mounted on, is the seating furniture going to look "under arrest" up against the opposite wall? Does it leave too much open area? And if so, would placing a small table and chairs at the window or adding some other piece(s) elsewhere help?

We are not 100% set on keeping the tv in its current location. If it is clearly the best design we will move it to opposite wall and maybe I could still have a chair in the corner I like:

Another idea is to remove the large tv from the room and instead place a small tv atop the fireplace.

Someone asked if the fireplace is electric. It's actually gas. Landlord will not allow tenants to use it. Here is a photo to give you a better look at it:

^The raised platform could interfere with our rug size options.

I know this was another long post. To summarize, my main question is what do you think about leaving tv where it already is (lowering as the mount permits), and if the tv is on that wall, will seating on the opposite wall across the room look "under arrest" and leave too much empty space in the middle of the room?

What about a lift top coffee table for eating at?

Now.....go get the dimensions of the screen porch ? As you obsess on this room?

**

rugs are meant to be tread upon.....

Thank you @JAN MOYER - I posted about the 3-season room a few posts up. Is it showing up for you? I'll also eventually add more details about the other rooms.

@katinparadise - Yes we'd consider a lift-top coffee table, thanks! Have never used one before but it would give us another option besides the 3-season and the island. TV trays are another idea. But maybe we won't have to worry about eating on the sofa because other spots will work.

Thank you to everyone :)

Tonight is our first night sleeping at our new home.

This idea really appeals to us (see image.) We could just move the dining chairs for conversation when we have guests. 9x12 rug. TV above a long low bookshelf. Obviously a lot more to fill in but here is the base of the room idea:

Meh : ) Not cozy, and I don't want to sit for more than thirty minutes on a dining chair > I'm leaving

I wonder if it could be cozy with the right pieces, wall color, lamps, etc.

Some things we like about it are:

1) We both really prefer comfy chairs, I guess we're not sofa people.

2) Dining by the window - enjoy this view.

3) Rug placement leaves the high traffic area (where hall-kitchen-livingroom meet) free of any rug corners.

4) Seating is pulled away from wall.

5) Provides more angles for seating as opposed to sofa.

6) Leaves open space to move freely, not maneuvering around furniture.

7) Easy-to-move, versatile furniture we could very likely use in future home.

If we did move the dining chairs for hosting guests, it would be the two of us in the dining chairs not the guests. I totally get that for people who prioritize entertaining, this plan would not work at all. But for us we think it would be a big mistake to base our design on hosting guests.

Editing to add another thing we like about it:

8) It eliminates some things we don't want. We know we would not want a dining area so close to the tv, just feels way too close whether the tv is off or on. We tried the "conversation" arrangement - chair seating close to tv, with backs to it, and it created an odd feeling from the seating across. Empty chairs staring back at you when you are watching tv. Also would be pretty cramped in the high traffic zone.

I do see how our preferred setup creates an almost "aggressively" anti-guest atmosphere though haha!

If you don’t host a lot of guests than you’re right in making the seating a priority for the two of you. The scale is not right in these pics so make sure you measure before making purchases. It’s just to give you a little bit of an idea of what you had on the plan. The wall decor above the chairs is a bit much so you can add or subtract as you like. I love a three season room so enjoy that!

I’d roll up the blinds in the 3 season room, let in the light and enjoy that as a lounge over the other room for most of the year….

I've been having my coffee every morning out in the 3 season. No phone, no laptop, no tv, just listening to leaves rustling and birds singing. Nice and cool out there in the mornings. It's on the west side of the home. I should probably stop calling it the 3 season room, since now the goal is to manage the temp out there and use it year-round. Maybe "sunroom" is the right term.

I'm so glad multiple posters brought up the value of that space, because it spurred me right from the start of living here to spend time out there and realize how nice it is. I want to get a comfortable lounging chair for the corner.

Today I noticed there was water on the table. Looked up at the ceiling directly above, and saw some water droplets up there. Could actually be condensation not a leak. In any case, all the more reason to just keep this old beat-up table that came with the house instead of buying a new one and have water dripping on it. :) I should put a plant on the table right under the drippy spot haha!

Another idea for living room. There's a lot more to fill in (side tables, lamps, art, plant, etc.) but this is the base of the concept:

What we don't like about this idea is if the chair would obstruct too much of the view out the window from the perspective of sitting on the sofa. Around 38" high is as tall as we'd be willing to go in order to keep the view. That means no head support for this chair. :\

One benefit of the sofa on that wall vs the two chair plan I posted is with a sofa it's so easy to just put one framed piece of art on the wall and be done, whereas with the two chairs side table between that wall becomes trickier.

With the above sofa + swivel plan, we have no dining table in the living room so would be relying on the sunroom and the kitchen island for having meals (or eating on the sofa.)

Not necessarily set on leather for sofa, but that specific art is something I have wanted to buy for over ten years! It's just a print. Comes in 4'x2'.................

If you keep the table and chairs by the window you could use comfy low back swivel chairs -like a club/tub chair with armrests. Also I was thinking you could just put a layer of wood or a tabletop size piece on top of the counter that is a bit bigger to make the right overhang and more useful. But chairs on the living room size would crowd your living room, too.

Lovely piece of art! Couldn't you put your two sitting chairs toward each side with a small table between?

Both a small sofa or two chairs would work well in that space, and both would be fine with the print you love. You could add plug in wall sconces to the sides of the print if you need additional lighting.

I'm very interested in plug-in sconces for this room, thanks @Emily! The fireplace corner needs lighting, so a sconce was something I was thinking about in that area, but a standing lamp behind the f.p. is another option, or a lamp on top, maybe even an uplight hidden behind the plant. If I do a bookcase under tv I could have a lamp on the other end like this:

^By the way that control on the wall is for the gas fireplace we're not allowed to use.... it sticks out about an inch and a half from the wall. I'd like to cover it with something.

Wall color is definitely changing so disregard the blue paint. :)

I like the lamp on the console, but center your tv with the console and then add either one lamp with something to balance it on the other side, or use two lamps for symmetry,

I'm not bothered by the switch and think if you try to cover it, it may make it even more noticeable.

I titled this discussion "coach us as we decorate..." because coaching is really what we need through this process. So when @JAN MOYER commented that our two chair idea was "not cozy" I wanted to make sure we really took in that honest, professional critique. It didn't worry us too much that the two chair setup isn't conducive for hosting guests, but it did concern us to think of the end result not being cozy. That's a key part of our stated goal: "orderly but homey and cozy, with quirky touches."

I started thinking more about the sofa instead of two chairs and imagined sitting on the sofa in the space. I realized that I had become too fixated on the angled view out the window from the corner and had thought a sofa would force our orientation only toward the tv. But I can get the straight-shot view out the window by sitting sideways with legs up on sofa. And I think the wall behind will be easier to decorate with a sofa taking up the majority of the lower wall. The sofa provides a perfect base for the very horizonal rectangle shape of the tree art I want. And we'd still get a chair, by the window. Because....

Epiphany #2 -- as much as we love the up-close window view for dining, we tried eating a meal there and realized we're going to inevitably drop food on the nice living room rug, whether while eating or transporting back and forth to kitchen. Plus, there are floor vents in that area that would blow air on us while eating (seated sideways to window) whereas if it was a chair there, it's back would be to the vent output so we wouldn't get as blasted by the air coming out.

Eating at the island on kitchen side still gives a view out the same window (across the room) and we'd both be able to see the tv while we eat. Between the island and the sunroom I think we've got our dining locations covered, so will leave the living room as just a living room.

Sounds like a good plan that will work nice for your needs.

There is design think.........and there is over think: )

It was right here: Replace the small sofa with a swivel chair

You can't manage island to table carry with food/ drink/plate on a tray ? Yes, you get two......

https://www.amazon.com/Enterprises-Natural-Hardwood-Collection-RST-2516-N/dp/B005J4S374/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?channelId=500&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aVURpRHLLnrGqF6BQyLo1wsfbmGg3jFRZIoAGnOY_79MY0Q5ugUMW9dV5FjMmtdV5gpNe1GwBX6oSQEBriY5Jiz2FWAgxBC2d-PZRMCZkW9XvEhS_DDOEVcTVoj81GUpUtw7RDol-Uh39_y44J8ReM6ID-uF8iF0mXoNLKLQVwhokSKD79O5Rt5nzdz3ukC-qBVdHGjtmnqV8gp6BbeQzIT1nJMamNSOVe7iLT7sxj7KT0GhEALebXZcN5mMQVmtsqjsSIdjFd0Nmyham9aVUJqwtkPO9ibU7Y1W7zlADJE.Hn2_N4BcukISYicaiLNHx5JGgCRP823p5VMjzwaeh8U&dib_tag=se&keywords=extra%2Blarge%2Bserving%2Btrays&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1784976537&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Your head doesn't swivel?

Are the trees lit up in the darkness of night? No..the windows become a black hole.

You puzzle, have tea, watch birds, watch tv, snooze and whatever, but you can not do ALL these things at the exact same moment.

Turn the tv to art, or get a replacement smart tv for a few hundred bucks. A You Tube app will turn it to a revolving forest of art !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIJJAuKAy48

You have a whole other room!! For the better part of the LEAFY VIEW year, ( those are deciduous trees,) Go get some used outdoor furniture! Use their left over bench as a set it down cocktail table You don;t need their bench unless you want it. Put some comfortable chairs at the table....

Add some standing lamps for the evening.

You are acting as the living room is your only space, and you have TWO others as well.

Don't over think it

Yes - the layout posted by @simplynatural is VERY close to the plan I think we've settled on! Biggest difference being that I think we'd prefer a bookcase under tv rather than dining table there. But still open minded on that.

What are my next steps?

Here is the general idea for the main bedroom:

If this plan for living room looks good to you, I will start searching for the items:

9x12 Rug

7' sofa (84")

4'x2' art print for above sofa, get framed

2 side tables for sofa - shape/size?

Lamps or sconces for sofa

Coffee table for sofa - size, shape, material? Ottoman instead?

2 stools for island LR side

Swivel chair for window area

Side table for swivel - which side? Both sides? Will it interfere with swivel motion?

Plant for fireplace top - is this correct plant placement?

Lighting for fireplace corner - Lamp atop FP? Standing? Uplight behind plant? Wall sconce?

7' long bookcase console for under TV

Lamp for bookcase console

2 island seats for kitchen side (comfortable!)

I know certain things will need to be shifted slightly from how they are shown in my drawing, like the rug. One thing that I don't have total control over is the exact place the TV will land on the wall because of the way it's mounted (photo upthread).

As for the other rooms:

Main bedroom I know it looks a little "off" but I'm accommodating a hamper and an air purifier to either side of dresser.

Second (tiny) bedroom we do need a bed in there. It's a double/full. Dresser to one side of that bed, small table to other side.

The empty room shown on the bottom right of drawing is not going to make designers happy.... because I need my pilates reformer in there (sorry!) Also need a computer desk. And this room will be very needed for some storage too. The best we can try for is a pleasing view into the room from the hall, with the unsightly pilates contraption obscured.

Note - the hall "closet" houses stackable washer dryer.

Sunroom - to start out we will keep it as-is. Large table in the center, some perimeter seating. Would like to grow some plants in here. Need to buy comfortable chair(s) for the empty corner. We'd like to change the wall color on the one wall that is currently pale yellow. We're thinking green, and incorporating green into seat cushions etc.

Let me know your thoughts and any advice about how to proceed from here. Thank you!

It is doubtful you want a three thousand post thread. Begin with a rug you love, or a couch you love and find comfy. Define a budget, ( what will be new, what might be gently used ) or enter "spin land..........."

Where do you live prior to this? In a cardboard box? You have.........what. in your possession?

: )

We almost bought a sofa and swivel chair to proceed with the layout below, but came to the realization that we weren't satisfied with how it would function for us:

We started thinking what if we removed the giant TV and instead just put a smaller TV on the un-usable corner fireplace thing.

We really like how that condenses the focal area to just the corner and the window.

With the idea in mind of having a smaller TV on the "fireplace", here are some layouts we're considering (incomplete, missing lamps, plants, rug, art, etc. but just giving the base of the idea.) You'll see the area that is repeated in all of them is the two chairs, bookcase, and some kind of console-ish piece that would have coffee table books on top and art above.

Accent sofa with window dining:

Swivel at window with wall dining area:

But we likely don't even need dining in this room, so we could also do one of these -

Accent sofa and swivel chair:

Just the accent sofa and keep window area clear:

Please give me some feedback about these new layout ideas. Can I make this room look well designed with the two chairs in the general positions shown?

What in the heck is all that different from below, from nearly two weeks ago? Why do you want to watch a postage stamp size tv when there is one already on the wall in a better size from that distance?

It was right here........ same as what you are "attempting" . How you angle a chair is up to you. At some point, its a hand wring you are creating for yourself, and you will have an empty room until you realize the room can not be every single thing you want and will be nothing at all, until you put some seating in the room.

Nor do you need to see trees every single second of every day..........no matter you love trees.

They are trees.........and they are outside the three season room as well.

You don't need "coaching", you need to buy something to sit on so you can watch tv, so you can read, and trust me on this, the trees will still be outside the window. Turn your head.

This is just with the free version of ChatGPT so very limited, but this is as close as I could achieve to what I'm trying to picture:

Obviously I'd have to work on color because that's a lot of brown... we do love brown though.

Not sure how to determine the correct scale for the chairs. We're thinking of getting substantial club chairs in the general style of Stickley Memphis chair or we could go in a lighter direction with something like Room&Board Roth.

Photos below JUST TO SHOW SHAPES - fabric / leather still to be determined:

Or we could go with something more like this below. Maybe get one in the foot-rest version and the other as all-in-one recliner:

Editing to add: Maybe a taller height chair would work better because that island top is just shy of 36" high. The Stressless Wing above ^ is around 40" H and so is the Room&Board Roth chair.

You know what you want. More "substantial" bulk does not add to the comfort of a chair, as in "Memphis.

You keep posting what you want. so DO what you want. Get a local interior designer, to hand hold and help you make. up. your. mind.

You are seeing what you want.......creating it , just not moving forward. Asking a hundred people will not get you a single definitive answer to any selection.

You like brown you like green you like trees. so DO IT!

None of it will go with you to your graves

Some cushion cover options for chairs:

You must have opinion of something, even the shade of green you may PREFER ?

Either solid, the plaid . is an accent pillow or ottoman

No more WOOD. Add a different material for drinks table. Like stone

Thank you Jan :)

I have been thinking the same - that it would be wood overload if i had those chairs, plus the wood island top, plus wood bookshelf, side table, and console piece. So I need to find other materials to incorporate that will look right with those chairs.

Thanks again for sticking with me!

Learn to make mood boards before you Chat Gpt.......walk before the run

Last night we made our first big purchase for our home. Ordered two Stressless Consul chairs for our main seating in the living room. One is a power recliner, the other has the separate ottoman. Dark Olive leather with Walnut classic bases. Absolutely NOT the most attractive chairs, but truly the most comfortable things we have ever sat in. So, comfort won out over aesthetics, and I just hope we can still make the room look well designed.

I'm finding plenty of sofa fabrics that I like with the chairs, but having a little trouble knowing what sofa shapes are best with the Consul silhouette. Please give me input on that, including what kinds of base / leg could work for the sofa. I'm wondering if the "open-ness" of the Stressless base has implications for the sofa base. Should the sofa be somewhat leggy or can it show no leg at all? This is an area where I really need some "coaching."

Sofa will be on this wall where the big TV is currently. We tried a smaller TV on top of fireplace / woodstove thing and we really like the smaller size. Will probably put in a corner shelf to set it on. The photo below shows how the kitchen is very visible from the living room, so we have to take those cabinets into account to some extent when designing the living room.

We're definitely repainting and one idea is a dark green or green-ish for kitchen walls and either tan / khaki or very light "neutral" for living room walls. Won't pick the exact colors until everything else is finalized, but just giving one general idea we've had.

In addition to the sofa, I also have to figure out what to put on the walls surrounding the chairs. Our plan has been a bookshelf and a shallow depth console piece. Maybe there is a better idea? Wall next to island is 62" and larger wall is almost 12'.

The Stressless chairs will take 3-4 months to arrive. We have some cheap chairs being delivered today just to get us by while we wait. (Wayfair, two chairs for $300 haha!)

Maybe something simple like the Flexsteel Digby. I have one that I've had for 20 years and it still sits very comfortably. I like the fixed back so I never have to worry about saggy back cushions. You can choose from dozens of fabrics and leg finishes. I have the two cushion loveseat but it's a great size for a smaller space at 70" and still seats 2 comfortably. https://www.flexsteel.com/products/5966-30

It's a bit of an investment but as I said, I've had mine for 20 years.

Since this is a rental and you’re furnishing the living room from scratch, I’d focus first on the layout and the dimensions of the main pieces before buying anything. A comfortable, properly scaled sofa is worth prioritizing, but the room does not need expensive furniture to feel polished and welcoming.

You can create a much more finished look with affordable lighting, curtains hung high and wide, a few well-chosen decorative pillows, and secondhand tables or storage pieces. I would avoid buying a matching furniture set and instead build the room gradually, mixing practical bargain finds with one or two pieces you genuinely love and may take to your future home.

This comparison of a $2,000 living room and a $200,000 living room may be useful because it looks at which expensive elements actually change the room and where affordable alternatives can create a very similar effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSqmk20JaAQ

@katinparadise it's good you mentioned the tight back instead of back cushions - that is something I have specifically been thinking about.

The way I'd mostly use this sofa would be to sit sideways, with my back against armrest (facing TV and window view.) Some form of chaise could be cool....

^ ideas for shape, not color / fabric

Here's a sofa with both of the attributes katinparadise suggested - it's simple with a tight back. Also it looks like the top outline is sort of similar to the top outline of the Stressless Consul chair:

^Again just showing shape not color / fabric

Seems like sock arm could actually work with these chairs, do you agree?

I think it absolutely could feel cozy with the right combination of lighting, color and a few strong design choices. Since you’re still figuring out the overall direction, it might actually help to see how dramatically the same living room can change depending on the design approach.

I recently created four completely different transformations of one living room — you might find some inspiration for yours here:
https://youtu.be/R-2ZyyBc6EY

So now we know one element of the room, our ugly but extraordinarily comfortable chairs:

We need to find a sofa / loveseat / settee that will be across from the chairs. I know maximum length 6' and max depth about 36". I'm not sure about height. I need the height to work with the chairs (37" and 39") but also the fireplace / woodstove that'll be right next to the sofa. It's 33" H including the little platform. Small TV will be on top of woodstove, possibly on a corner shelf. Maybe a sofa height around 35-36"? I know the length and depth are the more important dimensions, I just feel it would look off with a really low height sofa across from two tall chairs.

As we're searching for a sofa and rug, we're cognizant of how much the rug color(s) and sofa fabric colors will dictate our wall color options. We've had two general ideas about wall color. One is to go quite light and have a high contrast look. These are not the best renderings but it gives you the gist:

What I will say about the high contrast look (very light walls) is that I'm drawn to photos of rooms like this. I question if I'd actually enjoy the feel of the room in real life. Another issue with this look is that the trim in this house is WHITE, not a warm creamy off-white, it's pretty stark white. And we can't paint it. That could get weird with a very light wall color. And strike three against the light wall direction is that light walls are so influenced by reflection, and the living room gets strong green light through the window this time of year and I anticipate it'll be blue-grey light in the winter. It's a dark room, and often it seems like light colors just aren't the best choice in a room that wants to be dark.

The other idea we have is medium tan walls for the living room (and possibly green for the kitchen?) Again this is not a great rendering, exact colors would be adjusted, but here's the basic idea:

Might photograph as drab, so a lot of people here will probably say yuck. But in person I think the tan walls would make the room feel good (to us) and that's obviously what matters.

Truly keeping an open mind about paint colors though. Just don't want to select a rug and sofa that trap us into a wall color we dislike.

For the sofa color we were thinking dark brown but that could be too much of a heavy dark block with the black fireplace right next to it. We thought maybe a multi tone that incorporates deep brown or black with a light neutral color. And another idea is a multi tone that incorporates green. Very open to pattern, solid, whatever. One additional wildcard thought is a rust color, but would have some concern about wall color implications.

So basically what we're trying to work on right now is finding the rug, sofa, and general wall color direction. From there we'd decide on bookcase, console, side tables, then lamps and art. After all that is done we'll see if we need to add window treatments.

I'd be really grateful for any rug + sofa + wall color combinations that would look and feel amazing with our ugly Stressless chairs :)

You find the RUG you like , first.............................Paint can be mixed to a fraction of a hue, you only love two colors, green ad brown tones. Go get a sisal rug, and buy a couch in a light . light oatmeal tone. You will barely sit on it !

You keep posting inspo, ? What for? They are essentially the same and your own message is staring at you. : )

Yet again....

I think that if it's in your budget, the Flexsteel might work for you. The length is perfect at 70", the back is high enough to lean against, as are the arm edges. I like the depth as I want my feet on the floor when I sit down and I like that it sits a little straighter. I don't want to have to struggle to pull myself out of a marshmallow sofa! The fabric choices are endless, including performance fabrics. As far as wall color, I don't think there's ever a perfect color-just one that you can live with. Jan's right though-furniture and rug first-paint last.