Ann, I agree.....sectional attached chaise on hall side.

My comment was if she buys a separate chaise.

Have fun shopping today. Can't wait to hear about what you find. Of course, they'll come to your house too, if you want. I don't work for Ethan Allen, I've just been a very regular customer over the years:):)

EA a good company. I don't work for them either. I don't push anyone's products. As a matter of fact, I don't sell products at all.

I actually think Ethan Allen quality was much better 20 years ago, but is still better than most. Heck, quality of all furniture seems to have gone downhill. I didn't like it when EA started putting odd veneer type finishes on tables. The old Ethan Allen wood pieces were just good old wood that could be easily refinished. I have a Ethan Allen kitchen table that I simply love but it has the odd newer veneer type top and it's getting a bit beat up. I'm not sure how to handle that.

Julie, It is so good to know that there is someone else besides me in the DFW area (I live in Keller) who wants to decorate in other than Texas/Tuscan style. The colors in the early photos that you posted are much like my choices, classic and classy ivory and blue/gray with color accents. The last of the gold/green/maroon and the wallpaper are leaving my house next week! I also refuse to have oil rubbed bronze hardware, as suggested by a realtor who advised me that I would have to have it in order to sell my house. When you talk with a designer, make sure that they are open to the lighter look. I suggest a good leather wing chair, refined and never trendy nor outdated. Marilyn

Went to EA. it's a possibility:).
They have the one below available in the track arm. It's a bit pricey.
Liked these two style chairs (with different fabric).

This is what everyone had in mind for the sectional with chaise, right? This is from Crate & Barrel. I'll probably go there this weekend.

Marilyn - good to hear from you! Let me know if you find some good stores:)
Thanks,
Julie

I really like this, but unsure if I'll still like it in 5-10 years. What do you think?

2 chairs. Chair with arms is more comfy than swoop arm.

Crate and Barrel: that is actually a couch with a chaise. It is not a sectional. But, you def could use that with the 2 chairs. Would that work for you?

I love the last one you posted. I do not think pillow-backs wear as well over time. Start to sag.

CDR do you think that the pillow back depends on what type of filling it has? We have a couch with that type of back from Pottery Barn and it is still in great shape. (4years) I know that's not super long time. We just have to fluff it up occasionally.

With that said, I do love the last couch you posted I would just be nervous about the tufted look. It seems to be something that fades in and out over time.

I love all the things you saw today! My son and wife have had that Ethan Allen sofa (track arm version) for about 8 years and it's still in great shape. They have 2 young kids so it's been jumped on, etc., etc. I also really like that Crate and Barrel sofa - does it get good reviews? I've never owned any Crate and Barrel furniture but I sure like many of their things. I agree with CDR about the chair with arms being more comfy (plus I just love that chair you pictured). I can tell already - I'm going to be very envious of your room!!!

lyn, true about some pillow back being higher quality than others. Of course, you also have to consider whether you like the feel of a soft back or hard back. All things to consider before purchase.

Indigo, love all the furniture you looked at today.

You might help yourself narrow down if you could decide what you want: sectional/sectional w chaise/couch w chaise/couch

We have an octogonal shaped room that was hard to decorate. Went to Ethan Allen and with their help came up with their Bennet Conversational sofa. It solved sooooo many problems. I would put a sofa like this facing your fireplace, two of the Adam chairs side by side to the left of the sofa, and then an accent chair in a patterned print (we used zebra) on the right of your sofa by the t.v. Although Ethan Allen can be on the pricey side, they have really good sales. We also have dark hardwoods and bought a light colored rug with a muted contemporary print. All of our colors are in the creams, but we used different textures and added the colors in the pillows and accessories. I think you should consider having a built in put in where your TV is and have it painted some shade of white. Good luck. Would love to see your finished product.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm going to try and get my husband to shop for sofas this weekend (it may not happen). I may have to compromise a bit, he's not on board yet with the new style.
I went to a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams store and Crate and Barrel tonight. I really liked some pieces from the Mitchell store. Does anyone know about the quality? Pricing seemed a bit high - about inline with EA.

Well, like everything else, design is about compromise.

In general, men don't like to shop and men love recliners. But, you knew that!!

I think if you buy at least one recliner, your husband will be a lot more interested. You can sometimes buy a nonrecliner and recliner chair that look alike. Or, just buy 2 recliners. Your boys will love them too.

http://www.la-z-boy.com/Product/54-6917/Riley-Recliner/

I would not hesitate, as you go in stores to tell them you love their product, but are on a budget and "what is the best price they can give you?"

Most will come down. If they don't, you can ask "When is your next sale?" If they are not willing to come down and don't have a sale coming up and their price seems higher than the others for comparable goods, well, you know what to do.

I no longer tell my kids, "You don't know unless you politely ask." I just start the sentence, "You......" and they finish it for me.

You are smart to shop around and gather all your options. Sit in the furniture and make sure it is comfortable. Maybe take hubbie along when you have narrowed it down to 2 stores.

Great advice. I think I'm going to take the family to some model homes first. I did that before and it opened his eyes to the fact that Tuscan style is out. Now I just need to see what style we can both love;)
Back to the sectional with a chaise everyone suggested. If someone could post a picture of what you're talking about, it would help me visualize. Thanks!

http://st.houzz.com/simgs/919102d40d2a1231_7-5586/contemporary-family-room.jpg

That is a good idea to go to home shows if that was effective in the past.

Here is a sectional with a chaise.

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Ok. So with this shape of sectional, no chairs - right?

Right. This would be it.

If you have a chair by the hall side, it is sort of a visual. 2 chairs on hall side is a virtual blockade. How do you access the seating area?

You might be able to get away with one chair on hall side if if is low, but would someoe want to sit in it?

My sectional thought was one exactly like the crate and barrel example (sofa with chaise on one end). Maybe that's called a sofa instead. I still like the idea of two chairs on the other side. In our downstairs TV room, I do have huge Ethan Allen sectional sort of like the "family room" sectional cdr pictured above. It seats a million people and is very useful, but I'm not sure I'd want the huge sectional look in my living room.

Indigosignature, I just read your question again and I was wondering, do you have a rug already picked out? Or is that to come after you have selected all your furniture pieces?

Can you remove the mantel? That would really freshen and lighten the room. If not, try whitewashing it to blend in more with the stone.

And hang the painting rather than have it propped.

Go look at Mitchell Gold! Go to downtown Dallas where they have all the furniture store, you can get great ideas. All the stores are right next to each other. I feel in love with Mitchell Gold and have ordered The Diane Couch. Cant wait for it..

Beautiful start and great comments. I'm also in similar situation. Learning a lot here. Just wanted you to know...thx to all of you.

Right.....totally up to you, indigo, what furniture grouping you want. Just offering the options and pointing out advantages and disadvantages of different types.

Indigo, I am in a similar color palette for my LR. I think my couch and your tapestry chair may be the same print..... I'm running too.

Lynsibee, I haven't even looked at rugs yet. I know I need to. I'm not looking forward to the mess of installing the hardwood, so I've been putting it off. I'm also horrible at making decisions and pulling things together:/
All of you have been soooo helpful! Any rug suggestions? I'm still unsure on the colors of our sofa and chairs. I want light, but unsure if I can convince my husband. They'll be cream, tan/taupe or gray.....?

stone similar to yours and dark floors:


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El Paso Import Company on Inwood road is a great store for different sideboards, tables, and accessories in Dallas as well!

Seriously Indigo.....get yourself an interior designer for some help! You can hire them by the hour (ask around for refs in a nice furniture store, or art shop), and getting some help with the basics (sizes, #chairs, placements, etc) will save you lots of stress...and $$$!! If you like "transitional", go to Ethan Allen and get one of their designers to come to your home.

I really like how the the fabric in "Casa Verde Design" photo reflects the stone color in the fireplace and provides a contrast to the dark tones in the floor.

Yes, I like contrast too. Great point. I'll keep that in mind when considering sofa color. That couch is from Hickory Chair. I've seen other sofas on Houzz I like that were from that manufacturer. I'll have to look at them. The price range may be out of my budget. The one place in town that carries them is high dollar.
Thanks again!

You can't go wrong with a Hickory or Henredon sofa. Go to that expensive store. You never know.

You are being really smart doing all of your research and you will come to the right decision.

You can look at rugs, but I wouldn't make the final decision on size until you choose your furniture.

I have noticed that your "design personality" fits into the sort of "safe, classy, but contemporary" sort of category. Here is what I mean by that.....there are those who want a lot of color and stuff going on......nothing wrong with that, except that they often want color in their base: a red couch, for example. Nothing wrong with that until they grow tired of the red couch in a couple of years and then what?

So, I try to steer clients toward more neutral bases. Pillows and accents are easy and cheap to change.

It seems you already have this wisdom and so, when you ask about a rug, and you also want contrast, while this may sound boring what I am going to suggest, take a look at photos below. I am going to suggest that you go all neutral on your base.

What do you think?
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....just another thought on your couch.......it is hard to tell (and I realize it is hard to photograph also!!)......maybe I am not seeing the angles of the room correctly......but I had a thought that you may want to also consider an angled or curved couch.

I love how the photo with the brown curved couch echoes the arches.

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Yes, I think a neutral rug would be the way to go as well. Unsure on the curved sofa. I love them, just need to see if it would work in our space. I'm leaning toward doing a sofa and two chairs instead of a sectional. Even though a sectional may give us the most seating in the space, I just think having only a sectional in our living room is not what I want. I like being able to add different shades of color and different textures with the chairs and sofa. Just visually (for me), I like the look of chairs and sofa instead of a whole room of just sofa. Hard to explain.
Thanks so much for all your help!

Oh no that makes perfect sense which is why I suggested the separate chaise in something different. :) I am one that likes to change my furniture arrangement quite a bit so even tho it works in our space, I don't want it. I love the two Collins chairs that you had picked out and I think the Carlisle sofa from Pottery barn would be a good fit. You can chose whatever fabric you like. The wait time can be a bit long but they make great sofas so it's worth it, to me.

Definitely the sofa and 2 chairs is the most versatile and will look good in your space.

Indigo.....I agree with you about a sectional. There are a few spaces which really call for a sectional......IF the space has few "walls" and needs to be defined in a way that a sectional can do so well.. Example...a decorator told me (about 10 years ago when everyone was buying sectionals) that I needed a sectional in my space along with a large upholstered ottoman for a coffee table. I did it. HATED the result because the room was all sofa...and fairly uncomfortable because everyone had to sit on same piece of furniture (too much closeness....lol). Fortunately at the same time, my daughter was building her first home...small...very open concept...so she "bought" the new furniture from me (well...if any of you have single adult children you know what "bought" means...lol) But I am happy to say that she is still using that sectional and it continues to look absolutely perfect in her home. I, on the other hand, ended up buying a curved sofa (I think similar to one shown above) with two club chairs. That arrangement worked much better for me. Good luck.

I have so much information above. I was just at High Point and the Tuscan look is out along with the gold's and browns. I am so excited for your new change.

Mkhodges. You are correct. Sectionals are functional in some situations. But, they do not offer future versatility.

The other element people often don't think of with sectionals is guests. While a family may like a big happy sectional for togetherness....not so much at a party. People like to move around and want "escape" seats.

Do the math: there are only 2 escape seats on a sectional.

I do like the idea of a chaise, though, whether it be attached to the TV end of the sofa (probably what I'd choose) or a separate chaise. In that room I think it would be such a popular TV watching spot!

I would remove the leather bubba chair.... and the coffee table. I would go for more mass.... the room is very nice, but too busy.

I was looking for this kind of style for my living room. With the chaise on the right hand side, this will visually gives the look of another chair. This size in my picture (82" wide) is smaller than you will need but the idea will be the same if you choose say 111" length.

another place to watch for terrific deals, (and also the style you're looking for) is the website Joss and Main. www.jossandmain.com
Best of luck!!

Some designer will charge you a small fee for their advice, worth the money.

Thank you, I have used Joss and Main and have their app. but they don't provide enough information for large ticket items.