I think light, airy curtains and some throw pillows will do wonders. I'm a sucker for brown with blue (but I'm pretty biased, as they're my school colors!) Try not to go too heavy with the curtains (maybe a light blue with white lattice print?), as the couch is heavy enough.

Throw pillows are on the list, but the couch is so big that small ones are overpowered and large ones stick out like a sore thumb. So maybe a combo?

Have you tried draping a blanket to break up the brown?

I can see what you mean, that it would be tough to find the right size. I think a combo of sizes, textures, and patterns would be the way to go - definitely don't just pick up 6 of the same pillow.

Also, you could put a tray on top of the ottoman

I'd try looking at the various throw pillow pictures. Maybe some good inspiration! https://www.houzz.com/products/decorative-pillows-prbr0-br~t_508

Take out the rug and the old orange chair. If possible (can't see other side of room), I would pull the couch away from the air conditioner move towards window more, and put a sofa table w/some colorful lamps, books/plant type thing. Not only will in bring in accessories and color it will hide the wall unit. If you can, get rid of the ottoman or put a tray on it w/some accessories. Lighter colored drapery isn't essential, it's just that the wall is so baron and the couch so large in scale your eye goes to all the heavy dark areas. 3-5 throw pillows would help add a bit as well. Pier One, World Market and Target will help you achieve all these goals for not a lot of $

Move an armless piece to the wall that you see first when entering the room. If that is the window wall, great. You do need artwork or designs on both walls - wrapped canvases are inexpensive and work well in contemporary rooms (large pieces will help balance the scale of the sofa). Pick your pillows and carpet colors from the artwork and then you have a color scheme ( artwork is the hardest to find). The orange chair is small in scale for the sofa but if you need to, keep it - put it opposite the now short end of the sofa. I would cover the airconditioner with a piece of fabric from the ceiling to the floor when not in use. Lilly is right - you can pick up great items ai Pier One and Target. Make sure not to pick up tables that are too small for the couch and try to find large, colorful pieces for accents. If that is a TV on the right wall you neen to make that the focal so turn the sofa around to have as many seats as you can facing it. Find some old interestng doors to flank it.

Another idea to change the look of the room would be to add a modern rug, one with stripes or a really eye catching design that you like with the brown couch. A striking rug will draw the eye away from the brown furniture (not that there is anything wrong with it), but it overpowers the room a bit now. West Elm, Crate and Barrel, and Urban Outfitters have some great modern designs. In addition or instead, you could pick a bold fabric (coral/orange or a light/royal blue design would probably work well), stretch and staple over canvas from an art supply store for inexpensive art. Then work throw pillows in. Either a tall plant or one on a stand would add some life to the room, and an end table would add depth. A stack of books, suitcases, hatboxes, etc. can work if you don't have funds for furniture. I like the idea of a block or something large with color as Haven mentions above. Good luck!

A great colorful rug would do wonders. The orange chair seems to be a bit small compared to the large brown sectional. If you want to stay more monochromatic, try using metallics. There are some great metallic rugs..I would go to the pewters or nickel finishes. Move the ottoman and get a metal table with a glass top. You need some movement of light and some spark. I would use an airy sheer for the drape. Don't get heavy on the drapes, the large sectional is heavy enough. Keep it soft and simple.

I like the rug and I would keep it. Corourful art on the wall would look very nice and if you could find pillows (some of them big, some smaller, some round, whatever you want but not all the same!) with the same colours, it would look even nicer! You could also try placing one or two trays on your ottoman with a few items on them (a vase, some books etc). I would go for colour even on this stuff, but white or grey would also look nice!

Hi..Trish Samuelson

I think first of all you need to change the fabric / leather of your sofa to natural suede fabric and in place of rug, you please place a shaggy rug below and if you want add a nice art work in horizontal shape of red color. !!

I like the above comments however... have you thought about dividing up the couch?

Take the one end piece add the ottoman and make a chaise from the two pieces? you could put the chaise piece in a corner or set it on a diaginal slightly away from the rest of the couch...then rearrange the other pieces together. Use end tables and silver lamps to divide the newly formed chaise from the other pieces. If at all possiable you could also slipcover the pieces once you have them separated. This would lighten up the heaviness.
I would use the orange chair either in a corner with a pillow, small table and lamp. Or move it to another room.

Add pillows and throws to draw attention away from all the heavy pieces. For art work you can always buy pieces of fabric and frame them in the color scheme of your pillows and throws. Bring in light fabric on your pillows id possiable to balance the heavy pieces out. I would also update with a throw rug in the same color scheme .

Then I would frame the window with a valance and 2 side panels in a light fabric... I would also suggest a few personal touches as the room has no chacacter.

PS you could rearranage all the pieces of the couch as well, make 2 loveseats with the 4 pieces, use the corner piece obviously in a corner or in another room with the orange chair for a reading area...and still have a chaise...if you really wanted a wow you could get inexpensive silver end tables and a coffee table.
Don't limit yourself when it comes to coffee table and endtables they can be anything to add chacacter! Brown and aqua for a cool feel with grey walls would be nice and light! Brown and pinks with grey if you want a more feminine feel...red, grey for a bold look [be careful with red as it could look very dated] just choose colors to match your personality. You could also bring in a zebra print to update.

The only colors in your photo are white and brown. What is that poster-looking thing on the wall? It's brown! Take it down! Even the blinds are brown, but they look like nice blinds. You can buy a beautiful drapery rod at Bed Bath and Beyond or JCPenneys, hang sheer curtains (or whatever sort of curtains you like), and that will soften the look of the room, in addition to camouflaging the brown of the blinds. And the curtain rod will add some height. (I would attach the rod a couple inches above the window frame. If you rent, get your landlord's permission first!)

Do you own this space? Are you allowed to paint the walls? The white walls create quite a contrast to the brown sectional. Some shades of blue look really nice with brown. Or perhaps a bold goldenrod or even deep red walls would be more to your liking. You can get color swatches from a hardware store, and usually for about $2 you can get a small sample can of the color you think you like so you can test it out at home. (Be aware that the sample paint will not have the same finish as the 'real' paint. The real paint always looks a little nicer -- usually more shiny.) Make sure you get your landlord to approve the color you choose. Some landlords have strict policies regarding paint.

I agree with the other people who suggested colorful throw pillows in various sizes, and possibly also a throw over the back of the couch, and a tray for the ottoman. If you do that and add the curtains, I think you'll be a lot happier with what you see. I would also move the rug to an adjacent room so that the color will echo the brown couch, but won't add to the mass of brown that's all in one place. (I don't think you really need a rug under this furniture unless you just love rugs. This size rug usually costs a couple hundred bucks, after all. And most of it will be hidden by the furniture anyway.)

If you like to sit on the couch and read, add a floor lamp. As for replacing the ottoman, I thin

try flipping the room, so that the sectional faces the other way, creating window wall as the site line and focal point. how are you with sewing, recovering the cushions in a new upholstery fabric, light colour would update this sectional. as everyone has said, toss cushions in a contrast colour , texture, stripe, and "vintage logo pillows found at most retailers would update and liven up the sectional. Now for the walls, if you can't paint, add painted artist canvass large scale to the walls and some oversized art work. Lamps, tables, and a new rug will also help pull this together. the orange chair needs a new cover and could sit separately from the sectional in a niche with a table . Window coverings should emphasize the entire wall, scrims work great from Ikea, as well you can extend scrims around the corner to cover up the air unit but not hinder the use of it.
food for thought, where is the eating area, you can add an oversized tray to the ottoman to serve as a table.

Advice from a designer--I like the sofa! And I like the grey on the walls-- I would add a large pillow for the corner of the sofa (like 20x20) and a smaller one (18x18) for each end. You could bring in the grey color from the walls on the pillows and tie in the rug that way. Also add a beautiful abstract piece of art over the sofa with grey and brown, maybe a third color thrown in there. Sorry to say I would get rid of the orange chair and get a more modern looking chair with some nice driftwood arms and grey fabric--or your third color such as a plum would look very nice.

To me the most important changes need to be creating balance vertically, and incorporating some pattern. I think that attention-grabbing draperies are a must to draw the eye up. Even if you prefer a neutral palette you could make the patterns in the draperies dominate and create a focal point. Cushions in various patterns would help too, as would interesting artwork. (I would remove the artwork that is there now, because it adds no interest). If you like color, I think a mustard/driftwood/cream pattern would be lively, although that might mean recovering the chair.

I'm not sure how much space you have, but I would like to see the sectional pulled away from the wall, and out of that corner. It looks unbalanced. Move it towards the direction of the window, and put the chair facing the sectional at an angle. If possible, I agree with a previous comment about turning the sectional around to face the window wall.

try some DIY paneling... it's easy, cheap and makes a huge statement

Trish - I saw this pic and it reminded me of your sofa.

http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/best-of-designers-portfolio-living-rooms/pictures/index.html

click on the first picture of the link and it will take you to the next one

this room appears not to have any focal point? what is outside of window - anything worthwhile? is there some way you can let light in? For e.g. if window looks across to building but upper windows have less congestion, put film on bottom windows that blocks view but lets light in & then build from there with layers to soften the look of window.
I agree with others re: breaking up the sofa. I also agree with others re: artwork - find a piece that you reallly relate to & then bring those colours into the room via pillows, throw, rug.
Various styles of lighting are important for ambiance. Floor lamp, table lamps.... If you want a coffee table, I would suggest metal & glass, letting lots of light through it.
You have lots of great ideas now to try out. Enjoy!

thought this inspiration would get you up to date with designing with a sectional...have fun and send pics when you are done

you are almost there with the orange and brown...but keep it light and neutral with lots of interesting texture..don't be shy to mix period styles...and don't over analyze or you will paralyze your creative thought

The current focal point of the room seems to be the AC unit hanging in what looks like a disused window. MAJOR UGLY....

Suggest simple shelving on that wall. Leave an opening where you have the unit. Cover it with a flea market picture whenever not it use.

the other thing you can do to hide ac unit when not in use is put an entertainment center in front of it with a tv,ect. since you are renting this would be a purchase you would take with you, that would be your focal point in the room and remember you can always divide up the furniture and make more than one seating area ...depending on how many people are watching tv at once...you could back to back your furniture pieces...

Great ideas, don't overlook plants to soften the room and and add life. Table lamps and accessories will really help too. Have fun!

Get rid of orange beanbag. Break up your couch and center half of it at window; put the other half facing the window. You cannot have a conversation in your room as it is. Next, get some great pillows--I'd go bold and use a violet and spring green. Whatever colors you choose, find a really shaggy rug in one of the pillow colors. Art is cheap--you can frame postcards, maps, botanical prints (check used bookstores for illustrated books)--whatever interests you becomes art if you curate it intentionally. Finally, get more lighting--Ikea has great colorful lamps for cheap.

Hi how about going for more texture . Your sofa is suede and leather a nice sheepskin rug or throw on the sofa with a mix of graphic printed cushions and maybe a cowhide rug . A sectional need not dominate the room as long as you soften it up.Two chairs grouped also break up the dilemma of when you have visitors , everyone is side by side and its a bit of a neck breaker.Ikea do a large light that arches over a sectional if placed behind it . Think once you tackle your sectional your window and wall treatments will be easier to choose . Good luck you have a lot of great advice on the above posts ..:)

I would definitely slide the sectional down to the end of window and then you will still have room for a big end table on that side to compliment the size of sofa. Someone else said it and I agree too - put a sofa table behind sofa and put some things on it to hid the AC - maybe palms , lamps to soften. Make it disappear. Rug, pillows, some pics and something on ottoman to soften it. Tray and throw.

Note: No one is going to see the sofa table so something very inexpensive will do. Put money in other areas.

separating a sectional is not ideal...there are exposed clips where it joins and unfinished upholstery on the ends...if you do this it would be better to sell it and replace with alternative seating, like condo size sofa and chairs