You have neutral bedding and rug, gray chairs and gray window treatments and you plan to paint the room antique white. I really think you need a strong accent color for accessories. Maybe a lime green, teal, or rusty orange.

Yeah, I will need to figure out a color to add somewhere. I can do that after the room is painted and drapes hung. Teal, rust or aqua are not colors I think I'd want to use, though. I would like a color less colorful, if that makes sense.

This is the only picture I can find of our library with chairs in front of the fire sharing an ottoman. It's a Christmas picture, but you still get a feel for the furniture placement. The hearth of this FP is in the floor and extends quite a ways out. I have an antique elm Chinese bench along the room side of the hearth parallel to the two chairs for books, magazines and drinks.

We were all set to buy a restored brass and green leather fireplace fender to go around the hearth for seating--- which would have been uncomfortable and very impractical---when I changed my mind and went with chairs as in ID's original plan. I'm glad I did as that is now my favorite spot to sit and read or daydream.

Oh, I almost forgot to say! I painted my ugly rock fireplace over the weekend. It's still ugly, but not quite as awful as it was before. I need to figure out some sort of mantel shelf for it next.

ooh, you move fast! Let's see!

OK, lets see if I can figure out how to export this photo I took this morning when measuring things...

Got it! Please excuse the eyeball dangling from the ceiling and all of my measurement notes. Oh, and pay no attention to the massive TV... I really have no say in certain matters.

Errant, the paint made a world of difference. I have the ugliest foyer in the world. One wall is stone and not a pretty stone. It has ugly orange, rust, and brown stones and the mortar is very thick and not nicely done. I have wanted to rip the stones out for years but I think when I get ready to do the foyer I may try painting the stone first.

Thank you, HK. These stones will go, eventually! But for now, the paint helps. It wasn't difficult using one of those little Wagner sprayers, and I already had enough paint on hand. I was a little nervous about doing, but it's not like I could have made it worse.

And now I think I want to try reupholstering the chairs. What is wrong with me?? LOL

Should I pick a fabric before I paint the rest of the room? Or should I paint the rst of the room with my antique white, hang the new drapes, and make up the bed with the new linens, then find a fabric once I can see it all in place?

I did a mock up of a mantel for the fireplace. I think I can make one, with sort of an old beam feel. Do these proportions look right? Please excuse the still dangling eyeball and the horrible flash photo, which makes the rocks look ultra-bright.

An update, finally! The ugly Merlot colored wall is gone :D it took an entire gallon of Kilz primer to cover it. Then I repainted the whole room with Glidden Silver Cloud. It already looks better!

Now I'm working on new curtains. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate hemming curtains? As soon as I get those finished, I will post pictures, promise!

Oh, and I'm still trying to decide if I should bother recovering those wing chairs, or find something different. They are comfy, but I'm not crazy about how they fit in my room.

I don't think the fireplace needs a mantle. Painting them did wonders.
Whenever I see stones like that I always think how it looks like a nut log. I would not want to have nut log decor.

Painting has made a big difference! When I first saw the fireplace, my thought was it's not that bad, but when I saw the painted picture I got the true shape and size of the rocks. The long term plan of removal or recovering is wise.

Nutlog! That is perfect, emmarene! You know how the nuts and salt jump off of those things with each bite? Same thing happens with those nasty rocks, without even touching them. I will be glad when they are gone, but for now the paint helps.

I was thinking a mantel would help break up the space a bit. The giant TV over the tiny firebox looks odd to me. I'm also thinking taller lanterns (or something) at each side of the tiny firebox might help? Or maybe painting the stones on the top of the raised hearth a black slate?

This is so fun to see your room transforming.

I think you do need a mantel, especially with the TV mounted there. I think it needs something to ground it.

Hmmm...you might be right about painting the hearth stones. I don't know if I'd go black but something deeper than the rest of the stones.

After looking a bit more at your mantel mockup, I think a mantel will also help by allowing you to put some accessories on either side of the TV so it's not the only thing to look at up there.

I like your lanterns but maybe try grouping all three of them on the one side but at varying heights. You'll need to find something to act as risers for two of them. Then maybe a big basket of something (cozy blankets?) on the other side of the firebox.

Thank you, pugga. I'll try to find a basket to see how that looks :)

Mantel is up! The fireplace is better than it was, but will still be changed out later on down the road :)

Any ideas as to how I should dress it?

My pictures are never very good, sorry!

New curtains and rods, hung higher than before. Oh, I need to find a new lamp for my coffee station. The old avocado green tole lamp doesn't work with the grays.

Need to find something to go over the bed...

Yikes, the colors are way off in all of my pictures. Or maybe it's my computer?

I found a white Matelasse and shams, drastically marked down from $200. Not that I think any Matelasse is worth $200, but it's definitely worth the $50 I paid. I put it on the bed last night, with the duvet at the foot. Much improved!

I have to say that I like the fire place. Trying to extrapolate from the first picture what the colors may look like now :)
You could do all kinds of things with the wall space over the bed, including some kind of canopy or textile, apart from art work.

Thank you! It's definitely an improvement. At some point we will remove the rocks and raised hearth and replace it with some sort of raised panel surround. This quick fix will make me happy until then :)

I found two canvases I think would look pretty in my room. Then I found two velvet pillows, and two jars in the same blue! Do they work, or should I take them back?

Oh, and if I keep them, how high and far apart should I hang them?

After staring at them half the night, I think I've decided to keep them. Going to try hanging them tonight after work. I read that 8-10" above the headboard is the norm, so I will start there!

You need more sheers on the rods so that you can't see what is outside the windows...IMO
Buy or make a cushion for the top of the fireplace's hearth with solid color that ties into your room
Separate the chairs more and add a small LOW footstool in a metallic finish---or ceramic--not wood--
go to second hand/good-will store for t if you don't have something and spray paint if you can't find right color--
Personally I still think those chairs are too massive for the space--
low back chairs that let you see past them rather than block the view would be my choice...
and I think the pictures you have will clash with the overall look of your room--they are too contemporary IMO
what about some large flat baskets you can spray paint for texture or something thats ONE piece over the headboard--rather than two...

Thank you, loves2read! I really do appreciate all the help I can get :)

I'm not sure I want to obscure my forest view much more, but I will try adding more sheers to see how it looks. I wasn't going to do sheers at first, but I wanted something that made the windows appear bright even when the sun is down.

I hadn't thought of putting a cushion on the hearth. I'm not really sure it's deep enough. It's definitely not a place I would want to sit, but it still might help improve the appearance. I'll try to mock something up.

I agree with you about the chairs. I've been looking for something smaller but equally comfortable, but not having the best of luck. Any suggestions?

And yes, I'd like to put a small footstool between them. I was thinking it should be upholstered, though. Metallic or ceramic don't sound very comfy.

Do you have an example of your basket idea for the wall above the headboard? I'm having a hard time picturing it.

Changing the wall color and painting the fireplace have made a huge difference!

Here's what I would try:
-Turn the chairs so that they face each other with an ottoman in between them like others have suggested. I like the chairs a lot, but the tall backs facing the room isn't working.
-Move the coffee station to the top right corner wall.
-Put a tall plant in the corner where the coffee station was.

This post was edited by geokid on Thu, Nov 20, 14 at 14:09

Oh, that's just a laundry hamper on SO's side of the bed. It's ugly and doesn't match anything, but keeps his clothes off the floor ;)

I tried turning the chairs, but they still don't work quite right. They are smaller wing chairs, but still too tall and wide for the space. I wonder if something lower and without arms would be better, but I'm having a hard time finding them.

I also tried moving the coffee to that corner on my side of the bed, but it just felt wrong being near the head of the bed. I would like to find a better piece of furniture for that setup. Something with an upper cabinet to hide the coffee make would be nice. I did move the low filing cabinet and printer to that corner though (would also like to find some sort of cabinet for the printer).

I ask this as kindly as possible, how big is your house that you can't keep the coffee paraphernalia in the kitchen? Wouldn't it free up a nice piece of real estate in the MBR if you put the beverage center in the kitchen? You could even move one of the chairs to that corner.

I love that kind of blue!
Re: coffee corner: Some people need coffee first thing in the morning :)

We do have a coffee maker in the kitchen, bbstx. On the weekends, we like to spend the morning snuggled up in our room.

I thought you might like that blue, nosoccermom. Do you think it's too contemporary for my room? I was really starting to like them until loves3read said that, and now I'm not so sure.

Again, that seems like some valuable real estate to waste on a coffee maker that is used once or twice a week. How far is the kitchen? I have never lived in a house where it would take me more than 15 seconds to get from the bedroom to the kitchen. Even when XH and I lived in The Money Pit, it wasn't more than 20 seconds.

to see baskets used as a wall object just go to Houzz's web site and search for "baskets on wall"--I saw baskets because that brings a different texture into the room...
but they are more contemporary than traditional --
In the Houzz app my IPad doesn't let me copy the web address to report--
there are many examples--
and you can search for almost any feature--like wooden signs or fabric as art

re the chairs--if you don't really use them, just take them out of the room--
I don't think they are really that useful as a focal point--

If you won't use them or other type of chairs--why use them for a decorating focal point???
I believe more in function -- if you won't sit there don't get any chairs...
Maybe get a bench for the foot of the bed--that is more functional maybe and wouldn't take up eye space...

If you want some place to put a coffee bar and to hide the printer and file cabinet look for a tall armoire w/doors and an electrical connection--

there are plenty of older media cabinets like that people don't use now w/flatscreens on the wall you can source from CraigsList or second hand stores==
Put it on the corner between the sliders and the window--being tall it will add some height/weight to balance the fireplace...
Use a wicker basket w/lid for a clothes basket--at least it is more decorative than a laundry basket...

We do use the chairs, loves2read. They are not meant to be a focal point, rather a place to sit by the fire on chilly mornings or evenings. A place to sit and enjoy our coffee. Moving them to the other corner takes them away from the fire. In this case, form follows function. While the chairs don't really fit, they do serve a purpose. I would like to find chairs that better fit the space.

Bbstx, it's not that the kitchen is so far from our bedroom that we wouldn't survive the trek. It's just down the hall and down the stairs. Having another coffee maker in our room isn't about the inconvenience of getting to the kitchen, it's about the luxury of not needing to leave our room. With a fireplace, bathroom, coffee maker, and comfortable seating in our room, we could easily spend an entire morning in there just watching it snow.

No, I don't think that the flowers are too contemporary, but that's just me. And even if they were.... so what?

OK, good. I never really thought of florals as being contemporary, but I'm obviously no expert.

How about textures? I'm I doing OK there? I have painted wood, stained wood, rocks, linen, Matelasse, velvet, some wicker, dark metal lighting... should i find a shiny metal lamp for the corner with the not-so-popular coffee station?

Loves3read, I was thinking an armoire in that corner would be the perfect solution. I've been scouring Craigslist, but am having a hard time finding anything that I think would match.

Oh, and the circle in the corner is a wicker hamper/basket with cloth liner. I'm not sure what made you think is was a plastic laundry basket LOL

Pictures are hung. They seem a bit high in this picture, maybe it's the angle? They are 8.5" above the headboard. I wouldn't want them lower where the euro pillows would bonk into them.

And here are the jars I found to match the blue in the paintings and velvet pillows. Oh, and a wicker basket for throw blankets like pugga suggested.

Mercury glass lamp with a layered linen shade from Target of all places (thanks to sueb's thread LOL). I put that over by the Keurig to replace the green tole lamp I removed. I put a regular incandescent bulb in it so that I can use my 4-way touch dimmer.

Errant, your room looks lovely. You make me want to put a coffee station and fireplace in my MBR but I would have to trade in DH for a new one because his feet hit the floor 15 seconds after opening his eyes and he doesn't drink coffee.

I do think your prints could be lowered a tad but I see what you mean about not wanting the Euros to cover them.

Here is an example of a wall basket. I've seen it used with dried flowers.

Here is a link that might be useful: French Wall Basket

Here is a picture of it with dried flowers.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thank you, Lucy. I have seen those! Loves2read, is that what you were suggesting I put above the headboard??