Lovely room! The only thing that stands out to me is that the coffee table seems a little high for the sofa. The armoire is a great piece but instead of putting it at an angle I'd try it flush against the wall with the window to see how that looks.

I think a very pale blue paint would look lovely with all the woodwork and the beautiful floors. I would also consider a nice rug (sisal?) to ground the space with the sofa and chairs.

Thanks so much for the help, Pipdog! I'll try moving the armoire flush against the wall and see how it looks, it actually fairly heavy for not being that big. Do you think it looks odd or compeats with the tall mantle? Sisal is probably what I was looking at for the floor. I was thinking maybe a medium color bamboo roman shade fitted to the inside of the casing, with curtains over them for the windows. I'm still not sure how the chairs are going to work with what I have in mind though.

Any and all ideas are very welcome, I'd like to get this room wrapped up fairly soon.

A few random thoughts.

From what I can tell under the cobwebs (you really should dust occasionally), you have at least 3 pieces that are angled in corners. I would scratch the angle placement on at least 1-2 of them. For instance, the table to the right of the sofa (with the pumpkin) would be better utilized as an end table if it were up against the wall beside the sofa. I agree with trying the armoire flush against the wall, too. The drop leaf table at an angle doesn't bother me as much...however, while I'm on the topic, the lamp/picture scale is off. I think the lamp needs to be bigger or the picture needs to be smaller. I can't tell what the picture is, but the size might be just right if you framed it without the matting. I know that's not what you were asking, but it kind of jumped out at me.

I could see a light blue -- nothing too gray (something like Palladian Blue?) -- working on the walls, if you then throw in some blue accessories somewhere in the room. Maybe you could find a throw for the sofa that has the right green and blue plus black in it... a lot to ask for but it would be great!

I also agree with the need for a rug.

I love your room and those chairs are awesome! Love the armoire too.

I would move the armoire to the wall next to the couch by the window, it competes with the fireplace where it is now. Put the small tables on either side of the fireplace but not angled, or even make one a side table and move a chair to it in the corner and the table on the side against the wall. The angle placement is not working, if you must have it then pick one corner...maybe the armoire in the corner by the couch. Pretty room! Hope the party was a blast!!

Thanks so much for the help and taking a look! I'm going to try to find the disks to put under the furniture so I can move it by myself and then snap pics of the room. If I can't find them, I'll have to wait for DH to help when he comes home this weekend and I'll snap pics after the weekend.

Sue .. *LOL* I'll try to dust before I snap some more pics. :) Thanks for the advice on the accessories too. We were kind of in a hurry to get the room decorated for the party, so I just popped stuff in there and figured I could ask you all after. The picture is a sketch of a cardinal sitting on a branch. I have smaller pictures floating around that I could replace it with. I'd like the vintage green glass lamps to stay, I do need to replace the shades when I find something better. The only thing that needs to stay angled is the drop leaf table. The mantle is slightly off set, making that side of the room a tad smaller, so the table fits better angled.

Sasafras, I did think about the armoire in the corner by the sofa, I'm not sure that it will fit with out being too crowded, but I'll try it there and snap a pic. If I move the chairs to the corner I think they'll be too far away for people to utilize the coffee table if they want to. Do you all think maybe I need some bigger chairs? I've tried pulling the sofa away from the wall and putting a table behind it to pull the sofa closer, so I could move the chairs back .. but messes up the flow of the room even worse. It's a hard room to work with.

Please keep the advice and help coming, it's great to have fresh eyes on this.

Well, here's with the armoire moved against the wall by the window and the pine chest by the sofa flush against that wall. I'm still looking for the discs to move the armoire over by the sofa.

what do you think?

Pretty room!

How about painting the red -- to black? :)

And I do love the furniture arrangement!

Lovely room! I was also going to suggest to leave only one piece angled. Things look much better in your new pictures. As far as a wall color: light blue would work, but what about a greyed purple? I love purple and green. Another idea is a rasberry pink.

Agree with the rug. If you move the armoire next to the sofa then how about tucking the round table where the armoire is with the chairs. Create a little game table. You would need a new coffee table

The big, elephant in the room problem with that furniture arrangement is that the chairs are too far away from the couch. Instead of a clear aisle behind the chairs, you have a half aisle there, and another half aisle in front of the couch. Pull the tea table up to the couch and move the chairs closer. One tight conversational grouping.

A similar alternative--you could face the chairs to each other next to the couch across the tea table. But I'm not sure you have room for that, and the other alternative would be fine.

I think it's a sweet room and I cracked up at the webbing!
I liked the armoire angled, actually but would have put the drop leaf table straight against the wall.
Yes to Palladian, Brittany or Wythe blue and yes to a cute area rug.

I just saw a picture that made me think of your room. The sofa was positioned opposite the fireplace like yours is (maybe a little closer to the fireplace) and the chairs were perpendicular to the sofa on each side so it formed this shape: [ That might be something to try. I agree that the coffee table looks too tall. It would be nice if you could balance out the furniture piece on the side of the window with something that height on the other side.

Thank you for the continued help and advice! I have a new round of pics, but the camera is being obstinate and the quality isn't the best.

I love the color suggestions and think black could be very dramatic and elegant, but the rest of the house wouldn't flow with it I don't think.

I tightened up the seating arrangement as suggested and moved the armoire next the sofa, please excuse the towels, I never could find my discs.

Armoire angled, pine chest in front of window .. this leaves a gap in the far corner by the fire place though.

Oh and please ignore the stuffed monkey hanging out on the top of the fireplace .. didn't even remember he was there .. I plucked him out of a dog's mouth and distractedly set him up there as I was moving things.

Armoire and chest flush against same wall :

At this point I think I'm honestly more confused then where I started. Part of me thinks that this furniture could work if I replaced the chairs, brought in a sisal rug and replaced the coffee table. Lot of work .. yep!

Some thing like this with the stained pieces ???

hmmmmmm ... not black ..... how about painting the top of the walls in white?

I really love your ideas pictured above -- what a pretty fabric! :)

Teacats .. I have a love of white walls, but in our old house sometimes white shows all of the flaws of the older walls. So I try to stick to white on the beadboard/wood walls and bring color in on the other ones.

I really love that fabric, it's P. Kauffman Felicity Spa. It pretty and soft, but has a lot of intrest to it. I'm just sick of this room not being finished, I'd like to see it done so I can completely move on to the next project.

I always enjoy seeing pictures of your beautiful old house. :)

Is the other window wall wide enough for the sofa and your side table?

What about the pine chest in front of window as you had it one picture above and the 2 chairs on either side, angled in. Is there room for that? Then a smaller coffee table and a rug. Of course, then the airmoire won't work there and I'm not sure that's what you want.

Or as someone above suggested the couch on the other window wall facing the entry, and the 2 chairs to the left facing fireplace.

Very pretty room.

Ohh, I just love the bones of your room to work with.... you can't go wrong. I second pipdog's recommendation of a greyed purple for the walls and also jillinnj's suggestion for the pine chest in front of the window and chairs to either side. While I love matching chairs flanking the FP, I don't think that yours is the best room for it given the size placement of windows, etc. Then perhaps the armoire where the drop leaf table is and I'd move the drop leaf table to another room as I don't think it quite fits with everything else you have as I think you may also need a smaller side table by your sofa. A tall plant placed on left side of the FP will help to balance the height on the armoire. You have such pretty mouldings I hate to see the sofa in front of the window either. If you can move it elsewhere or pull it out, it would give you the option to add panels.

I would put your pine chest against the wall like you had in it one of your pictures. I would try your two chairs facing each other ..one in front of the window..the other with it's back to the entry of your room. I would take the drop leaf table out of the room or at least put it flat against the wall...not needed in that room. Your table at the end of your couch looks good. A rug for the center of your room would be good and if you move out the drop leaf table, a big tall plant in that corner would look food. Coffee table is a little tall but I think with a different furniture arrangement, you can make it work.

I'm afraid your coffee table is slightly too high and also too large for this area. For cohesiveness I'd have small upholstered chairs at right angles to the couch slipcovered in the same material as the couch. If you must keep the coffee table put a large decorative plate on it and perhaps some low piles of books or other items to break up that large expanse. I do think blue would make the rooms look too cold, and actually like the red, especially if you were to have blue accessories such as Chinese blue and white porcelain. Otherwise I'd opt for soft cream or pale yellow wells which would expand the size of the room. Beautiful Austrian shades would soften the windows and add to the elegance of the room. I'm afraid the style and pattern of your chairs detract from your gorgeous fireplace. The room itself is quite beautiful; there's lots of potential there.

What a pretty room!

I really like the red walls that you have now. They're striking with the white woodwork and black/green furniture. If you changed the walls to a light blue then maybe you could tie the color in by painting the table a lighter color.

I agree with the suggestions to have only one angled piece but like the furniture placement in your first picture, with the armoire near the fireplace (but against the adjacent wall and not angled) and the small table near the couch (also against the wall and not angled.

I actually like the height of your coffee table because it seems like it makes for a good conversation table. I'm biased though, because I'd love to get DH's pool table out of my great room and replace it with 4 club chairs and a table for games and conversation@

Zipdee, from other threads you've posted if I remember correctly, your wonderful home is not pedestrian by any means. Of course it's important that you feel comfortable with your style, but I hope you enjoy your lovely, eclectic finds. While your fireplace could be compatible with more formal furniture, I really like your quirky pieces. If you go in the direction of your last picture, while not at all formal, your room will be fine but routine. Trust your flair even if it doesn't work for some.

The black coffee table and painted chairs have the right heft and proportions to work well with each other, and look great with the stained pieces and the black stone. Coffee tables at the height are common in Europe. It's actually quite comfortable and practical for serving coffee or drinks without having you and your guests bend too low.

If it were my home, I'd prefer the small chest in front of the window -- which allows the lamp's green glass to show beautifully in the day -- and the curio cabinet on an angle next to the sofa. That has the most appeal of all your shots to me. The corner being empty does not bother me, but you could put a fern on a stand, or place a tall potted plant, or a even a small rocker and windsor chair with a reading lamp if you feel the need. It's easy enough to pull a couple of dining chairs and your floor lamp in the corner to see if you prefer having that space filled or remain empty. Of course, a plant is always a great option with added health benefits.

I love the red, but if you just want a change almost any color works. Grasscloth would also look great and I'd likely do that, but then I wouldn't repeat with a sisal but do a neutral wool area rug instead. I'm not a drapes person usually, and I'd hesitate to cover that great molding, so I'd probably consider 3" or 4" plantation shutters if the blinds really bother you.

Good Monday Morning! My Dh is only home on weekends, so I don't have time to get on the computer very much.

I've read everyone's replies and I appreciate all of the fresh eyes on this and you all taking the time to write out your responses and help me.

Here's where I stand right now. I went to BM and bought a sample of Palladian Blue, put it up on the wall. While it's a beautiful and complex color .. it doesn't look good in my room. We have very strange lighting in this house, that room has a large wrap around front porch in front of the one window, the other faces west. I've found as a rule, after trying many beautiful colors suggested and seen here over the years .. complex colors for the most part in my house do not work. I need very clear colors or they read funny, most of the time dull and muddy. While red is not everyone's favorite, I enjoy it ( I wear red all the time) and it reads true in that room, so I might stick with it.

I did replace the chairs with matching chairs to the sofa. I personally love my polka dot chairs, they aren't for everyone .. but I think they'll look better in our master bedroom. I'm going to hunt for fabrics to have pillows made for the new chairs to bring the colors together.

I also bought a flat weave neutral rug and rug pad, it might be undersized, I'm still deciding on that.

As far as moving things in the room, to a certain extent I'm going to have to except the room .. it's wonky!

I think with the new chairs, I'm actually 'digging' the coffee table a little more and in black even. It does break some rules, but I do like the tad higher height, it's very comfortable.

As Abundantblessings said, my house is very eclectic. I wouldn't call my decorating style formal or elegant, while I very much enjoy both. My style is more fun, informal, livable, holds up to lots of dogs, children and their friends.

I'll try to get some pics snapped and put up today. The girls have a five day break coming up, so we are headed to the coast in a couple of days and I need to get organized and packed for that.

Thanks again to everyone for the continued help!

Okay, here is where I stand. There is no way to do a tight seating arrangment, as long as each chair has it's own table and light source it's the best I can do. They are still close enough to chat very comfortably. I think the scale of the chairs work better and my husband finds them much more comfortable, since he's a tall person. I think the black table will be fine, once it's accessorized ( wish me luck, not my strong suit ) and some pillows are brought in to make things cozy and tie stuff together.

As far as window treatments, I don't know what to do. I don't really want to cover the moldings, but I'm not terribly fond of just the blinds. Plantation shutters are a great idea, just not n my budget right now since we are working on the master bed and bath. I priced them yesterday at almost $400.00 per window, and I'd have to do all the fronts atleast to be cohesive. Any thoughts on window treaments are welcome, should I just leave the blinds alone? We live in town and something is needed.

What do you all think?

Love it! And now I think the coffee table works very well.

Good job!

Oh, and I love the red. Glad you didn't change it.

I love the red, too. And the pieces are beautiful.

I don't get angling furniture. You lose all that space in the room! I admit, in my OCD-ed-ness, I want to walk around people's houses straightening the pieces out. But that would be rude .. wouldn't it?

I'd leave the blinds alone until you can afford to do what you really want. Would sheers inside the window frames work? They'd be subtle and not take up any more space in the room.

Christine

I like it better with the large chairs, pine chest under the window and armoire in the opposite corner.

As for WTs, what about doing the shutters on the lower half of the windows only and valances on the upper portion; similar to how my3dogs has done it in her home. In fact, I'd look at her home for inspiration as you seem to have similar mouldings, long skinny windows and smaller sized rooms. I think inside mount woven wood blinds or roman shades would also look beautiful, though not sure if that would address your privacy/light control needs. Do you wish to have daytime privacy as well? I notice your blinds are always closed in the pics.

Jillinnj, Thank you .. I'm liking the red much better now too. The polka dot chairs and coffee table were fighting, the chairs will have a better home in my bed room.

CEFreeman, I'm really, really bad about symmetry, I need to remind myself to loosen up. So if one thing is angled, I have tenancies to follow suit with the rest. Do you mean hang the sheers over the existing blinds?

Valinsv, I always have the blinds open during the day, closed at night. They are often closed in my pics because it's hard to get a good pic with them open. I'll check out my3dogs window treatments, thanks for the suggestion.

I think it looks terrific now. Just enjoy it and you can do the additional things later. Relax and enjoy.

Thanks Yayagal! I'm enjoying the change in this room a lot so far and find myself hanging out in here more often now. We are taking off for a long weekend, once we get back though I have some ideas for pillows. I might even try to tackle them myself, my sewing skills are poor, but I think I could do the ones I have in mind.

Kudos, Zip, your room is very pretty.

I think the blinds are fine. I'm less concerned than most about having the entire facade match, so I could happily do shutters in the LR and drapes in the DR or whatever room is on the other side of the foyer. But unless your money tree starts growing better than ours, I'd keep just the blinds. I'd not use sheers with your wainscoting as it is an important and wonderful architectural element that can stand alone without any gussying. Without the paneling, yes, I'd consider adding WTs. If you really must, look for period panels @ Burrows.com as they have lovely curtains. You could install them over the blinds, but doing so will lessen the simple drama that's working for you now. I really love Mythreedogs' WTs and often recommend them, but again adding WTs will totally change the room's dynamics, both in terms of visual impact and reducing the amount of natural light. If you, or some kindly GWer, can photoshop WTs, you'll be better able to decide.

Right now you have such a strong but lovely statement with the wainscoting and art that I'd be very cautious about additional accessorizing unless you're willing to continue the layering a la chijim. That takes a very deft hand to avoid looking junky and cluttered. Either way when done well can be wonderful, but I find it much easier psychologically to live with (and keep clean) strong, simple lines. I think you have good eye for balance and have already constructed a beautiful room. You do have an opportunity to bring in more interest by filling those cabinet shelves with a few pieces of art pottery and books or whatever appeals to you. If you use glass, consider installing downlights or LED strips for a soft glow to highlight the interior.

I know you have a thread going about accessorizing your coffee table, and you might want to add layers there, but it's fine not to. I like the way the empty top draws the eye to your window vignette. In my family room, my table is all glass so I have only two small votives on it so no one stumbles but "things" don't yell for attention. In my LR which gets great light streaming from the foyer or the LR windows depending on time of day, I have a simple arrangement of tall blown glass flowers on the glass table top. I think a lovely vase (crystal or a silver mint julep cup) of fresh flowers, dried hydrangeas or realistic faux red or white roses is all you need. But if you're envisioning a couple of silver framed photos, books and a "collection", that is another approach.

Either way, I would add a couple of books with lighter colored leather bound covers or jackets to the trunk by the chair and maybe a light colored coaster so it looks inviting. Maybe an unobtrusive floor lamp for reading would be nice if you can snag a good deal. I'd also move the lamp by the window just a tad toward the middle so that the light passes through the base. Then depending on how much "stuff" you want to add, a tall tree like a small ficus with uplighting would look great behind the far chair, but it too is unnecessary.

Like yaya said, relax and enjoy your great looking room!

But... but... what happened to the fun black/green chairs?

I love it... can we pop some fun pillows on the chairs??

Sue, I think the cute chairs went to their bedroom.

Very pretty! It's a nice improvement, much more balanced. I love the red (and I'm not a red person) and the tall coffee table.

I'm sorry I'm just getting back to this post! We went to the coast on a long weekend, then once we got back it's just been really busy. I think we brought home half of the beach with us.

Abundantblessings .. I really appreciate all of the help given me on this post! Thank you.

Sue .. I think the chairs were under scale for the room, but they will be great reading chairs to curl up in by the fireplace in the master bedroom.

Lori .. I have some ideas for pillows in the works. Hopefully by this weekend I'll have a bit more free time to act on them.

Htnspz .. thank you!

Should have put up my ' Gone Fishing sign' :)

Here's my youngest 'stalking' flounder on our trip, she caught four and was thrilled, they are her favorite! :)