Personally, I hate sectionals. They're sort of the battleship of living room seating--not all that practical and where ever you park it, that's where it stays. People don't always want to sit together in a straight line--conversation needs eye contact and distance.

Two sofas and some assorted chairs or a chaise or an ottoman or two look fresher to my eye. I like sofas to match, but not the rest of the seating.

While great rooms aren't my cup of tea, I think that the architectural elements in the room pictured are pretty great. I'd get rid of the "window treatments" and leave the windows bare, if you can. And maybe replace the mullioned windows with single panes. This isn't a stately home, so why pretend?

And as for color--you've got a huge space, with lots of light--take a look at the Ellen Kinnon color chart. Beige can be great-- I like it in a monochromatic scheme, all tawny tans and beige and heavy cream colors.

is this in New Jersey? the decor looks a little carmela soprano to me. i'd just do whatever it takes to get far far away from the soprano look.

Quick trick -- find a paint chip that matches your floor, then use it to narrow down your options at the paint store. If the color goes with the "floor" chip, it goes with the floor! If you run out of inspiration, you can't go wrong by going a shade or two lighter than the floor. (It won't be an award-winning design innovation, but it'll look unified and comfortable.)

More important, though -- how are you intending to accessorize? I imagine there's going to be some color in the room other than the floor, the sectional, and the walls. If there's a rug or a piece of art in play, you may want to consider going with the lightest almost-white version of one of its neutral tones.

lol@ange_lun! I was actually leaning more towards "Growing Up Gotti," but yes, the Sopranos comparison fits quite well as well! This definitely reeks of McMansion. Forget the paint color- it is what it is, and it looks fine. And I agree that the swag (both literal and figurative) needs to be purged from the room. The real question here is how many tons of CO2 you plan on emitting to heat/cool that unnecessarily cavernous space.

WOW. It takes all kinds and I am referinng to you hejiranyc.
we all complain about housing prices then when someone is lucky enough to afford a real house we get snarky at them? Why even imply that they plan on being ecologically lame with the CO2 comment? Maybe they have children, and need a bigger space or maybe they should get the same amount of respect that we afford others. I get that this site is about small spaces but does it occur to anyone that it is first and foremost about design? People look up to the type of style that is posted here, and I think thats wonderful. I guess others need to also assert their superiority complex, whatever gets your yaya's out.

Stella: for a room that recieves so much natural light you could really go dark without haveing it feel like a tomb. If you are planning on this being a "fancy" parlour living room think about what it is you do in there and decorate towards that. Do you like to curl up and read? Is this for when company comes to call? A room only looks "finished" if it is also useful, and is used. It is possible to have a showplace of sorts in your home without people feeling like they can't sit down on the sofa, so in addition to the new couch, go for texture in your fabrics, and choose a pop color.

My sister has a house with a family room that has this kind of hugely tall ceilings, and just keep in mind that whatever color you do will seem even moreso, so consider not just taking your color to the lightest on the chip, but going lighter yet than that.

She did a very pale yellow, and had it diluted with a LOT of white, and still was very clearly yellow when it was up on the walls.

The curtains (fabric accents, really) on the upper windows...um, no, no, no. It looks like you're trying to go Tuscan villa when the building is trying to be more modernist.

Does anyone else hear that floor screaming for roller skates?

I'd paint everything gloss white, including the floor. Cusions (white) on the floor instead of furniture, ala Zoran and lots and lots of birds. Cageless birds.

Watch the tv show "Brothers and Sisters". The family has a big home with big spaces that are just perfect. I watch the show to get a design fix. Really, I'm not kidding; watch the show. You can watch it online. Stella, you'll get all kinds of ideas that will make your fam and friends swoon.

MonsterMash, considering that you place such importance on "design" aspect, I think you miss the point completely here- this is a non-designed space, and it is the perfect example of every McMansion cliche. It's big for the sake of being big, and nothing else. It is hardly desireable or laudable. And, yes, I am under the presumption that the house is like any other tract home built en masse by Toll Bros. or Ryland or Hovnanian out far away from public transportation hubs using cheap contractor-grade finishes and windows. And yes, I assume this is going to be a gas-guzzling beast to heat in the winter. Good design is about paint, colors and placement, but it's also about functionality, practicality and responsibility.

@ ange_lune:

Yes, the first thing to pop into my mind at first glance of that photo was "New Jersey?"

Or maybe, maybe, some part of Queens.

Not so much Tony and Carmela Soprano as the the home of one of their up-and-coming underlings.

I understand what you are saying, I am not even saying you are wrong, however I don't think you went about it in a constructive way. Its not so much a comment on what your saying but HOW your saying it. You actually make a good point about the heating issue but how about giving them a link to a good alternitive heating resource? All I am saying is that if you deem this space as wastful or "cookie cutter non-design" how about helping them to understand your point of view instead of being snarky, because when you do that they won't want to listen. People are going to do what they need to do to live. You may not agree with it and thats fine but maybe rethink how you present your opinion, because I think its a viable if not poorly presented one.

I'm pretty sure criticizing the room pic is a waste of time, since it is either a "before" picture or just a space-holder illustration to get the question posted.

And MonsterMash, I'm with you on this one.

Yeah, I assumed the picture was a real estate shot of the previous owner's stuff, not Stella's. Regardless of ceiling height, let's not judge the sofas!

Re. color I agree with Maxwell's advice--a tinted neutral, and maybe an accent wall. Any really saturated color carried all the way up those walls will be really overwhelming, I think.

my parents' house in toronto has a tall entrance (and by the way, they only heat the room they're in!), and we painted it blueish gray, pale and muted. it looked light in the can, but yes, over 2 stories it darkened up significantly.

but, turns out its not so bad! we don't get NEARLY as much light as your room does (think 1 window, not 9) but it absolutely doesn't feel claustrophobic or depressing or anything.

wende, that's an AWESOME trick, thank you. i think they are planning to repaint sometime within the next year, and i'll make sure to mention it to them. heck, i'll use that myself! (when we have wood floors... aah.)