Very nice space! Maybe one wall be a pop of your favorite bright color? Looks like you need some art on the wall in your dining room. I like it so far!

a nice rich tan with bold, thick white accents

Painting a warm color wouldn't hurt, it seems a bit sterile & cold. And maybe some bright accessories to liven it up, like pillows & art? Needs some pops of color.

Hi Michelle,
I personally love the white walls. I also think that in a mostly light room, 2 or 3 darker pieces look good. It looks like, from the above pics, that you have great furniture pieces and they are all arranged very nicely. I think everything looks great like it is. I would just add more color -
Oversized, colorful art piece on the wall above the dinig table along with a pendant lamp.
Maybe some throw pillows with some orange, lime and/or yellow.
If you are able to wall mount your TV, then place some simple vases on the lowboy, that would look nice. OR you could hang a long storage cabinet above the TV like it is, and paint out a rectangle to frame the cabinet.
An example - paint a large rectangular area then install 2 Ikea EFFEKTIV wall cabinets in your choice of frame and door color
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/range/10364/11692/

Just some ideas. Good luck!

correct myself: Maybe one wall should

How about a small rectangular glass table and clear Louis Ghost chairs by Kartell or some nifty vintage bent lucite chairs? It's a small space, you want to be able to see through it when you're not using it. I would keep the walls white, but hang an oversize canvas or print that favors bright red on the dining room wall. Have you thought about drapes? Perhaps a wall of floor to ceiling panels in a dark men's suiting material with a nice sheer behind. Can't you trade those giant speakers in the L.R. for tiny wall mounted versions? just my two cents. Great job so far, love your little rhino and the Ventana floor lamp : )

I agree -- moe color, including more warm neutrals.

Also, you may want to remain minimalistic, but even so, a few carefully chosen accent pieces would help make the place look more homey and lived in instead of furniture showroom.

Great beginning.

I think that your dining room furniture is great and is not really the problem.

You need high contrast and texture and interest to make this room pop. I suggest painting 2 walls a nice deep eggplant color or a very rich gray. Try to make the living and dining harmonious but mark off the spaces a bit. I am not sure that the rug is helping in terms of popping what you have there either. But I suggest paint, some floor to ceiling drapes in a rich fabric like velvet or dupioni silk to add drama. Also add some art in the dining room and in the living room. Where is your stuff, your pictures etc? thats what will add the final touch one you have done, rug, paint, drapes and lighting.

First off, the dining table is nice in the darker color, but too small. I'd replace it with a rectangular table that can seat up to 6-8 and use white or off white modern chairs, such as the Eames shell chairs to help lighten up the dining area but the table be onyx in color to give it some grounding and allow your dinnerware etc to pop and you can then add color in table accessories when you have parties and then add a bold, large print to that wall. A simple pendant will work nicely w/ the overall look of the room.

I'd say find something that is in the half sphere shape to work over the table or simply a sphere in a half sphere, meaning the shade being a milk white spere to hide the bulb but a half sphere larger in diameter over the top in a color is what I had in mind.

I'd add artwork and not worry too much about having some darker pieces of furniture as it'll help give the room some weight but not darken the room itself.

Looks great otherwise.

You have some good furniture (and I think the speakers are fine). But your room seems pretty cold and sterile. I'd add warmth with one or more of the following: rich color on the walls, larger paintings (and more of them), colorful drapes, a colorful oriental rug in place of the grey rug you have now, some colorful accent pieces, flowers, books, magazines on the coffee table, etc. It current does not look like anyone lives there.

I agree the room is a little austere and needs a little warmth and color. Suggestions: an accent wall in an earthy color (the wall behind the dining table is a good candidate; in any case, that wall is begging for some more art); curtains instead of blinds; a throw on the back of the sofa that has an interesting texture or design; and a couple of big, leafy green potted plants.

Here's a question. Is there anyone else out there who is irritated beyond all reason when they read about rooms or colors "popping"? I don't think it's just that I think it's a pretentious term (though I do think it is a pretentious term), somehow it's just the wrong metaphor.... Colors don't pop, and if they did pop, I wouldn't want them to pop. Popping is noisy, popping is gross.

OK, got it out of my system, for now. Otherwise I'm really quite sane.

I agree w/ Trumystique that Eggplant seems to be the desired dominant color based on the accessories in the room. I'd use that as the wall color and use the grey and beige colors from the rug, sofa and standing lamp as drapery, throw and pillow fabrics, etc...

That sofa in the center of the room is a major obstruction - it's currently only conducive to watching TV and making the room appear chopped up - The room should be open and easy to walk from seating area to dining area, and the french doors to the garden shouldn't be blocked. Therefore, I would split the sectional up and place the loveseat portion with it's back to the windows and the chaise section parallel to it across from the coffee table. The standing lamp is pretty much useless in the corner - I'd move it next to the sofa so that it could be used for reading. The little Eames chair is so underscale and overwhelmed by the sofa pieces - There's probably a better home for it elsewhere in the house....

The metal element from the cabinet needs to be repeated elsewhere in the room - perhaps a chrome/metal-based rectangular dining table w/ glass top and 6 curved-back upholstered dining armchairs in a taupe linen fabric w/ silver nailhead trim and an oversized drumshade lighting pendant above the table in a similar grey linen or silk fabric. A huge mirror with an ornate silver frame should go on the wall opposite the TV behind the dining area to reflect the light and sparkle in the room. Perhaps a pair of mirrored 3-drawer dressers @ 30" high and 36-42" long could flank the mirror and provide storage - a pair of large lamps (one on each cabinet) and big tall artwork in matching silvered frames above each cabinet would round out the dining area.

I keep reading 'accent wall', accent walls are an invention of the 90's that have seen their day. The white walls are brilliant, keep them, but for christ sake, don't go painting different colors on different walls in the same space.

"accent walls are an invention of the 90's that have seen their day"

I agree - You never see these in well designed rooms -
IMO, They're symptomatic of a lack of committment to a decorative scheme.

I don't really like the idea/reality of accent walls either. But some paint on those walls would be my suggestion...since most of your furniture is very neutral.

Curtains, could be a good place to bring color in if you don't want to paint the walls.

I love neutral rooms with bold art work! Just add some super art, either big or collection of smaller pieces. Love your place! The table is nice. Could you change the seat cushions to cream leather or linen? I did not see well enough to tell if they were the kind that remove fairly easily. Long white drapes from ikea would be great for softening up the windows if that is your style.I have the grommeted white ones in my living room. http://www.flickr.com/photos/royaltygirl/3508825876/
I personally love white walls and cream furniture with dark accents and strong artwork.

Introduce some color - anything but more beige.

I like ciddyguy's suggestion about swapping out the dining room table. The current one is too small. Put it in the kitchen or on the patio. I like the idea of using a pair of Ghost chairs as additional seating. Visually, they won't compete for space but they'll complete the modern vibe you are going for. Smaller speakers: yes. Large scale mirror in dining area makes me think the TV would be the primary reflective element and then the room is visually about the TV. A large scale, modern, urban art piece would be super cool. I love the idea of floor to ceiling drapes in a menswear fabric -- great idea -- I can imagine a grey pinstripe cascading and warming that space. I like the couch location but could also envision splitting the sectional. You have made a great start. I don't think it would take much more to give this look more POP! Ooopps! Did I just say pop? You're on track. Kudos.

Ciddyguy: more please about your sphere within a sphere conceptualizing.

What your home is missing most is texture. The sofa, media console, tv, miniblinds, coffee table, and all your glossy black furniture are all very cold and slick. Introduce some subtle texture to warm things up.

For example, for the dining room, I'd suggest the wood rectangular table that was discussed yesterday (or the day before):

http://www.livingetc.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=5216

(I think it was established to be from Crate and Barrel )

Combine it with 3 sets of 2 (for a total of 6, or maybe 4 sets for 8) mismatched chairs. Perhaps something in blond wood, and something in metal, and something white. Or all white. Some suggestions: the Hermann Czech "Czech Chair" (a Thonet chair), a Series 7 chair, a Bertoia, Eames DCW chair (wood with wood legs), and so on.

I would also introduce textiles by adding curtains (perhaps a nubby bouclé fabric), and a much larger rug in the living room in neutrals.

If you have the money, go for a ribbed silk Tibetan style rug in something very light and shimmery (silver or champagne tones); if not, this rug would also look great:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p10388/index.cfm?pkey=cnatural%2Dfiber%2Drugs

I'd get a different coffee table (something wood or something wood and metal).

Get rid of the large leather pillow (as well as the small pillows), and get coordinated ones in some sort of textured material -- Mongolian sheepskin or flokati, or perhaps nice woven naturals -- coarse linen for example.

As for the large wall, why not start collecting vintage movie posters? (European ones are most interesting).

I can also envision huge oversized serigraphs in bright colours, framed in simple white or limed oak gallery frames, on your huge expanse of a wall. Gorgeous.

If you can, you should also hang a pendant light over the table.

Good luck!

I love how bright the room feels! Some accent color would be ideal, methinks... a few pillows, some artwork on the wall (either one larger piece or a collage of a few smaller ones), and some sort of window treatment (curtains, sheers, just something to frame the window space... and to block the light reflection if you want to watch TV).

That table with the cute vase of flowers could use some accent lighting... a small lamp or a few various sized candles. With a room so sunny you won't have to worry about lighting during the day, but later in the evening if you have some people over or want to set a mood, it's good to think about what kinds of lights you'd want. I see you have one corner lamp... perhaps an end table with another light fixture and a small accent decoration? Plus, it might have a drawer to quickly hide clutter or remote controls in case of company. A minimalist like myself likes to have a place for those things.

You have a good palette to work with, and the good news is that if you tire of your accent color, your large furniture pieces are more neutral so you can change out the pillows and accents for a new look fairly easily. Best of luck to you!

JoanneM

Bravo. And I second that with a loathing of 'heart', I believe meaning 'love' ("I heart that sofa" etc.). When did heart become a verb?

JoanneM,
I'm too late to second your irritation with 'pop', but I totally agree. In fact, I started a drinking game to encourage non-design fans (read: guy friends) to watch some of my favorite HGTV shows, etc. Every time someone says 'pop', . . . well, you get the idea.

i thought that rhino was real? they have pet rhino!!!!

Everyone has their own design style, but I happen to like rooms that are more monotone and avoid the obligatory 'pop'. This is a terrific couch. Anything would go well with it.

I think a glass table and light-colored chairs (maybe Series 7 chairs?) would look nice.

As for warmth, I think all you really need is art.

Curtains, a big plant by the window, some pillows and art. I think that's all you need for the beginning, then you can think about swaping out the dining room table and chairs. I personally don't mind the mix of dark and light.
And I don't think you need to bring in a lot of 'accent' or 'pops' of color, just some fabrics and maybe a big picture on the wall behind the dining table.

I am laughing at the people complaning about the speakers, why is it so shameful to have large speakers these days? You cant even find any speakers that dont have larger than "8" inch woofers because of this.

People have been brainwashed by sharper Image, and Bose!