You really need to make use of the space and move the furniture off of the wall, especially the sofa. It looks really spread apart and disconnected.

You maybe have decided on the AT community as your small space interior designer. So go ahead and post a floor plan.

Also, where is the joy?
Give it some color.
Be willing to fail in grand style.
Restraint can be a self-imposed prison.

There is something very spare and square about your space. I'd go with a softer look for the windows by using sheer, flowy curtains rather than blinds.

I'd also suggest getting a rug to define your seating areas. It will make a big difference in terms of adding some color and unifying the room. The furniture just looks like it's floating in a beige sea.

i agree with h144 on the "where is the joy?" you have some beautiful foundational pieces, but everything looks so, clinical, in terms of the stark white walls and mostly hard angles. soften things up - more texture, more color - like rugs, textiles, some throw pillows (those white ones are not doing much for you), plants.

also, your questions strike me very much as you asking the AT community for their ideas and thoughts, versus you have a vision and personal spin of your own to put on the room. browse through some magazines and start tearing out pages of rooms and setups that inspire you. anything like accent pieces, color palettes - this is your space, not AT's, so make it your own!

Move the art above the couch up a little. It looks weird as is.

And yes, you definitely need to paint the walls. I think a medium gray would be nice. And certain shades of pinkish purple look great with both orange and blue (as in the painting).

Dress the windows with shades made from some sort of modern, funky fabric.

Get area rugs -- you neeeeeed the rugs because the room looks so random as though there aren't any define areas.

As for coffee/side tables -- if you can find something cheap with good bones, get it and then paint it... deep gray? Even bright orange if it's a very small piece like a side table in a cool shape.

As for the lamp -- no need for it to be even remotely special. Just get something plain and put a nice shade on it.

I meant curtains rather than shades, btw.

more art, more tables. don't be afraid of looking like a furniture store..that's better than looking "not lived in", which is how it looks now. =/

get some decor for the shelves without books in them. sea shells, jars, vases, something. that'll help.

oh and a rug! that'll help too. :)

Fill the space between the lounge and eames chair/ottoman with plants, get a big shag pile rug to define the lounge room. Your TV is way too high on the wall... Why do people put their TV's so high? When you are in your TV viewing position your eye height should be at the centre or above the centre of the TV....

You had the right idea the first time. You need a designer if this is the result of you trying it on your own. I checked out the websites of those who responded to you. Is there a reason why you didn't go with Michael Jerome? I loved his esthetic.

Color on the walls, color on the floors. Don't be so afraid - you're fear is turning a great set of furniture choices into a sterile environment. Relax and get some fun things that make your place a HOME.

You've got some nice pieces there, Michael. Don't give up and be patient with yourself. Experiment, experiment, experiment!

What really helped me was really defining what functions you need in a room. Also, define what functions need their own space and what functions can share space.

I know tv watching can be a main function but it doesn't have to be the focus of your room. I would suggest moving the tv to the wall opposite the sofa, so it is not the first thing you see when entering.

Since the fireplace is very awkwardly positioned in your space, I would make it more of an axis of the room than the main social place. Art over the fireplace would be awesome, too. Maybe a reading nook or home office area to the right of the fireplace. Then move the main social and tv watching area a little more toward the entrance to your place.

A rug with a small coffee table and two mid century chairs facing the sofa. (I'm a big mid century fan myself.) Mid century lounge chairs tend to be light an moveable so when guests are over to watch the tv, the chairs can be moved easily.

I'll stay away from colors, since that is not my forte, and a very personal choice. If you want to stay neutral, though, find a strong accent color like the blues and oranges in your art work.

Good luck, relax and have fun. I wish I had your budget!

I forgot. I would just get a smaller second tv for when you are in the kitchen/dinning area if you really need to be watching tv all the time.

find something temporary and cheap for the coffee table and end table, paint them if you want as mentioned before. This will give you an idea as how to define your spaces.

You don't have to have this done yesterday. take your time.

BTW,375 sq feet for a living room is huge to me. I only have like 250 sq feet.

Forget furniture for now - move on to furnishings.
Lamps, curtains & artwork [and even photos] will help soften these spaces and warm them up a bit - plus they'll start to bring forward much more of your personality.

I think you have great pieces, esp under the windows! Try painting the long dining room wall the same color you have on the fireplace wall and adding a larger chandelier over the table (a big orange lampshade would be great to pick up the colors of your artwork!)
Add a loungey chaise like Room and Board's Jackson in front of the fireplace; this will be a great bridge between the two furniture groupings you already have. Try moving the couch down so its edge lines up with the start of the small side window and move the Eames recliner down an equal amount to keep them in the same furniture grouping. (Ideally, you should have a line from the edge of your window to the edge of the sofa to the long side of the fireplace chaise to the edge of your dining table...this will help it all feel cohesive.)
In the living room, add a pale blue-grey rug--pull the color out of your painting again and everything will work together. Then add two orange pillows to the couch in place of the white ones. Hang the artwork above the couch, add a standing floor lamp and simple small round table between the Eames and sofa and you're done! Good luck and enjoy!

{http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90152720}
{http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19378&category=rm_living_spaces&subcategory=studiosofa_chaise}
{http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19177&menuCatalog=room&menuSubcategory=201165}
{http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19130&category=rm_living_spaces&subcategory=end_table}

Hire a designer.

If this were my place....

I'd get some rectangular Heath Dimensions Oval Tile in Moonstone and have the beige area above & around the fireplace all the way up to the ceiling tiled in a vertical arrangement. For the windows, I'd order some inside-mount solar-shades fabricated as Roman-shades. The entire room would be painted a medium battleship grey.

I'd go to the local carpet place and choose an interesting remnant in a shade of medium/royal blue and have it cut & bound to create a 12' diameter circle. This rug would go in front of the fireplace with the sofa on the right side away from the wall, and the Eames Lounge on the left, angled next to the fireplace.

I'd scour eBay, Craigslist and the Rose Bowl fleamarkets for a pair of Regency end tables, a brass faux-bamboo octagonal cocktail table w/ a glass top, a pair of tall Rimini-Blu Bitossi lamps that I could top w/ oversized ivory tall drum shades, and a tall floorlamp/tray table with a tripod/spear base to place next to the Eames Loungechair.

I'd install a big Sputnik Chandelier above your dining table, and I'd backpaint the glass table top with an Ocean blue paint to match the area rug in the living room to brighten up that dining table. The large canvas you have would live on the wall in the dining area.

Behind the sofa, I'd search for a 4-pole-wall system with walnut or teak cases for storage, books and display.

For the wall directly in front of the fireplace, I'd search for a vintage buffet/credenza that you could use as a bar setup - a huge loopy Gilt mirror above, a lamp on the side and lots of sparkly crystal: crystal ice bucket & decanters, cocktail glasses, cocktail shakers, etc.

Just inside the front door and perpendicular to the wall to the left of the door, I'd install a wooden screen about 3-5 feet wide to define the entry space - I'd paint this matte gold and place an upholstered loungechair with a small round table and a vintage swag lamp in the corner created by this partition.

I'd also plump for a pair of upholstered X-Base stools in an interesting Navy & Gold Unika Vaev fabric to push around and use in the seating area or place near the entrance as extra seating. Use more of this fabric as pillows for the sofa and as simple box valences for your windows.

Have any of you actually read Michael's questions? The room isn't finished. He hasn't hung his art yet. He wants advice about some specific issues. This is about structure, not about finessing.

1. I hate window coverings, so I can't offer any advice on this one.

2. I think a textured wallpaper will be more masculine than a metallic, which may come across as a bit glam. A simple MCM or deco geometric pattern might be nice.

3. A Marcel Breuer chrome circular table might be good for the end of the couch. You can also get wonderful round tables from the 40s made from bent plywood with veneered tops - I have two and I see them a fair bit in antique stores. They're true to the MCM style but very organic.

4. I'd like to see a clear glass dome pendant lamp over the table.

5. Colour on the walls would be good - something warmer and darker without being too matchy-matchy with the carpet. It largely depends on how much art you have and how many colours there are in them. Would you consider horizontal stripes (of different widths) in some of the more neutral colours in the picture over the couch? Say a dark taupe, a light taupe, and a small amount of ice blue?

Apart from some things that have been mentioned like paint/wallpaper/rugs and a window treatment I am missing a personal touch. I don't know if you havent added this yet as you think the room isnt finished. What I miss most are some books. I guess if you don't have any it makes no sense to buy them just for display, but a house without books seems empty to me.

For the windows I would move away what you have infront of them and hang long curtains that almost touch the ground. Your room doesnt have a lot of height and this will give the illusion of height. I would go with fabric, as the whole room is allready very angular and you could use the softness and movement of fabric. You can also do this by adding a tall, slim bookshelf.

Also, another plant, a big bold one, would add some life to the place.

I love your furniture choices and you have great bones here and obviously a sense of what you want so my main piece of advice would be just don't get discouraged. There is no right or wrong way to do it but it needs to feel like a piece of you. Live in it. Hang that lovely big artwork, if you have to rehang it who cares! I love blinds and I think you should go with the dark Walnut colour because it will be lovely and warm looking and tie in with your retro feel. For side tables I'd keep an eye out for parker era tables with the tapering legs, if you can find some second hand ones they'll complement your look but add some character, as for a lamp, I would look for an adjustable counter-levered one rather than a traditional standing lamp with a shade. (I'm in Australia so I can't suggest specifics I'm sorry)

Three things I would suggest are to:

1. paint the walls a darker colour - stay with your neutrals - maybe a sort of milky coffee colour - not too brown but just to add a bit of warmth, or else keep most of the walls this colour but add a bit of impact with a wallpapered feature wall (perhaps the same one as the windows so you get some texture).

2. Consider getting either a rug or a large coffee table to tie the room together.

3. Have more stuff. I can't believe I'm saying this (since I am always trying to get my partner to get rid of things) but think about creating little vignettes / displays around the place by grouping little objects or pictures to tell little mini stories.

Good Luck - be patient, you'll get there and it's better that you take your time to get the house you want.

Painting the wall across from your dining table a dark color would really make the glass top and white chairs pop and could be a nice touch.

Seems like introducing some texture would be helpful and the blinds could be one place to do it.

You might consider bunching a few smaller tables together for your coffee table or end table configuration. It would be more interesting and would give you some functional flexibility.

I found so much great midcentury modern (from the 30's, 40's, 70's) stuff on ebay: end tables, tablelamps, hanging lamps, chairs, pottery, candleholders, sculptures, etc. I have been using these MCM "antiques" to add serious style to my otherwise blah Ikea-furnished space.

I would suggest you browse on ebay for a couple weeks before you buy, just so you get to see what prices are typical and get a good overview of what's available. I always try to buy things which I can pick up in person, since it gives me a chance to look before buying and it saves money on shipping.

If the room is wide enough, I vote for putting the sofa where the chair is and vise versa.

On paint, maybe a slightly dark shade of what's up - then lots of art.

Hardwood floors throughout.

That alone will totally change the look of your room.

colour! Some splurts of colour: visual art, rugs, curtains, plants, lamps, pillows...whatever. You could pull in some colours from yoru painting. And you could find an end table at a thrift shop and paint it to add some colour. Accent wall? I see a bold accent wall that might also complement the painting. Lightfixture over table needs to be stronger - bigger, bolder, to add oomph to the space. Good bones on furniture and the space, however. And I'll second hardwooding the floors. That'll transform the space.

Yes David - I was going to say - the floor is aweful. Can you afford to change the wall to wall carpet for hardwood floors? If not, you need to buy area rugs for the sitting area and dinning area. On top of a lot of good recommendations you got above.

I say just go for it. Hang the art and pull the furniture out from the walls. Put your curtains up already. If you make a mistake, fill the hole or rearrange. Just go balls to the wall.

You have great taste. You'll pull this together. Could you please tell me where you got your dining chairs? They're exactly what I've been looking for? Thanks so much!

1. Because you've anchored the windows with matching credenzas, my instinct says you should stick with coverings that stay within the window frames. Shutters may be too hard. What about paper shades or semi-transparent rolldowns? If you don't paint the walls, it's probably best to keep the window coverings white.

2. It's hard to get a good look at the specifics, so what are your preferences? Again, your bigger fish to fry is your decision about wall color. If it stays white, perhaps a shift in paint color on this surface will work. If you move darker, wallpaper or surface texture may be the way to go depending on your tastes.

3. Relax. Don't make things like this a chore. Realistically, you don't NEED any of these things, so don't "hunt." Just keep your eyes open. It may help to expand what would be acceptable as end or coffee tables. Wouldn't a stool you love work?

4. I think that this is where your "clinical" approach really may be hurting you in the end. Because so much of your furniture is of one mind, you have an opportunity here to use something you really enjoy, then worry about size. My instinct is that you could either do something large and organically shaped or stay smaller and really simple. It's the latter that you have. If the white walls stay and you like the fixture you have, move that painting from behind the couch to the wall behind the dining table.

5. Since you're asking and seem unsure about several other things, I would advise against a drastic change in color. Get comfortable with the space you have, be happy and live your life: a shift in wall color may follow.

I congratulate you on realizing you need help - however, you can't get it by posting photos online.

A space needs to be experienced firsthand before deciding on what best suits your needs and works with your particular space.

Ask a professional in your neighborhood or city to come by to take a look.

Reality check: If you want this finished, sorry, it's not going to happen, living within a space means constant change.

If you want this over with, pay a profesional, go on vacation, and when you get home it's done. (And since you already paid money for it, you're not going to be all fuzzy about it).

Could you tell me where you got your dining table or what brand it is....we have been looking for a round glass table just like that one! Thanks!

The color scheme is pretty earth-tone. You need to buy some more colorful art to hang on the walls. Some photographs and live plants would also help it look less sterile.

just wanted to say youve chosen some very beautiful core pieces for youre place. :>

Take a look at The Brick House blog. She's done a good job of making a place personal, with thrift store stuff, real furniture and good placement.

1. rug
2. paint the walls (anything other than white if you have beige floors and white dining chairs) (someone mentioned gray, I think that would be nice)
3. window treatments. Depending on what you do with the walls and rug. (wood blinds sound good if you go with a louder color scheme/pattern, but if you go more subtle, go with patterned curtain panels)
4. coffee table
5. Post up a floor plan so we can play with furniture placement
6. If you don't want a coffee table consider some small side tables (or both)

You're doing great. Don't listen to the naysayers. You need to play with the space. You bought some fantastic pieces, but don't be afraid to outshine them with color, texture, and patterns. The pieces you've chosen are very neutral which, in my opinion, is a good thing because that means you can play with and change more often the less expensive aspects of your decor.

A 20" light fixture will not be too big over you table, if you love it go for it. I agree with previous posts that you have some great foundation pieces just need to jazz things up a bit and bring in some personality, you need some more stuff but that will come over time. I like the idea of ceiling to floor curtains but I would be afraid of having flamable fabric so close to the fireplace, I would go for a woven bamboo shade with fabric edging to add texture and warmth. I think grey walls would be nice.

I think moving the sofa away from the wall would be a good start. I would like to see a console table behind the sofa, possibly with a couple of lamps.

Look at magazines! I think you find a lot of inspiration there. The bottom line is, you live there, and you need to love it. Who cares what the "rules" are.

If you have the option of using a decorator and "just want it done" then you should go with the decorator. That's why people hire them: to just get it done, and done nicely. Committing to creating a finished home in a few months is like asking a person with no formal mechanical training to build a car from scratch in a few months. You'll get something at the end of it, but it's anybody's guess whether you will be happy with it. And if you aren't happy, then its never really finished.

If you decide to continue alone, you should let go of any preconceived notions about how long this should take, and know that it might go for years. There is nothing wrong or odd about that. You started from nothing. You have stuff in your space and it is now dawning on you that it takes more than just "stuff" (even nice stuff) to complete a home. There will be lots of roadblocks, delays, and epiphanies along the way. This is an education. You've chosen to self educate rather than go to school and learn it or hire someone to do it for you. Its the least efficient way to do it, but ultimately it can be the most satisfying. Just don't rush it. Enjoy the education and the process. If you can't, it's time for a decorator.

Hang the art higher on the wall.
Find a fun rug that goes with your art behind the sofa.
Get a ROUND coffee table.
Move the sofa so that it faces the fireplace.
Move the credenza from under the window to where the sofa is right now.
Put the eames opposite the sofa, maybe near the window.
I suggest http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=120&f=4992
this for the lamp. Or anything that's not a "stick". Something with dimensions.
Get curtains instead of blinds.
Buy new cushions. Orange? Blue? Purple?

blinds could probably go with your windows since you already have a carpet. i usually prefer wood-floor over carpet because personally it's so much easier to clean the home & great if you have roommate(s), kid(s) or pet(s).

anyway you could get rid of the rug from one area to separate the rooms or just get some eye catching accents to divide each area without getting too much stuff.

definitely paint the wall using a good color to relax your eyes and make the space bigger. also be careful not to choose a color that's too warm (too dark) because it doesn't look like you have a lot of light so a dark color would make the space too even smaller.

i see a lot of potential here, your place looks good. it just needs some TLC.

Nice pieces! Buy from stores with great return policies in case you get it wrong! Paint!!! This seems all new to you, so keep it simple are go with neutrals like a light to med grey Paint companies create inspiration rooms for you. You can check out their sites or head on down to the local Lowe's or Home Depot. Why not look at some mid century sites. Do an image search for interiors. Really look at the rooms. See how the rooms are tied together. Steal their ideas.

1. Don't match the furniture with the shades. You need some contrast which is why this room feels a blah! Don't be afraid. It doesn't have to be much of a contrast.

2. Be careful with reflective finishes near the tv (depending on your lighting) For example, I have recessed lighting which makes shiny objects reflect on my screen. I like the idea of painted textured wallpaper.

3. You feel like this place looks like a furniture store because it lacks personality and color. Play with your furniture arrangement. You have room, so there is no need to push things against the wall. Find two area rugs that you love..one for the dining area and one for the sofa area. They don't have to be the same one, but they should have similar color palettes. Then you will have a color palette to work with and you will anchor the separate areas.

4. I like the Non Random light by Moooi better. George Nelson Bubble lights are pretty cool. I like the DWR Coral pendant as well. If you are scared about size, why not get a balloon or ball close in dimension and hang it from a string. It will give you an idea of how that dimension looks over the table. BTW, that window doesn't let light in at night, so you need to consider how that will look. My parents have this clear glass shade over their table, and the light is blinding. One day I'm going to sneak in some frosted bulbs when I visit.

5. The great thing about paint is it i easy to paint over. Start off with the big wall. Just try it!

comes in floor or table lamp versions:
http://www.designpublic.com/shop/lights-up/4061

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/pablo/4790

Be a bit more daring over the table:
http://www.re-modern.com/store/pc/Bendant-Hanging-Light-14p48.htm

Great side table (please don't buy 2 of the same side table):
http://2modern.com/modern-furniture/Side-End-Tables/Inmodern-Rekindle-Side-Table

Please recover those pillows, they don't work. Maybe something more graphic:
http://www.designpublic.com/shop/notneutral/4557

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/amenity/10817

Great metallic geometric wallpaper by Graham & Brown:
http://www.designpublic.com/shop/graham-and-brown/12242

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/graham-and-brown/13045

you have the decorative pieces. now its time for the architectural. the walls, the borders, the windows, the skirting, the 'horizon lines', the zoning etc. give first of all texture to them. and get rid of that carpet!!

I'd really recommend you paint the walls a bright blue. It would make the space pop, plus blue has great psychological value (reminds you of the outdoors!).