open the blinds !

add a pretty rug
get some nice curtains
more art on the walls

Ditch the blinds and buy some nice curtains, definitely.
Add warm colours - red, orange, yellow. Mimosa!

Is it too late to send it back and get a sofa with some style and color?

Can you paint? Wallpaper? Take down those vertical blinds and install some beautifully patterned draperies? Place a big colorful wool area rug on the floor? Replace the thin little lamps with some chunky ceramic lamps? Replace the tv stand with a vintage credenza? Put some big art on the walls?

Love the throw pillows! They're a great start.

Now, you need curtains, plants, a large rug, and some art!

a big plant could do wonders.

Plants would help immensely! Also, dress up your windows and sliding glass door with some sheers and then some nice drapes. Burn the vertical blinds!!!!

If money is an issue: Paint! One wall, lime green, would set off that couch nicely. Then pick up the color with new lampshades, pillows and drapes. Maybe paint those wicker baskets underneath the TV console as well. If you've got a bit more, a lovely, large, dark green plant would contrast with lime green nicely.

Color! Plants, accessories (mirrors, vases, books!). Also, that coffee table is pretty meh, you could paint it.

Perhaps adding a bright color to the wall behind the tv and wall mount that sucker so you don't nee the clunky table beneath it. then take those baskets and put them in a skinny Ikea lack shelf in the corner, topped with a fern? Add some sheer drapes and a light patterned area rug perhaps.

The couch wouldn't be my first choice, but it sure looks comfy!
Good luck!

Put a plant on each side of the TV. Not too bulky, but you have natural light...use it!

Put white gauzy curtains up, going from the ceiling to the floor. Open the blinds during the day.

If you get a rug, make sure the texture is substantially different from the wall-to-wall. I'm thinking an IKEA flokati under the coffee table.

Mirror! Mirror! Above the TV. Reflect that natural light around the room. It has to be a pretty big mirror to balance the size of your TV.

Lose the floor lamp and put a cool ceramic lamp on each end table. Urban Outfitters has cool, cheap ones.

Put a light-colored throw over the arm of the chaise section of your couch.

Scour craigslist for new, cool end tables.

And, don't worry about the couch....it is fine.

I like the sofa, it looks really comfy.

I'm going to assume you are renting and thus cannot paint/wallpaper or change the flooring. How about getting a new coffee table in a bright color. You could use a couple of Lack tables from Ikea in a bright color (WalMart & Target now have the same exact tables in various colors). CB2 usually has some colorful options too. Or paint your current table if possible, it's cheaper. My friend has a weathered bright green coffee table, and it's fabulous.

Add curtains or a roman shade to your window and frame the doors with curtains (even if you don't use them to cover the doors). Choose light and bright shades- no more dark/bold shades.

A rug that's white with a colorful pattern would brighten the place up.

You could drape fabric over your end table as a tablecloth- just make sure it's not too long or short.

Then just find accents to bring in color- lamps, bowls, throw pillows, art.

This is just to give you ideas, you don't have to do all of this together.

Or, you could paint the round-top end table a lighter color.

And, instead of the four small framed pictures I would put a single larger, framed graphic poster.

Is there any chance you could swap the positioning of your couch and tv? It looks like there's a window to the right behind your couch, and it would be nice if you could have the option of looking out the window when seated on the couch.

DEFINITELY get some curtains. DEFINITELY add some plants. Garnish with some interesting textures (more cushions, afghan, rug maybe?) and some fun art work and I think it will be gorgeous!

Paint, sheer curtains instead of blinds (that way you get privacy and light), a few plants (medium-to-big) in attractive containers, and a slipcover or throw for your sofa (the throw pillows are nice, but kind of look out of place).

I wouldn't get another rug--might make the room feel heavier.

Have you thought about switching the TV and sofa? This would put the chaise in front of the patio door, which would be nice. It would also lose the reflection on the TV.

Use the coffee table as the TV table.

A Marimekko shower curtain (see AT main page) instead of those blinds would be pretty.

Create a wall of art around the TV and window (after the TV/sofa switch), using them as elements of your composition.

Maybe 2 or 3 paper globe lamps or convex mirrors hanging above the sofa?

And yes, plants and a rug!

round coffee table. Lower, and much darker or much lighter.

The TV side stuff is too small in scale compared with the couch, so the room feels unbalanced. Cheery colors, plants, and curtains instead of blinds will help too.

My suggestions:

A colorful area rug-- Urban Outfitters, Pottery Barn, etc. often have good deals on bright, bold florals on sale. Something in a warm colors that echo your throw pillows.
Use the coffee table as a side table where you have the round table now, with a big bright lamp on it-- eBay is a great place to find them, search "ginger jar" lamp or "hollywood regency" lamp and you should be able to find something super colorful... Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters both sell colorful lampshades if you just wanted to upgrade the lamps you have, and sometimes there are good sale deals.
Get some BIG plants, like an indoor palm, to add some vertical dimension... or you can use your round table under a big potted vine. Put it in the TV-side corner by the big window.
Ditch the floor lamp, or at least get it away from the TV-- the size looks off because it's barely taller than the TV.
Speaking of the TV, can you wall mount it? If not, you sort of need a bigger credenza for under it as the scale is off with what you have now, and I would go for something in a warmer toned wood, not as dark as what you have now. You could actually use your current TV stand as a coffee table...
Curtains- bright, patterned sheers, like an Indian printed cotton, in a warm color and a neutral. Try Cost Plus, sometimes they have great deals.
And like everyone else has said, bright accessories! A colorful bowl with fruit, a vase by the TV with bright flowers, and maybe some bright prints for your walls.

Finally, you might think of flipping your whole room around so the couch is on the other wall. Right now it's facing away from the window, which is shining onto your TV... making the room feel dark and the TV hard to watch. In addition, it means part of the couch sticks out into the walking space, whereas if it were the other way it would be against the wall/window... just a thought!

I think you can do a lot with what you already have-- good luck!

-Ditch the vertical blinds for sure
-Get light and bright curtains, even just sheers would make a huge difference
-The couch is a bit large for the space, although I like the idea of flipping it and the tv for different walls
-The coffee table could be replaced with either two smaller footstools or one round table, in any case something slightly smaller
-I also agree with accent colors, but thoughtful and soothing, not necessarily lime green- unless you like lime green
-An area rug would be a great way to give the space both color and pattern, but would be an accent that you wouldn't have to be married to
-Ikea currently has these great large floor and side table lamps. I'd suggest one or two of those in white!
-Have fun!!

Right now your only accent color is in the throw pillows (which are very nice). I think that you should add more coordinating accents. Right now the coffee table is right in the middle of the space and it isn't doing anything for you. Maybe you could paint the table the same as the throw pillows...it looks like it has some Asian feel and the pillows are almost Chinese red. Paint the tray in a complimentary color, I would go with a warm golden yellow, and find a piece of nice patterned paper for the bottom of the tray. There are a lot of options out there! Then add an easy care plant to the table, a bonsai pot with succulents or a jade tree would be nice. I would also look for a runner to go under the TV. It could add color and texture, like you would get from a rug, but would be cheaper and less of a hassle.

The things that jumped out at me:

1) Replace the vertical blinds with sheer curtains.
2) Add more color... if you can't paint (and even if you can), some colorful accessories would help a lot.
3) I don't know if you're interested in wall-mounting that TV, but if you did, you could use the TV stand as a coffee table and get rid of the current coffee table (I see someone else mentioned this). It would free up some space, which might make the room "appear" lighter and less cramped. Or just repaint/refinish the existing coffee table and eliminate the TV stand. Or find an all-new coffee table.
4) Find some snazzier-looking lamps.
5) Get some plants.

You're off to a decent start.

The current light is lovely, but dull. Add sparkle: mirrors, shiny metal, glass, crystal, glossy pottery, fabrics with sheen. Pick one shiny color, and put tiny bits around the room.
(Spray paint the TV table metallic copper. Hang silvery sheers. Get a chandelier or a big chrome floor lamp. Replace the baskets under the TV with steel boxes, or spray them shiny white. Put a plant in a brass planter. Spray paint the black picture frames gold. Tile the top of the coffee table.)

Don't do a thing until you GET WINDOW TREATMENTS. Off with the vertical blinds! This will likely be your most costly addition and the hardest to find (in terms of finding something that you love), so I'd get the curtains first and build off them. Maybe textured white panels with a cool color on that wall (I like the lime green idea!).

Make it feel roomier by minimizing the tables. As someone suggested, wall mount the TV and ditch the TV stand. Or, mount the TV, put decorative items on the stand, loose the coffee table, and add a colorful little square ottoman or two.

A big potted plant in the corner by the TV. New, fun lampshade for the table lamp.

Fun throw pillows-- easy enough to make yourself if $$ is tight.

Oh, one more thing!
I wall mounted my flat panel tv and then turned one of those tall skinny lack shelves on its side and added some legs. It made an awesome console for the telly and it's fairly unobtrusive due to its simplicity and slenderness. Perhaps a white one with some red accessories to go with your pillows.

Cheers!

I love your couch! Of course, I also just bought one very similar. ;)

It only looks drab because you have white walls. If you can't paint, at least change out the blinds, add some art, a rug, etc.

Excellent suggestions above (excluding the few rude ones). Paint is probably the cheapest way to add some design to your space. Next, hang the tv on the wall, if at all possible. The IKEA hack idea above from tifa33 is an awesome inexpensive idea. As finances permit, buy some luxurious looking curtains (Smart Bargains or Overstock - great deals) and get rid of the vertical blinds (replace with sheers). Next, a rug - make sure it is properly sized for the space. Can you paint the coffee table and side tables to match each other? Some more substantial lamps would be a big improvement also.

Good luck! Check out the blog "This Young House" for their custom mood boards. There are plenty of rooms that they compile for people that you could probably steal some of their ideas :)

The room seems bottom heavy, with all the pieces sitting similarly low in height. Some floating shelves with decorative items or artwork would, I think, lift the room up and would be a way to add color and personal style.

How about some floating shelves above the tv? We had a very similar arrangement in our last apartment, with 2 white floating shelves above the media unit, and it really helped to balance out the heaviness of the tv.

We used 2 IKEA floating shelves in white, one small one long, with the right ends aligned. This allowed for us to put some tall vases on the bottom shelf, taking advantage of the staggered effect. It looked great!

to me the problem seems to be nothing but shades of grey and beige. very flat. take the coffee table to an autobody shop and get it shot with a red that works with the red in the pillows. perhaps paint as accent wall...plum?

art on the walls will go a long way.

most importantly, get a wallmount armature for the tv and ditch the table if you can. a small narrow wall mounted shelf below (PAPER IT to get rid of the store-bought look) would be ok...but get rid of the tv stand.

You can start by adding color by either painting, an accent pillow or rug. The couch and carpet looks like the same color...maybe you have wood flooring underneath that carpet.

Maybe you need to get a new tv stand as well...i like the idea when someone said to use it as the coffee table. Hanging the TV to the wall would also give you extra space.

We were in this same predicament for about 3 years. It sucked! I knew exactly what I wanted but just couldn't afford it at the time.

In the past few months, I have finally been able to get rid of our hideous vertical blinds, we got a nice coffee table, added a couple of nice lamps and got some plants. About $400 total, but well worth it...I have been so much happier since!

Next we need a rug and a new tv stand. I'm going to build the TV stand myself, make the art work on a large canvas and try to get the rug on eBay.

I think that curtains (try west elm in their sale area, they have some good ones sometimes) would go a really long way for you guys. Be sure they are a light color, nothing dark or drab. Sheer would be best!

What about painting your coffee table the same red that's in your pillows?

And also, for the time being, I think your tv area would look way better if you pulled it back toward the wall a bit more and got a few short vases (or a really long one) and put some succulents in them. They don't get very tall so they wouldn't get in the way of your television, but I think something simple like that would go a long way and would be cheap until you can pull the entire room together.

One last thing...the lamps are throwing it off a bit for me. I think some nice drum shades would be a lot better than the shades you currently have.

Good luck!

your living room is bland because your walls are builder's beige, the wall-to-wall almost identical, and everything else safe and character-less.

On my computer screen, your sectional reads as a silvery-taupe (I'd call it mouse), not coffee-coloured, so I find giving colour advice a bit difficult.

You need to introduce texture in addition to colour. As everyone says, lose the beige and lost the vertical blinds.

Have semi-sheer curtains (a sheer white linen)made to cover the entire wall with the patio door, and have roman blinds made in the same fabric for the other window.

I'd paint the walls a soft white, something from Donald Kaufman Color -- full spectrum paint that changes with the lighting conditions, and which glows. Really. White walls and windows will not only make your room lighter, they will help make the other colours and textures you do put into the room "pop". It's okay to be subtle, and monochromatic, but it's never okay to be boring or bland.

Note the way colour is handled here: subtle background, naturals with shades of white, and a big pop of colour.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/house-tour-christiane-and-take-matters-into-their-own-hands-new-york-079557

Here is a great coffee table, with plenty of texture, which will also introduce much needed natural wood and metal into your space:

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1593078&navAction=jump&navCount=1

As for the tv, can you have it hung on the wall, with the cables hidden in the wall? It should be hung a little higher than it is now; you will also need to find a suitable cabinet that is the correct height. Ideally, it should be much longer than what you have now (at least double), which may mean using 2 components together. The extra length will allow you to put table lamps on either end, giving you lovely light in the evening.

Here is an example of a nice solution: the Besta bench in this picture.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09842704

If it is too low, then something wall-hung perhaps (in white with oak edging, and maybe a carrera marble top):

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/nursery-tours/mini-nursery-tour-otis-in-the-house-023366

Can you get rid of the carpeting? The space would look much better with wood flooring and an area rug.

And make sure not to choose bland lamps! Maybe a resin lamp from Martha Sturdy -- http://www.marthasturdy.com/accessories/resin_lamps.html or, if they weren't so expensive, Venetian blown glass from donghia -- http://www.product.donghia.com/go.cfm/E47843E5-EE94-6E42-6D3F2A46E3C03128?navid=C767AA6F-3048-7098-AF9987728836F807

Good luck!

wow - some commenters are mean.

I have a very similar space and don't have the option of painting or getting rid of the hated vertical blinds. However, you can do a lot without changing those two things.

From the looks of it, you've only brought one accent color in so far: red. I'd add some more throw pillows or throw blankets in brighter colors like yellow and green.

I agree with someone else's suggestion to paint the round side table. Or, you could put a mirrored top on it. I would even recommend painting the coffee table and tv console while your at it. I like the shapes (especially of the coffee table) but the colors aren't bringing much to the room.

It might also be fun to paint or get some fun paper to cover the tray on your coffee table.

Someone else suggested bringing a mirror into your space. I think a starburst shaped mirror would look really nice in your room. There was a great DIY post on creating your own back in Feb.

I would also recommend painting or swapping out your lamp shades.

Scour etsy for some pretty bright prints to put up on the wall.

Go thrifting for vases and put some pretty flowers in them.

Basically, you can do alot without spending a lot of money or abandoning what you've already done.

Good luck!

Paint the coffee table and roudn table red, like the pattern in your pillows. Add plants. Add drapes and maybe a sofa throw.

-Paint the walls in a light crisp color.
-Get some nice light curtains and some throw pillows in matching colors.
-Add some artwork.

Please do not paint furniture - it always turns out to look like cr*p. I'd rather see it refinished and stained a lighter color if it's wood. Do not do red - it will not lighten up the room but make it more dreary.

Shiny wooden floors - the carpet sucks all the light out of the room.

TV on the wall. Skip the TV-stand, it appears very dark and bulky.

Use the "upper half" of the room: Get a tall, narrow bookcase (like Ikea's Lack) or a tall dresser for storage. Put a nice lamp on top.

White curtains instead of the blinds. Use an extra long curtain rod. If it is necessary during the day: Light gauzy curtains.

Paint: A light, clear colour instead of the "muddy" beige. Light blue perhaps? There seems to be a decent amount of light coming from the windows and you can emphasise that by using a darker wall colour on that wall. Contrast puts focus on the light.

I agree with a lot of posters here for a good portion of suggestions. Here are my suggestions:some the same some different.
1) no vertical blinds. If can't take them down open and leave open and pushed to one side and add sheer curtains
2) get rid of coffee table. add texture by getting rattan/wicker ottoman(s)/footstools and painting different colors. I'm seeing three small round ones.
3) plants would do wonders.
4) adding to the throw pillows. Make sure to add more color and texture with them by using different patterns, colors, shapes, or material
5) it would really help balance out the room if the TV was higher. if you can't wall mount like everyone else suggested either use what you are using for the coffee table now (painted a different color of course) or, if in the budget, get a dresser/credenza style TV stand. It will balance out the room.
6) More artwork or bigger artwork to again balance the couch and bring in more color. Even just rearranging what artwork you do have up (everything is so horizontal and low) will help out a lot.
7) adding colorful rug and a throw blanket to the couch will bring in more color and break up some of the lines.
8) different shades on lamps or replace the lamps.
Hope those help. Would love to see pictures to see which suggestions you put into place!

Did you keep the receipt for the sofa?

I understand why people always go for these beige neutral sofas, but that's exactly what makes the room boring!

Get rid of the vertical blinds. Gone, gone, gone!

I would mount the curtains so they cover the whole wall then make the turn around the corner and continue with curtains on the window of the sofa wall just past the edge of that window. Buy a large framed canvas and acrylic paints and create your own piece of modern art, very easy to do and economical. Acessorize in color.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28253143@N04/?saved=1
Maybe something like this.