It's hard to say without knowing what furniture you already have. The armchairs in front of the fire sound nice--I'd put them on an area rug and add a round table between them and a cushy ottoman.

Two things that would make a huge difference: paint over that builder's beige and paint the fireplace mantle black.

First things first. How are you going to use this room? That has a huge impact on the furniture that you put into the room.

Will the room be used for TV watching? Then you need comfortable seating, maybe an ottoman to put feet on, tables for drinks and snacks, a TV stand for the TV and DVD player and other assorted electronics, storage for DVDs. If everyone always watches the Super Bowl at your place, will you need extra seating or folding chairs?

Will you listen to music in the room? Again, seating, plus a sound system, plus storage for CDs.

Will the room be used for conversation and visiting with family and friends? Then you need seating arranged so that conversation is easy and tables for drinks and snacks.

You really can't plan the furniture layout until you have planned what the room will be used for.

I wish it were possible to edit comments, because I forgot to say Congratulations on your new home!

Pull up the carpet.

How about a sofa facing the fireplace and 2 chairs with a sofa table behind it with 2 lamps on it and 2 chairs and a game table behind that on the back wall.

I agree with amvolpe. That's pretty much the same thing I was going to post. ^_^

Really difficult to make too many suggestions without length..anything beyond the lv room?

The only thing I can say without more info is
that I too would paint the walls and paint the
fireplace white-flat. Possibly remove that particular ledge and leave clean or use an espresso colored ledge.

I would put sofa on the wall across from stairs.
Use one chair on the left side (leaving the the window view more open--perhaps live plant).
Put the other chair facing fireplace on the far side at the end of the sofa.

coffee table and maybe two low, simple ottomans or anything without backs for extra seating.

Think you will need a traffic path along the
stair wall--fill that with mirrors to widen the
feel of the narrow room. I like the CB2 mirrors
here becasue of their intersting angles.
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=589&f=4728&fromLocation=search

Also think keeping furniture more heavily toward the right side of room balances the stair wall side.

Congratulations on your new home. Lots of interesting potential there. Mucha happiness there.

Normally I would agree about pulling up the carpet, but I'm not sure in this room. If you plan on watching TV or listening to music in there, you don't want the sound echoing all over the place. If you put up some pretty substantial curtains that won't really be as much of a concern, but if you want to go minimalist on the windows you're probably going to want the carpet to stay. Personally, I'd go with a nice big mirror over the fireplace, some simple valances on the lower windows (with blinds on all of them if light is an issue), a nice tall book shelf to the left of the fireplace and a cushy couch and chair. Painting goes without saying, but I don't know how feasible it is with the crazy high ceilings.

The only sad thing is the two chairs might block the fireplace from the rest of the room. Don't feel the need to push furniture out to the edges of the room. Arrange the furniture how you will use the space. Where will the tv be? Do you want separate conversation areas for cocktail parties, or one big comfy space? Plan the use then make a to scale diagram on graph paper with cut outs of the shape of your furniture (or what you plan to buy) to scale. Then shuffle the pieces to find out what works before buying anything (or lifting a heavy sofa a thousand times)

wow. jealous jealous. new place looks GREAT =)(=

My first thought, to save money, is to leave the carpet as is - it's basic enough and in good condition, once you get furniture in the space, your eyes will go elsewhere. Definitely consider a color change, however, as the overall space is too warm - buttery walls, tan carpet - all warm tones. I might go with something a bit lighter/neutral. Paint the fireplace - I agree with the flat off-white recommendation and darker mantel color. Consider going with darker accents to offset this monotone feel - it will make your furniture pop more.

The issue you have here is more spatial. Given the narrow width of the room and the required circulation path against the stairs, you are limited in your couch length if you want to run cross-length to say, a love seat. If you have the chairs already, and have limited expenses, I would paint (per above), flank the fireplace with your leather chairs, a small side table in between, and perhaps a small contrasting rug in front of the fireplace. I would then (depending on how long the room is), create a separate living function BEHIND the chairs, by simply adding a tall narrow table, with perhaps a lamp or two and some photos, etc. facing in the opposite direction. If you have the room on the exterior wall to put a longer couch 90 degrees from this table and start to create more of a family living space, with the television perhaps mounted on the stair wall. However, be aware of where the floor registers are, to assure you don't block the heat. This might limit your eventual furniture layout.

For now, what I might spend the money on are some interesting window treatments that contrast with the wall color you choose. the main feature to highlight in this space are the amazing windows and the fireplace. However, with the height of the space, it is really disproportional to how narrow it is, so you need to bring the eyes down a bit by creating a pseudo-ceiling plane - via curtain valances/patterns, pendent fixtures in the corners, or say, a strong piece of artwork on the painted fireplace. It will draw the eye downward, so the space feels more comfortable and balanced. Plants are always great ways to fill up any unwanted, empty open spaces, and with the lighting you will get from your windows, keeping them alive should be quite easy.

Once you decide what you need the space to be functionally, you'll start to see how these 'separate' room functions will better lay out. I don't think you can really get too crowded around the fireplace (despite your desire to do so), given how small it is. Keep that are the 'reading space', and then the area behind could be more of the 'living' area.

I've been renovating my home in Boston for 7 years now, nearing the finish line, but I suppose the architect in me will find another project soon enough!

I hope this helps, good luck to you both!
KyAnn

Some Suggestions:

1. Paint - a rich navy blue might be fun

2. Drapery- think velvet or linen

3. Fireplace - I would leave the brick as is, possibly adding a different hearth piece and a nice reclaimed wood shelf to replace the white one, something with a rustic lodge feel.

4. TV could be mounted on fireplace or large mirror or art piece on fireplace, sconces would be a nice touch.

5. Furniture - chairs flanking each side of the fireplace, sofa across and a sofa table behind would be the classic setup.

I wouldn't try and do everything all at once, just work on things as the budget allows, keeping in mind your overall design goal.

1. Paint the mantle a chocolate brown or black - the white doesn't make it look good.
2. I'd only do curtains on the first set of curtains - leave the ones up above open.
3. Figure out what you want the room to be.

I would have each of the leather chairs flanking the fireplace facing into the room if possible and a sofa/loveseat (since you didn't have exact dimensions) facing the fireplace with a round coffee table. If you want to use this as a TV room, you could remove one chair and place a small cabinet there with a TV.

How exciting! Looks like you already have the perfect spot for the Christmas tree in the corner next to the fireplace.

Without knowing how you're going to use the room and without seeing more pictures, the only thing I can really recommend is tall, tall drapery to flank and highlight your beautiful windows. It will help to ground the space for sure.

A big piece of artwork above the fireplace would be great, too, though if you have a flat-panel TV and that's a gas fireplace, then I'd go that route.

Awesome. Good luck with your new home! Can't wait to see some before and after pics.

---www.bymaggie.com---

I would agree with some of the comments to paint the fireplace, but remember, it can be a pain to remove if you ever want it to go back to the original brick.

I also agree with painting the walls a dark, warm color. It will help it feel more intimate and you have plenty of natural light to help prevent it from being a "dark room". Just don't forget lamps for night time.

Also, although I don't normally like the look of a rug with carpet, in this case it may help. Add a large area rug and make sure all of your main furniture pieces touch or are on it--very important. This will really help define the space and help keep it cohesive. If you have furniture floating around outside of a rug it will be a visual mess.

Also, it looks like you have a long narrow room. You may consider separating it into 2 separate spaces: one gathered around the fireplace, and one around the tv (the mantle is too tall to place a flat screen above it unless you angle it wayyy down--you don't want a neck ache from watching tv--your tv should always be close to eye level when you're sitting. It's the most ergonomic).

If all else fails, don't be afraid to spend an afternoon at a book store and browse design magazines! They always have good ideas you can steal. Good luck!

Need more details.

Like...
- Floor plan.
- Photos of existing furniture.
- How do you use the space?

I'd either paint that fireplace/mantle or the walls so that they don't clash horribly (like they are now).

A dimensioned floorplan and more than one photograph should be mandatory for these questions...

I agree with bepsf... this post doesn't seem prepared for publishing! We have no idea what they want to use the room for, how big it is, what the rest of the room looks like, etc.

Anyway, congratulations on your new house!

I think websites like this one are the best tools to help arrange a space. Good luck!

http://www.floorplanner.com/

I would try to reach out to BelLA Home Design! Based outside of Boston!
They can design a floor plan- color consult, and even give you furniture suggestions all via mood board/ email!!
Very budget friendly with a style all their own!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BelLA-Home-Design/141087067098