I've never sat in that one. If you have a store nearby, you might want to check it out. My mom's don't look comfortable, but they're the first seats taken in the living room, without fail. They're surprisingly comfortable! She does have a traditional recliner in their bedroom, too. It is definitely more comfortable than the fancier ones, but it's also an eyesore! LOL! But your living room is where you spend a lot of time, you want to be comfortable!
I love the coffee table FWIW. Staining it might be nice. I think swapping out the TV for one that is larger and fills the space would make a significant impact if you could spend some $$. Also, I would color and size coordinate books to pile up on the shelves horizontally AND vertically and that would look great too. I think everything looks great besides some changes on the built in.
We will get a new TV at Christmas we had the space built big enough to accommodate a 65" TV (for resale purposes).
I think until you agree on replacing the recliner you could just put a chenille throw over it and dress it up a little. Plus I love sitting with blankets on my lap but I live in the Northeast.
I like the books the way they are. I don't really understand grouping by color...they are books, not decorative pieces that have to match the room or anything. Thankfully the library and bookstores dont arrange their books by color, or I would never find anything. ; p
I tried adding texture and more patterns to the room with some accent pieces...a carved wood side table (new purchase) and some seagrass baskets we already had.
We are leaning towards some sheer/gauzy curtains too.
The warm wood tones and natural greens look really nice. I have this one particular saved catalog picture from 10 years ago and this room reminds me of it.
I like the accent table and the basket. I was just going to suggest some more sea grass or green baskets or items on the bookshelf to bring those colors over to the built-ins. Are you going to do handles on the cabinets? Maybe simple wood to match the coffee table?
Regarding shelves: In the short-term I would just spread the existing items out to fill the shelves. How tall is the top shelf? It looks like 18 inches at the tallest point? So you need smallish things that aren't so tiny that you can't appreciate them from the couch. You don't have a giant geode or chunk of driftwood do you?
I like the books the way they are. I don't really understand grouping by color...they are books, not decorative pieces that have to match the room or anything. Thankfully the library and bookstores dont arrange their books by color, or I would never find anything. ; p
And these are all cookbooks so it would be even harder to find what I'm looking for if they weren't categorized.
It is looking good! Id try to bring in some bold color with the curtains and the art on the mantle.
I would love some blue curtains. The windows look into a screened in porch that is rather dark (chocolate brown) so I wasn't sure if that would work. Should I go patterned or a solid color?
It is looking good! Id try to bring in some bold color with the curtains and the art on the mantle.
It is totally looking good. Once you add color with the curtains and the mantle art, you will know what color to paint the coffee table. The coffee table has good lines and looks good with the existing seating. Painting it a brighter color is a great idea.
The bookshelves are nicely spaced out. They have a lot of angular lines so I would add some non-angular lines with plants, curvy pottery, statues or a favorite toy. At the top of one of our bookshelves, I have fake ivy in a basket. At the top of another bookshelf, I have a cast iron bank from DH's childhood. It is a pitcher who pitches a ball every time you add a coin. I like the rug and would not change until you find something perfect.