SFGate

judyg Let's start with your rug, which looks lovely. Would it fit into your dining room?

hwinteriors There are no defined spaces so, I would suggest the following: Create an entry- pull the rug, the hutch and the desk away from the area. Find a focal point-keep furniture in an open square configuration. You may need to add more furniture or accessories.

oneofeleven What is your budget like and how do you use this room? Just off the top I'd suggest a rug under the dining room table that would co-ordinate with the one in the livingroom. They don't have to match. If you have room I would put the china cabinet in the diningroom as this is a better fit. You could then put a sofa facing the other sofa. This would create a corridor from the front door to the adjoining area. You could put the smaller dresser in it's place and this could be used to catch things as people come in. I like your mirror but I don't think it's the right thing for that space. Also, you could "tweak" the items on your glass tables. None of the items stand out and they don't do much for your room. Hope you find some suggestions here you can use.

pveale Thanks for the suggestions. The china cabinet won't fit in the dining room. The dining table barely fits in there. I can get a rug to go under the dining room table. What kind of items would look good on the glass table. I would like to get more furniture but haven't found a piece that would go in the space. Any suggestions. Just FYI - I paid $300 for the sofa, $100 for hutch and $150 for bar so as you can see I don't spend much. The attached picture is the bar that you see as you come in the front door.

pveale And this room is never used. The dining room is used a few times a year. I have a casual eating area where we eat.

pveale Here's another view of dining area.

pveale The living room passes through to the family room.

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I think the couch would look great if reupholstered in a solid color. Love the coastal art. I would use the blue from it for accent colors. If you keep the carpet in the living room, you might consider choosing a color from it to reupholster the couch.

collettec Some possibilities you might consider - I think your drapes are too light in color and texture. I would consider floor to ceiling drapes in a heavier cotton or linen perhaps in a gray given the gray tones in your sofa. I would consider moving the small table near the chair to the other side of the chair to create more of a conversation area. If you could afford another chair, I think a better place for a few chairs might be opposite the couch to fill in that area. You could use a table lamp on the other side of the floor lamp. A rug with some color and pattern would work great in the dining room since there is so little there with color and pattern. Might check places like overstock and other similar types of retailers. Good luck!

mjlb I agree with judyg - that is a beautiful rug. However, I don't care for the odd angle of furniture on the rug -- I would square them off. It's difficult to see the window wall across from the hutch, so two furniture arrangements (for big pieces) come to mind. First one: shift sofa slightly so that it is fully on the rug, and lined up parallel to the edge of the rug. Move coffee table in front, also aligned with edge of rug. Place your two chairs directly across from the sofa. Alternatively: place sofa facing hutch, with coffee table in front. Add two chairs either across from sofa or angling toward sofa. Once the main pieces are placed, it will be easier to refine your smaller pieces, such as side tables, lamps, and accessories.

You have an eclectic mix of furniture, which takes effort to work. The only piece that I really have trouble with is the coffee table with its hard sharp edges. If you could get a circular or oval glass (or wood, etc.) top for that, I think it would work coordinate much better with your furnishings.

The other two areas that I think would make a big difference for not too much money would be paint and curtains. I think a deeper, warmer color on the walls, and longer and more substantial curtains. I'd also like to see a better picture of the gold framed artwork next to the rocking chair. Possibly not in the budget, but I'd then address the ceiling light fixtures or fan.

loroca I just wanna say i love your couch! That would look so great painted glossy black with bright white upholstery (of course in another design scheme)

pveale Thanks for the input. I'm looking to find an old coffee table. I believe an oval one would look very nice. I'm also looking for another chair to add to the room. Right or wrong when a I find a piece of furniture I like for the right price I get it. What deeper color paint would you suggest?

pveale Here's some more pix. I think you'll have a hay day with these : ) This is the wall that you see as you come in the front door.

mjlb Are those 3 most recent photos of the back side of the wall behind the sofa? (I'm sort of confused.) Also confused about what is reflected in oval mirror -- looks like a white door with black trim, but I don't see it in your other photos. Which leads me to the comment you see so often here... Do you have a measured drawing of your space? The artwork is interesting -- no hay day there. Everything looks a bit too lined up, but that's easy to fix.

pveale Loroca, thanks I love the sofa. It would look cool painted but this is what the wood carvings on the back looks like. I would have a hard time painting it, but agree with the black and white look.

pveale I can get you a drawing. The room is 20' x 16'.

collettec The carving on your sofa is beautiful. One color to consider for a deeper wall color would be a blue gray given the blue in the upholstery. Perhaps linen drapes in a natural color would work well with your rug. I would paint the small area above the bar the same color as the wall. Given that your decor items on the bar are a bit smaller, I would group them a bit more. Love your bar - that looks like a wonderful piece.

JWinteriors Dining room...change chandelier and install new one 30-33 from the top of the table. Change curtains to 2 panels with texture or color 95" tall. Remove large art...replace with mirror for reflection.

JWinteriors The picture wall at entryway is way too busy. Simply remove everything off of the ledge.

mjlb Just some random comments... I think I see more Victorian pieces, especially if I include accessories, than any other style -- are you partial to the Victorian look? Will you eventually recover the sofa, or do you like the existing fabric?

You might consider displaying some of your china by hanging it on the dining room wall, instead of the large seascape. If the wall is a deeper color, the lightness of the plates would stand out. Then inside the hutch in the living room you could add books or other decorative objects.

Due to monitor variations, it's really hard to choose a color from an on-line photo. But at least on my monitor, it looks like there's a mossy green or warmer beige/tan in the rug that might work on the wall. Is there any commonality between the colors of the sofa upholstery and the rug? Again, it's hard to tell on-line.

Unique & Chic Interiors I would love to see the draperies in a woven fabric and not on "Contemporary" grommets. The drapes you have now are too light weight. I personally feel you should paint the rooms...there is too much white/light tan. You should invest in one or two more chairs so there is a conversation area with the sofa and other chair. I don't think there should be three tables that "match" in any room, maybe you could use one of them in another room. It's important not to have the room look like you went out and purchased sets.
The iron table in front of the window is too small and should be more "stately" and I feel it should be wood.
I hope this isn't too harsh and I hope you like the ideas.
Darla Blake, ASID, CID
Unique & Chic Interiors

mjlb Just couldn't resist: isn't this beautiful?
http://www.janehalldesign.com/products/595/Antique-Carved-Victorian-Settee.htm

trasgorshek For an easy cost effective change, you already have a chair rail in the room. i would really emphisize it through paint. Picture is just to illustrate how fun a chair rail can be. I would really utulize it, then step back and reevaluate the space.

mjlb Another thing would make the dining room look more related to the living room would be parson's chair slipcover, like this: But the one shown is $79, so you'd probably want to search for a better deal. Or maybe you sew?

oneofeleven Lots of good comments. How about switching the bar with the china cabinet. This will tie the cabinet in with the dining room. Put the Put two chairs across from the sofa and then remove one of the glass tables from the room and put one between the chairs. The mirror could go over the small cupboard by the front door. Several people have commented on the colour of the drapes; perhaps you could dye them. I think a darker colour on the wall would help, perhaps a grey. If you wanted to do something further in the diningr oom. how about installing some inexpensive wainscoting or a chair rail? I liked the idea of the mirror in the dining room, it's good Feng shui to reflect food on a table. I will look around for suggestions for your coffee table. Perhaps a large bowl of some kind?

pveale Thanks for all the input. Thanks Darla. Not harsh at all. What wall/curtain color would you recommend? I want to some wood pieces to replace the coffee and end tables. I've yet to find anything I like. I could move the table by the door to replace the round table by the window and switch the hutch with the bar. Thanks again for everyones input. I love being home proud, but struggle with design. I seem to buy pieces I like and everything I've bought is garage or estate sale bargain items.

oneofeleven Please post when you've made some changes, thanks. PS you've found some nice things and I think that this way of shopping is far more rewarding than just picking something up at a store.

pveale Thank you jwinteriors. I'm cleaning the knick knacks off the bar.

Unique & Chic Interiors Hi again,
I'll look up some paint colors and fabric colors and get back to you. Are you keeping the sofa the way it is or are you re-upholstering it? I need to know this so I can select the colors. Get back to me.
Darla Blake, ASID, CID
Unique & Chic Interiors

pveale would it be expensive to reupholster? what color would you recommend? I need to have the rocking chair reupholstered too. It's a horrible vinyl. Thanks!!!

pveale Sure I can reupholster.

Unique & Chic Interiors Well, it depends on where you live. I would call a couple of Upholsterer's close to you and have them come out and give you a bid. Don't allow them to include the fabric because that's the way they make their profit. They will tell you how much fabric you need in a print or in a solid so you can shop for fabric at Discount Fabric shops in your area. I can't select the colors until you've decided on the fabric.
I do agree that the chair must be re-covered. Are you sure you can't put the china cabinet in the dinning room? And I agree that the bar should be switched with the china cabinet if it doesn't fit in DR
I've got to go now. I'll get back to you on Sunday.
Darla Blake, ASID, CID
Unique & Chic Interiors

Naomi Frash I'll try to explain my vision as clearly as I possibly can.

The drawer that you see when you first walk in I would move to the wall where the couch is. Then the frames on the same wall I would move to the right hand wall where the hutch is. I would move the hutch to where the frames and drawer thing were. I would then turn the couch around to face the drawer which is now in the place of the couch. I would place the coffee table between the couch and drawer.

I would then place the two single chairs beside the front door (assuming it's the front door). So that when you enter the backs of the chairs you could run your left hand across as you walk in. You could then decide where you would like to place the smaller items like the glass tables. I might place one between the two chairs.

I hope this gives you a few ideas.

oneofeleven I love seeing new comments but if people don't take the time to read the entire thread , we end up with a lot of repetitious ideas. I don't know about anyone else but my emails run up very quickly and it's hard to keep up and keep my email box emptied. I'm not meaning to be rude, but it should only stand to reason that you must have a good idea of what has already suggested and commented on by the poster requesting help, before you post your own suggestions. Thanks for reading this comment.

pveale Here's a change I could do myself. What do you think? Still looking for coffee/end table.