Design/ style help for dated living room - pics included

[livingroom]

NC as it is so clearly my house to anyone who knows me!!

I really don't know what to do to improve our living room. I am very bad at picking out style etc.

The stone wall cannot be changed. Neither for now can the glass unfortunately - I could possibly change it to something else. Behind it is the hall with the front door.

I think around the TV/ window looks very bare though. Maybe cornice could help? I was thinking of maybe getting large pictures and nicer frames.

It looks so much better! Well done! Lovely to see the sunlight.

I actually think a pink could work on those walls - setting plaster or some such?

Like @TheBeesKnee I do think dark walls would look good in that room, personally I really like teal-esque colours.

I've also put a light room in there with crittall doors for some inspo

What about putting couch on tv wall? I like the idea of floor to ceiling sheer curtains over the glass doors and maybe have the tv over that side? Or put the couch along the window wall. Currently it just looks a bit squashed up!

Sorry to say but I don't think the sofa in front of the glass improves safety ( climbing on the back of it)
I would be more inclined to use safety film on it and position the sofa against the wall where the TV currently is.
I would then put the TV on a stand/ unit in front of the glass section and use plants/ floor lamp/ other non climb-able floor standing objects in front of the glass to stop a full frontal run at it.
Hanging plants would look fab in front of the glass section.
I don't normally like curtains, but I'd be inclined to put some tab top voiles on a curtain pole at the window to soften the hard lines.

Your living room is very similar to ours, including the view. We live in a rented house, so could only really change the colour of the walls.

In ours, I painted the wall with the window a dark grey, very similar to the colour of your sofa. The dark colour will make the green of the outside pop. Then I painted the rest of the walls a warm white. You could paint the stone white too., and the door to the kitchen.

Then we have a Turkish rug to bring a bit of warmth into the room. It was from T K Maxx, I think. It's a bit like this one from Next, but more red. Buy Asiatic Rugs Kaya Alya Rug from the Next UK online shop

Then I'd change the light fittings to a warmer colour, or to something that reflects the light. Buy Aria Flush Fitting Ceiling Light from the Next UK online shop
Something like this for the lights on the stone wall? Buy Bourton Wall Light from the Next UK online shop

The TV wall needs symmetry. You could do a storage wall using IKEA units. So, bookcases either side of the TV, and then a low unit underneath the TV. We used Billy bookcases which I painted the same colour as the warm white walls, and we got a carpenter to make a frame so that they look built-in.

I would go with white walls, and pale throws with some texture. Add green with houseplants.
It'd look great full- on boho.

The sofas too big and you should work it so you can get the rough the glass door of the hall into the room instead of going through the kitchen (?).
Can you get a smaller fire guard?
Also I'd move the TV, maybe on the chimney wall?
The sofa could then go on that wall.

The room needs more colour in it, I'd consider curtains for the window to do that.

Could you swap the sofa to the tv wall and then get a big tv unit that covers most of the frosted window wall, like this kind of thing?

Definitely curtains to frame the window and a rug for the floor.

Cover the sofa with throws and cushions, or better still sofa covers - cheap on amazon - not my picture but we have some of these to cover our otherwise serviceable and comfortable monstrosity.

The centre part is gone. DH popped in for a few mins and took it out for me. Also said oh god what is going on 😂he wants the big full couch back, I said no. I can't get that centre part out though without taking it apart.

Eye sore or not I will be keeping the massive fireguard. We light the fire every day during winter, it's bolted to the wall.

Yes as the couch is now we could put the couch against the TV wall and maybe put a very large TV unit with storage on the glass wall. We have had the couch at that side before (old couch) I moved it so I didn't have to look at the glass. With it behind me I don't notice it so much. How would I bolt that to the wall for safety with a toddler?

Any light fitting that would go with that wall? Or should I just get rid of them?

I really do appreciate all the post I am going through them all to see what I do like.

This is great, OP.

If you decide to move the sofa (yay for the smaller sofa!) to the TV wall, I would have said you could secure a big shelving unit to the wall on either side of the glass, or perhaps to the wooden frames around the glass?

Do you use those light fittings on the chimneypiece? What about something very minimalist?

@ShineLikeA we used to use them until we put in a smart bulb which we can dim on the main light so don't use them so much anymore.

Couch/ tv aside what would you put in the middle? I used to have a coffee table but it wasn't great and had sharp edges so I put it into my office when DS became mobile.

Maybe a coffee table with not so sharp edges? And like others were saying a big rug?

The dog is away for the day he will be so pissed off when he sees his viewing spot from the couch is gone.

For the most part it is just 2 of us, but would you get an armchair be needed? My mum visits a lot usually for a few days, we might all be a bit cosy on the couch together.

I have to say I'm fanatically against using overhead lights, however dimmable, The light falling from overhead from a central source never looks appealing, IMO. (We have an old high-ceilinged house and inherited the original chandeliers which had been altered to take electricity, but we never use them -- we use table lamps, standard lamps, and I have these either side of the chimney breast in our living room. Minimal, and the light is nice and warm.)

Do you need a coffee table? How old is your child/children?

I would decide what colour you are painting the walls and get a biggish kilim rug that would work with it. What direction does the window face? When do you use the room most?

@ShineLikeA the room faces east, it is very sunny in the morning but pretty bright all day long.

The room is used as our main living area all day. During morning/ day time DS and I play in here. Then in the evening when DS is gone to bed DH and I watch some

It's very beige and that sofa is monstrous. If you can get rid of at least some of it that would help immediately (sorry DH haha).

I like the stone wall though (please don't paint it!!) and think with the right decor the room could be very welcoming and cosy. I would either go darker on the walls with greens or darker blues or go white walls and add interest and depth with natural texture - rugs, throws, cushions, plants etc.

I also love the glass wall so please don't cover that too much! I like the idea of some kind of shelving in front of it.
Agree with PP about leaning into the mid-century vibe.

Get yourself on Pinterest and have a bit of fun pinning things you like, you'll soon see a pattern to the things you're attracted to which will help find your style.

Loving the real time updates. If you can get that cup holder section out, looks like you could fit a fourth seat into the sofa along the glass wall. At least then you keep a big sofa that you can lie down on, without my dominating the room.

Definitely get an arm chair. But not a giant or reclining one - look at occasional or accent chairs. Doggo can sit on it when your mother isn’t there.

A big TV/shelving unit on the glass wall would be good. You would probably be able to anchor it to the side walls, frame or if it’s tall enough the ceiling.

If you don’t go that ways I’d paint the frame the same colour as the walls.

The sofa is better not lovely still sorry.

A rug would be good and lovely curtains. Soften the whole thing.

Lamps not the big light of doom and side lights are old fashioned so I’d scrap them.

It does look better!

I've moved the ball pool to DS's bedroom and brought the rocking chair up. How does that look?

I am going to go through all your suggestions and think about colours.

I think we will def paint the room but I've no idea what colour yet - we will paint the TV wires.

If we go neutral paint what colour rug/ curtains/ throws what colour would you go for?

Or if we went a deep/ dark colour on the walls what colour would you do curtains? I am thinking curtains will def removed the bare look from the walls.

I think I will get rid of the lights on the stone wall all together and get a big mirror. Would you think a mirror in a frame or just completely mirror?

The couch has been made smaller and is staying, we can't afford a new one. Any of the more stylish ones I liked when we went shopping of it didn't pass the DH comfort test. TBF we use the sitting room for comfort. I am also now a small bit worried about DS hitting his head off the side of the rad's.

This will probably be a work in progress for a few months. But I promise to post final pics

Room is 4.5m long and 3.5m wide in case anyone wanted to know.

When we first talked about moving in here I thought an extension to the front with a big bay window to make the most of the view would have been fab.

It’s looking good!

I’d move the shelving unit to the corner where the rocking chair is sitting to balance the room better. then try the rocking chair closer to the window if you can fit it. (What’s that under the window?)

@AliceOlive it's a climbing arch rocker, DS lies in it to chill. 😁

I’d go rug in the middle! Get a nice non fluffy one and it’ll be lovely to play on. No point in getting a coffee table as it’s not that big of a room and it’ll just be in the way.

Much improved with couch and rocker. New paint and some nice cushions and rug and you’ll be well on the way.

I'd put a framed mirror up and keep the sconces. Or mount a floating mantle if you can find something economical and have the means to hang it.Mantle

I would put the sofa where the tv is to try and balance the size of the sofa. Paint the bricks white and add some colour to the walls. Add some proper curtains to the wall, now the sofa is out the way. Hang a large painting where tv currently is and add a tv stand in the other corner of the room.

You say he’s easy going OP…but then he won’t give you free reign to decorate your home the way you’d like… and would rather consult his sister and mum on how your home should look.

Why on earth are you putting up with this?! And for what could be years into the future?!

Sounds to me like your wants and needs come very far down the list……

And it’s a big job, but I’d get rid of the cladding on the chimney breast if you can afford to undertake that kind of work.

Plaster over brick effect

That is solid stone, not cladding or brick and I think it's lovely. I definitely wouldn't remove or paint or plaster over!
The stone has a yellow tone so I wouldn't go for the grey walls some pp have suggested. I don't think they'd work especially well. Lots of other great suggestions though.
Absolutely love your view too.