Em - sorry you got pounded with our latest sales lurker. Real designers and gifted hobbyists want to help you here. The color in your art over the fire could be your inspiration for color accents, and I do think that full length panels on the windows might be a good start to help it feel warmer this winter. I wouldn't expend money on blinds, only drapery panels but you understand your privacy situation better than I. Run the curtain hardware well past the window, so when the sun is out your panels can stack back to the sides. What do you think about adding some blue-greens? If we get a muted enough one, it will be lovely on the walls with the mantel wood tones and should harmonize well with all the neutral upholstery, wood floor and rug., as well as deal with the gray stone and silver fun ball well. The sofa wants to breathe a little away from the wall I think as well. A narrow end piece there (maybe a yard sale find that you paint a deeper shade?) and shifting the rug away from the wall will help the room itself feel bigger because everything won't be tight to the corners. Something like this for the walls - ben moore wythe blue http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/wytheblue#ce_s=wythe and for the end table piece - bm azores http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/azores the deeper tone for a furniture piece that needs some camoflauge . .you can then add curtain panels in a neutral that works with the sofa upholstery tone. I see you have somelovely fine art - Van Gogh will always outpace the rest. A simple wood frame can be stained to match the gorgeous wood on the mantel piece. Your home has some lovely detailing. Might I suggest you drop the art over the fireplace about 12" and layer one additional piece leaning on the mantel? The starry night piece also needs a frame and perhaps a different wall paired with the earth chart for contrast and whimsy - you can alway mount something like that with spray adhesive to a painted heavy cardboard or frame it in a much larger frame with a custom cut mat. If I were adding a third neutral here with the suggested blue green I would play off the gray slate of the fire and use charcoal. Charcoal, cream, pale wythe blue-green . . then the art will bring the color in.

I can't see if your cushions are red or pink, but the other stand-out colour is the bright green. Try clicking those 2 colour boxes on artfuly.com and perhaps use the size sliders too, to see what comes up for that back wall I see in your photo. Some white also may be good if the walls are an off-white.

Hi Juliahocking - thanks for the ideas! Sorry I saw your comments on the weekend and then forgot to come back and update after I had moved the furniture around. I like the idea of moving the sofa and creating two separate spaces within the room. The problem is that the section of the room with the blank wall doesn't have a tv point so would need to get that installed. I moved one of the couches there to face the wall and it felt a little bit cramped, and the other section of the room seemed to have a lot of space to fill without the second couch. Is this what you meant? I found the photos from the real estate listing to show the previous owners set up, they might give a better indication of the space? We moved the TV to the corner because we didn't like it blocking the window, but i don't think the corner is ideal either. Do you think it would work to have a couple of chairs in the "dining" section of the room, or would that be strange to be facing to the back of the couch? Would love any ideas to make the windows prettier. I love the outlook but the brown screens and frames are not very attractive! Timandra Design and Landscaping - thanks! Will start my search for some large pieces of art and colourful cushions. Is it that rug you don't like, or just the idea of a rug in general in this room? I wasn't sure about a rug on top of carpet but thought it could be a good way to break up the space and add some colour. I am planning to return that rug on the weekend and continue my search! I agree I love the green outlook and it is really nice to lie on the couch and look out (while wondering how to set up the room!) :)

I think you need a combo of chairs and a couch as the photos make it look like a through fare. black is very heavy so I would soften with a fur throw or similar. Focus on texture in your textiles and cushions. Mustard/ gold can look good against black. If you are changing soft I would go with something withe legs to lighten the look.