Mattiebodie, I think that's a good idea. Lots of different styles work together but I think no matter how they were arranged, those chairs and sofa might just continue to fight with one another. Too bad there isn't an office or bedroom where the sofa could work! When you're ready to look for a new sofa, please post pics of the ones you're considering. We can sure try to help by discussing style, color, just how to best place everything in the room, etc. Hopefully you could get it all figured out before you spend any money.

I agree with jmm1837 about the lounge, but I think it might be the hide throw cushions that makes visualisation harder - maybe think about saving those for a different look. Perhaps have the room an ecclectic mix rather than one specific style. Think about light sandy beige (not cream) walls, lighter timber floors, the odd piece of furniture in a lighter timber or that's been limed or even glass topped to keep the room feeling open. Using furniture that has been lime washed and distressed can also work. Because your cowhide sofa's are statement pieces, think about bringing in the beach feel with colour rather than specific objects. You could try using really large abstract art pieces (eg. if it's over a buffet then it have it the width of the buffet, if it's a bare wall then try to use up all the space either using a singe canvas or a triptych) that use beach colours you want to incorporate . Echo the colours of that artwork and even a bit brighter or paler but in the same colour family in your accessories and soft furnishings. You could also incorporate lamps that are glass/beaten silver/rope bases and light coloured lampshades. You might also want to think about a really large fluffy area rug in a light neutral/sandy colour under a glass low coffee table for the middle of your sofa area. On that table you could then feature beachy accessories such as a bowl of shells, a piece of driftwood or low piece of art such as metal fish or a ceramic starfish etc. just keep it simple so it doesn't look kitsch Burlap is great but it can be hard on your hands and sewing machine if your making curtains yourself and doesn't block out light unless your using backing - unbleached calico that is rubber backed is an alternative for privacy if you decide that dealing with miles of prickly burlap is not what you want to do - keep the burlap/calico to give you more privacy as pull across curtains using them to dress the walls on the sides of your windows (makes them look bigger) using a second curtain rod, and use your sheer curtains to give you a beaufiful breezy feel on a more discrete rod (you can even use a curtain wire kit if you're not going to draw the sheers aside). To keep your casual beachy feel think about using large curtain rings on a rod for easy sliding or big eyelets on a chunky rod with distinctive finials Good luck with your project!

i love African nature and incorporating it in designs too. The colourful one isn't my taste, but the black and white are great

Hi Sandra, what a beautiful room you can make, I would love your fire place, my thoughts would be to go the lighter colours including painting you panelling, as a few others above have suggested keep the trim and wall colour similar, big floor rug as suggested also. Our sitting room is 4x4 metres, when we first moved in, I painted it quite a dark pink shade and had way too much dark furniture from our downsize that I thought I could not live without. After two years of trying to make myself like it, I finally heavily culled furniture and changed paint colour to a very light grey tone. It probably isn't my perfect colour choice but heaps better, I also purchased some lighter profile furniture, I sit in this room so often now, I just love it, it has gone from a room I tried not to look at, to a room I really like being in. I will put a couple of before and after in for looking at darker colours to lighter colours from very similar angles