How to make this room more homy?

Travel decor sounds awesome! This is a great space to work with. Curtains would certainly add softness to all the hard surfaces in the room. I would add some artwork or mirror above the mantle. Just start adding your personal touches, there is no right or wrong. Move things around to see what pleases you the most.

I think drapes would help tremendously . Also , a variety of throws, puffs and pillows with maybe some warmer paint .

Kudos for changing the fireplace. Here are some suggestions. First of all, I would do some rearranging. I would move the TV to the wall your long couch is on and move the couch to the adjacent wall where the two windows are (on the left of the picture). I then would purchase a tall white bookcase and place it to the left of the fireplace. Arrange your entertainment electronics on the bookcase as well as some plants and objects of bright colors. If you can’t afford to purchase a bookcase make your own. You can use pallets or wood crates. There are tons of suggestions on the Hometalk site. Your blinds are dull. Let’s replace those with 2” slat white faux wood blinds. It looks like you have 3 windows, so do that with all three. If you can’t afford that cost, another thing you can do is to take your existing blinds outside and paint them white. So now you’re probably going to ask, “why so much white”… White is a clean classic color and opens things up. But wait…. There’s more… Let’s talk about your walls. Paint the wall that has your built-in, fireplace and single window a warm teal or a warm dark color that you love. The other two walls, paint a warm cream color. That will open up the room. You like to travel. Let's look at the fireplace. Take the pictures off the mantel and put them on your built-in. Take maps of the places you like the most and frame them and hang above the fireplace. I find that if I can’t afford frames, I buy poster frames. They’re inexpensive and they can be painted any color. Find some travel type accessories… a globe, a sexton, a sailboat… but most of all use things that you love or have collected in your travels. Use accessories with metals, woods, and ceramics. It adds additional texture and interest. Find an area rug that has multiple colors that include your feature (fireplace) wall color. Buy some large interesting plant containers (plastic) and wrap them in rope. Place them upside down and use them as end tables to place a lamp on. Coffee table…. Use something interesting. Crates are cool. Or paint your existing table white to bring the white full circle. Additional lighting…. There are multiple types of light that can be used but what I think is fun are the lights that are operated by Wi-Fi. They are strips of lights (multi-colored and changeable) and they connect by Wi-Fi to your home network. Easy to use and you don’t have to be a tech to figure it out (I’m not). You can place them behind your TV or under the lip of your mantel. Now have fun with pillows and throws. Just enjoy your re-do and use colors and objects that inspire you and I guarantee you’ll have a warm and inviting room. Hope this helps….

paternd curtains throw pillows same pattern color as curtains use a piece of same matching color on table but angle it and add a wide wade with like color flowers and feathers

I'd paint the walls Valspar Oyster Pearl in a satin finish. It will complement your fireplace when you're done. Check with Habitat for donated white faux wood blinds. Reposition the tv to the longest wall, couch against inside wall, chair at an angle by the stairwell. I'd opt for a large old world painting for over the fireplace. An open wood shelving unit in front of the window to the right of the fireplace for displaying your travel items. If you hang white or beige drapes 4" from the ceiling to the floor it will bring height to the room. An uplight to the far left corner of the fireplace will also give height. Got an old map? frame it and hang it. Pictures of the Grand Canyon, Alaska, Yellowstone, Stone Hedge, or other travel spots you might want to add to your travel room will pull it all together. Have fun. Enjoy!

The room is too neutral. Rather than tile the fireplace in more beige, punch it up with a vibrant tile mixed with white. Echo that color somewhere in a boldly patterned rug and after you paint the blinds white, coordinate with curtains or even just valances in a contrasting color, or the same color but a contrasting pattern. Coordinate valances with throw pillows. Because you have a lot of black furniture you may be tempted to go with red. Don't. Try a pretty turquoise with terra cotta, or a nice aquamarine with a small amount of a light yellow or peach. Set off your fireplace with a bright flower arrangement or other display in the box, and a mirror above..

1. Remove pictures from mantel and add some candlesticks, candles in hurricane globes/shades or other accessories that go with your travel theme.

2. How about just valances at the top of your windows. Go on Swags Galore where they lots of ideas for valances.

3. Wall mount TV and get some of the clutter off the floor.

4. A nice floor lamp will give just as much light because the overheard light from the fan can be harsh/glaring after a while. Keep fan.

5. Furniture seems quite large for the size of the room. Could one piece go elsewhere?

6. You need another color besides brown and beige. Look at a color wheel.

7. Sections of Hometalk have Redecorating/Decor suggestions.

Good luck. It's awful trying to redo a room.

I definitely think you need some accent colors. A nice turquoise or a nice yellow to brighten up the room.

I like what http://www.hometalk.com/diy/-7138swshmvtdr said, only would go with a color to make the room look larger. get slip cover for couch in lighter color, paint the brick white, mantle gray. walls paint color

If you like neutral tones and want the fireplace to pop, paint the little middle square part black. Paint the whole back wall around the fireplace, window and TV a shade of brown. Paint the mantle totally white. Then paint the brick a neutral shade. The black middle center will look great if you put something in there that pops. Add some kind of modern cage over the fireplace. White blinds to match the white mantle. Add some pops of color around (dark turquoise?) and a few white fluffy pillows to your couch. Area rug. Move the couches to an L shape and put the TV where the painting is. Floating shelves where the TV is. Definitely a basic leaf plant or two. So many options. Gold and white accents if you chose to stay in the neutral shades...

Wow! You've been given some really good ideas from the HomeTalkers! You can find beautiful, inexpensive travel themed pictures/posters on Ebay. We've ordered lots of different prints from Ebay & they are always good quality. Shop around for yard sale/thrift store picture frames that you can paint to coordinate with your prints. Have fun!!

Maybe take the small framed pictures and put them into one big one and put that over the fireplace. As mentioned by others, you can use something to pop , by adding color or conrast

Furniture are seems to be large in this room,so replace that and remove that table from under the TV

Think things are too beige, brown. I would think about painting the walls a soft green to cool down the colour palette. Love the brick fireplace which is the focal point. What detracts from it are the dark blinds which I'd replace/paint an off white so they are not so dominant. Some off-white sheers would soften the edges of the window as would a tall, slim artificial plant in a corner. Would put artwork over the fireplace.