Building a new home: Living Room improvements

With the new year here I'm jumping back into home projects.  Because I don't know about you...but I sort of have to be all in, or all out.  If I'm in home mode--I'm in home mode.  Or if it's pattern-making time, I'm in the studio drawing and sewing.  It's hard to be pulled in multiple creative directions---which is why we often have cereal for dinner.  Remember those details?

Well some of you have asked about a home update on Instagram (@danamadeit) so here are some changes in the living room.

And if you've missed any of my previous home building posts, here's the short version:
Two years ago we built a custom home in Austin, Texas.
And for the next thirty years, we'll be decorating it. 

Check out my previous posts documenting the whole process:
We’re building a new home!
Groundbreaking Party
From foundation to frame 
Stucco, shingles, and Exterior Paint
Interior Paint colors and the back Deck
We moved!…and an ode to the old house
Backsplash, Shower Tile, Flooring, Countertops
The giant Ball Chandeliers and other lighting
Guest Room makeover 
Mosaic Bathroom Tile and Wallpaper
New Dining table, benches, and chairs
Large Craft Table for the Studio


So the day we moved in---ON Valentine's day. How sweet is that?---the room looked like this.
(Read more about our gray + white paint colors, our fireplace + tile, and our floor tile)

The gray couches we bought in California 6 years ago, right before we moved here.  Actually they were delivered to us IN Texas and there were major delays, so we sat on camping chairs for a few months.  And those are fun memories.

So the couches work great in the new space.
Next up: the rug.
I love this rug!  It's from West Elm.  And I found it at the outlet (in San Marcos if you live in Texas)  It's 9x12, which works great in this room.

Most of all it doesn't shed like 10 cats in the house, like the last rug did.  Casey was happy to get rid of the "tauntaun carcass" as he called it.  

Next item: piano.
The kids started taking lessons a couple years ago, so it was time for one.
We found this beauty on Craigslist, which was cared for by a piano tuner and restorer.  He had also had an amazing baby grand in his workshop which he was restoring from fire damage.    

He brought the piano to our house, tuned the thing, and played some amazing music...which reminded me of how I'd like to be Lady Grantham one day.  Because I could use a household of cleaning help and I'd love to have a private musician play for us upon request, in the parlor.
If we had a parlor.

It was hard finding the "right" piano that fit within our budget.  Obviously I wanted it to sound decent, which it does, but it's not great.  But I also wanted the style to be simple and not too swirly or ornate.  And I LOVE the way this one looks.

And of course I wasn't sure about the brown color at first.  But as I mentioned with the dining room table, I'm warming up to browns again.  Or rather, I think you can mix browns and grays together nicely.
I toyed with the idea of painting it because I've seen so many cool versions....

And once we got a new TV console, I loved the brown next to the white.

And once the crappy piano bench that the piano came with broke one day (phew) I pulled the IKEA bench over and I loved it even more!  This combo works great together.

It's hard to pick out a full room of furniture.  

Well, maybe not if you're an interior decorator.

But I find that starting with the key pieces that are either large (like a couch), or important/special (like a piano), or by purchasing a furniture item that really jumps out at you (like this TV console I loved the first time I saw it)....well, those are good places to start.
And then you can slowly work your way through the room, piecing it together.  And by the time you're done, you'll be sick of it.
Haah!
Isn't that how it seems to happen?
But then you can sew new pillows, throw up a new family photo and call it good.

Okay.  Here's where I need your help and input.
This little chair.
Or rather, this space where the little chair sits. 

The chair was great in the old house.  Remember how I had to redo the china cabinet before I could open it?  Well I still love that chair.   It's just too small for this room and I can't buy another.
(I miss the old house)

So it's time for a new piece of furniture.
And I have looked and looked for months...and almost hit purchase multiple times.  And then I'll chicken out, or someone else will give me a different opinion.
So I'm hoping you can help steer me in the right direction!

Here are some choices I've narrowed it down to.  You'll find links to all of these on my furniture board.  

This area of the room definitely needs more seating to pull the socializing aspect together.  So it's either two chairs, a love seat, or settee.  My two favorites are the green settee and blue chair above.  I love the yellow loveseat way too much.  But it's also too large for the space.

The coffee table is also going away and needs to be replaced with one rectangular table, or two squares, or rounds?  I don't want the room to become overly mid century modern.  But I do love many of those styles.

There are plenty of yellows, greens, and blues throughout the house.  So any of those shades work.
(read more about lights, wallpaper, shower tile, exterior paint)

I worry that the green couch will be a lot of green near the door.   But it all depends on which angle you looks at it.

AND I think I might replace that white bench behind the couch with some upholstered benches?  Maybe those could be yellow?

I'd love to know your thoughts.
Which one do you like?
Or share a link to something else!  I'm open to new ideas.

And already since taking these photos, I've added some new plants and artwork to the room.

But I'm still searching for more.  I can't stomach the price of these Gray Malin prints, so I'd love to know if you have any good artwork leads!
Baby steps to home improvement.