gotcha...now if I can figure out how to let me get to the layers tab. It's totally greyed out and won't let me use it.

Tired of red! With that wonderful red leather sofa, no way. Take out everything else red, the art, the curtains. And use the sofa as a neutral. It really is not your problem. All the black may be. You need organization, better storage , rugs, new wall art. Wood. Glamorize the red with stunning pillows.

Omg! Someone else that thinks red is a neutral! Hallelujah!

rngp, maybe we do need a separate Photoshop thread. You should have four separate windows. The window at lower right is your layers window. See the little buttons at the top of it? You can use those to make a new layer.

It just occurs to me though, have you started or opened a document? If not, you can't make a layer yet.

Kathleen, I'm totally down with red and peacock, and at your insistence, I put the red sofa back. Boy, will Mike be surprised when he wakes up and sees what we've done to his room.

Mike said earlier in regards to the sofa "I'd like to part with it", however when he sees your rendering, grover, he may look at it differently :)

Catching up now :) Will give you my trail of thoughts in a few minutes.

@Spaces Designed, Interior Design Studio, LLC: the wall color is a tad bit too dark. However I agree that more light or other light options will have to be worked out, too. I'll do these fine tunings at the end when I see the first results (usually light does not involve any wiring on my side, it's a rental anyways ^^)

@groveraxle: holy cow now I did not expect that! Very good photoshopping skills, my friend, impressive (or elements) :)

I might have to point out I'm not much of a fan of patterns. Patterns are okay to be given by carpets (though not too many), pictures and wall tattoos etc.
I prefer my living room (or all rooms) to produce a calming.

Let me upload the images of the bathroom in a moment to show you what I'd do with the peacock color.

As for the couch being a neutral: I can agree that it would still fit in there somehow but it just doesn't feel right. Also I'm a bit sick of it and would like to go into another direction, especially a couch that allows better snuggling (the current one if great for sitting beside each other or lying down alone but..it's not snuggly ;) )

Example: the lining would be the peacock color.

Terminology difficulty? What lining?

@Rina: the dark gray would be the "peacock" color.

Ah. Okay. How would that translate into how you might use it in the living room? Or am I being too hasty here?

Hey Rina.

No not to hasty :) Imagine the white walls in my living room as seen above. Using peacock color to add a line along the wall, perhaps a bit broader. The ceiling area might be tricky though, not sure ... however, maybe the line could lead...uh got an idea.

So if I'd use the slanting side for a mirror, with a bit o work the line could "frame" the mirror (or mirrors or otherwise decoration) and then continue. Something like a "red thread".

What do you folks think?

Hi Mike, love the adventurous spirit you are approaching this with and your openess to colour. But I feel bit lost in this room. It seems to have a lot of furniture and mixed purposes. I would love to see a plan of the room to look at the furniture layout and define the spaces.
You have a great view and it looks like you are not making the most of it.

Mike, if you want your room to have a calming effect, a peacock stripe or mirror outline is NOT the way to go. The other thing that gets in the way is all the nooks and crannies in your office space, even on your TV wall.

In your living room ideabook, I see spaces filled with simple lines and expanses of neutrals. You noted you chose them for color ideas--orange and brown, which you seem to have dismissed for now--but I would suggest their simplicity also appealed strongly to you.

I'm going to suggest you rethink this a bit, forget about colors for the moment, and start by simplifying the space. Closed storage would be an excellent place to start.

Classy, calming peacock spaces:

Lovely and refined, grover.

Mike, am I understanding correctly that you don't want the walls themselves to be the peacock color? I think we need to be sure we are all talking about the same thing before we go much further?

@rngp: not entirely in the peacock color, right. Perhaps the slanted side.
Before we continue I'll do the following: I'll sleep over it, look at the room and take down notes.

There's a lot to digest, I know that I'm a bit torn between wanting to go into the blue/white/glass vs. orange/brown/black area but am still not quite sure about the extend.
I also know that the couch will go, same for the old table.
As for the wood work furniture: it's going to have to stay for now, though I do agree that they might not go well with the blue.

@anniau: I feel you there, I really need to unclutter it. A lot.

Here is a much calmer look, with a sofa you can keep forever, even as your tastes change. With a nod to the peacock on the coffee table:

Hi Mike. I've been puzzling over the stripe idea, and I'm not seeing it. I think you need a stronger approach. I love the first pic that Grover posted above (sans chandelier, for you, I think) -- that wood is as close as dammit to cinnamon, actually -- and the third, which chimes with what I've been thinking in the past hour or so. Cinnamon-ish walls, darker cinnamon sectional, very rich (peacock) blue accents. White/off-white door trim etc could look very good with that.

Illustration, based on previous ... I must apologise to Overstock for messing around with their picture, but we need cinnamon walls here. (Over and out, from me, for the night.)

Apologies to the website that provided the art: http://harveysart.wordpress.com/paintings/abstract-art/

For you, Rina:

Grover, since it will be a while before I manage anything on PS elements, would you be so kind as to paint those walls with a deep peacock blue and perhaps change the glass table to the color the walls are now or something close. I'd like to see the result and it will give Mike a comparison. Thank you. :)

Here ya go, rngp:

Sky blue walls, celadon green cough, with throw pillows in varrying shades of green and blue for accent.

I like that combo and I'm usually a sucker for warm tones. Those walls look fantastic! Nice touch with the light rug. Can't wait to see what he thinks! Great job, Grover!!

Hi Mike. I'm entering the thread a little late. You've already got ideas galore from your design team, but I thought I'd add one more idea to the mix.

I love this clock from Thos. Baker. It's made out of vintage license plates, which is very unique. It works best in a particular style of room and I think you're red sofa would be perfect with it. It's also quite large (29 x 29) and would look great on the wall over the sofa where the sectional art currently is. Then, I'd take the color scheme from the clock and go with gray (with beige undertones) walls and accent pillows.

The wall color in the far right photo is best, I think.

Christi, on behalf of Thos. Baker

Groveraxle your photo shopping talents add so much to the discussions on Houzz. I love the image you created with the peacock walls and the grey sofa. I really think this could be an excellent way for Mike to proceed. I also want to suggest that a navy blue sofa would be fantastic with the peacock.

You are kind, Groveraxle. Thank you. This is such a rich thread, an absolute pleasure to read.

Hey there, just woke up because I poked my eye during the night (totally off topic, of course) - but I thought once it's ok, lemme check here.

@Grover, you're amazing (and Rina an Angel) for putting so much effort in visual examples. It really helps a lot before making any decisions, glad to have you in this discussion :)

I hope I'm not driving anyone crazy now but I've put my eye on a couch:



That of course brings up the question if I should leave the walls white and add touches of the blue to the wall somehow by picture, the above clock - thanks Thos. - or any other means.

And if not for the color, the type of couch looks simply stylish and comfy :)

It's a fab sofa and would dictate a whole new style - it whispers "beach" to me.

Hey Mike, thank you. If my husband were still here, I would show him your comment and get him to admit that those pointy little horns he saw on my head were simply an unusual style of halo. I surprise myself by really liking that squishy sofa -- I generally go for geometric lines in sofas. But that just looks so incredibly cuddly. However, I agree with Kimedge that it would involve rethinking, which could be fun too.

How do you feel about the colour? Like it, hate it, don't know? Is it not available in other colours?

Pondering about the color. I think it comes in various colors, too (it's in my Idea Book)

Here's the website: http://www.defysupply.com/Keon_Blue_Sectional_p/yp668.htm?utm_source=houzz.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Houzz+Uploads

Yes indeed, different colours, and good ones at that. For general interest see below, fellow Houzzers, but visit the website to see them properly. I see something not a million miles from cinnamon there, and good greys, if you're thinking on those lines.

My first thought: I want to lounge on that sofa right now. My second and third thoughts: will I want to lounge on it two weeks or months or years from now, and who decided this looked good with a contrasting welt?

My very first concern is will it hold up. Mike, I would look carefully at the construction of this piece. At this price, you don't want to end up with a saggy mess in a year or two.

Second, that baby blue is a nightmare. If you're sick of red, trust me, you will hate this blue in no time. Now the other colors Rina posted above have possibilities. But that particular blue has no redeeming value, IMO.

Good point about the construction, Grover, and the contrasting welt. But the latter would be easy peasy to fix with every so little ingenuity. I like most of the alternative colours, but regard the reds as out of bounds for Mike. I think, Mike, when your room is done you want it to look and feel entirely different, not like an adjustment of the previous look. Right?

Rina got it right. I'd like a "redo" this year. Even if it's possibly not this apartment anymore, at least the colors and setup.

And I agree, Grover. The blue might be troublesome in a couple years. My current couch is nearly 5 years old, real leather though. Was a bargain, too. The softer areas start to lose a bit of their support when sitting on them but it's still more than enough.

Nice talking me out of the blue (no pun intended ^^). :)

Mike, do you have a local store you can go to and give this sofa the "lounge" test? I'm sure you could look at the color and fabric swatches while you are giving the sofa try. It appears from the pictures that it may come in two different types of fabric. :)

And Rina is right! I see a warm medium brown that would look fabulous with the cinnamon you were thinking about earlier. I'm sure we could find a peacock shade that will make that brown look fab!

I failed to ask about your eye! Hope you are seeing well this afternoon :)

Hey there happy!

No, sadly I can't try the sofa. I think I'll drive into a few stores at some point and make photos with my smartphone of possible "candidates". ;)

Thanks for the wishes, my eyes are getting better each day - that's why I spend (too) much time in front of the PC again. :)

I'll rest this case for now but will likely bring it back up. There's a lot to digest, there have been incredible (grover, you fox!) solutions and now I need to really sit down and ponder the options. Otherwise I'll drive us all (including myself) nuts. :D

In the meantime I'll likely jump to other advices and check out what these folks are looking for.

There's no sense in stressing yourself out! Take your time. When you're ready to tackle it again, we'll be here!

Mike, this is what I was trying to explain early on that I think baffled you and made you speechless. There are so many major and minor decisions to make that it is truly overwhelming. Happy is right. Take your time. Do as much or as little as you enjoy doing. The process should be fun and exciting not taxing and stressful.

Again, as Happy says, we'll be here if you need us.

groveraxle I like that turquoise chair. can you please tell me where you got it? thanks

Other users have suggested some lovely color scheme and palettes, I especially love Thos. Baker's post. Whatever combination you decide to go with Mike, you know what could make it even better? Why mosaics of course. Glass mosaic for wall decor or a little marble mosaic medallion as an area rug could lift the style quotient of the space by a lot. They are easy to clean and can be ordered in virtually an design. pattern and colors you want. Here are some examples:

Oh man, Elmar, that was from over a year ago. I think it's a Modway chair, maybe this one. Follow the "More Info" link below the photo.

Elmar, I take it back. I think it's Thrive Furniture's Nixon chair: