The Rest of the Living Room

I am still extremely pleased with the state of my living room after rearranging. It has been very cozy of late, especially with all of the cold weather we've been having. Here are some pictures of the other side of the room. This is the couch and the loveseat/ottoman that are directly across from the fireplace.
 

 This is the TV corner to the right of the fireplace.

 

 

I know alot of people put their TV over the fireplace, but I really don't like to mix the two. I don't feel that the TV can be a substitute for a nice picture or a pretty mirror.

 

I am getting used to the emptier spaces. For example, on the bookcase above with just the lamp, in the past I would have been compelled to put something else there...maybe a picture or a statue of some sort. Now I'm getting used to the clear, flat surface. I suspect that putting something there now might actually bother me.



Aaahhhh, Symmetry

Let's recap. Here is my fireplace wall right after Christmas but before I added the second bookcase and decluttered the DVDs, which were in the large cabinet on the right side.

Here is the final version.

The DVD/CD cabinet is now in the basement housing my boys' video games (still in their original plastic containers -- I can't even go there yet). I also removed the big candle lanterns on each side of the mantle because I wasn't feeling it; it was too much. I moved the lamp to the right because that's a dark corner, and while I would love to have identical lamps, I'm not going to buy another one, mostly because I got this lamp many years ago and they probably don't make it anymore. I won't buy matching lamps because that would be the opposite of what I'm trying to do. The square candle lantern on the left is about the same size and satisfies my need for symmetry, so I'll keep it like this. 

I know many of the home decor magazines turn their interior design noses up at symmetry, but I NEED it. I think it may have something to do with being a Pisces, or maybe not. Either way, I don't feel the need to be trendy when it comes to my home decor, and I think it's important to do what makes you happy. And this makes me happy. 

Finally, were twinkle lights always called "fairy" lights? And if so, how could I not know that?!?!