Better lighting will be a big upgrade

It's a great room, but lacks comfortable furniture and storage for the shoes and backpacks that seem to get dumped there. It is a man cave so it has a TV and a fish tank.

My son likes to do his homework in there but the lights are not great. My husband likes to stretch out and watch a show, but he can't seem to get comfortable.

Thanks for considering this room for them.

Design by Littman Bros. Lighting

Budget: $1,000 for lighting.

This room is just very dark. It requires lighting for all uses. The wall coloring and oversized, dark rug soak up any light produced from the small lamps.

Suggestions:

• Replace the oversized rug with a smaller piece in lighter tones, which will allow the beautiful wood floors to be seen. This will break up the dark couch from the rug. Check our Surya Rugs. Great styles at every price point. The Modern Classics by Candice Olson will add some color and lighten up the space.

• Add a storage unit to hide all the shoes and clutter will make the room more inviting. Uttermost has various storage pieces at reasonable price points. 25589 Ardusin will be perfect for this comfortable room.

• The coffee table is undersized and lacks usable and accessible storage. I would recommend at least a 48-by-28-inch coffee table for that room. Hooker Furniture's 1037-81110 would match perfectly with the Ardusin piece previously mentioned.

• Lighting!!! Let's add an arch lamp to the right of the couch for some comfortable task lighting. Quoizel makes some interesting arch lamps with soft textures. No. Q4571A would help to brighten up the space and create contrast against the dark walls.