The best lighting is layered. If you can, install some wall sconces or low-voltage ceiling fixtures for accent lighting. Nothing is more dispiriting than a bland, cheerless, uninviting room that tells you nothing good about the people living there. Making trendy style choices that become old and outdated fast. Choose things based on their inherent aesthetic qualities, and they will endure.
Timeless design is a joy forever.
Not hiring a design professional. Hiring an interior design consultant, if only for a few hours, will give you direction and save you from becoming overwhelmed and paralyzed by the multitude of choices. We can pare down the amount of furniture that we have in a room and create small groupings of decorative objects along tabletops, allowing for open space on side tables or coffee tables or both. This allows decorative art and object collections to look good, while allowing the room to feel open and uncluttered. These fine readjustments also produce a space that is easier to use.