Furniture Arrangement is Key - Before & In Progress Pics

I am a very brave woman!  I just started redesigning my mother-in-law's living room without her permission.  She got new living room furniture (sofa, chair and recliner) shortly before leaving town for a few weeks.  She's planning on letting me help her decorate so I told her that I would go look at the new furniture and start shopping around for things while she was out of town.  The furniture is beautiful.  The arrangement, not so much.  She had expressed concern about all the furniture being up against the wall and leaving a big empty space in the middle of the room.  She was talking about getting a sofa table to put between the couch and the wall to push the couch farther into the room.  When I suggested an area rug or coffee table instead, she didn't think it would look right.  I didn't really push the issue because I hadn't seen the furniture yet.

Well, today I got to see the furniture.  I couldn't help moving things around when I got there.  I had planned on putting it all back, but then I started pulling things from other rooms and the rest is history.  I can't think of any better way to help her visualize my ideas than to just do it.  I just hope she likes it.  If she doesn't, I will help her put it all back and just go with the flow.

I just want to mention a few things about the pictures:  

1. I pulled a rug she wasn't using from the garage and placed it upside down so she would know that I was just using it to help her visualize a rug there.
2. She also ordered an ottoman for the big chair, but it hasn't arrived yet.  The original configuration would have blocked the pathway to the kitchen/dining area.  In the WIP pictures, you'll see a big open space in front of the chair.  Just picture a matching ottoman there.
3. They delivered the wrong pillows with the sofa and chair.  The pillows will coordinate with the recliner.
4. She is getting a bigger TV and moving the entertainment center into her bedroom.  We had to move some furniture around and out of her bedroom to make room for the entertainment center.  The furniture that I brought in from other rooms were those pieces that were moved out (secretary desk next to recliner) or no longer fit the space right (end table).  I replaced the bedside table with a smaller table I found in the garage that fit the space better.  I also brought in her matching bedroom lamps (one was on a dresser and the other on her bedside table) and placed the lamp that was in the living room on the new bedside table.  Note:  She has quite a bit of furniture and has talked about buying more.  I wanted to show her that she doesn't need to buy new tables for the living room and that we can use the things she already has.
5. She was also planning on getting rid of the corner coffee table.  After I took the WIP pictures, I positioned it in front of the big chair with a note reading "Imagine me as an ottoman."
6. I tried to move everything that didn't match out of the space.  Obviously, we still need to purchase some additional accessories, but I did go ahead and use what I had.  That is why I've labeled these pictures "In Progress" pics instead of "After" pics.

So, here are the pictures.  I know you don't know her, but do you think she'll like it?

Charissa Robinett, Student ASID & IIDA
INTERIORS by Charissa - Joplin, MO

BEFORE

IN PROGRESS