ilikeitdontyou's Profile

congrats, wow! such a great space, and so much delicious potential!

3 things that i think will instantly take the design to the next level are:

1) if possible, take the carpet out. the carpet really brings a cheesiness, and a staleness to the atmosphere (both visually, and physically). wood flooring with a beautiful, comfy rug (i can see a nice sheepskin being a great touch) would just give the living room a beautiful modern lodge/loft feel, esp with that awesome fireplace.

2) also replace the lighting fixtures (the sconces, and the track lighting). the current fixtures also have a very dated, cheesy look. could be a really inexpensive, but high-end looking fix:
http://www.sunset.com/home/lotta-jansdotter-small-space-style-00400000040190/page11.html

3) Bring in some beautiful, sculptural plants. this is an instant homey touch. if you had some nice tall, broad leaf plants, it would be a great contrast to the angular geometry of the architecture. http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/product3143.html

In terms of painting -- i think that in terms of priorities, it doesn't stack as high on the list as the 3 above suggestions. mainly because a beautiful color on the wall is going to be drowned out by a cheezy sconce, or carpeting. white walls could end up being a great choice anyway to really keep that dramatic, open feeling going.
you can also rely on small punches of color/pattern like these poufs:
http://www.westelm.com/products/f892/?pkey=csale-sofas-sectionals
or colored pillows:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48996354/navy-blue-linen-with-white-nautical?ref=sr_gallery_19&ga_search_query=coral pillow&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=1&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=16570533&itemdescription=true&navAction=jump

this is also a great alternative to painting right away... very easy to apply, and look awesome.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/47551501/vinyl-wall-art-decals-african-tree-decal?ref=sr_gallery_31&ga_search_query=tree vinyl wall decal&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=5&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

In terms of furniture, it might be great to honor the spirit of the geodesic dome/buckminster fuller with a few really super modern chairs, tables, or lamps.

i could also see a mixture of super organic feeling furniture like these:
http://www.westelm.com/products/f705/?pkey=cside-accent-coffee-tables
http://www.westelm.com/products/f922/?pkey=csale-sofas-sectionals
mixed with super modern geometric stuff like this:
http://www.westelm.com/products/f995/?pkey=cside-accent-coffee-tables

this video is a bit off topic, but could be great inspiration. it's a video about buckminster fuller, and the current bf institute's 2010 winner:
http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/06/video-buckminster-fuller-institute-announces-2010-challenge-winner-2/

speaking to the asia-love, i would also look into feng shui before making major furniture decisions. a wonderfully placed mirror, crystal, fountain, or plant could really make the space sing beautifully.

hope this helps!

I think a nice floor lamp or reading lamp would be great next to the sofa, or on the end table.

I really like cb2's lamps (and they're pretty affordable for how cool they are):

http://www.cb2.com/lighting/accessories/vhttp://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=120&f=3484&viewall=1

fabric all the way! i had a room just like this once (it was actually worse if you could believe that), and i draped the ceilling in indian sari fabric, and hung a chandelier in the corner. you can go indian or moroccan on the room, and make it lovely.