Choosing Decorative Accessories

My boyfriend started asking me about themes last night and I honestly didn't know what on earth he was talking about. Themes? I thought I'd picked those...

But then he got to talking about accessories - what kind of things I wanted to put on the walls or on tables, etc - things that would really pull it all together. Almost sounds like he has a better idea of what he's doing. Ha! I hadn't really thought of those things just yet. I've been so caught up in fixing dings and scratches in the walls, paint colors, carpet prices and bedding that I forgot what is probably one of the most important elements of interior decorating... the decorations!

One thing this house is seriously lacking - lighting... particularly in the living room area. It's just such a large area but it seems so dark in there to me despite having a couple of overhead lights. I want it to remain a warm, welcoming area... but I also want to brighten it up. The dark, wood floors and rich, red brick significantly suck the lighting out of the whole room. So I'm thinking a few lamps on some side tables would be nice.

But what else? I have watched so many interior decorating shows where space is an issue - the owners don't have much or the room is cramped and they teach them how to open a space up. I don't have that problem. In fact, it's quite the opposite! I have no idea what to fill most of my space with.

Shelving is a must in my bedroom. I'd like a couple of shelves on the walls placed on either side of the bed where I can place some nice pictures of my daughter and a few knick knacks. Other than that, I don't want the bedroom too cluttered. It already has 3, rather large pieces of furniture. I want to keep a fresh, clean look to the room - peaceful, modern and elegant.

My office will be somewhat tricky. Right now, my desk isn't where I'd like it to be. There are two extra doors in the room right now (confusing and complicated, I know). One will be sealed up so I will have a little extra wall space, but not much. There is literally something on every wall right now, which makes it hard to place furniture in it! Once I figure out where I am going to definitely put my desk, I'd like to put a few shadow box frames up on the wall with some special memories in them - my daughter's first curl, first hat from the hospital, her hospital jewelry, etc.

But then what? I feel like something may be missing. I worry about cluttering up the rooms despite the large amount of space. How many decorations are even really necessary? I'd love to hear your input on this!