1. Paint.

2-4. Create a conversation area in front of the fireplace.

5-8. Add a reading corner.

9. Window treatments emphasize the tall windows and high ceiling.

10-11. Make the fireplace into the room's focal point.

Tell us about your design challenge: Find out how

History professor Nix loves the 19th-century Victorian townhouse she and her family moved into eight years ago. The 30 3/4 -by-14 1/2 -foot living room has 12-foot ceilings, large shuttered windows and a Latrobe stove. However, the room doesn't get much natural light, is long and narrow, provides challenges for arranging furniture and "has never felt entirely comfortable," Nix writes in an e-mail.

Nix would like to keep her sofa, so consider a color palette that will work with it. Add Victorian touches, such as silk draperies and an accent table that has slight Victorian details. Remove clutter from the room. Don't be afraid to move the sofa away from the wall to set up a seating area close to the fireplace.