flamingomoon I would suggest you look in the green family for a wall color. If it were me, I would remove the decorative columns in the pass-through and install folding shutters so that the kitchen can be closed off when needed.

northeastgal Thanks Flamingomoon! I will definitely look into the greens. Yes, I can't stand those columns, they are gonzo - shutters, cool idea! Hadn't thought of that! Thank you!

northeastgal I have a mish-mosh of furniture, some old stuff that I inherited and some new - guess you'd call it "eclectic".

carriecita I would use a crisp white to brighten the space and make the walls appear taller, less contrast with the ceiling. But if you choose a color, consider painting your ceilings one or two shades lighter of the color you pick.

I think you could also benefit from adding a half wall partition out from your front door. It would do wonders to define your spaces - entryway and living room. The wall could be anything, drywall painted your wall color, horizontal slats stained to match your woodwork, etc. You could add hooks to it use it for hanging kids coats/backpacks if you have children.

northeastgal I've gone with Behr's "Cottage White" and it's looking better and bigger already! I love the idea of a half wall at the entrance, we have three children so definitely looking for more organization! Thanks Carriecita!

northeastgal Here is how it looks so far! I am still considering an "accent" wall (the wall on the far right) but I think I will start with all cottage white for now (and to get rid of the yellow).

anitajoyce I like the tan color in your last post. Yes, get rid of all the yellow. A sage green would be a nice accent wall color. I would move the sofa to where the chair is by the door. This will help to square off the space and define the room better. Place the chair beside th other one and place the table and lamp between the two. Angle the small brown cabinet like the one with the tv on top of it. I would add accent colors in pillows for the sofa. A coffee table would be nice to add to the space also. You could add panels to both windows in something with tan, green and even red or rust in the mix, in a stripe or use one of these colors in solid color panels .

toscanovilla It looks like your furniture and furnishings are fairly neutral. Give your walls some depth by choosing a rich dark shade such as coffee, or dark taupe. The add some color with a great focal piece of art and warm cozy pillows to compliment the art.

anitajoyce Can you remove the two rails from the opening to the kitchen. That would be a nice improvement also. And paint the trim in white, maybe on the windows too.

Schroeder Design Group, NCIDQ, Licensed Suggestion; To jump in, if cottage white is on the walls, to remove the yellow, that is a good color in the photo with what looks like only a chair by the door. I actually would consider removing the opening in the wall and have someone drywall it so no more opening. I think the white walls will "open" the living room up visually and provide a clean and classier look and the focus and movement through the living room would be through the cute arched doorway to the kitchen. In my opinion, shutters can be cumbersome and dusty, hard to keep clean. And a solid looking etagere or bookcase with open shelving near the front door would delineate the living room from the door while keeping it light looking. And another suggestion would be to find a smaller scale, but still comfotable sofa in a softer, neutral fabric with a pretty leg that is more in keeping with the delicate table to the right and the antique on the right. Just not as bulky...again, just a consideration.

Danielle Correll Hello! I am happy to provide my opinion. I am an interior designer so hopefully you won't take anything to much to heart if i seem harsh I apologize in advance. Take my advice or don't it is up to you. :) Enjoy!

Definitely get rid of those horrid columns!!!! Very country yuk. I would paint the wood trim white and the front door I would also paint or stain darker. The walnut color has got to go -- Darker chocolately colors are still in but I would go maybe 2 to 3 shades lighter when staining that door. Then I would get new hardware for the door. The vintage hardware is coming back and it is gorgeous!! Try restoration hardware for ideas. Keep in mind you can usually use a few tricks to make it look as good as restoration hardware without spending the cash.

As far as the walls. If you are going to keep the white on the walls you want to make sure that you hang decorative paintings that pop with color. But not so much that it equals clown. There are a ton of sites with decorative art. Try allposters.com you can find the art you like and get it framed all in one shot. Try the decorative art section to narrow down your choices.

Colors that would work in your living room def. depend on furniture and any focal point pieces --

I found some furniture stores in Mass.

Since you have kids you want to stick to something that is easy to clean!! The set link below is lovely and has clean lines as well as being stylish with a Modern yet classy design. Really a lovely choice.

http://www.simonfurniture.com/Collection.aspx?CollectionID=Dorset&CollectionNum=K520

Some other sets:

http://www.simonfurniture.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=-1910351852&ItemNum=T73715-00

http://www.simonfurniture.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=137940483&ItemNum=F236-RSE%2bF238-LSE

Chair: The colors on this chair are fantastic!! I would pick one of the colors for your wall. Then a contrasting color or even textured wallpaper on one wall. (will list an example for you)

http://www.simonfurniture.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=623846616&ItemNum=F231


Also I found a fantastic armoire to hold your large tv. This will hide it so that your living room looks more decorative.

http://www.wayfair.com/Wayborn-Gisela-29-TV-Cabinet-4394-L15-K~WYB1375.html?refid=GX10690164540-WYB1375&gclid=CIeFsOjstbMCFUWnPAodPQgACA


The antiques are nice but I would get rid of the couches for sure!!! Also the small desk in the corner I would get rid of or move to another room. The chair next to it I would keep in the living room but re-stain the legs and arms and reupholster the chair fabric to a modern color or pattern. I would also rid yourself of the side table(s). IF you want your room to look nice you can for very little money and make it look expensive without breaking the bank.

Example of what that chair COULD look like :

http://www.simonfurniture.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=-1910351852&ItemNum=T73715-00


Get rid of the lazyboy chair as well as the shabby chic armoire (TV stand). The armoire would be much better suited against the wall left of the front door. I would repaint the armoire to black.

Those are my suggestions I wish the best for your room :) Thanks for the opportunity to help.

nevadan Colorwise, I would pick up an orange tone from the floor wood in the form of a very pastel sherbet orange tone. Then I'd use white or off white for the drapes. But i think your whole pass-through wall needs a lot of thought and help. The curved archway really doesn't add a thing. Where in tis wall, if anywhere, is structural support? Do you want to take out all or quite a bit of this wall? Replace with an Island? I would consider all these things for long-range planning.

Natalie Like the white walls. Paint the ceiling just a wisp of a neutral color (maybe a hint of green you want to paint the cabs). Remove the spindles between the pass through. A sectional would be nice-so would simple slipcovered furniture. Floor to ceiling window panels in a natural color and a ceiling mount room divider at entry... Beautiful-whimsical neutral art for walls... Hope this is helpful.

[houzz=Greenwich Village Townhouse][houzz=Hillside][houzz=William Hefner Architecture Interiors & Landscape][houzz=Dining Room]

northeastgal Wow!! Such Great Ideas all - thank you so much for weighing in, I really appreciate everything, no one's opinion will hurt, after all, it's just what I've asked for!! The one problem with closing up the open wall is that my three children (all under age 10) eat, they simply have to watch t.v. I know it's a bad habit, but it's better than them eating IN the living room! Hubby is very handy so I have been working on a floor plan that takes away the center wall completely and putting an island in the center. I'll show you where I am so far with this. But it's going to be a while before that can happen. I do love the white piece that holds the TV and have been wondering what to paint it, black sounds so harsh to me though. Yes, the chair and sofa are going, replacing them with smaller scale furniture. The desk was my aunts, that too is sort of old looking, lol. I found this great program, "Autodesk Homestyler" and have been playing around with different floorplans - Here is my latest floor plan, would LOVE to hear any suggestions! Thanks again!!

northeastgal Danielle, thanks so much for your helpful links - I Love the green sofa and the chair is perfect too! The blank wall at the bottom of the floor plan (to the right of the entrance is actually the stairway going up - think of a "typical cape" layout - nothing much has been done since the 60's when it was built! The wainscoting at the stairs is a horrid dark wood also, gotta convince the hubby to let me paint the wood window trim - it's all that wood throughout the house!

northeastgal Oh, and brace yourselves; here is the view of the stairway...

northeastgal Progress Report Photo! I placed the loveseat in front of the windows, and it does look better to me this way (even the cat likes it)! But what do I do about the window treatment now?