I am planning to remodel the family room in my 1954 ranch. It has a lot of potential with its mid-century vaulted, beamed ceiling, but there are several issues: fireplace, floors, paneling and media center.

I hope to replace the paneling with drywall, repaint in a lighter color and replace the pegged oak flooring with oak that matches the rest of the house. I also would like to purchase a new media center. I would love input from Houzzers.

Fireplace – The mantel was added by the previous homeowner. It is too large and doesn’t fit with the clean lines of the beams. Should I simply take it down, or should I replace it with something complementary to the beams? If I replace the mantel, should it be asymmetrical? I cannot afford to reclad the fireplace in stone or tile. I have seen some photos of painted brick fireplaces that have a glossy finish. Would this work well on my fireplace? Should the fireplace be painted the same color as the walls, or should it be a complementary (darker?) color? Should I hang art or a mirror over the fireplace? What scale would be good?

Floors – The floors are pegged oak, which doesn’t match the plain oak flooring in the rest of the house. Should I replace the floors?

Walls – The paneling has irregularly spaced vertical lines, and it also has a seam at 8’ since the ceilings in the room are 10’ at the highest point. I think all these lines take away from the nice vaulted ceiling, so I would like to replace the paneling with dry wall. Is this a wise investment? I am looking for a light, warm neutral paint that will give the room an airier feel. I am considering Benjamin Moore Elephant Tusk. What are some other great neutrals?

Ceiling – Should the ceiling be painted a lighter version of the wall color? Should I keep the natural stain on the beams or paint them? (I am leaning toward keeping them.)

Media Center – I need a new media center to replace my stand-in media center, which is two end tables I got at a garage sale 10 years ago! What would look good here? I am leaning toward something long and low, like this, custom one from Etsy. It is 24” high and 84” wide (same width as the space to the left of the fireplace). My hearth is 16” high. What do you think would be a good size / shape / style for the media center?:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87784709/84-long-low-mixed-walnut-media-console

Thank you!