I should also mention that we have plans to refinish & seal the floors - they're a little grungy right now, but we're hoping they get some color after a little elbow grease.

You could paint the walls a pale taupey grey color and all the wood trim white. I would use a bright or bold patterned rug. Maybe a navy and white or aqua and white chevron patterned rug and select comfortable furnishings in light colors. Some painted side tables in a light blue or even red for an "American" feel? Paint the mantel white and use large art pieces there if you are not going to have a tv. Repaint or replace the face of the fireplace.
http://www.houzz.com/americana-decor/p/8

Beautiful space! It could use some brightening up although I always seem to go back to the dark trim look, these are a few nice contemporary spins on the traditional tudor style. Good Luck!

LOL, Sorry wrong one on the bottom. Here is the other :)

You could put a semi-solid stain on the beams in a lighter color and paint the ceiling and walls a similar color:

A light grey, like Rever Pewter by Benjamin Moore, would look good: Again lighten up the beams.

Lighter blinds on the widows will help. I don't know if the bookcase is built in or not. If it is and it is not an antique that you wouldn't want to touch, I'd paint it some fun bright color. If it is an antique, use form core boards and paint them and inster so that there is color in the back of the shelving.

white glossy paint on the dark wood, including the mantel and the built in. Probably want to take out the mirrored backing on the built in. Gold or orange hue for the walls will go nicely with the refurbished floors.

Loving these ideas - I'm a little tentative about painting the trim, but I'm intrigued by the idea of staining it lighter. Houssaon, would I need to strip all the existing stain when using a semi-solid stain? My concern with stripping is that the wood is not smooth - it is rustic/ reclaimed with deep ridges throughout and would be extremely difficult to get into all the little crevices. I'm in no way attached to the bookcase, and probably will end up painting it and installing new pulls.
I'd love to put some amazing, bright artwork above the fireplace, but we will most likely mount our TV there so my hubby has a place to play PS3 :) I'm also exploring the idea of installing barn doors to hide the TV once it's mounted, like this:

You mention the floor specifically. I don't think the fireplace or the screen compliments the floor at all. I would work on coming up with a design to cover it. With new paneling it may make it easier to install the t v. Leave the beams, they are what they are.

Share with us your style/color of furniture.

Darzy, I love that color - it's very similar to the color we will be using in our bedroom, actually. I'm afraid it wouldn't look as chic with the darker beams in my space, though. The light, weathered wood looks gorgeous with the color.

Judyg, I have definitely been thinking about covering the fireplace with paneling & even flanking it with gorgeous floor-to-ceiling bookcases. I think you're right, though. There is no separation between floor and fireplace. The dingy fireplace just takes away from the uniqueness of the floors. I'll have to look into refacing the fireplace a bit more. Does anyone think a white gloss paint would be a good idea on the brick? Something like on this floor:

Whoops. didn't get the picture in there...

I would not paint this floor.

Depending on furniture / drapes. Walls an off-white-blue-gray or off white.

Sorry I should have been specific. I would never plan to paint the floor. I love the floor. I would, however, consider painting the fireplace since it does absolutely nothing for me as-is.

Thanks!

I typed in interior tudor in Houzz search engine and some rooms popped up to look at.

Is there a varnish (hope not) or shellac or something that would prevent another stain from adhering? It would be good if there was a piece of wood you could experiment on. I've used a solid stain from Benjamin Moore to cover a dark brown stained redwood to do a medium light grey with no problem. I did not have to do anything except clean it. The wood soaked up the new stain.

I think I would lose the "barn door" wood slats. That really, bottom line, seems to be the problem. The diagonal ones make the room look dated. Love the brick floor!