Hi Mavrik~ I saw in another one of your comments that you live in a townhome with a lack of windows on one side. I'm a Houzz homeowner, like you, and once lived in a townhome with the same window issues. I know your frustration and want to share what I learned from the experience.
Painting rooms always freshens them, and a different tint can help, for sure, but actual light is what you need. Consider upping or adding ceiling cans on various switches, and/or add wall sconces too. It's interesting how changing one flaw affects the other perceived flaws; when the lighting is better- the stone fireplace may be something you can work with (or maybe not), or you may realize- “boy, now that I can see, I really DO need to paint.” Reevaluate the room with fresh eyes after each change – this is one of my favorite aspects of design.
Add large mirrors (like, window size) on your windowless walls that line-up parallel with the windows across the room; this simple but truly effective trick pulls the natural light that IS coming across the room. Choose your lamps and ceiling fixtures carefully for function and impact. Choose lamps with three-way sockets (like 30-60-100) or have lamps rewired for this option. I believe my townhome made me a lamp-aholic….but I'm a happy lamp-aholic, not a mean one.
As posted recently on the Houzz featured ideabook by Kerrie Kelly, "Get the Light Right...", the eye perceives light when it hits a vertical surface....so make sure a portion of your added light hits your walls by using directional lighting; highlight your art and light the rooms’ corners.
Below are photos of my former Townhome- I replaced the solid front door for a glass-paneled door with wood shutters for optional privacy; in the background, notice the tall paneled mirror in the living area placed directly opposite the light coming in from the front door, bringing that natural light all the way across two rooms.

Thank you so much for your advise. The can lighting would be great, but having a floor above the living room will possibly make that a project that would be costly. As lovely as the wood paneling is...I still think it needs to be painted, just can't convince my husband of that. I'm most likely going to paint the rock on the fireplace or take out the fireplace althogher...we don't use it anyway. I just wish there were more rooms with paneling on the Internet for inspiration. Everything today is white...all white...sofa, walls...all white.

This ideabook on updating wood (in this case cedar) walls might have some tips you might like: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/design-dilemma-how-do-i-modernize-my-cedar-walls-stsetivw-vs~187460

Thanks, shellaschmitz, I'll go take a look.

Two suggestions, which I have used before:
- Add a skylight or sky tunnel above the staircase. This involves some work but the light radiate throughout the house from the stairwell; after the work was done, I also added mirrors in the stairwell placed to reflect morning and afternoon sun back into the house.
- A VERY effective, if mundane, approach is to install a full glass door - with top and middle locks for security - to double your entry door. At my house, from the moment I get up to when the light goes down, this door acts as a light beam into the center hall of the house and from there into other parts.

By the way, forgot to say, but I love your fireplace. Tremendous character. I wish I had it. Hope you'll like it better when you've addressed your need for additional light.

That's a great fireplace, but if you don't use it, convert it. Why store wood for it? The stone isn't particularly attractive; paint it (white? cream? whatever coordinates) and use the niches for books, ceramic pots. Removing something that massive may leave a hole that presents another dilemma. What's on the opposite side? Is it freestanding? If you don't want to paint the paneling (and it's real wood and in good shape), pickle it. (There are resources to explain that chore.) I wouldn't start that if there is an obscene amount of it.

Without seeing your house I would suggest painting the paneling before painting the rock fireplace. You may actually like the rock against a painted surface. I bought a house that was entirely paneled (70's look) My husband and I removed the LR paneling and replaced it with a much lighter birch ply trimmed out in a Japanese manner. But we could not afford to do that to the entire house so we first removed all the dated trim and replaced it with MDF 1 x 4 and 1 x 6 and then painted everything off-white. It is a very clean look and the whole house is now light and bright.

IF THE PICTURE OF THE FIREPLACE IS YOUR FIREPLACE, I LIKE IT. I AGREE WITH MANY OF THE SUGGESTIONS ABOVE...REPLACING FRONT DOOR WITH FULL VIEW, PAINTING THE PANELING AND MIRRORS. I JUST WATCHED AN OLD SEGMENT WITH CANDACE OLSEN. DARK WALLS WERE PAINTED, AND SHE HUNG A HUGE MIRROR ON THE FIREPLACE. IN LINE WITH THE MIRROR SHE HUNG ONE OF HER CHANDELIERS (LARGE). THE LIGHT RELFECTED OFF THE MIRROR. AND TRACK LIGHTING WAS USED ON BEAMS. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! IN MY LIVING ROOM FLEXIBLE TRACK LIGHTING WAS USED OVER THE SOFIT. YOU KNOW THE KIND THAT LOOKS LIKE A ATRING OF XMAS LIGHTS. WHEN I PAINT A DARK ROOM, I GO TO THE SHERWIN WILLIAMS STORE. ON THE BACK OF THE PAINT CARDS THERE IS A LRV NUMBER (LIGHT REFLECTIVE VALUE). THE HIGHER THE NUMBER, THE BRIGHTER. RIGHT NOW I AM DOING A ROOM IN THE BASEMENT AND CHOSE AN 84 LRV IN A SEMI-GLOSS. ALL THE LIGHTING BOUNCES BACK. HOPE SOME OF THIS HELPS.

Inkwitch, we don't use the fireplace. It smokes up the room and I desparately need the wallspace for my sofa. My Sun-Room is on the other side of the fireplace and I've thought about having someone open it up to that room, but it would only be for looks since it smokes too badly. We did go ahead and paint the stone a tan/gray color and it looks great now as an accent wall. I've placed my sofa in front of the fireplace already; however there is a hearth to deal with now. I'm thinking about having a custom table made to go over the hearth and behind the sofa to hide the fireplace opening.

Ricia, do you have photos of your room...would really love to see what you did. Maybe my husband would like the idea of painting the paneling or replacing it if he could actual see what it would look like. Like you, I can't afford to replace the paneling...my entire downstairs is paneled...yikes!

I've already done most of the things people have suggested. My front door is part glass with glass sidelites so it is good. I've placed mirrors in the foyer, one above the fireplace and another opposite a window in the living room. I'm sure they help. My dining room opens into the living room (L-shaped rooms together) and I've placed a mirror in there as well that faces the living room. Painting or removing the paneling for the entire downstairs is going to be expensive. I've had a few designers suggest can lighting in the ceiling, but I have an upstairs and I can only imagine how expensive can lighting would be to have installed downstairs.

I think I need Candace Olsen! This is so frustrating!!! Who has the money just to "try" things out today?

Here are some pics of our paneling before and after. I am sure you can see what a difference it makes, not only in lightening up the house but in updating it.