Okay, this is my living room and unfinished kitchen (still waiting on granite to arrive)

I will start with the kitchen. A good place to show off your personality is with an interesting light fixture.;) You can bring in color too.

Our kitchen fixture is absolutely getting replaced, however the junction box is no longer centered on the room and we are thinking that we need a large, flush mount that doesn't attract too much attention or make the ceiling feel any lower....

Start with an area rug you love and then use that as inspiration for other colours and accessories

I agree with hayley, but would also add, stay out of the craft stores with their rows and rows of identical, mass produced objects. Try the galleries and import stores and thrift shops first. And don't be afraid to wait till the right thing comes along. Better bare floors and walls than just any old thing to fill the space.

Well, come on now.... as much as I do agree with hayley, what is the point of Houzz dilemmas then? Posters come on here because they do not know what they like, or they like to many things and need some inspiration. Grover, they are ALL waiting and hoping that YOU pick them to photo shop;)) Yes, they are... so why not appease me and photo shop this nice poster a seagrass rug (my favorite) and some colorful pillows;) You could edit out the scrolly and massed produced art ( I felt your cringe):/

The neutrals you are starting with are a wonderful foundation to have some fun with color. You can almost anything to this space, keeping in mind the wall art above the sofa and the paint colors of the connecting rooms.

For area rungs at very reasonable prices, I would suggest taking a look at Home Goods. They may not be the highest quality you can obtain, but for the price you don't feel guilty when someone spills red wine on it. There are usually a couple of stores in/around a metropolitan area and each one carries different items. This also gives you the option to return a rug if you decide it doesn't work for the space.

Since you like transition and traditional design, perhaps something Persian inspired would be good. Something with blues and greens, while retaining the neutral tones. The rug below has interesting patterns that would work with either style-more intricate lines going toward traditional, or use cleaner lines in other patterns for transitional.

Or maybe a slightly more modern influence like this:

You could then add mustard or lemon yellow and a muted navy to the colors in your throw pillows.

As for the light fixture, I would suggest a semi-flush fixture (flush mounted may not give you the look you want). Perhaps something like this:

Best of luck on your project!

And don't be afraid to think outside the box. Some looks for you (that certainly reflect my goofy personality, if not yours):

Margo wants seagrass, so she shall have it. And what could go better with this rug than a few cardboard animal trophies?

acmonroe, I hope we haven't scared you. I know Margo especially can be frightening, but if you're looking for personality, absolutely no one has more personality than she does!

OH MY Grover, you have outdone yourself;)) Iam quite partial to those *odd* birds;))

I'm enjoying this quite thoroughly! The photo shopping is amazing! The birds are hilarious! I won't be able to get my husband to agree to them, but they make me laugh! The polka dot rug is pretty great, too!

The seagrass is also nice!

Mission deploying ...a poster enjoying, photo's for toying, I'm not to annoying... well yet;))

JCA Design, Thank you for your input! I do like the second of the two rugs. As for the lighting, I really like that fixture, but I feel my hands are tied because I have to work with an off-centered placement. Ideally, my junction box would be over my island and I could put something kind of flashy up there, but I'm afraid anything too eye-catching would only draw attention to the imperfect placement.

This was my kitchen before.

I'm going to suggest a much longer rug, which may influence what is possible budgetwise. A carpet warehouse will have affordable remnants that can be inexpensively sized and bound in whatever colour you like. The advantage in elongating is to give a more spacious feel and make the seating area appear centered by centering the carpet. Adding a console behind the sectional will give an attractive view from that end of the room, and provide added display area for you.

You can take some pressure off yourself in your upcoming choices by going with plain white drapes, which will make any variety of sofa cushions in your accent colour(s) possible - and changeable- without concern about mistakes. The pillows will add the patterned interest you are looking for. While you are choosing them, look for one or two objets to repeat your accent colours. At this point, you should have the bones of a tailored look and intentional palette, making the addition of personalized items the frosting on the cake.

Also, Margo? I didn't realize my art looked mass-produced?? I made that myself with antique doilies... I thought it would be great to display something that someone's grandmother probably made by hand decades ago. Maybe I was wrong?

NO, you were not wrong!! They look so professional that they could be massed produced;) Roh OH.... I better get moving along before I get in trouble...

Actually, acmonroe, Margo knew I would think the doily art was mass produced and would erase it from the room. What DOES look mass produced is the scrolly thing in the middle. Do you have any more doilies that you could use to make a third canvas, and then line the three of them up?

And regarding the light, move the junction box. Seriously, it isn't hard. I've moved about a zillion of them. The hardest part is patching the hole where it used to be.

I do have more doilies.

How do you move the junction box when you have to cross ceiling joists? I can't access the space from an attic since my bedroom is above the space. That is all foreign territory to me...

A rug from West Elm that would look good with your doily art, especially if you add a third piece.
http://www.westelm.com/products/marquis-rug-b746/?pkey=crugs-flooring||4294963727&group=1&sku=3678794&cm_src=rugs-flooring||FN-Color--FN-Natural---_-

You cut a hole in the ceiling, drill a hole in the joist just big enough to thread the conductor through, then splice at the old box and pull the wire to the new box.

Seriously, the hardest part is patching the ceiling when you're done. There's a bit of art to feathering the drywall mud, but if you're careful, you and hubby can do it.

Another idea is go to a lighting store and have them design a track lighting system for you. It can run off your existing junction box. A couple of examples.

I think you should decide if you want country or transitional as a starting point. I have a brown leather sofa and I've found it challenging to buy pillows, etc for but finally settled on a slate blue velvet set. I am probably adding a pop of orange but mainly am using blue. I think some pillows clashed with my couch's undertones & some just didn't go well with the distressed leather. I tried a sisal rug, but hated it on bare feet and even after layering a cow rug it just felt sort of blah to me. But I've been craving color & really like the look for many rooms. Whatever rug you get you need a big one.

I love the rug Grover! And thank you for the input on the light fixture! That's a relief!

I have a ton of doilies from my grandmother and would love to reproduce your art! How did you do that?

Annmsantana, because I didn't want to damage the doilies with glue, I just bought burlap canvases from hobby lobby and carefully sewed them on! Here and there I accented them with pearls. I did use a little hot glue there. I'm glad you like them!

Love them! I wonder if the burlap canvas can be spray painted to change the color. I'd like to do blue.

annmsantana,

http://www.seasonedhomemaker.com/diy-burlap-canvas-art/ From the looks of this tutorial, you should be able to spray paint them!

Actually, try this tutorial instead. http://ithappensinablink.com/2013/12/spray-paint-burlap.html The previous one used acrylic paint.

Sunrise Home has over 800 samples of rugs from antiques to transitional and over 100 rugs on our floor. Come check out our Magic Carpet Rug Room!