You have a great start on this project. If you love the paint color in your kitchen (open to this room), you could have it lightened OR have a white base tinted slightly with that color. That way the two rooms will flow without being the same color, and you'll have a light color on the walls that will slightly contrast with the great white built-ins. You have lots of options to consider from many wonderful suggestions.

Two good warm neutrals that work well with oak are BM Shaker Beige (HC-45) and BM Stone House (1039). Shaker Beige is lighter than Stone House.

I would take out the entire oak cabinetry and upgrade the fireplace. I think the fireplace should be the focal point. As it is now the oak cabinetry overpowers everything and it is very dated (if you ask me). To each her own though.

Also a quick and easy fix is to paint out the tiles on your fireplace. We used BW Advance paint. It updated our space without dropping a ton of money.

Benjamin Moore ATRIUM WHITE, no question. It doesn't do any of the whites justice to show online, as the coloring is completely different on a monitor. I promise you will do yourself a great service if you go to a place that sells Ben Moore, have them paint a wooden paint stick with two thin coats (they can dry it quickly with a hair dryer while you watch). Then, take that paint stick INTO YOUR LIVING ROOM, to see exactly how it will look in both day and night.

Atrium White is warm, yet bright... much like pure heavy cream before it's whipped. Gorgeous.

s kinney that looks great!

I picked Valspar's Cream in my Coffee to go with my honey oak cabinets.

listen to grover-axel. ignore the rest.

Any progress over there? Don't forget us - your fans!

The cabinet looks great after what your man did with it, i'd leave it as it is now as its great colour which also compliments your living room to the kitchen. A colourful bold art frame/painting above the fire place, some family photo on the wall on the left behind your sofa, a 6ft live plant on the right between the window and the fire place and some throw pillows that bring everything in the room together. Good luck.
I am moving to a new house end of october, so i'll be needing all the help i can get .

You want light and airy and to keep your existing wood colour.... Your wish is my command! There is nothing wrong with painted wood; there is nothing wrong with not painting wood! Whatever route you choose, you need to factor in your wood colours into your design choices. Picking a wall which does not work with your woodwork has to be the number one decorating mistake of all time!!!!! I think the paint colour choice by jhmarie works beautifully with the oak. Paint both your kitchen and family room this colour..... I vote for NOT painting your shelving since it works well as is with your existing elements ....... If you have your heart set on having it painted, wait until you have finished decorating/ painting your walls before you make your final decision. In the end if you decide to go the paint route paint the unit your wall colour so it blends in . You can paint it in a glossier finish than the walls but the same colour with give you a clean cohesive look. Here is a photo of an inspiration room...... These colours will work beautifully with your existing oak and carpet ...... While this room no doubt cost the Kings ransom.... Similar items are available at ordinary budget price points.

We are in a bit of a strategic pause while getting ready for kids back to school! We are leaning towards painting the cabinets a creamy white. Like the suggestion of BM Atrium White. We've also done BM Cloud White before and liked the tone of that colour. We are also thinking of going with small strip hardwood in this room, which would solve the carpet dilemma.

Also working out in-cabinet lighting and how much trim is needed to act as a valence to cover the strips. I suppose we will have to take off the mantel and tiles too so we have something fresh to start with. Once the cabs are white, the potential colour palette opens up a bit so we might hang tight selecting a wall colour until the media unit is done.

Love the fan picture!

paint the oak! And eventually rework the corner fireplace surround. The oak looks dated and paint is an easy fix. Then you can paint your walls anything that works with your taste/area. Great house!

Unless you go with a very pale taupe or beige color. Painting the cabinets bright white sounds like a great idea.

Oh my, I missed it. You painted them. They look great. I have pine throughout my home, but its getting painted room by room.

Navajo White is a beautiful neutral color...not stark! I think it is by Valspar (I bought it at Lowe's). I have painted all sorts of colors on my walls over the years...and have stayed the longest with the Navajo White. Love it.

I do think a mid tone warm gray would work to unify the existing furniture. I like Marlenem's second rug photo with the open trellis pattern in gray, yellow and orange. Then add yellow orange and gray pillows to the sofas and a large piece of art in those colors over the mantel. This should diminish the effect of the large oak cabinet as the focal point and keep the eye moving to the fireplace. The room will look fresh and bright without the pale wall washout. Crown molding in white would be very nice too! Hope this helps.

Love seeing all the progress and reading all the advice.. That said, if you want a more contemporary look, ( as your furniture suggests) you've got to ditch that area rug! It's too dark and traditional. Here's my attempt at putting Marlene M's suggested rug in your space. Even has enough white to ho with your newly painted cabinets. If you're keeping the uppers open, paint their backs same as the wall, or block in colors to go with new rug. And bright pillows on sofas!

So this is the progress so far. We are pretty much ready to paint out with bonding primer. Still haven't picked a white, but will get on that shortly once kids are in school. We will do the whole entertainment unit white, including the tv cavity, and are leaning towards doing marble on the fireplace wall all the way up.

Christina, the kids, family & school are your first priority. Whatever white you select will be fabulous. You are well on your way. I don't think you need anymore input. You see the end result in your mind--have fun & live happily .

Take a look at Apricot Nectar (it is a Glidden paint color, but any paint store can duplicate the color) It goes great with woods and neutrals. It feels fresh and lively without being too bright.

can't wait to see the finished product! life comes first!

Paint the wood.

Try Silver Drop by Behr. It is a "barely there," warm gray.

The paint looks great. New!

HI, I AGREE WITH THE SUGGESTION ABOUT PAINTING SAMPLES ONTO 2X2 BOARDS TO MOVE AROUND. DIDN'T READ THE WHOLE CONVERSATION BUT MY SUGGESTION IS LOWE'S VELSPAR 'COTTONTAIL'---VERY COOL NOT TOO MUCH COLOR NOT TOO MUCH WHITE. AND ANOTHER THOUGHT...PLEASE BUY AND ATTACH SOME MODERN LEGS ON YOUR SOFA! MATCH THE OAK...

I just read all the posts and you said you were going to reface your fireplace in marble. I would wait until that is installed before choosing a white paint colour. It will all depend on the undertone of the colour of the fireplace. I have just used a Benjamin Moore colour called Calm throughout my entire house. It's the palest grey white colour that reads white on the walls, ceiling and cabinetry (we used a semigloss on the cabinets). It's a very soft colour that goes really well with any marble that has a grey undertone. I agree with the other poster to paint the kitchen and the family room walls in the same colour. You want everything to flow as if it's one room and I think a greyed white will blend well in both rooms as the kitchen has the warm golden wood but the family room has the cooler tones in the sofas. Good luck and let us know what you've decided and after photos.

Why not go with the balboa mist you used in the other area. This will create a kind of cohesive look. The cabinets however are problematic. I think what you have done so far is great. and Yes white inside and out. Caution with getting too excited about marble for the fireplace. You may find alternatives that are more cost effective and suitable. Certain tiles, stone, a salvaged mantel that covers part of the fire place, or a combination. Make sure you have a good mantel though no matter what you do.

I love watching this change - looking forward to seeing the end result. Nice comments everyone!

I'm coming in late, but I want to say your room is coming out great. And where do you live because I want a man like that, too! Lucky you!

My two cents: Make your fireplace vertical ( tile ceiling to floor ) so that it doesn't compete with the wall system. It seems so sad and insignificant all by itself now. By treating it vertically, it will tie in with the wall system and be a cohesive part of the room.

You are on good roll. Keep us up to date as we love to stay involved to the end!

Here are some pics for inspiration:

V Clean white tile - match paint for wall system. Nice texture on tile.

V Good old stacked stone. By keeping it simple without a mantle, it looks fresh and classic.

Grey slate with brushed aluminum it you want a little edge to the room. With white wall system and your grey sofas, it will be stunning. V

This might be my favorite for your room. Notice the off white paint which ties into the wood (on the ceiling - your kitchen) It looks like large ceramic tiles on the face of the fireplace. This looks so warm and inviting by keeping everything neutral. Natural linen curtains are a nice addition. V

NO MATTER WHAT, IF THOSE ARE TINTED DARK GLASS INSERTS YOUR SHOULD CHANGE THEM TO CLEAR, AND MAYBE PUT SOME LIGHTING INSIDE. THAT'S THE REAL TRICK TO THIS SPACE!

Hello! Hubby and I are back at it! We are just about to prime the wood. I like the suggestion of doing the whole fireplace wall. I agree with what Denise said about it competing with the book shelf. What do you think of salvage wood on the fireplace wall? I'm really trying to decide if I want to go a bit rustic or more refined. I like the idea of treating the whole wall but it should be affordable.

Hubby does nice work. How about just drywalling the fireplace wall? Simple and super cheap.

This looks amazing. What a transformation. You can see already by taking off the mantle the fireplace looks better.

The reclaimed wood for the fireplace wall is a good idea and you are right, inexpensive. I know it's popular right now. The good thing is that in a few years if you decide you want something else, it's not difficult to change. As you can tell, I'm not a fan of reclaimed wood, but I do see the charm in it. Don't forget that your kitchen is still part of that room, so go for a simple variation in the wood tones so it's not too busy.

When you move the sofas back, try a different configuration. Have one sofa parallel to the fireplace and the other off on an angle creating a "V" centered on the tv. If it doesn't work you can always move it back. This layout will give you perfect tv viewing for everyone, and the fireplace will be part of the room.

You guys must be so happy, keep going!

I am about to paint about 13 oak wood doors. Can you share with me what paint and application techniques you used for changing the wood to white? It looks incredible.

We did our old kitchen and used Benjamin Moore bonding primer and then Benjamin Moore Advance paint for the cabinets. This time, we are using Zinsser 1-2-3 as bonding primer (sticks to smooth stuff/lacquer) and then probably Cloverdale for paint. After doing a lot of painting we find that the less expensive Cloverdale stuff is still really good, and finishes very nicely.

Love your home, so cozy and beautiful. Is that a dog? So cute. I think yellow, any shade, makes a room bright, works with wood and depending on the shade can make it warmer or cooler - in my opinion. Please let us see your finale decision, I'm sure it will be perfect.

OMG samples, of course. On each wall and check it at all different times of night and day, various lighting, etc etc.

I have to agree....Paint the wood! Otherwise, everything is moving in the right direction.

I have a few blog posts that may help you out.

www.timothyriversinteriors.com/blog

Happy Designing!

Paint the wood? OY VEY! In my opinion there is no reason to paint the wood. Wood is timeless, ageless. Paint colors come & go (yes, even white - which in my opinion, although better then beige, is so boring). Where did you get the cabinet? It is perfect for me and would like to see where I can get it and if it would fit. Keep us looped, you have so many things/opinions to think about. :)

Hope you are having fun Christina. With the Holidays just around the corner, I hope you are going to be able to enjoy your beautiful room. It's a great time to light up the fireplace. You've been at this a while but you and you husband have been doing a great job. I'm sure you're looking forward to being able to sit back and enjoy.

Here is a long awaited update. Lots of life has interrupted between then and now. We chose Dove White semi gloss by Benjamin Moore. I'm loving it!

This room has opened a can of creative worms. The kitchen is a joining the room and we are going to give it our stamp. I really like the idea of blue cabinets. We have decided on our main floor to put in cottage maple in a natural stain, tile where the lino is and paint. I love colour schemes that a very basic. Black and white with grey, woods and pops of colour. I never ever grow weary of blue. We are going to have our cabinets painted. In fact we are painting all the existing oak in the house dove white. I have had a white kitchen before but I am really itching for something different. We will also buy new appliances in stainless, change the hood fan to a stainless one. Different back splash, the grey tile on the floor, possibly hardware. I want to keep the granite because it actually really nice. Considering having a farm house sink hole cut into the granite where the sink is. Its a single small sink that is frustratingly small. Not sure if that is possible? Going to get rid of the ceiling light and the kitschy valence over the sink. Possibly prouder crown moulding above the cabinets.

I am open to suggestions, any advice on going blue? I am thinking about nixing upper cabinets. I have more cupboards than I need.

Love it! Keep us posted.

Love your choices so far. I say go for it!

I think it will be refreshing to see unique cabinets! I think removing some uppers will keep it from looking dark and maybe too blue. Here is a photo where the white above keeps it fresh and light and one cabinet was reused as open shelving.

Another option might be glass front doors on some of the uppers.

Looks like you have ample pantry storage. Removing the upper cabinets around the sink and stove is a wonderful idea. You will love it. I also think the blue cabinets are the way to go.

Isn't it amazing what paint can do?!

I am ordering hardware! So far I am pleased how this is turning out. Its white dove by Benjamin Moore. I want white walls. Do I use the same white or another?

That kitchen shared above is gorgeous! Totally the feel I am hoping for!

You did such a great job on the shelves. I hope you share a pic when you get the hardware on. What are you doing with the fireplace?

Thanks! I want to tile the whole thing. Thinking herringbone white subway or marble.