Adding a mantel will add interest. It isn't a DIY project, however. Your home looks of a similar era to ours. A mantel will allow you to personalize that great room.

Your fireplace looks beautiful. I was thinking a darker mantle but like how your looks. Thank you.

Chocholate brown sectional

Adding a mantel especially one made from reclaimed wood will add an updated or freshness to the fireplace. With some basic diy skills and knowledge this could be an inexpensive update. Make sure to research placement for safety. IMO whitewashing would not be best here with the light carpet color you might get that 80s vibe.

I would leave the fireplace as is for now and get some new pillows for the sofa like these When you have some money a reclaimed mantel would be nice keep the decor on it to a minimum a 30” high chest on either side with art above them will help balance out the wall. Take the tiny table and skinny lamp away it only makes it worse. You will need larger pieces of furniture like end tables lamps etc to add balance to the room

with your carpet and sectional, look for accents with beige, aqua and teal.

The carpet is in good shape, but taste specific. It looks baby blue in person but blue gray in pictures. I am having difficulty with saving pics from Realtor.com but will figure it out.

Yes new pillows definitely if we stay with the carpet.

I wonder if the fireplace could be re-grouted so the grout is darker. I like Pam's fireplace grout, Thank you everyone for your help.

A beefy rustic wood mantel in similar stain as your ceiling would add interest to the fireplace. Add in industrial metal basket and fill with big chunky logs. Overlay a brown, tan, blue rug in front of your sectional and a rustic, reclaimed wood coffee table and side tables

Blue carpet might not have been your first choice, but brown and blue look beautiful together so I think you can make it work quite nicely. I like your fireplace, and definitely wouldn't whitewash it, but if you summon up the energy a darker grout stain might be nice. I wouldn't rush into making changes on it, though, until you live with it a little while. It's quite nice just the way it is. I like the idea of a fireplace shelf as a mantle, and it could be either finished or reclaimed.

Just "blue skying" here....wonder if you spraypainted the fireplace surround a grey that matches the stone....not sure they make it in heat resistant spray paint, but might be worth checking it out.

Another major consideration in a room with a rustic fireplace, wood ceiling, etc. is wall paint color. The wall color shown has too much contrast with the fireplace and wood ceiling. Here's a great Houzz article on paint colors that complement wood trim:

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200

Make sure whatever paint color you get works with your brown sofa and blue carpeting as well.

This has helped so much, thank you! "Greige" is one of the colors we considered. We will most likely not rush into anything and work with what is there.

Kathleen, I love that room! Unless you plan on replacing the carpet, I don't think you need to do anything ASAP. Live in it, then decide. I agree the fireplace needs a mantel, but what you do for one depends upon the look you want. Reclaimed wood is the fad right now, and would be appropriate if you want a rustic or lodge feel. The latter would work, looking at what appears to be a forest around your home. I like the top mantel in Jillian's pic. It has some detail so it doesn't look like an old railroad tie. I don't know a lot about masonry, but I don't think you need to regrout. It can probably be stained w/ a lot less cost and mess. Concrete can be stained, and grout is a cousin of concrete. I don't think you need to schmeer it. That's also popular right now, and if the stone covered the whole wall, I'd agree. But you have lots of lighter wall space around it, so I'd let the natural stone speak for itself. The fireplace screen assembly needs help, but that can be done anytime. When I first saw your fireplace, I thought mantel w/ stag's head above. But I'm a guy.

Lol bruce, maybe a guy but you do have awesome taste. but stag head..eww

Thank you Bruce - I feel better now about the re-grouting. Too funny about the stag head...I will not tell my guy about that suggestion! lol It is very wooded - and I thought about possibly sage green wall (one) or an accent wall. Probably not with a blue carpet, though.

The place was empty when we viewed it so never saw how furniture was placed. (That will be another post perhaps). We will be replacing the lighting - so seeing that one picture from housegal200 helped...I like how it offered balance to the tall wall.

Here is the kitchen - will be keeping the cabinets - we like them, but will eventually replace floor and counters. I'm thinking dark gray countertops (granite or even concrete to mix it up). I'm hoping the appliances will fail since the seller has a home warranty.

Yes those white countertops you need sunglasses for..lol

be pretty to use a more solid color on perimeter counters and a nice swirly one on island.

here's your critter head..hehe

Too funny Rubyrose!

If its a faux one.....well, naw

My cousin's a big game hunter. Let me see what his wife may want you to have. :-)

Keep it... paint the walls a mocha to blend and accent the brown sofa/blue carpet going on.... get throws and pillows with texture and print to blend the two... It is a very nice room.

Im liking the brown and blue more and more.

Some of my favorite clothes, including a sport coat & several ties, have blues & browns.

Blues and browns are lovely together.

Funny, but what seems "off" about the fireplace are those really white stones. they seem so garish. ...wondering if it would be possible to darken those a bit (as part of the regrouting, perhaps). I find my eyes "ping-ponging" from white stone to white stone. Not very restful. Live in it a while, and play with ideas.

By all means, consider enlisting a designer to help come up with a framework/plan for making the space your own. Houzz is fantastic for getting started, and seeing gazillions of ideas in one place, but at some point you've got to step back and do the things that make you happy. We were in the same boat with our house. I knew I needed to add pieces, but didn't want to go at it haphazardly. Our designer (Circle Design in Roanoke, Va), came up with plans that allowed me to go with the pieces she suggested, or find things on my own. We are over the moon delighted with the results!

Pam Fisher, now that you point it out, I agree re white stones. Your advice re designer is spot on, too. Our CKD for K reno allowed us some independence, too. It wasn't "my way or the highway" w/ her. Re Roanoke, my late mother was an Obenshain. The late Richard O. was her half-cousin. I grew up in hand-carved bed made by Richard's gg-f.

We will reach out for expert help. My friend is a contractor who helped design the condo I am on now. But due to purchading at top of price we will opt for simple cost effective changes like paint.

Color palate

like these colors?

Kathleen what about something like this:

I like the wall color for both and if the carpet was the burgandy/rust it would match my decor perfectly. I like the middle pillow colors minus the sequins.

It will be interesting to see how things work once the purchase is official.

The LR/dining will be challenging thus we will seek out a designer.

Interesting furniture placement around fireplace...I like the idea of two chairs facing away and towards the couch. We also have a creme leather couch that could go there instead of the brown sectional. Brown would look better perhaps, with the blue.

couch vs sectional ?

Kathleen, I'm not a sectional guy. I've never had one, but friends have. They look impressive, but the corner seat is useless. Even if there's room to squeeze a fanny in there, there's no room for knees. Better to have two love seats & corner table, IMHO.

What 111ideahound's last pic shows that I like is how your FP would look w/ grout & white stones stained.

I am thinking more and more to place sectional in tv room loft area then purchase two loveseats or something separate. The condo I am in now was a fixer upper...installed new hardwood flooring..I will miss them!

Two apartment size sofas, or 2 seat sofas would be better than love seats will give you more seating and your room can handle that.

Isn't the rock on the fireplace more of silver and gray tones with yellow, rather than pale teal?

Or, one sofa and 2 chairs in front of fireplace. In the corner of room left of fireplace, a lounge or chair with ottoman would look great with a table and standing lamp for a reading corner, maybe with a plant near window.

I have a chair with ottoman that I've always liked...and love the idea of plants. Thank you 111ideahound. This is fun.

just a couple more to get color ideas flowing:

The one I really like is 50% off!