Here are some inspiration pics, I was drawn to the blue. inspiration

(love William Morris)

now. totally strange and hard-to -implement suggestion..

take everything out of the room ..as much as you can.

or a least-don't look at it as you generally do-walking around, or sitting here and there. sit on the floor. on the mantel.. sorry the step i mean, lol. in short, somewhere you don't usually sit. maybe even lay down on the floor. change your point of view. mix up the puzzle. you'll see the room differently. and there's a big chance you'll get up with a fresh vision. because what you'll see will be a slightly different room. it will give you hints as per what direction it'd like to be taken.

not extremely constructive advice, i know. it's less about what to do. it's more about how to get-in your head- to the point when you're not stuck anymore

I tried this technique once or twice, and it helped..:)

I would LOVE William Morris fabric for the shades!! I need 2 yards per window, so 8 yards total. I'll have to look into that. We're hoping for < 20/yard, but I'm willing to go higher for William Morris!

I placed an order for more fabric samples last week that have a lot of blue. I was feeling blue for this room, too. I wonder about this rug, in either colorway.

I did a little rearranging. It's funny, when we first moved in, I didn't like these two cases flanking the fireplace, but now I do. My husband will have to lengthen the speaker wire so that I can get the right-side one in place. I like that the light oak lightens up that wall.

I'd like to float the desk. In our home office upstairs, we have two desks floated back-to-back in the middle of the room. I love not being against a wall! But we'll have to hide wires.

I love my kitchen rug and want to put it everywhere, including the family room...

It looks already so much nicer!

As far as erg: Get your kids on it ASAP (college recruiting) but it probably requires a mat or carpet remnant underneath it. Ideally, there's a way to watch TV while rowing.

What if we painted the pine white (Mascarpone, as in the kitchen), and painted the walls a darker, non-cream color, like Sea Star or Piedmont Gray? I'm not sure if that would look silly. I think we'd be able to remove the top half of the fireplace wall and leave the bottom pine intact. We've been peeking and there seems to be plaster behind all the pine.

New arrangment looks good, but I think the cabinets on either side of fireplace should be darker in color. How would your room look if you painted the lower and upper walls the same color? Leave fireplace wall the same as it is now...I truly think you can declutter more..especiallly in the corners...can you hang your speakers on the wall..almost at floor level? Have you tried putting your sofa facing the fireplace with the space behind it being the office, exercising, reading room. Or put both cabinets on the left side of your fireplace and TV could be put on the right side of the firplace, hung on a arm that moves out and around...you could look into an entertaiment center for your components that fits that space..Chairs could be in front of window where sofa is now or put on either side of the sofa angled toward fireplace\TV.

The TV is already mounted, and I don't think my husband will be willing to move it... so I think the sofa needs to stay where it is.

We do have a gym in the basement, but no more room for the rower, unless we get rid of our treadmill that (also) never gets used. (The rest of the gym is for weightlifting, which we use regularly.)

The top half is wallpaper, so if we're going to paint over the pine + wall in one color, it will be a major undertaking. We're willing, though, as long as it doesn't look junky! I've never liked painted pine paneling because it seems like a shortcut. But now that I'm in this position...a shortcut sure sounds nice!

I was thinking of asking my husband if we could stain his oak furniture darker.

That cherry desk... I'd rather see a corner PB-style desk there. Or the floating desk. I don't know. My kids use the computer while my husband and I watch TV, so maybe having the desk close to the couch isn't a good idea.

Yes!! I got my fabric samples in today. These are the ones I like; there were only a couple that I didn't.

Where did you get your samples from? I ask because that first one that you show at the top - Pantheon Admiral - is less expensive at Fabric Guru ($14.95 a yard) than at any other site I've seen. See it HERE.

For comparison, It's $45 at yard at InsideFabric.com.

I don't know if this will help or not but sometimes it's easier to picture the room naked first.

LOVE your fabric picks! also like the one posted above.

This rug ties in well with the fireplace and your furniture.

Lol, your husband is going to kill me!

My3dogs -- the samples are all from fabricguru. :) I've had great luck there! The fabric I bought for my LR was also waaaay less expensive there than from other sources.

justerrilynn -- thank you, that is awesome!

aprilneverends -- that technique sounds really cool. I will try it tomorrow. I know how I want to feel in a room, and can sense it with eyes closed. Adding in a literal new perspective would really help.

You are welcome ! Do you love or hate the rug?

oops, I hadn't noticed the rug! I like it, but it looks like it has pink? My husband is extremely pink- and purple-adverse, including shades of merlot, blackberry, etc. It can't even lean in a pink direction...

I love so many of the esale rugs. Wondering about this one:

or maybe my kitchen rug but in the pale blue colorway...

http://esalerugs.com/light-blue-palace-rugs-kensington-area-rug-33122518

Nice rug. Are you keeping all the same chairs and tables? Sorry if I missed that, I was trying to tie it all in for some cohesiveness.

Edited to add:

I just looked at your beautiful kitchen. I think (could be wrong) that the problem you are having is pretty normal in that once we get one area remodeled we think the rest of the house looks like crap in comparison. If I were you I would wait on buying rugs and such and concentrate on getting the bones/shell how you want it first. Buy an inexpensive window treatment for now. Rearrange furniture for now and clear out clutter. There is no point in spending money to put stuff over stuff you plan on remodeling in the future (unless you have lots of money). Develop and wait for the big plan.

Yes, keeping the furniture, at least for now. The couch is permanent until it breaks down. The red leather chairs can go to other rooms. I have a navy leather recliner that I can move into here. (It's in my bedroom now, but I'd prefer a fabric chair and ottoman for myself.)

Oh, see above, I was editing as you were posting.

Personally, I would start by taking down the wall paper. It's a pain in the butt job, and it's messy. So get that out of the way.

Next, I would paint the panelling. I see no reason to remove it. Consider it wainscotting or shiplap. With it painted a white or light cream colour, you can do virtually any colour on the walls above it.

In terms of furniture, it seems like a whole lot of pieces that are too small for the room, and too small to hold all your stuff. I would have the husband build craftsman style built-in cabinets along the fireplace wall. Can the bookcase and 2 door cabinets be placed together to look like 1 big piece? I'd place that down in the "office". Can they be used as a divider?
I would also pull the couch out from the wall a bit so you can see the window behind it. And place the chairs closer in, and facing the fire place. I know they're there for TV watching. But they look like they're floating down in the office area. Do they swivel? So you can turn to watch tv, or turn to converse with the people on the couch?

I'm making the window treatments, so they'll be inexpensive. Easily replaceable in the future, too.

I was spoiled by my bathroom here. The wallpaper fell off the wall after a little tug. The other rooms are not behaving the same way...

Uh oh, don't hate me, but I actually like your pine. On my monitor it doesn't look like cheapo orange knotty pine but rather more reclaimed, rustic.

I think the pine cabinets/towers next to the fireplace kind of stick out. Could your husband build some simple shelves left and right of the fireplace, perhaps mantle height? Stain the yellow oak?

I don't see orange, either. And I started out thinking about how to bring it out, since she used to like it. But she says she wants it gone, and painting is easier than trying to work with it, bring colour into the room, keep the furniture, and lighten the room.

As far as the paneling goes, I would be just remove the vertical paneling above the fireplace and leave the rest. Paint the papered walls. Remove the window valences. Have hubby build shelves or wall units on either side of the fireplace. Then look at the room again for ideas

I really did love the pine initially! But over time, my husband has pointed out how shoddily it was done, and now I see it. It's very poorly done.

I will see if we can work with it, though. I think it is more a matter of having too much stuff in there, or not the right stuff. Our last house had smaller rooms and everything fit nicely (everything was made or purchased for those rooms).

The tall cabinet by the TV has all our TV/stereo equipment. I don't see my husband wanting to retire that anytime soon. The wire shelving we have for the speakers definitely needs replacing.

I had taken down the valences (that were left by the previous owners) when we had our windows replaced, with no intention of putting them back up, but my husband wants them up until I've made the replacements.

Thanks for all the photos! I've been having trouble finding photos with nice-looking pine. Interesting how the trim is white in a couple of those. That is worth exploring!

Substitute your rug, paint and drape picks and picture it with the wood wall if you are keeping. However, somehow tie it into the kitchen (?)

I AM IN LOVE.

A craftsman · More Info

Me too!

I just remembered that we still have a ton of the green Fireclay tile left over from the kitchen... I wonder if we can incorporate them somehow. ETA: like this (or maybe for the living room fireplace instead)

I think you are on a roll pip!

You didn't know pine paneling is making a comeback?

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/knotty-pine-rooms/

Just read that knotty pine requires ruthless editing:

http://thedecorologist.com/designing-around-knotty-pine-wood-paneling/

Could you stain the yellow oak cabinets, so they blend in more?

Also, can you try out your kitchen rug in the FR, just to see what this would do?

I mean, your knotty pine is nicer than in a lot of these pictures. Shoddy is rustic ...

I have a smaller version of my kitchen rug and tried it yesterday. I love it in there! But I already have two rugs in this pattern, so I should probably branch out, right?

ETA: I know what I want! An ottoman coffee table. We currently use individual bean bag ottomans that are so sloppy.

Hey pip you should start a post for your fireplace for craftsman ideas using the tile.

The green tile certainly looks good at the fireplace. One thing that is bothering the look, I believe, is the wall clock that is sitting on the mantel. My recommendation is to move it to a wall and put something else on the mantel.

Pip do you also have any soapstone left? How cool if your husband could build a mantel like your inspiration picture, then, add the green tile in the background and use soapstone for the ledge.

We used granite, not soapstone, and don't have any left...

I agree with Aprilneverends that it's better to start from scratch to determine what you need in the room, rather than try to figure out how to make room for everything you have.

Do you need two desks? We used to have 2 desks in our family room - 2 kids in high school = 2
desktop computers (and we didn't want to set up computers in their
rooms, since I used one of them). Now the kids brought the desktop
computers to college, and DH and I have laptops, so no need for a desk
in the public space.When the desks could go, we rearranged the room completely (moved the TV, furniture, got rid of a bookcase) - and it is far more functional. We'd lived with it a certain way for so long - it took some serious rethinking to change it up.

Here ya go pip. Again, pretend it has your rug and other picks. I couldn't get the color of the tile just right so to make up for it I built you a little fire : ) Some sconces would look great up there like your inspiration picture. The mantel could be a little more meaty or matching side storeage like your picture.

Hope this helps with the future vision and assists you in your temporary adjustments with keeping the big picture in mind.

Wow, that you SO MUCH!!!

I just found this photo of a fireplace that uses Stone Hollow Tile accent tiles (which is where I got my kitchen accent tiles). And, my husband could make that mantle in his sleep. ;)

Now all you have to do is a scale drawing of your floor space. You can even use little pieces of paper as your furniture (to scale) to move around on your floor plan. Shame your husband doesn't like the sofa facing the fireplace because it would be a good room divider.

AnnKH -- we actually only have one desk for the computers; the other thing is a microwave cart that is just holding junk right now (no one uses it for anything). The plan is to get rid of that ASAP! We need the desk in there for the boys because my home office is just for my husband and I. This desk in the family room has the "family" computer that anyone can use, but usually only the kids and guests use it. The room is ~23x16, so we figured there was enough room to make part of it an office. It's always been our garbage collector, though. We only just finished unpacking our last moving box that was stored in that room a few weeks ago -- and we moved in Nov 2015!

ETA: I tried peeling the wallpaper in a couple of spots, and the paper itself is coming off easily, but leaving hardened adhesive behind. I also pulled up a chunk of the chair rail and there is definitely smooth plaster behind the paneling. I can see it in a few places where there are gaps. Glorious plaster! We won't have to put up drywall!

aprilneverends -- I sat on the fireplace step today...and the ONLY piece of furniture I want to keep in there is the couch! Yikes.

I told my husband how I tugged at the wallpaper to see if it would come off easily, and he begged me not to do that again. Not for 2-3 years when we're ready to redo that room.

I also suggested a big storage ottoman as a coffee table, and he said we have so much room between the couch and TV that we can just stick the coffee table between whatever large new ottoman and the TV. Egads! Makes it worse!!

The thing that really bugs me about this room is that it's so... garage sale. So many pieces, no coherence. I'd like to ditch the two red leather chairs and replace with upholstered swivel chairs. Replace the big desk with something smaller, and get nicer desk chairs. The big desk could go into my son's room.

We lament not being able to ever eat and watch a movie; our last house had an open layout. Maybe having a tall console table behind the sofa (if we move the sofa to face the fireplace) would work. Something like the Stickley Gathering Island.

My husband has always been the one to drive our home decorating/rearranging. He's not ready to move forward with this room, yet I'm impatient. I took down the wallpaper in our bathroom and removed our staircase runner without consulting him first and he was pretty upset about both. I wish I could talk him into letting me take down the wallpaper and paneling!

What's his reason for not being ready to do that room yet? Is he active in the design process and hasn't been inspired yet? Or is it financial? Or is he just not ready for another room under construction?

We still have to finish painting the trim in the dining room (we started Thanksgiving week...)

His workshop in the basement is still a mess. He hasn't been able to tackle it because of the kitchen reno (our temp kitchen was down there for 3+ months), then getting new windows, then getting insulation installed, etc. We finally have no one else coming through the house and he wants to set up the shop. Thing is, he only has maybe two hours a week to work on that.

I think once his shop is set up, he'll be more amenable to taking on more than just paint. It's not helpful for me to offer help set up the workshop. He doesn't know where he wants everything, and can't direct me while planning the layout in his head. But maybe I'll offer again and we can just get it DONE this weekend.

He gets overwhelmed with this stuff easily. I can't even show him paint samples AND fabric samples on the same day. I can barely show him those things at all.

You could try breaking things down into small segments and time frames. Most importantly though is stating what your job is going to be and how you are going to do it. It might be helpful to him if he is feeling overwhelmed.

Timing is everything so after you have your plan on your part of the job ready make sure the timing is right to discuss it with knowledge.

For example: if you plan to take down the wood and wallpaper know what tools you need. Are you going to just do a section or wall at a time? If so, how are you going to dispose of the trash etc ect. Are you then going to take a breather or jump right in to preparing the wall for paint? Wait until you have all the answers.

Yeah, I definitely need to slow down. I think that's what he fears. I jump in and start without the full plan.

In the meantime, I moved the desk. This can act as a table for my kids for eating while watching a movie. A bonus is that I'll be able to see my kids while I'm making dinner, and they might actually listen to me, LOL.

I've heard advice that if you've got a whole house to renovate, that you should start with the master bedroom. Create a space that you can retreat to every night that's done and doesn't remind you of everything else you still need to do. The same argument could be made for doing the family room. If it's the space you spend your down time, you don't want it to drive you crazy.

I think you've made great progress given the constraints of no paint or new furniture. :)

But I also think finishing off the dining room if it's a reasonably small paint job is a good middle ground towards him not feeling like the whole house is a work in progress.

We did do a bit with our bedroom and bathroom, and both are nice enough for a long while. I think you make a great point -- the reason the family room is bothering me so much is that it's the room I spend most of my awake time in!

My husband had this suggestion last night, and I really like it. We both like the "office" feeling of this area of the room:

I'm hoping to choose the fabric for the roman shades soon so I can get started on those, even if we don't paint or remove paneling yet. I'm a little obsessed with bird prints lately, which is where the "plume" fabric in my samples (posted above) came from. I also still really like the other animal one, too. The pattern scale in my mockups are probably a bit too big. We would likely keep them open at least halfway or more most of the time. ETA: Here's a link to that plume fabric on a pillow, for scale.

And here with a blue/gray paint mockup (greenish for the green fabric):

Forgive me but I'm trying to get a handle on your future plan color scheme. I know you are thinking the green tile on the fireplace and want some blue, navy(?)

Are any of these schemes close?

A

B

E

F

Also, is your kitchen open at all to the family room?

I like the colors in E the best. The only opening to the kitchen is a 30" doorway.

I'm not sure we have enough green tile for this fireplace, so we might do that in the living room instead (a lot less brick to cover in there).

I'm leaning toward dark, moody blue/grays, like Piedmont Gray, Sea Star, and Templeton Gray. But also open to lighter colors, since I love that craftsman family room I linked above. Something like Tranquility.

My paint color picks look more like your palette F, they are much darker in my house than this pic:

Piedmont Gray / Sea Star

Templeton Gray / Night Train

Tranquility / Alfresco

Same order/colors as above, vertically on the wall.

My husband HATED Camouflage (left) and Revere Pewter (right) when I made sample boards for the kitchen, but they don't look as gray/dirty in here (that's what he didn't like):