More shots of new art, floor lamp, and traditional dining across hall. Maybe paint my dining chairs shiny black?

That cabinet is gorgeous!!! I would leave it but simplify whatever is stored inside. However your beautiful antiques will as you said not be appreciated by a young market. I would clear all small decorative items, select a simple traditional sofa and two chairs .
I would look for a low glass coffee table a standing lamp
and keep your end table and choose a lamp perhaps in a gourd shape.
I would just mix yours styles keeping the queen Ann chairs and adding a small pillow or two. I think I would look for neutral colors browns, greens etc with a pop of red.

Do not paint your chairs. Just remove all the little things
I would invest in a new drum chandelier... To me nothing says old like fixtures.
To me your house looks like it has a tons of charm!!!

I agree Michigamom faux painting does date the home, I would paint the walls.

Yes, I want to update my chandelier! i can remove the fabric chain cover. Anyone know how to find a wrought iron type globe to go over existing? Also, I can remove the orange boubeches and replace with original plain glass bowls, (if I can find them)! Yes, I realize the sponge walls are not the latest, but not yet willing to cover over totally. Hall is a warm yellow.

Love your rug, what beautiful colors! I think a new chunky sofa ( no legs showing) new chunky lamps and removing all spinly furniture would help balance out giant buffet. I would not paint the dining room chairs , it's a lovely set . Light grey would be look nice with your new picture and rug and grey seems to be an in color. If your main reason is to sell , keep it simple , no clutter, no animal print fabric, want the room to be serene .

I am willing to get rid of the small beige covered chairs near the couch. Yes, like the idea of something skirted. Would a real modern swivel chair look odd with the rest?

You will get the most bang for your buck with paint and you are doing this to sell it so you may have to step out of your comfort zone. I think I would change the wall color because the yellow doesn't go real well with the floor which also is very yellow. Not sure what color sofa you are getting but a color out of the rug or a warm green could be nice.

Don't try to make your room really modern... Swivel chairs are more for a great room look.
I would just replace that chandelier you really could do that
probably less expensive than trying to make the one you have work.

Wow, that cabinet is gorgeous! I would love to see photos of these rooms with less or no accessories. I notice the spindly nature of all the furniture legs, candlesticks, candlestick lamps, and such. I feel like a sturdy piece on the dining room table, perhaps a slipcover to the floor on a few chairs, and something on the table in front of the couch would make a difference. You have some amazing pieces! Do you like an Oriental style?

Well, I like the rust toned couch, but i was leaning toward a warm cream yellow to match hall color and make the room more monochrome, relaxing? As far as the wood floors, it may be time to refinish, so I could alter the stain a bit. Not sure if its worth the $$$, as stairs and upstairs game room would need to be done to match. Probably updated kitchen appliances would be better investment.

Yes, paint the walls before you touch the floor. It doesn't appear they need refinishing but would look better with a different color wall.

That sofa is actually red...but I would not go monochromatic. Carmel would be a great choice if you do not want to paint. You need color. I would not put money into refinishing your floors.
I would definitely put money into your kitchen... The first thing people look at is the kitchens and the baths.

Lets see what I can do without changing the wall color, though I may come around eventually. The rest of the house is a light taupe. These 2 formal rooms do have a 3rd color that is sponged, a rich bronze that looks really rich at night, but blends in during the daytime.

The floor looks fine to me. I agree with painting the walls first. I would focus on making your home look fresh for resale, but do not purchase anything unless you love it for yourself. It is such an interesting home. I believe the massive cabinet needs balanced by more heft in the room elsewhere. I LOVE the mirror in the dining room.

When was the house built?

I'd take the chandelier down to take with me when I moved. Use a trendy new looking chandelier instead, there are plenty for under $300. Go to overstock.com and look at "top sellers". here's a very trendy one:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Foucaults-Orb-Crystal-Iron-6-Light-Chandelier/6908228/product.html

I would move out almost all the furniture in the living room. Keep the huge cabinet and the two large orange chairs. Buy a new sofa in a transitional style, but make sure it is one you want to take with you. If the is going up for sale within a few months, add a pair of fretwork design pillows in dark brown. If it will be a year or more, wait for new fashions in pillows. Not a big deal to find two pillows. Store the lamps and add two transitional, unobtrusive lamps instead, less than $200 for a pair. Add a simple coffee table in dark brown for $200 or less. You might want to rent a sofa, coffee table, and lamps instead of buying. Cort offers sets, home stagers do, too.

For the dining room, leave the chairs and table as they are.

Wait until two or three weeks before it goes on the market to paint, that'll keep the new paint from getting dinged up while your furniture is being moved out for storage before the sale. Yes, you need to replace the sponged finish with a fresh neutral flat paint.

I think the advice of a real estate agent on what to spend money on would be useful. Home stagers are worth the money in many markets for a quick sale. People often find a budget of 1% of the selling price for fix-up is a good estimate.

If you are still in idea-gathering stage before selling, you can post photos of the kitchen in another thread to ask for comments on changes.

I think the whole room will pop into the future if you make the walls neutral or even cream. A contemporary sofa and really big modern art would finish the transformation if you have money to spend. Love the cabinet but the curvy Victorian? setee is too dainty and traditional for the eclectic mixture to work. I agree, store the fancy lamps. (In real estate we say "Stage it to sell; decorate it to live there." You need to edit the room down so people can imagine their own furniture... and life... in the space.

If you plan to use your furniture in new house, then I would paint walls and have the house staged when ready to sell.

The stager will know which pieces of your furniture to use and which should be packed.

Pretty home, it should be easy to sell when staged.