I adore all your windows!! Drool. :)

Are you keeping the tree stair railings? Do you like them? If not, imo replacing them may freshen the room a lot and make it more of a true ‘blank slate’

(I feel they are unique, but draw far too much attention , visually. And I usually love unique and artistic things with character! But, Im not a pro.)

It is rather dated looking. Is this a real estate listing, or your furniture? Will you be watching TV in this room or do you have a media room? I'm guessing that left cabinet is designed for TV. If so, is it large enough to house your TV? The room looks large enough for dual seating areas; one to enjoy the fireplace and the other to watch TV. I do think that unit is eating the room and takes up the entire wall. Perhaps careful removal would allow you to sell it. I would rather see a TV and credenza with some seating at that end and other seating at the fireplace. Four swiveling chairs around a coffee table or hassock would work at the TV end, while a 3-seat sofa and a pair of chairs, and maybe a chaise, would do at the FP end. Hoping these pix illustrate the concept for you even though the chairs don't swivel for watching TV.

I hate to say this because I like conserving things when possible, but that particular unit does not belong in that room. Over-scale and the wrong style and colour. Ideally, budget permitting, I think it should be removed and replaced with a new unit designed to fit in that particular style of room. And if you remove those trees I'll hunt you down and punish you. :-)

I think this understated, classic contemporary design would be great -- although again I'd rather see a greyer wood, closer to blending with the fireplace.

http://www.dobkanize.com/wooden-finish-wall-unit-combinations-from-hulsta/large-honey-toned-wood-entertainment-center-for-flat-screen1/

Rina your last comment is so interesting. Am i the only one firmly on team ‘goodbye, trees’ ? This is why I love this site, I learn so much from all the differences in opinion!

(also I did initially agree that a more contemporary, and less orange-y, wall unit might be ideal- until I realized by roarah’s comment below that there is similar wood in the kitchen! It is a very interesting house!!)

Tina, I’ll help with the hunt! The tree railing is beautiful, and makes your home unique. If you can get rid of the built in, I would. I don’t think it belongs, color or size.

Oops, make that Rina! Dratted autocorrect.

The wall unit seems to be a similar wood/ color as the kitchen cabs and to me anchor or balance the space. I would keep them if you are keeping the kitchen. I kinda of dig the uniqueness of the railings too.

I would totally get rid of the trees - and I'm a professional horticulturalist. That said, if Uzmas & her/his family love the trees, they should stay.

Goodbye trees...as in replace the wood built-in with another wood built in? I think the trees on the balcony and stairs are really quirky, not something I'd ever have thought of but so fun that they're there.

If the wall unit were gone, how would you situate the space? How do you use it currently? If this were my house I'd keep them. They're pretty, they pair well with the fireplace, they have tons of storage.

Maybe you just need a deeper wall color to help them be a little less prominent.

I love both the built-in and the trees, and would happily keep them. The built-in looks to be nicely made and fits the room well, and the trees are pretty, unique, and add some whimsy (without being cheesy or hokey).

But ... I won't live there, you will, so you need to do what makes you happy.

I'd at least live with them for a while first, with your things in the house and seeing how it all feels, before deciding. You'll either change your mind and decide it all works, or that no, they're just not right for you and your aesthetic. But again, it's something I'd allow time to think about.

If that were my home, I'd probably take down those two story curtains. They draw too much attention and make the room look out of balance. I'd concentrate my decorating efforts on the living area.

I don't mind the trees, especially if you can step up the decor in a way that make them less of a focal point.

The wall unit is another part of that room that seems to overpower. Do you have a picture of the whole wall? It looks oddly out of balance in the photo.

You have a beautiful home! I love the trees and the built-in. I would use a sofa, chairs, end tables, etc. rather than the sectional. The sectional is more limiting. ( Yes, I would remove those curtains).

Thank you all so much! These are realtor photos so it is currently a blank slate. The wall unit is high quality, but asymmetric and overpowering for sure! The stair railings were customized by the previous owners. There is glass behind them. The photos don’t do it justice. I’ve thought about painting the wall unit white, and the walls a soft gray to “update” the look. The ducts run through the unit and the carpet is cut around the unit. Taking it out will be require quite a bit of work and expense that I just can’t manage right now, but maybe next year. This is my current family room. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around making this furniture work.

I want to know the kind of style you would like in your house...contemporary? very uniquely handmade ( which is what u have now) or something transitional ...then I can advise you better:)

Your current living room is nicely decorated, I think you will be able to figure out your new space. You might consider two cozy seating areas. One for tv viewing and one for enjoying the fireplace.

Be careful choosing your gray paint. The carpet, fireplace and your furniture are all warm toned, many popular gray paint colors are cool toned. Warm and cool often don't play well together. A greige would probably work better with your carpet and furniture.

I agree with grapefruit above...the trees are neat and the curtains should go. Maybe a darker color, gray or dark brown for the cabinet and mantel would make them less the focal point. You could look at painting or staining them a color to match the trees?

Griege is a great idea! My current furniture is traditional/transitional, so I’d like to move this house in that direction. But, boy, am I feeling challenged!

I would paint the unit white and try living with it for a while. As others have said, if you need a TV in this room, you're likely to set up your seating to face that wall and the fireplace, which is about what the previous owners did, and you'll end up with something similar if scaled down. Painting it to disappear into the walls/trim will keep it from seeming so overwhelming while keeping the functionality.

On the other hand, if you won't put a TV in this room, or if your TV wont' fit into the left part of that cabinet (or on top of the lower part, if you removed the upper), and/or if you have nothing you really want to put on the shelves, then you might do best to take them out. You don't have to decide right away.

I hadn’t considered darkening the unit and mantel to match the staircase! My mind kept going towards lift and bright, but I think going dark is a great option too. Ultimately, as solid as the unit is, I’d like to take it out. We will be watching tv and using the fireplace so multiple seating areas is a wonderful suggestion. I’d LOVE to replace this curtains too! And the blinds. Why cover every window with blinds?

Your currrent living room seems to be split down the middle with the formal, feminine living room sofa and coffee table at the window and the masculine man cave leather opposite with the wing chair trying to meld the two. I think your decision may be based on the vignette you want to present to guests entering the front door and the space. With the delicacy of the trees, I would put the light sofa and coffee table facing the entry. This will be the conversational area. The leather sofa facing the TV cabinet like theirs will have to work since you can't remove the unit and do all the repairs. It is probably the one people gravitate to for watching TV. The wing chair can snug right of the fireplace so it can be enjoyed too. Live there for a year and you'll know better what to do.

Decoenthusiate, thank you! I have another matching l wing chair for the fireplace area that could be cozy. If I put the light sofa facing the entry, and the dark leather facing the cabinet, would the chaise part of the sofa (left) cover the white sofa? Would it be ok to have the back of the white sofa to the entry door? Perhaps with a console table behind it (so that little hands won’t rub the back of the sofa)? Or would a console table add visual clutter with that massive unit?

I think you'll just have to play with things when you get in the house to really know what's best. I was thinking of separating the two areas visually so the lady-like sofa would welcome guests in through the front door and under the bridge to sit down. If the game is on, the gents can just pass that by and go straight to the TV sofa. In the evening your two wing backs will be a nice place to sit and have a drink or you can let them face each other over a chess or small game table for some family time.

If you think you are going to paint it, I would first consult with a cabinet maker to see if there is some reasonable way to make the unit more symmetrical.