Thank you RL. I am not thin skinned so I am fine with you calling the furniture outdated. It is! I bought it in 1984. With so much going on in my life it was low on the list to get rid of and replace. The problem with changing out the old stuff is now I have to find room for the storage it holds. I have the same problems in the living room, but I have been slowly moving in that direction. I am hoping to make this room more appealing until I am ready to replace.
I liked the brown years ago when it was red, now I need to make the space work better and it may force me to be ready. LOL!

Since you can't do a total makeover right now, just match the brown. If you bought the set in the 80's I assume your daughters are out and on their own. Would they or your grands appreciate some of your knick knacks? Maybe it is time to start paring down and letting others in your family have the items they want. No since waiting until you're gone! You want to upgrade and change the room, but the "stuff" is holding you back. Invite the girls over for a pack-it-up party and let them take home boxes of the things via which they can fondly remember their home life.

Start with a clean palette: paint over the brown with two coats of white primer. Then pick a blue or green that has enough character to complement the furniture. There are contemporary(ish) streamlined chandeliers that will go better with your 1980's furniture than the traditional chandelier that's there now.

Something swirly or with glass panels in a gold finish, a bit like this:

Here's a blue with character:

They say 'the lighter the main brown, use more black'- but you are, or not including black? "Black, brown and off-white / This classic arrangement will never be out of fashion. It is sharp and elegant and very masculine too. It works well in both brightly lit rooms and darker ones, but will benefit from additional lighting and a well placed mirror if in a darker environment."

.....Your furniture is in such wonderful condition....And what you buy now is so much glued sawdust or veneer,-- I would paint the room Swiss Coffee Eggshell by PPG, (sold at alot of Walmart stores) where it is brown now, and not look back. It is a paint and primer in one, and with your brown base, even if you wanted to experiment with a faux finish on one wall using this beautiful cream color... or some gold leaf stencils or do a special feature on one wall only, it could be fun. If your furniture is in such nice condition, there is alot of things paint can do in a room to freshen up the area.

Paint! But not the same brown or gray. Your dining room chairs screamed “I need to be in a pink room!” They also want a round, white table btw

I love your son in my set... it is screaming for fun..maybe a teal or somet h ing tropical. thank pink is also fun. the cane/wicker back says to me. sit down have some drinks. have fun. the brown not so much.

I agree with the others who have said it's time to retire the brown. I'd look towards the spa like muted bluish-greens to pair with your honey woods. Here's a mock up using Window Pane by Sherwin Williams. Rainwashed might be another option. I like that your print reflects some of the honey tones of your furnishings. For a light fixture consider a tailored fabric drum.

I think your furniture and chandelier are nice. Maybe consider painting the upper walls a light colour. The mirrored back of the cabinet is reflecting a different style. Have you considered removing the mirror and changing that to the same wood as the cabinet (or wallpapering/painting)?

This might depend on the furnishings you end up putting in here (eg, do you think you'll be going darker? about the same tone, etc?) as much as the style you end up with... The foyer paint goes well with the floors, and you could just continue that. Or if you think you'll be getting darker furniture down the road, nothing to stop you from doing a dramatic red again... or peacock blue. I like the brown too, but would personally use white furniture to set it off.

No need to replace everything in one go, unless you like the look of staged rooms where everything self-consciously goes with everything else... you can do it bit by bit for a lovely acquired over time look, but figuring out the eventual gestalt of the room will help you pick a colour now.

Not quite, but posting if you love the cognac / chocolate colors / 31" long / are backs textured, cane was it?

[://https://www.houzz.com/products/nine-light-pendant-sku-e21310-10bz-prvw-vr~18026611[(https://www.houzz.com/products/nine-light-pendant-sku-e21310-10bz-prvw-vr~18026611)

try Urbane Bronze. I don't like the light blue gray, or gray/green w/your furniture. At all.

you have very warm, brown wood furniture and flooring. use a warmer wall color.

What feeling, vibe do you want now? Pleasantly natural like horses are... It'd be nice to see an example of chandelier....more rooms of house even... more info... :)

I browsed, and saw graceful lines like art of horse's neck....

https://www.houzz.com/products/choros-chandelier-aged-iron-prvw-vr~61683667

Dont do gray. Several years ago, gray became the new neutral & now it is the new boring. Dont overthink your paint color. Paint is somewhat cheap. (It can seem expensive until we compare it to eating out, a daily starbucks, a new shirt, etc) Wing it. If you dont like it, paint it something else. Its just one room. For most people, painting isnt a huge job, its getting yourself started on painting that can be such a huge job.

could parts of it be moved to other rooms?

And I really see no reason to add a chandelier with glimmer and crystal, when as you say, that is what your mirrored cabinets give the room. But to do so would be a change and who doesn't like a crystal chandelier of any kind, but you do have that with your beautiful mirrored shelving...

Thank you all for so many great ideas, photos and mock ups! They are all amazing and appreciated! I have not made a decision yet because all that has been said has much merit! The one decision I can make is that only a warm color will work. My home is warm with the only gray a warm gray in the main floor bath and an upstairs bedroom. I love teal and some greens but they wear on me so I can only take as accent pieces in small doses. I agree that refreshing is best done in small doses but I am giving much thought to breaking down the set and possibly repurposing for now in another room. Doing so will allow me to bring the back wall into scale with the room. It has always been too big! I think bringing bronze or black into the chandelier will bring some continuity with my swirly Spanish foyer chandelier and the black frame of the new art. I do like the drama of a dark wall for the Dining Room, but I also like the fresh air of a medium color. I like the Urban Bronze, Wood Grain Brown(BMoore) and in the other direction Amazing Gray/greige or even Relaxing Khaki, Universal Khaki, or Macadamia (SW). Loved the softness of Windowpane and Rainwashed, but I don’t think I can live with them too long. It’s not easy loving color but knowing your long term tolerance!
Here are some shots of adjoining spaces some of you so nicely requested!

Wow, beautiful home. I can see now where the iron chandelier would tie to the railing, and I can also see the color palette much better. I do still think a lighter color would be better. and even removing the two outer pieces to the china hutch would do wonders for the space.

since the table is a bit heavy, I think this fixture could lend itself to the space well.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Cascadia-Meritage-28-in-6-Light-Charred-wood-black-iron-Rustic-Tinted-Glass-Shaded-Chandelier/50182477

Since you want to keep the jewel-box drama in the room without being 'colourful', maybe look at deep warm greens. Something like SW Roycroft Bronze Green.

Thanks for the additional input of the pix showing adjoining areas. That helps make decisions easier so it will all make sense.

When designing a room I like to make some kind of positive, lasting statement that adds a surprising, unexpected, yet enduring element so guests remember having been there and talk about it in a positive way. A monochromatic room can be somewhat boring unless something happens.

First the table and chairs die and sink into the quicksand of the brown floor. They need to be anchored and contrast on a rug about the soft color of the ceiling in the photograph. If the ceiling is painted the same as the crown molding, note that a ceiling will always look darker than on Zay vertical surface. Same color but darker, softer tone.

NOW, for the kicker. Let’s bring the outside in by introducing a strong, brighter green....for the new semigloss table finish. My suggestion would be (have courage, you’ll like it) a Granny Smith Apple Green. White place ware chargers on seagrass placemats with darker plates and silver flatware would be terrific.

I like the idea of a simple pendant drum shade in a light material (fabric, glass, fiberglass or? )but shallow vertically. It could even have narrow silver bands at top and bottom of shade.

To further bring the green outside in, use a BIG round mirror (to echo the round pendant light) opposite the window. You’ll instantly have a larger, more interesting, room with a dash of color. Your guests will want to linger longer!

Just in case you might be puzzled about the shade of green for the table, try chips of these Ben Moore colors in your dining room. They will look different there than in the store:
Iguana green, **
baby fern, *
Malachy green, *
Killala Green, **
Sweet Pea, **
Tropical Seaweed, *

Rooms with contrast really are more interesting. If you like brown and have an ongoing love affair with it, you probably like chocolate, also. I do. Be even more daring....go dark Chocolate for the walls above the wainscot/dado. Try Benjamin Moore Wenge( almost black), very chic and desperately romantic.

Thank you RL!
Thank you again for the mock up of the space! I so agree that I need to remove the curio cabinets and am working toward making room for them in the living for the moment. Sometimes, I am ready to just let it go! It’s just such a beautiful maple and In trying to be practical I am getting tired of making it work.
I love the chandelier, it is warm, different and pulls it all together nicely. I will keep that on my radar.

McWhorter, Thank you for your ideas! They are indeed dramatic and I wish I was so brave as to paint the table green! It certainly would change things up quite a bit! I can more easily go for dark chocolate on the walls though! Love desperately romantic! I can see how the lack of contrast beneath the chairs screams for an area rug and I like the idea of an ivory/cream to match the ceiling. It seems that, in general, I’ve always been attracted to dramatic neutrals, lots of black, cream, and tan. I have been tempted by strong color, but I think my high stress job and wiring needs a calm warm environment. That design looks like so much fun!!

Ever Debi, thank you. I love that chandelier as well! Not overstated, kind of classic and easy to live with. I am not sure what vibe I am trying to achieve. I purchased the horse art because I just loved it and it was neutral. I think I am trying to update away from the feeling of my Family Room which is still some what traditional and Old World. I have a beautiful black background Belgian tapestry (w fruit topiaries flanking)over the fireplace and a tall elegant TV cabinet in a carved two tone distressed wood. I am getting rid of the topiaries and thinking tall vases with swirly sticks to update and changing the lamps to something more updated as well. I got rid of my wood coffee table and have not replaced it. So you see the transition is evolving. I want warm and open no fuss.

Doing something that's out of your comfort zone can be scary and I suggest taking baby steps to ease into it. You say that greens can wear on you. All greens? Or ones that you have had in the past? If your mind is not quite closed to the idea yet, try buying a length or two of a couple of green fabrics and throw one over the top of the table and view it at different times of the day and then take a look the following day and see how you feel about it. Then do the same with the next fabric. If you still feel a non-green vibe try other colors...ivory or white. Or black. Vibrant colors can also be introduced in small ways... A bowl as a centerpiece,

I really like the drama of black or ivory furniture and I will keep it in mind. I have taken your suggestion and started with the easy fixes first and purchased an ivory rug. Next will be the light fixture. Currently I am trying to update the family room and until I have a clear direction I've been doing things in small doses. Thank you!

http://www.true-design-house.com/blog/2016/3/14/bestpaint-with-honey-oak IF you decided to paint, than, you might benefit from the samples they feature in this article. None of them are bad, and your furniture is not exactly honey oak, but it is a brown and therefore, you might see a color here that peaks your interest...

Thank you so much! I have been looking at colors but made no decision except to patch with the existing color for now. I really enjoyed this article! The color Night Train was one that actually initially sparked my attention but I can see how they can all look perfect. Thanks Again.

Try sampling colors in the middle of a big piece of white poster board (one for each color.) Leave a big border of white around the color so your current wall color doesn't distort the reading you get. Move the boards around the room day and night, sunny and rainy, lights on and off to see what you can expect from a full room of it.

Update: Finally reduced the size of the breakfront moving the center unit to another room. Now Just need a chandelier, centerpiece and still considering painting the room SW Urbane Bronze. Any suggestions very much appreciated!

I like your last chandelier. Here are some rendering to show you different dark colors.

Urban bronze

With rugs

I like the brown, just some inspiration

Celerygirl: Wow! Those are amazing! How did you do that? I love the rooms you created also with the beautiful rugs, especially the first one! The blues are very complementary to the orange hues in the maple furniture. I am attracted to the deep muted blues/teals. These photos do make the brown in this room less exciting. Thank you. Where did you find the first rug?

Irene: Thank you for the photos of dark brown inspiration rooms! I love the drama and romantic vibe of dark sultry spaces especially in the Dining Room. This room has been brown for many years and has worked with the rest of my neutral home. Needing a change, I have been considering options to go darker, lighter or blue/greens. Ive been proceeding cautiously because sometimes what you love doesn't really work. Lol!

Savanne modern rug was from

http://www.mansourmodern.com/collections/detail.php?id=00009

Here is more rugs from Home Depot

Sirano Roma Gray

Grasscloth might be another option

Also BM Templeton Grey is lovely

Celerygirl: Thank you! Those are striking rug designs!

I cannot believe it has been over a year since we started this conversation!! I had been working on a few other projects that I can also use some direction on. :-) I think this chandelier will work and for paint color it looks like i am still torn but the brown I agree has to go. Can't tell you how many times I have been ready to get SW Urbane bronze, SW Worldly gray, SW Relaxed khaki or BM Slate Teal! Crazy!! All of the photos here are some of the other projects i have been trying to tackle. I moved the dining room center buffet to the Living Room which is directly across from the Dining room. I switched the sofa that was in the Living room to the Family room because when I changed the fireplace the leather did not work any longer. This year I did find a lamp for the changed Family Room and accessories for the shelves. Working on Abstract painting now for that room. Also looking for a larger carpet for the Living Room (with the leather sofa). I will need to relocate my Egyptian Prints but don't know where. It is amazing how when you change one thing it brings on a cascade of changes to follow!!!!

Pallara Chandelier in Peruvian Gold a brushed finish.

I will also be repainting and making changes to this room when I can figure out where to relocate some of these pieces. With limited space every change/relocation is tricky.

Hi.... when I see that you have 4 art pieces, I wonder if one [the square is largest?] could go over the fireplace... let me think: mantel is white and piece next to it is dark- it might?

Here is the latest update for the Dining Room. It still needs an area rug and something on the back walls I think. Thank you to you all for all the amazing suggestions!

wow, AWESOME that you came back.

I think now the dinging room only needs the rug. Less is more and it looks really good now, i actually like the dark walls.

For your prints, would you be willing to change the frames they are in? I think they could stay in that room if if they had new frames. I think the floor lamp in that room could go and it looks pretty good. Maybe a larger area rug that can fit under the sofa.

In your living room, I REALLY think you should consider getting rid of the large entertainment center and going with something scaled down a bit so the fireplace can shine, and the other furniture doesnt look so small. I would also get rid of the os end tables the are too big for the couches. I think you need a bit of texture in the rug. Though I dont think too much pattern would be good as we want everyone to notice the fireplace.

Could you just remove the top of the entertainment center? or is it one piece?

Thank you so much RL.!

We have been able to finally address all these changes recently and I was happy to share what we all collaborated on. Sorry it took so long I've been known to be a bit slow. LOL! However these past two weeks I finally found the right picture for above the fireplace. It is a split canvas by Uttermost called Lifestyle Scenes and it features only neutrals so nothing fights it. I will post a photo.

Last night we decided that we will bite the bullet and remove the hutch from the TV cabinet. It definitely overwhelms the space. I am concerned about the size and color of the console 84"W x 24"D x 30'H but I'm ready to see if it's even possible it might work. Thank you for the sneak preview!!! I can see I will need to think about what to put above on that big blank space. :-) Not too much just a little.

The plan is to change the sofas in the Family Room to a neutral oatmeal color down the road. Due to the expense I am tackling the smaller projects first. When I do the end table will go for sure. :-) I agree it's got to go. Thank you for seeing that.

Now, the Living Room, has just been painted to SW Mega Greige and the prints removed. They will not go back. I can't see them working as much as I love them so they are going to be relocated. They are from the Franklin Mint so I did not think to remove the frames, but it is an interesting idea! However balancing that empty space may be a challenge. I have all my relocated items in this room. The sofa was in the Family Room but after we did the fireplace wall that no longer worked so we swapped out the furniture. The item we are using as a bar was the center buffet for the oversized Dining Room cabinet. The remaining piece was from the prior entertainment center which may get moved but not now because it works. I love the rugs you attached!!! I was thinking that the beautiful cream one could work nicely in the brown sofa room too. I just ordered a rug for the dining room a few hours ago! I will attach the photos.

Thank you again for all your input and sharing this journey with me. It really really helps!!!!!! :-)

everdebz: I wish the size of those frames would have made it possible to consider, but they are small being approximately 20 x 30. I needed art to fill aa 52" h x 47"W space that thankfully I stumbled upon just 10 days ago! Thank you for the thought! :-)

I love uttermost! those look smashing! I also like the rug for the dining room.

Im not too worried about the color of the tv console because you need some contrast in the space. But if nothing else its a good place to start.

I LOVE those prints, and I think no matter (if possible) reframing them would be a splended way to refresh them and make them more user-friendly. They should be seen especially with there story.. Im also thinking the floor lamp you have in there isnt working, and possible what about getting new lamp shades for those lamps?