Hi Jen,

congrats on your lovely new house!

Question...are you going to change your bulbs to LED's? There seems to be a huge hodgepodge of different colored bulbs going on.

This needs to be addressed before thinking of any color.

Got it! Why don't you start adding images in colors and styles you like in art, furnishings, rugs to your Ideabooks. The other thing to think about is hiring a color consultant--I know budget--but it's money well spent and not nearly as expensive as fixing choices that may not work out. Good luck!

Jen,

are you committed to those "shelves?" Would you be open to tearing them out, adding some modern industrial type shelves (which would look amazing with all the brick and open up the space) and perhaps ditching the horizontal blinds?

Hi Jen,

If you want a transitional look, I'd go for a simple cream curtain.

For your built ins, something along these pics (inspiration)

I LOVE your built ins, but they look kinda tired to me, I'd tear the "shelves" and most certainly the bottoms out, use the bottom as a log storage ( don't have to worry about the floor, that would be a bonus too) and add modern industrial shelves with lighting.

Remember though, everything will look different once you change your bulbs, you really need to do that first.

Are you sure your go-to look is transitional?

Jen, what is your family's opinion of design? What do they like?

It's wonderful that you love your new home!

What also would look cool/updated is a modern cable rail on your stairs. Introduce a metal to your environment.

If you're looking for a wide range of wall art visit us at http://mndphoto.com Everything is 30 day money back guarantee

I would recommend to soften and lighten the room to paint the whole room except the brick a soft neutral like Kilim beige. I would also bring a soft blue in to accent and change the rug up. For the windows I recommend ceiling to floor panels to bring height to the space and softness to the brick and hard surfaces.bring in some accent pillows and art to complement and pull everything together. Inspiration board below.

If you don't really want rust color, why not try adding in some teal, blues, burgundy, or oranges into the mix to create a nice bright palate. Here are a few of our designs below that highlight some colors that you might enjoy.

A Little Aloha: Living Room · More Info

A Little Aloha: Living Room · More Info

A Little Aloha: Dining Room · More Info

Hoyt Street Tudor: Living Room · More Info

Hoyt Street Tudor · More Info

Jennifer such a beautiful new home! Love the wood trim and brick!

BM Vermont Slate would be gorgeous with your tan furniture and Brick fireplace..

Jennifer-congrats on moving and getting a whole new dilemma to deal with-LOL! I LOVE the fireplace/window wall, and agree that the sconces in the kitchen need to be changed. I like a light blue would be awesome in the living room to go nicely with the brick and wood. Maybe a sage green even. Keep us posted.

I'll try to send some pics later ...I think with the fireplace and the wood that the kilim beige mentioned above would work if you really want a neutral. I have it in my family room with a similar fire place. It is a cozy room.

However, it sounds like you want to brighten things up. Are there any plans to possibly paint the brick? I wouldn't be that brave but it is what keeps the room a bit dark. My living room has very pale blue/gray walls. I recently bought a pale green sectional and have a peachish rug and dark espresso wood floors. Everyone has said how much they like it. It sounds a bit crazy and with the pastels it would sound girlie but it isn't. Even men have complimented it. It is more like spring and feels fresh. I just wouldn't see it going well with that fireplace.

Hello from Norway! I read the other post where you got all the advice and noticed you said you like Scandinavian style, so I figured I'd see if I could offer some advice.

It's rather late here now that I finished reading all the comments on previous and this posts, but I would like to ask what the actual wall color is (as someone mentioned, hard to tell with all the different light) - is it white or cream? Is the floor laminate? When was the house built or renovated - what's the age of the fixtures (flooring, windows, kitchen)? What is the construction (wood frame and plasterboard, actual brick wall, something else)?

I would also go for an oversized artwork over the fireplace with bright colors (teal, turqoise, orange, gold, burgundy, and such), maybe a large elegant abstract. I'll give a bit more thought to decor in general, because the house has what I'd call 'good bones' (and yes, it's very MCM though that doesn't mean you need to go for dark colors or tiny furniture necessarily!), and a lot could be done with it that isn't just MCM.

By the way, if you have questions regarding Scandinavian style actually practiced here, feel free to ask - judging by a lot of the comments I've seen, there are some rather significant differences between what we consider Scandinavian styles (there's more than one), and what people in USA think it is.