Hard to advise with just these two photos. Do you have anything else in the entry area? A bench? What about lighting? I like the banister and closet doors.

All white.

Added photos. I am not a fan of the tile either... but that’s expensive. Our doors are a reddish brown would love walnut or white.

I would paint the bannister white...to be consistent. Then I'd buy new white louvered doors for the closet. You could paint them white to match, but the louvers would add a little interest and look very updated. I think both the railing and the doors are easily purchased at your big box store. Good Luck! Nice start!

How wide are the steps? Do you really need the hand rail on the side opposite the bannister?

if the closet doors are in good shape then I would invest in a better light, update the closet door handles and leave the wood- I think it's a nice balance to the entry door.

I think painting the closet doors white would brighten your entry. Also update the closet door hardware. What is the foyer light fixture?

I’d paint the doors white. It’s a big project to get right. I’d also replace the tile if that’s feasible right now. If not, a rug to cover most of it will work. I know the little wood bench is probably useful, but it’s crowding the area which contributes to the darkness you don’t care for.

Hi, Jen--

I think others have this mostly covered for you, but I'd recommend one tweak: match your handrails together as your dark wood accent. Keep balusters and all your other trim white, but those two surfaces need to shoulder heavy wear, and a poly-coated dark stain treatment there helps ensure they'll look great and not require continual touch-up.

Pivoting your closet doors to white as suggested is a great thought, too, since it's the visual field that frames up your entry for those crossing the threshold. If that still feels too dark, you can also take the inside of the front door to white, but I'd work my way there and live with it a little bit along the way since the stain quality is quite nice in the space.

Re-thinking the placement of your entry bench to a surface with an additional lighting source there (like a candlestick lamp on a timer) could also help you bring an additional light into the entry area, too.

in the minority, but I love the patinad doors. paint the handrail. if you hate the doors, paint or replace, but, I love some natural wood ....
anything can be painted white....

I'd paint the spindles white and the railings the same color on the wall and staircase. Paint the closet doors white and leave the front door as is.

Every home can use a touch of black, so I would do black railing, banister and newel posts, paint the doors white. I would try to match the flooring from the living room to replace the tile and then add a pretty rug. Here's a before & after I helped with here on Houzz.

I too like the wood doors, but do think you should paint handrail. Also you have room for a rug, so I would do that to cover up the tile, and it would be an easy way to add some colour and or pattern, which would liven up the area. Also move bench over closer to door. As far as being dark, LR looks dark too, what do you have for lighting? Are the lots of large trees outside? That could be adding to the darkness.

My house is dark! I hate it. We have large trees outside and when the leaves on are the trees they cast a green /gold color into my house. It really drives me nuts. When I am in other homes that have bright daylight and the grey/white combo is so fresh...it honestly makes me super crabby that I can't accomplish that bright feeling. I don't really want the handrail white...so if we restain it or buy it in a darker wood, what do we have to change to the banister? I love the iron/wood look but I suppose that would just darken it. Will post a pic tomorrow of the entryway light...it's nothing special I couldn't find anything that I liked...also not sure on what bulbs to get...our bulbs are pretty yellow in light because I would rather have that than that awful white/blue light other bulbs give off. Is there one inbetween?

To get the lighter feel you want, you'll have to would save to redo your flooring and paint To get the lighter feel you want, you'll have to save for new flooring and wall paint. Painting the woodwork may help a bit, but it's not going to get you very far. Re: your staircase - the hand rail and the banister are a mismatch right now. You either need to bring some of the handrail color into the banister (see pics by decoenthusiast) or match the handrail to the banister. Also - if you add some color into the rooms (draperies, pillows, large entry rug) it will bring some character to your space.

You say you hate your house - but is there anything you love about it? If you can define what you love, maybe some of that "feel" can be incorporated into the rest of the house.

Here’s a suggestion having zero to do with paint. Get a qualified tree pruner to prune the trees outside and even raise the canopies. Depending on the landscape itself, replacing a tree may be the answer to brightening your home. This may seem extreme, but if the landscape is out of control or was over planted in the first place it may be a solution to consider.

Jen, I understand your dilemma. I’m in a condo with my only windows are at the front and back. I recently updated some lighting and put in LED daylight bulbs, and it’s made a difference for me. The LED soft white bulbs are popular but I find them too yellow for me in kitchen, entry and bathroom. The compact floresent (CFL) bulbs have never been a favourite of mine either.

You stated you don’t like the blue light some bulbscast, but think of it this way. If you have bulbs that cast a yellowish glow, in your home with low natural light, they can contribute to a feeling everything looks green. especially if you have a lot of grey, specifically a cooler grey. It’s basic colour science since blue and yellow = green.

You also said you love homes that are light and fresh, with lots of grey and white. Your home is quite lovely and sounds like it could be on a nice wooded lot, but it probably will never be that. My advice would be to embrace a warm and cozy look and feel, introduce some colour as well as contrast. Colour and contrast will keep the eye bouncing around the rooms, making it interesting.. For The stairs I would go for a dark banister and newel post like decoenthusiaste suggested above for the contrast.

Thank you for all the responses. As far as the light goes..the natural light tends to be green/gold and then I have light fixtures that are clear so I used those old fashioned bulbs that really cast a yellow light.

I am going to attach a photo of my living room which is to your immediate right when walking into my house. I really like the soft all similar color color scheme, but I clearly can't capture it because the room looks pretty BLAH...I just don't know how to get it to come together and most of the furniture is off craigslist. My sofas are gray but they go blue a lot which has caused me to give up on finding pillows. I will attach a photo of the look that I like....thank you. As far as my original post about the banister...how hard is it to remove the white paint from some of it and restain a darker or should we buy new? How hard is it to change the stain the handrail to darker?

Looking at this last photo, it looks like you have some low-hanging tree limbs. You would be surprised at the difference having an arborist limb up/thin the trees branches, allowing more sunlight to reach your windows. Then I'd reexamine my lighting along with the repainting suggested above.

Have you considered a new door more in keeping with the style of the windows? More glass means more light.

Hi, Jen--

Think that swapping your hall bench for a console with doors of some type in your entryway would help with by-the-door storage and also give you a place to connect a candlestick buffet lamp on top to give you another point of ambient light in that dark pocket to the right of the window. Lights always want to be grouped into trios at a minimum.

I'd look for something in a slight profile that compliments your existing floor lamp - bonus points if it's dimmable so you can amp up and down the wattage as needed depending on the time of year.

Hi,
A new front door with more glass would let in more light. Try that first then you can paint what you think you need to. Goodluck!

My parents and sister had similar problems in their shaded living rooms. Trimming trees is a must. And adding recessed lighting with dimmers works wonders! And agree with getting a front door with more glass. That’s what I’m doing too. Can’t wait! Plus get a table with lamp in your entry. And a new, light & bright entryway ceiling fixture too. Good luck!

Don't forget well-placed mirors to amp up the light. Maybe your new entry light fixture can sport a little bit of bling.
Your living room is really underlit. Buy a variety of bulbs after consulting with someone at a big box store, or a lighting store. Most are really good about taking the ones you don't like back. I am so compulsive about light, my husband knows not to bring any new bulbs home without consulting me first.