Sounds like you are ready for a change. The rugs are beautiful. Your ideabooks have photos that are a lot less formal than what you have now. What color will the new sofas be?

You can get a good start on a new look by collecting all the current accessories: decorative faux flowers, vases, coffee table books, artwork, and so on, just as if you were starting to paint. Buy some fresh flowers and some real fall gourds, pumpkins, etc. to make some new arrangements. Then look at your ideabooks again to see the difference in new style vs. old.

Do you have a photo of the silk curtain panels you intend to keep?

Here is best picture I have of the panels.

Oh.... the new sofas are an off white; Kravet - Crypton Titan Chenille Snow from Calico Corners/ Sabre Arm Sofa.

Off-white sofas won't give the feeling of warm and welcoming. You can't see that they're a practical performance fabric, so they appear formal and "look but don't touch". Color is more warm and welcoming.

With your plan for off-white walls and sofa, and cream drapes, your room will look very formal. I'd put the sofa order on hold until you consult with your decorator. Are you keeping the rug in that room? Navy sofas would look great.

We don't have enough photos to tell, but I suspect a new furniture arrangement is in order if you want a more intimate space. In your first photo above, the Queen Anne chair is separated from the sofa by a traffic path. Whatever new furniture you end up getting, arrange it so that none of the seating is bisected by traffic which means you'll have to get at least some of it off the walls and float it in the room.

When you say "warm and welcoming" what do you have in mind? Your home is beautiful, but to me, it feels very formal. Yes, the Queen Anne chairs feel formal, so glad those are being replaced. Pottery Barn sometimes has cute photos of rooms are more warm and casual (they sometimes "dress" their off-white sofas with pillows or throws, which makes them look less formal.) If it were me, I'd consider putting the grandfather clock and the lamps in storage. Try some fun lamps. In terms of meeting with your designer, can you clip pics of rooms that have the mood you want?

Thanks to all who commented. Your comments are great. Lots to think about. I will work on creating an ideabook to give the decorator an idea of the mood I am trying to accomplish.

You are right to stay away from the gray trend for your home. I think the warm whites or very soft sage greens would work well in your space and coordinate with your new sofas and your current drapes and rugs. You can get a more updated look by changing items like lamps, accessories, and end tables to more transitional designs.

Dear Hollybar,

Oh wow! Thanks for those pics you submitted. I LOVE the natural fiber/Jute/Sisal type rugs in that space. I also LOVE the neutral airy wall colors. I especially like the off white sofas in the same room as the leather in the third photo. It makes me wonder can I squeeze my husbands old club chair that has that same leather in the living room somehow and get him a new chair for our family room. I'll take a pic and post. Can anyone help me post a picture from the Calico Corners website to Houzz of my sofa? I have tried several times to no avail. Groveraxel suggested that I will need to float the two facing sofas I have ordered and I do believe the Calico Corner's Interior Designer has planned it that way. She came to my home to make sure my idea of two sofas was realistic and help choose a versatile fabric in color and type. I have the room (informally) sketched out with measurements. I'll post that too. Thanks!

Your rugs and drapes are beautiful do not cheapen that space with a sisal rug. There is absolutely no reason why white sofas are not welcoming BTW I would also not choose white walls be a soft color like the green of the vases of flowers would be very nice . I love the idea of the cowhide for the office and please always real flowers .I use oriental rugs in all sorts of different style spaces they have a warmth that is hard to beat and in your case work well with the other elements like your wood.

To Calidesign,

Thanks! I do love the sage green. I have thought about a sage green grasscloth wallpaper for the dining room. The green concept could flow into the full bath in that part of the house which has green backsplash and a shower curtain. I'll post a picture. The good news is I have some time. Sofas are special order and will arrive in December. The designer is involved in three large scale projects and thus will not have time to even meet with me for another week or so. My painter is only one month out right now. A few pieces that have importance to me... the table lamp in the room from is my mom's home. It's name brand is "Stiffle". My mom, who is deceased, made a big deal about that lamp. I remember it from childhood and I am 53! Orange art work is from Haiti. It's a Beauvoir competed in 1952. It's insured and a collectors item. I remember as child visiting Haiti almost every summer until I went off to college and going to the market with my family in downtown Port-Au- Prince. At times I have struggled with the colors but the sentimental value supersedes all else. I feel connected to each piece other than the sofa and mirror in there. I am aware that I may need to work on letting go; my home is about my husband and children, loving family and good friends. The Calico Designer loved a photograph from my mother-in-law's home, also deceased. It's vintage/antique; ancestral and must stay. I'll post a pic.

Dear Patricia Colwell Consulting,

Thank you for your opinion about the Sisal type rug. I will keep that in mind. Trying to find the balance between updated yet classic, working in a splash of a fun trendy item and not being too stuffy in this space has proved challenging. My home is 4,000 square feet with three living areas. Each area has its own purpose but I have felt spread thin trying to create different, unique spaces. I think I'm getting close. I'll post pics of the other spaces in my home. A few friends have suggested having a slightly more formal area in my home is natural given the layout and number of rooms.

Green Glass Tile in bathroom in hallway between dining room and office.

Husband Old Worn leather chair in family room. MAYBE try to tuck that into a corner of the living room and replace with a darker leather chair that may suit the family room better??

Another view of family room

Same family room including a bit of the kitchen bar and breakfast nook. Importance is the angle leading into the dining room- front of house areas .

Old- Vintage restored photo of my mom-in-law's auntie who raised her; deep south segregation era. My understanding is this was a church dress; she needed glasses because she could read and was doing well in school. She went on to attend an HBCU earning a college degree and made sure my mom-in-law did too. Education during that time was a right to be fought for and the path to opportunity and a better life. I get teary eyed typing this. Just a reminder of how important a personal space can be; so much more than just fashion and style; a place of peace, refuge, contemplation, rest. family memories and so much more.

The Beauvoir I inherited from my mother. The Calico designer called it contemporary. I never heard any Haitian refer to it like that, but I am not knowledgable about art at all.

Husband's Office. Sorry for the clutter and old Ikea chair. The hubby has been promising to clear it out and put things away. Won't allow me to organize his space. The queen anne chairs reupholstered in cowhide will go in here.

I am following this journey.... Your home is beautiful and full of meaningful items! I can’t wait to see what you choose to do!

Thank you. I am going to try and relax and enjoy the process. I keep in mind that, in many regards, decorating is a luxury yet also a necessity. Meaningful at any age with any budget - warmth and love can be achieved even when there is very little money with which to work!

I defer to the pros on design, but if you want to try a natural weave rug, you can probably buy it, try it to see how it looks, and then return If you don’t like it. From the pics, your hubby’s chair doesn’t look that worn to me. It has a lived in look; if you’re going for less formal, that’s better than spanking brand new leather chair. And your husband’s office doesn’t look that bad; how do you feel about letting him call the shots in there> Might make it easier for everyone if he has one room where he can do what he wants. (Sometimes his decisions might be based on praticially or who knows? He may be sentimental for a chair you’d like to replace).

Daisy, thank you so much for posting that picture, and story of your beautiful aunt. I am grateful. Your house is lovely. White sofas and Persian rugs are my thing, so I find them quite welcoming. My only suggestion is to add a few scatter pillow here and there to tie in all the color from the art and rugs together with the seating.

I started to answer this post before Zalco's post. I was just about to mention how welcoming I find your home as it is now. I am a more formal entertainer, I like to have sit down meals in a dining room rather than buffet style. I find your wood pieces, rugs and tidy rooms very inviting. I hope your changes maintain the level of sophistication your present style has.

You have a beautiful, traditional style, and when all your pieces have meaning to you, that is what really makes a home! You could consider using new simple silk lampshades on your lamps to update them.

To Calidesign,

Yes, I agree with updating the lamp shade on my mom’s floor lamp . The lamp in the corner next to the grandfather clock can go. No value or sentimental meaning there. The lamp on the tea table is an antique vase my mom had converted to a lamp. I put a silk drum ( I think that’s what it called ) shade on it and it was an instant update. Thanks!

daisy I find your home beautiful, warm and welcoming as it is, wishing you fun in making the changes you want!

Daisy, I am sure your home will be just as lovely & characterful after your changes as it is now. Thanks for sharing so many more pics, quite a feast!

Something else to consider is to move your art and rugs from time to time. A different room,different wall, a change in orientation breathes life. Like you, I have pieces that I will never part with but because I love them, I want to really see them. Appreciate them anew. Sometimes for me a move is needed to make sure I do ;-)

Most of all,thank you for sharing the story of your MIL's Auntie. That's the important stuff,the rest is just decorating.

Here is a room that is warm and welcoming to me. Love the rug in the room!

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Have you considered using a longer curtain rod and putting the two silk panels "in the middle" -- one on each side of the middle window -- and then adding two other panels beside the two outer windows that cover only the window frame and the wall beside the window that are chosen to be more the look you want. That would, of course, require changing the placement of your art but since you're going to be painting, you'll be taking everything down and rehanging it anyway.

Changing out all your lamp shades to "match" each other -- either the same size and/or shape and/or color - could be an update. I like your thin silver metal post lamp but would suggest a larger white lamp shade with straighter sides or at least a more interesting shape.

Do check out dining room lights and see if you can find a more modern and less formal one you like.

Have you considered adding a stained glass window hanging in the large window above the entry door? Choose one that has your favorite colors and reflects some personal interest you and/or your family have.

https://www.google.com/search?q=large+stained+glass+hanging+panels&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOn-ukhvfkAhUQKKwKHUziD80Q_AUIEigC&biw=1328&bih=617#imgrc=TYLC5Lf5vQOEnM:&spf=1569795057841

To Suezbell,

Thanks for your ideas. I am open to getting new curtains and rods and certainly would go for fuller ones this time around. When the designer I have contacted is able to do her initial visit to my home, I will mention the curtains and ask for her opinion. Can you give more detail as to why you have the curtain idea?

As for the lamp shades....yes, I do intend on changing those to drum shaped shades.... most likely silk.

Now the light fixtures. This feels like a doozy of an issue to me. No fixture hanging from the living room two story ceiling , but the fixtures in the foyer and dining room coordinate. I have thought about new fixtures and immediately get overwhelmed. I've considered a DIY refinishing project of both and removing the lamp shades all together or just removing the bell shades. The lighting seems to be the cherry on top and may be a design element that I address after the furniture, painting and accessories.

As for the stained glass above the front door window...... while beautiful especially in craftsman style homes, I'm not loving the idea for my space but I won't completely rule it out. I value a fresh perspective though!

I actually like the look of your home the way it is now. It is, however, a bit formal for my personal taste.

I also really like silk fabric -- not just the feel of it but the way it hangs. I only mention the drapes because you indicated you were interested in making the room more welcoming and, at least relevant to a formal setting, I tend to equate that with making the room seem less formal.

No offense intended, but the white sofa beside the silk panels tends to make the panels look a bit yellowed as if with age.

Also, curtain panels of silk material in a pastel color seem (to me at least) as if they should be the equivalent of "underwear" for drapes -- used as sheers with drapes rather than used by themselves as a window treatment, at least if/when it is to be used in a living room where guests are welcomed. By themselves, I'd be more inclined to put them in a bedroom.

Then, too, the color of the silk panels is "cool"; whereas, a bolder or thicker fabric could present a warmer and perhaps more welcoming vibe -- especially with all the light colored upholstery.

Since your upholstery is white/neutral, but you have multiple warm colors in your art hanging to the left of the windows -- you might consider choosing something that also goes well with both the silk and with that picture.

Since you like the silk and want to continue to use them yet want a different vibe for the room, adding additional panels seems worth at least considering. You might take one of the panels with you to see if you can find some that coordinate with the silk panels -- but keep the paperwork in case you choose to return them.