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Your home has personality and it is so refreshing to see! You have a lot of great furniture and combined them in interesting ways in the living room. That coffee table and stools look like something from Architectural Digest. Perfection. I'd make a few edits though.

Living room - Remove the pillows from the sofa and replace with just two lumbar pillows in a handsome earth tone. Fold the blanket and throw it over an arm of the sofa. It is a beautiful sofa but looks like you are hiding it.

Arm chairs, I'd pin up the skirts and see how you feel about the look with the legs exposed. I did this to a chaise I owned that was upholstered in the 90s. After 5 days with the pins I knew it looked so much better and was time to use a seam ripper and take the skirt off.

TV area - The sofa covers look semi-frumpy. What are the sofa's like underneath? Or perhaps you need to tailor or pin the covers so they are slightly more fitted. I'd also remove half of your pillows. And, I'd take a few objects off the coffee table and console behind the sofa.

Dining room - What a great table and chairs and a smashing rug. The sunflowers don't exactly work for me, but it seems like a joyful picture and if you love it, that is all that matters.

This is such a helpful and wonderful comment and thank you for the compliments!

A few things: the two armchairs were my mother in laws from the early 2000s and are not my favorite. I plan to recover them at some point. And the two slipcovers on the couches are temporary since the couches do not match at all. One is a worn out potterybarn and the other is red and horrible pattern from early 2000s. We plan to get 2 matching couches at some point but for now it is the only thing that works. I agree that there are too many pillows going on and too many items on the tables and console! Thank you for confirming my doubts on that!

I’m not an interior designer, but I would prioritize replacing or updating the furniture. That would go a long way! Instead of spending money on smaller items which can add up over time, I’d save money to update the chairs and buy new couches. I think a dark brown leather could work in your space or light beige/white furniture.

For the dining room, you could look into updating the chairs to something like this - Brantner Wing Dining Chair
https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/lark-manor-brantner-wing-dining-chair-w004216314.html

I think they could work with your table. Updating the fabric on the seats would also help with updating your space.

Just the gold pieces in the first room that look a bit too much like they escaped from Goodwill

All your design concepts are solid and well thought out.

I'd place a blue jute rug under the animal skin to ground this area, or select an adrea rug that anchors this seating area instead of the skin that blends into the floor.

The wall decor seems undersized for the scale of the area and seating.

The overall feel of your spaces is “fussy” with a lot jammed in there; to me, that’s what your friend meant about being a “grandma’s house.” Taking away some of the stuff/decor/pillows would lighten it up and give it a more contemporary feel. There’s just a lot going on.

Yes, there is a lot going on, but…I like it! And you have gotten some excellent suggestions about how to refine your look. Don’t let any one remark by someone deter you from your design aesthetic. Your pieces are interesting, quality pieces. Your home looks “collected,” not staged. Lived in, not sterile. Colorful, not gray. Warm and inviting. If that spells “grandma,” then…well, damn, it is a compliment!

I love your style! My only slightly negative comment would be that the slipcovers are a bit loose. Having said that I have a loose slipcover on my sofa to keep the dog hairs off. I remove it when company comes over.

What a lovely home you have! Thanks for sharing it with us.

The first thing I noticed was your clear/glass coffee table. It is lovely but loooks like you have a sea of rug and nothing grounding it. I love the coffee table you have in the room with the slipcovered sofas! That is super unique and beautiful.

The other thing I noticed is the fight between the blue or gray rug and your furniture. I thiink maybe it would be a good idea to choose in which direction you would like to go.

The bottom line is... if you like everything. We all have our own style and taste. I would go with what feels good and comfy to you.

Love the look! i agree with @BeverlyFLADeziner re: thinking about different rugs - i would also lighten up the throw pillows and size up the artwork

It is warm and inviting and can use some updates as stated. Someone mentioned while talking to their daughter about my home 'looks like a museum'. I was mad but did not say anything, so it meant it was not warm and inviting.

Did you ever think about bringing the wood flooring into the kitchen?

It's traditional styling for the most part and perhaps not your acquaintance's cup of tea. Belongings also have special memories for us so a discordant item in a room may have sentimental value even if it doesn't quite flow with the space.

If I had free reign in your home, I'd edit and subtract: reduce the number of pillows on the seating surfaces and stacked books, trays, jars/vases on the console, side and coffee tables (nothing on the top of the painted cupboard).

The breakfast nook rug is too small for the space as is the table-maybe a round table would inject a different shape in that spot.

The two things I'd remove without hesitation would be the animal hide rug (a personal dislike plus the wavy edges are a trip/fall hazard) and the peculiar alternating backsplash in the kitchen. I can see you wanted to connect the rock from the fireplace wall to the kitchen. I wouldn't have put it on the fireplace either-it's looks like rock used in a shower pan and the vertical application doesn't suit a non-bathroom space. Slate would've maybe blended better with the two other tile flooring applications in the space. In hindsight, using your wood flooring everywhere would've helped to create a cohesive look and is calmer to the eyes. The alternating penny tile and rock splash could be switched out for one light-colored tile (a light shade from your granite) and only along the back walls-no splash is needed on the perpendicular side walls in the kitchen. You've got a patterned floor and counters so your backsplash should be calmer and more one-note.

@Christine W The grandma’s home comment did make me smile. The comment I remember hearing at one time on my home was ”so much to look at”. My thought is that’s what your acquaintance meant. I have collections of pottery and collectible figurines & some items from our years of living in Europe. My husband likes antique clocks. I also love pillows! Of necessity we’ve pared down while moving around over the years & now while downsizing. You have many interesting treasures and while sprinkled through your home, they’re mostly displayed in groupings which I think gives them more impact. Your plan of replacing the seating pieces is good & I think solid colors would work well as background for your smaller display pieces. I agree that reducing the number of pillows on the seating will go far with reducing the visual of things to look at. I cut my many pillows down to two on sofa so that people were able to sit without having to remove all my pillows lined across sofa back - opting for inviting seating comfort over wow - look at all the pillows! I’d also remove patterned pillows from the chairs in front living room & replace with solids. Patterned pillows on white pieces are great. That round table between the two chairs struck me as looking either awkward or dangererous with Ginger Jar perched on the books & makes the table look not useful for person sitting in the chairs to either see each other around it or place a drink on table. I think that jar would look great on the clear glass coffee table. Maybe move the books too. Love the camel seat stool - we had one we got when overseas but it met a sad end with a momentarily unsupervised teething pup! The dining room table would I think, look great with a runner instead of placemats. The jute mats are a good color so a runner in that color but a finer texture would be good. One runner over four placemats also reduces visual clutter. It’d be nice if the bowl had more in it & more colors of chair seats and rug so contents were more visible. Both of your bedrooms are lovely. They both look like peaceful and serene spaces. Love the blues in the one bedroom!

I hear you because I have a lot of “ brown wood fury” that many people today would scoff at and instead buy all that ubiquitous discount store “ farmhouse “ stuff ( not real collected vintage or period farmhouse pieces).

Since it’s WAY easier to critique someone else’s decor than my own, I’ll give you my take on the photos.
Also, review the photos yourself with b your own critical eye and you may see things differently from just living there. It’s like taking pics of your outfits and seeing things a different way.

In no particular order:

I agree too much stuff overall. Don’t get too sucked in by magazine “ layering “ on every surface.

No fake plants anywhere. Pick one spot tgat works for a vase for real flowers— not huge. I spend about $7 every 2 weeks or so on flowers. I’d spend more but I get some flowers and greenery from my yard. Also one or 2 real houseplants plants IF you like that. Some are indestructible.

Watch sizes & proportions. The blue & white pice on pile of books is too large for pike & too much.

The gold plaid should go. Sounds like you have a plan to recover or replace. Totally agree with having a vision & plan & socking away $$$ to get the big high-impact items rather than buying more small decor to compensate.

Too many pillows and the ones you have are not adding useful color or pattern.

I think at some point you need more and bolder colors IF there in one ( or 2 you like). I do love neutrals but one has to be more of a genius at finding fabrics and neutrals that end up interesting and cohesive and not just dullsville. I would say most of the rooms people are showing here are so bland and it’s partly because the furnishings are all neutral in the same tone family.
The color could be in art.
Some of your wall art looks dark and dull but might be quite nice if you had color elsewhere.
So I do use the term color loosely- for me it’s really colors, like blues and orange or raspberry and pinks and greens, but remember that black and white are neutrals, but together are more exciting. So “ contrast” is helpful in waking up a room.

Be sure you have a mood board or inspo file. For me I love traditional and English cottage but am also an eclectic & want not to look too Grandma myself ( though I expect I do) so I look for pics of more pared down or “ updated traditional “ or modern English cottage ( perhaps an oxymoron!) or eclectic styles.
I even have a “ Not This !” file for photos/ examples of what I’m trying to avoid.

I look for ways to get “ freshness”. For me that’s not “ modern” per se but related to light, live plants or flowers, dashes of crisp white and color rather than a sea of brown, gold, beige. For example, my sofa is a shade of light gold-tan color and I have some pillow covers that mix a bit of that hue with raspberry and crisp white instead of going gold/ brown. Or I swap out for fresh green/ gold/ white.

Have already described in other comments my commitment to removable, zippered, washable pillow covers which are easier to store for some seasonal swaps using same down pillow inserts. My idea is that if you’re really using the throw pillows ( and especially if the dog is using!) , they need to be washed occasionally. Plus I like decor mood shifts- more cozy reds at Christmas/ winter & fresher florals in S/S. Although I’m cutting back to more year- round favorites.

Aside from carting out the fake plants, you may have some items that can work great but need to have different arrangements or in different rooms or may work better once some other things are changed. If you possibly can, figure out a storage area- spare closet or attic or something- so you can strip away decor and then ponder what to add back, or store until new major furniture arrives. But if you already know “ I never liked this pillow anyways “, then let it go.

Here is a pretty bad mock up. I just thought it would be fun to play around with color and style.

I am not suggesting this rug nor this coffee table. Just thought it might be nice to see your room a bit differently. Excuse the weird table shape at the bottom. I could not erase the original photo's rug at the bottom of the table.

Was supposed to be,” brown wood furniture”.

There are some really nicely decorated homes in my neighborhood owned by ”Grandma’s”. Agree with many of the suggestions above, i would just start by editing out some of the accessories, starting with the pillows.

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions!! The help is so appreciated!

overall I like what you have going on. I wouldn't say it looks grandma. I like the mix. The one thing that did stick out to me, is that blue armoire and those items on top. I don't think the top needs anything. The items look too big IMO.

The skirted chairs and slipcovers remind me of our cottage of long ago. I smell the smoke from the woodstove. Is that so bad?

You have a lovely welcoming home and have done a great job. It's not always easy to mix old and new. The area that got me thinking the most is your front room with the brown leather sofa. I've circled in red the items to compare to my visual, sometimes it's simply paring down or up, or replacing a few items for example the 2 armchairs for 2 cream slipper chairs. Here's the look...

Just saw a new comment on updating your dining room. This is what I would do:

- Paint the chairs black and reupholster in a beige linen look fabric

- Since the table has pedestals not really in view I don't think you need to paint the pedestals in black

- Paint the base of the buffet black leving the top as is

- Replace your pendant for something more current

- New accessories for the buffet area

Here's the look...

Update! Got a new rug for big front room, removed a lot of pillows, switched the other rugs and removed unnecessary decor. Let me know if you think this is improvement!

More photos

:)

@Christine W Wow! What a great difference! The change of rug in dining & living rooms escpecially! Love the table without the placemats & the more ’important’ centerpiece. Can’t believe how the change in rug makes your dining set glow! The reduction of pillows makes all of your seating areas very inviting to sit myself down & have a chat. Your rooms flow and look well curated. Hope that ’acquaintance’ happens by soon to see your changes.

You bought a very nice rug but I'm sorry to say I don't find it coordinates with your furniture and decor in that front room, I much preferred the one you had there previously in black & beige. As to the new rug, perhaps it would look nicer in your area with the white sofas?

Here are a few ideas as to how to place a throw on a sofa, all the way across like you've placed yours give it somewhat a grandma-ish look...

The rug I previously had was blue and white, not black and beige. I moved that into the dining room. Thank you for your critique. I also agree that something isn't quite right with the new rug in the front room. It is just too large to move into the smaller tv room. Thanks for the advice on the throw blankets as well.

I do plan on recovering the chairs in the front room to a neutral light color at some point soon. Otherwise, I'll have to rethink the rug situation completely!