What does "update" mean to you. A new look? Or are you looking to replace your fairly traditional furniture? Do you have ideabooks so we can get a sense of your style? Are there elements you love or are tired of?

If it were me I’d start with more casual and more comfortable furniture - being careful on scale not to get anything too big

What is the motivation for updating? Getting ready to sell or just want a new look?

Is there another room that gets used more? This looks like a pristine traditionally furnished room from the 1990's. Updating could be done with new upholstery fabrics, new paint, new lamps, and some live plants. But it needs a good draw for people to use it. Try drinking your coffee or tea in the morning or afternoon to start.

First of all I would go with warm neutal light paint.

Thank you for so much input, a lot of what I was thinking about.The grand piano stays (it does limit the furniture arrangement, but could I have it repositioned?). The Kermin rug is another keeper. I know it looks busy, but it has all the colors I like and "warms up" the long room. BM Natural cream sounds great to me and maybe reupholstering. is another solution. I am a little tired of the couch,(makes the room look stuffy) but it may look different with a cream background.. I like the idea of new paint, lamps and plants. Where do I begin?

I have not read any of the comments- but I would just like to say that, imo, your room is absolutely gorgeous. I love everything about it. The only thing that I might change would be the glass coffee table - mainly because the glass (and corners) makes me nervous, especially if children, teenagers or any unsteady people frequent the space. And just in general, I think a sitting room tends to be more comfortable when people don’t have to maneuver around a glass coffee table. It would be a mix of patterns to do an animal print ottoman as the coffee table - but I think this type of pattern mix could work here and I think it could be fabulous. If not - maybe an interesting vintage table in mahogany.

Your room is stunning. It does not need an update.

If you did an animal print ottoman, I think zebra might be the one. It would also tie in nicely with the baby grand.

I put together a quick visual:

Your beautiful rug doesn't have as much saturation of red in it- and your sofa and room has more of a contemporary edge than the one in my visual; but hopefully, it gives you the general idea.

I like your furniture and think that you could update/refresh the room by reupholstering the seating and changing out the wall color and curtains. Rather than repainting the walls in a light color, I'd suggest a dramatic dark color to amp up the volume. I love the 18th century style but it can look stuffy with damask and silk, so I might consider finding a pretty Jacobean floral print for new curtains. A few accent pillows on the chairs would also tone down the formality.

Heather Chadduck Hillegas is a very talented designer who was chosen to be the designer in residence for Colonial Williamsburg. Here is how she redecorated one of the living rooms:

Even though she used a silk damask on the chairs, and very traditional accessories, the formality is balanced by the braided jute rug and the modern stripe on the coffee table. The trim color grounds the room and is a great foil for the wall painting/wallpaper.

Here's another room she did with a bold blue on the trim and a more lively print on the wing chair:

You could consider slipcovering the Chippendale sofa, as Josh Young did at Sycamore House.

Slipcovering the wing chairs with contrast welting is a great casual look too:

Schumacher has some gorgeous Jacobean tree of life prints that could work with your rug if you don't want to change it. Choose one in a fresh clear colorway that works with your Kirman rug. Some ideas:

I would definitely start by repainting the walls a creamy white. The rug is beautiful and I think the art will look great on a creamy white wall. Not a fan of the side table, so I’d work to replace that next. Then you can see how you feel about the furniture. Maybe it all works, or maybe you want to reupholster the sofa with one of the softer colors from the rug?

An easy update, IMO, would be to take down the sheers. Unless you need them for light control or privacy.
To test out the look, just pull them all the way back and take a photo of the room. Sometimes it's hard to "see" something when you are standing in the middle of it.

I agree about the sheers--they give kind of an old-ish vibe.

Is this the best place for the piano near the radiator and window? I don’t have the software to illustrate, but I would try regrouping the chairs, tables so it’s more conversational, currently looks like people would have to shout to be heard across the room. Moving wing chairs away from the fireplace would better feature the fireplace. L-shape or U-shape conversational areas tend to work better. No sheers, if light control needed there are other window treatments that are more transitional. Sorry, glass table has to go (I nearly cried when I had to sell mine, but grandkids and smaller space made it necessary.) The sofa draws the eye, so chairs and loveseat need to be recovered to complement sofa and rug. OK, Pros help out here with layout, etc. 😉

1. First step is to decide on a budget, as that will narrow down options.

2. The next is your couch decision as it will dictate everything else (whether you reupholster or buy), ie: style, wall color, layout, and accessories you have in mind like drapes, tables, cushions, lamps (which should come last). Decide on an overall scheme that suits rug (I can’t get a sense of its colors) and spend time looking at on line rooms for inspiration.

3. Layout depends on how/what you are replacing. If you could provide a drawing with dimensions and structural components, as well as seating needs, and you’ll get more relevant suggestions. Room has so much potential and be sure to take your time.

Here's another take on the room with the walls in a dark blue colour (BM's Gentlemen's Gray). with the existing furniture. New ceiling light, new window treatment, new table lamp, new ottoman.

@teach112 , do you have a close up photo of the porcelain (?) lamp on the round draped table? And a close up of the pattern in the rug? Adding a small piece of white paper will help the camera color balance to show truer colors.

Pictures show a close up of the rug pattern and the colors on the lamp. I loved the last two pictures with darker painted walls and lighter drapes, but would like to keep my silk drapes and try to work with the lighter colors. I really like the window treatments, but the sheers are needed for privacy as the house is close to the street. I think I liked everything in those pictures......can i possible achieve a similar feel to the room if I change lamps and tables? I am working on a layout with dimensions as there is a five foot and a half foot opening on the left side of the sofa. Thanks for taking an interest in this "project". I don't like too much of a change, but feel I need to do something to give the room a more comfortable look.

Here's another dark paint colour, BM's Racoon Fur, with keeping your sheers and curtains.

The renderings with the dark walls look awesome, and painting the walls dark won't cost much and you can keep all your furniture and the rug.

Honestly, if you just want to paint the walls white and change out a couple of lamps and tables, you aren't going to see much of a change/update. But it seems as if that's what you want, so try it!

Just want to say — I am super impressed by all the fantastic suggestions and the constructive tone on this thread. That’s not always the case here. OP has been given some great ideas to work with and has shown she’s receptive to them. The ball really got rolling as a result of the specific questions that others thoughtfully posed. Kudos all around.

Thanks for lamp and rug photos. The colors are gorgeous. I'd keep both. If changing any lamps, I'd change out the brass lamps instead of the porcelain one or move the brass lamps to another room.

My opinion is to paint the walls in a tone and color that's as close as possible to the background color of the carpet. Perhaps a slightly muted, more complex shade with a hint of gray.

I do love the dark walls....now to get the courage to try it. The rest of the house has beige or off white wall paper and paint and I am worried that the living room would look too heavy.

I am off to get the BM samples that everyone suggested. Changing paints would be the easiest solution. Thank you!

I love the effect of the dark walls in your living room, but I think it's important to have a balance of color and tone throughout the home.

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but don't forget to consider your ceiling. It can be very helpful to get away from the harsh "ceiling white", especially in a space with low-ish ceiling height. If you're having painters in, it's worth it.

Consider which white you're using for trim and possibly go with that, in flat finish of course.

Also, maybe there is a way to achieve the privacy of the sheers, but feel a little less stuffy. Maybe cafe length sheers, if that works? They could be cafe height (or whatever height works to give the privacy you need) but gathered on a tension rod top and bottom.

One last thing, if you're keeping the red drapes, I would extend the rod out a little and expand them a little on each side. I think it would look better proportionally.

On the contrary, it's not a problem to have a dark room in a home that's otherwise all light. It actually makes your home more interesting. Not every room has to look the same, with the same feel.

I also vote deeper darker paint color

Wing chairs take little fabric relative to other pieces, and I'd definitely consider recovering........assuming you like them!

I think when you say "Update" you might mean lose the 'Parlor" effect? A bit younger?

The sheers, sorry to say, contribute greatly to that parlor vibe, especially in combination with wing chairs and camel back sofa..

Certainly keep the silk curtains, but there many options for privacy beneath those..

Diana, I'm always for interesting, especially unconventional, concepts. And I certainly don't think the entire house has to be decorated the same way. But the key word here is "concept." That is, with a conscious and well-thought-out visual balance/idea for the entire house, you can do literally anything.

And in this situation, if the author likes dark colors (not everyone appreciates intimacy), that's great. Dark colors are very effective here. But the author needs to be prepared and consider visual contrast when moving through the rooms.

The least expensive and most impactful thing you can do is paint the walls. I agree with lisedv.

You might try animal print pillows on the wing chairs, red geometric pillows on the red sofa, and a white plush throw casually placed. That would liven things up right away.

I don’t think I’d go that dark in this long narrow room with only the windows at the end. I think there’s other things that could be done that have been suggested to update look… and I would try those.

Lisedv has the right idea on the wall colour and it would flow better with the rest of the house. Then possibly look at reupholstering, or replacing the coffee table with something less traditional. Upholstering the wing back chairs in a more modern print could change the vibe in the room.

And as Amanda suggests above, liven up the accessories.

The skirted table looks fussy…I would remove the skirt. Lamps are easy to replace so I would do that. If you add black and white animal print pillows to the wing chairs you will be adding some depth and sophistication to the room. Hang a black and white abstract painting over the fireplace.

If you don't want to paint the walls dark, then paint all the trim a darker color. This was a technique used all the time in colonial homes.

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I'll be honest. There IS no such thing a "little update" . I wish there were such a thing. The upholstery labor is way up. Fabric and shipping UP. and by a lot. If a room was frozen in time for a couple of decades? It can be a lot more $$$$$ than anticipated.

It can depend how FAR you're willing to go, what your idea of "Update" is. Maybe the OP doesn't need as much seating in the room.. How do we know, unless she draws and measures the room, walls, windows, openings all have a dimension in feet and inches. Maybe she could do that.

Showing other rooms, would be great too. That gives us a sense of full context. Maybe even some jiggle of other things she already owns.

Sometimes folks DO bite a bullet. It's just not very often: )

Same rooms, still "traditional". But again, not " a little refresh/update"

The piano was out for refurbish in the before )

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Good questions Jan…as ever…”update” covers a WIDE spectrum. Seeing other areas of the house would be helpful. Seeing some inspiration photographs that the OP likes might also help with suggestions. What is it exactly that the OP is unhappy with?? We’re told that the rug and the silk curtains are staying as are sheers. She is open to having the room painted. Is she thinking of easy refreshing or a complete redo? What’s the budget? As you pointed out there’s a lot of unknowns currently.

The OP is probably busy with other stuff, so until we hear from her we really can’t make any plans

Excuse my very rough layout of the livingroom...I am certainly not a pro. I appreciate all your comments and suggestions. I love the dark paint, but not sure I am ready for the dark color change, mayber not brave enough!) The dining room and hallway are both lighter colors as is the den at the far end of the dining room. What do I really want? Maybe to accessorize?? I really like your choices of lamps, large plants and ottomans (but animal prints are not for me). I wanted to change the blue paint to lighter, but now that I see how nice the darker paint looks, I am not so sure I should change to lighter paint. Such indecision! Again, thank you for your input.

You have a dark rug on the stairs. To cut down on all the white in the dining room, you can paint the corner cabinets and replace the sheers for a natural fibre roman shade.

Maybe the solution is to paint the room a lighter gray if you don’t want the dark color.

Your house is a classic! Lots of good suggestions, but you need to determine your budget and just exactly what you want to accomplish. No one here can do that for you.

My house is very much like yours, so I know what I'd do. But it's not my house. Let us know when you've made a decision on just how much you want to change it.

Thank you, Diane I am curious as to what exactly you would do if this were your home. Please share, if you have the time. I have a lot of options, but really need some coaxing.

I would approach your home just as I described in my post 3 days ago (scroll up). I've actually done it in my house. I took down the damask wallpaper and curtains in my dining room and replaced them with a pretty linen Jacobean print (actually the first one in my post). I have a double pedestal mahogany table with Queen Anne chairs, which I didn't want to dispose of. I reupholstered the chair seats with a faux ostrich leather in red. I also took a brown mahogany chest and chalk painted it in a light gray. Replaced a dark mahogany china cabinet with a lighter pine sideboard mixing up a more casual piece with the formal ones. Also replaced the rug with a cotton herringbone.

Then I did the same in the living room, replacing a persian rug with a braided jute rug, and having new curtains made in a very colorful Schumacher print. I also reupholstered a damask sofa in teal velvet and added new throw pillows. I kept all the wood furniture, but it is more lively and updated now with the new textiles.

I will also reiterate again that the blue on the walls is not doing any favors for the room, and I love the renderings in darker colors. Or again, dark trim and light walls.

Just to add--mixing colors and patterns is a great way to update a room. I have toile, check, floral, ikat in one room and the colors and patterns make me smile every time I look at them.

The blue walls make the room look rather dreary. Would suggest painting the walls white to freshen and enliven the space.

Hmmm… seeing the rest of the house I can see how the darker walls would work. Making that kind of colour choice is tricky however. In my house I chose to do a feature wall in the dark colour and keep the rest of the walls lighter… but I don’t know if that would work in this room. You might want to hire an interior decorator to help you make your colour choice.

Diana, your makeover sounds delightful. Can you post pictures?

How about fill this in?

@Amanda Smith you can view photos on my Houzz page.