Here's the cabinet we were looking at for the right of fireplace.

I would paint the wood shelving and beam an off white and add drapes that go from ceiling to floors on either side of the French doors and window also in an off white.

Beautiful room! Have you thought of painting the shelves a soft white color and maybe even replacing the shelves themselves with glass. Then, you could add lighting at the top of the shelving that would reflect all the way down. I agree with the above poster about the draperies.

The mirror is adding nothing of interest. Only reflecting the ceiling. Replace that with a large landscape.

I would fill those shelves with books. The stone is very busy and just books in the space would help to keep it simpler.

Duplicate post. I thought we rearranged this room. Did you move everything back to the original position?

Totally agree with the drapes. Next on our list. We don't want to block out any light as the room doesn't get much sunlight given theres a covered porch the length of the house along that window wall, so we'd just put enough drapes to hang on the sides of the windows but not cover them up. On the fireplace mirror, we would not have it lean back like it is now, but rather attach it so its resting at 90 degrees which we were thinking would bounce a little more light around the room as it tends to be a bit on the dark side. That may give it a little more interest instead of just the ceiling view (not sure though). Thanks for the replies, love to hear more, very helpful.

Tennisanyone - Yes, original post was about tv position. We ended up moving back to the tv opposite wall as fireplace after a few days. We didn't care for the fact when you were on the couch you had your backs to the barstools/kitchen/dining/etc, felt like it broke up the room and living space in a way that we didn't care for. Now we are trying to get the decor situated. Thanks - JD

Hi an idea for your bookshelf change:- what about cutting out cardboard or scrap dry wall for your bookshelves first and paint them instead. This way if you like a colour or don't like a colour its easy to remove change and re paint even wall paper - maybe a change for every season. This also leaves the timber case as is because you never no you may go wild and want the room walls painted and the bookshelf to stand out lol.

Do what Wolford Building said! I used to have a beam that color cutting through our FP/ceiling and also a "beam" of the same color above the slider. (I have a rock FP too - without the shelves). Painting an off white like the ceiling make a HUGE difference. My husband (like many men) think it's sacrilegious to paint wood but he admits it looks waaayyy better now. Do it tomorrow. :) You will have no regrets.

It might be late to stop you, but I wanna give it a shot. Instead of painting white try to install mirror on the back of cabinets. It will cost a bit more, but it would be absolutely worth it! You said it yourself that the room is dark and needs light. Mirror will bring a lot of light into the room and you will save the beautiful wood, without making it into kitchen white.

Here is a wonderful example of how to tackle dark wood with crisp linen fabric: http://houzz.com/photos/6613245

Well, the example above of successful repainting in white is only good cuz white is also found elsewhere in the room, I.e. the fireplace mantel. But in this room painting the shelves white is difficult given that there is no white trim anywhere else. The floor would totally clash with white color, not to mention stone. The current color of shelves is so well chosen (walnut) that it goes very well with stone and floor tile. I would be afraid to paint the shelves white, they might look like sore thumb.

Once again to soften the room you need linen throughout - curtains, upholstery, etc. I would (regrettably) reconsider leather coach in favor of a linen one, or linen slipcovers perhaps. But, wood shelves can be tackled with mirrored surfaces on the back for much richer look.

The French doors to the patio is an off white, so I'm thinking painting the beam and bookcases an off white also will make sense of the "white" door.

Take out the book cases and either finish the fireplace in the same stone, if unavailable, find a complementary stone of different texture. Drapery idea is good. Joan

At one family cottage, the stone fireplace has been left untouched, and the wallboard walls have been painted. In a smaller second family cottage, a propane fireplace remains without any surround, while the walls retain their fresh pine finish.

Justin and Laura, you have a beautiful home. If you're not able to bring a decorator in for a consultation, I recommend going to a large box book store. Leaf through some decorating books and find illustrations that most closely represent your style. Purchase the book, and utilize it to pull together a multi-stage DIY project that will give you a cohesive home that incorporates a look that is functional and attractive to you.

Darzy, well, yes French doors are white, but they are not part of the focal wall, and since there is a mix of materials going on there, each carefully coordinated with the other, I would not be distracted by the secondary colors in the room, if considering change on the main wall. Instead, I would take the dark leather couch out of the room to see how much lighter the room has become! I really think that the whole oppression in the room comes from the vast expanse of brown brought in by the couch. Once slipcovered or replaced (I don't think people reupholster leather couches, but they might) the room will start breathing again. I mean, in a couple years time you guys will tire of the cheap white on the shelves and then you will be thinking of refinishing the fireplace, etc., all totally unnecessary, if you just leave it as it is (beautiful) and work around it with lighter upholstery and curtains in fresh cream colored linen.

Since your room is light challenged, have you considered putting mirrors behind your shelves, maybe just the top two and paint the remaining a soft white. The mirrors don't have to be brand new, you can get antique mirrors. If the drapes are going to be for decoration, hang them higher than the door frame. Good luck.

I would keep the shelves themselves walnut. If the shelves are removable, I would paint the BACK of the bookcases a green that compliments the stone & barstools. (Maybe SW Sawdust???) You will then want to put contrasting (lighter) accessories on the bookcase, For instance, with books, place them so that the pages face outward to the room. Think about an organic theme for decor. Think texture.

FYI. your FP wall is your focal point. I would hang your window mirror straight on, NOT at an angle. It's a good size for there.

Have the window to the left of the door trimmed out & hand panels on each side in linen. I would position a very large palm between the FP & that window.

The biggest issue is balancing your TV wall with the other side of the room...you need something much more substantial over there, & hang the TV on the wall for safety.

I think you have a great start - before jumping into painting anything I'd try adding some accessories in a light color - a white or off-white throw on the couch, pillows in tone-on-tone neutrals in light tan or off-white and with a lot of texture, some bold light colored accessories on the coffee table and a new fireplace grate - I'm not a fan of the mirror - I think a plain mirror without the divided areas would work better because it's busy with all the lines in the fireplace and tile floor - you need simple lines and light, bright touches - Maybe try one accent color in a very light shade like yellow - a big vase filled with flowers on the coffee table would even make a big difference

True HomeScapes, very true advice. But i"m thinking that with the little guy, empty vertical surfaces are being left clean & clear???

I'm usually a paint fan, but you have a lot going on here already and the dark wood helps tie back to your dark leather. Definitely do not paint this white - it bisects the earth toned stone and will jump out to the eye in a non-pleasing way. You could go to a drabware tone from the stone but it would clash with your kitchen cabinets. So I think status quo and dealing with the shelves by filling them 1/3 open / 1/3 function (books, games) and 1/3 art (little statue, painting, plates or ceramics . . . best choice. If you can add lighting, even the battery powered kind that sits in the top and you push on and off manually, that in the very top of both sides would be good.

The thing I want to paint is all the too white white trim and french door that seem like they are too white for the floor and tan wall and earthy colors in the space. I would like to see the trim around the doorway to the closet hall and the doors at least painted one coat of a creamier off-white (not asking you to paint all the baseboards too though that would be best). An antique white shade like bm ivory porcelain could do a lot . . http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/ivoryporcelain

The wood tones you have work well together but not so great with the white white. I don't see mirrors working well with these rustic elements on the back of the shelves either. Drapery so it fills the wall area where the windows and doors are not is a terrific idea . . right now you need some softness and sound absorbtion.

And finally, for a room with elements like this, I think you've picked the right kind of wall tone that has warmth but doesn't try to make the room light filled - it just isn't so you make it cozy and warm and that is nice in its own way.

For the first time in history... I would actually move the TV over the mantle... I notice how distracting it is in the photos you posted. Face the fireplace with the sofa, add chairs, the coffee table. You need a big nice area rug to soften it up.

I understand you didn't like the couch facing the fireplace (can you do a side by side in the photos again) but I hate the idea of your back facing a window, especially since you said you have a covered porch. I would always want to see who is coming or looking in a window :). Just a matter of preference and you have to live there. I would not paint the bookshelves. It blends beautifully with the stone. I think that is a beautiful feature in your home.

The only thing that bothers me about the shelves is that they look like stepladders. I suggest taking some out, as below, to vary them and give you space to display bigger objects. You could fill the smaller shelves with books, or maybe devote two of them to photographs and fill the rest with books. I love the look of the chest you like but I wouldn't put it next to the fireplace, which -- particularly with the shelves -- gives you quite enough strong verticals on that wall. I'd like you to treat yourself to a lower form of storage, such as the sea chest below, or something a bit higher than that, and then place a vertical piece of art above it. I like chests; you can throw stuff -- eg toys -- into them.

As for the mirror ... not that one, with the four squares. It's fighting too much with the freeform grout of the fireplace, and it's a kind of mis-echo of the window and French window. Something like this? Or a round one (not sunburst, something simple). Chest and mirror from Overstock.

Back to work for me, but it's hard to resist a good fireplace dilemma.

Yes, travis, I think we tackled this space before and I thought the results were good, but maybe not good enough. The cabinet suggested for right of the FP is just more of the same - another set of dark shelves to deal with. I'd upgrade by replacing the wood shelves with glass and adding LED lighting (string, tape or puck) and a collection of pottery, glass or sculpture. Try something like Sherwin Williams Grand Teton White to paint them.

Find a large painting you will love to look at every day that will ad brightness to your room. I would change the white french doors to another color . . . that fits in with a rustic look. Your cabinet for the side would be good.

On the other hand, off white trim, curtains and beam would probably look good, too. You can color it on a snapshot first to see how you would like it.

I agree that the beam should be painted off white or taupe to minimize how heavy it looks in the room. I also recommend eliminating the fan light or replacing with a less hulky more streamlined style. A fan with no light would be a better option. For a fireplace face lift I agree you should paint out the book cases in the same off white or taupe and paint all the trim in the room and the French doors whatever you paint the beam and bookcases. A light taupe colored trim would be more harmonious with your darker furniture than the bright white. Then the plaster walls could be painted a deeper mocha color that harmonizes with the stone fireplace and floors. Eventually I would remove the bookcases and narrow outer stone trim and just focus on the main portion of the fireplace. You could then panel the walls in vertical tung and groove paneling painted off white or taupe.
With all the tile and stone I would add a large area rug to warm up the space and anchor the furniture arrangements. Install roman shades over the small window to the side of the French doors and mount the shade almost at ceiling height so when the shade is up its stack up is not in the window. Mount the curtain rod at ceiling height so the top of the curtains will be at the same height as the roman shade. You have plenty of room for the rod to extend 12"- 18" on each side. That way the curtain stack will not encroach on your view. Make the curtains actually working curtains with several widths of fabrics so they don't look skimpy. Each panel should be at least 2 widths wide even if you decide to make them stationary panels. Window coverings will also add warmth to the space and give the room a more pulled together look.

Since light is a concern I will pass on a couple of things that worked for me.

In our dark living room we had two Solatubes added. You could add a few small ones to blend in with the recessed lighting.

In our dark kitchen we painted the ceiling with a semi-gloss paint. Really bounces the light around.

If you don't want to paint the room's ceiling. Maybe painting the porch's ceiling would bounce more light in.

Besides that, the room needs some softening. Add off white linen panels to the windows and toss a throw across the sofa to help hold (slippery leather) a couple of light or bright pillows to the sofa.

Add a rattan tray to the top of the coffee table to hold magazines, remote, etc.

Solartube: Have to take cursor over to see! Semi gloss ceiling:




PS: your son is so cute!

To sum up the above discussion: unless you intend to do a major work on the fireplace in the future (I.e. remove the outer stone trim, change configuration, reface it altogether) the consensus is for you to learn to live with its beauty (and it is a real beauty) in your house by adding softer touches and perhaps (later on) changing the dark leather couch to a lighter linen one. In the meantime add throw pillows and blankets in lighter colors to the couch, add mirrors and lights (if possible) to the back of the shelves, place lighter color accessories on the shelves and the coffee table, and anchor the sitting area with a rug of the same lighter palette. One more thing you could do to add instant light and warmth - add a couple of club chairs in lighter creamy linen to flank the sofa. There are sooooo many on Craigslist and/or Overstock for an easy price!

The room is easily getting too dark....the night pics don't help. I like your wall color and kitchen cabinets. Why not paint your French doors, trims, bookshelves, and beam the same color as your cabinets? This would give uniformity. Keep the beautiful stone. The mirror will be nice. You can have a fresh natural wood look without the heavy antique look.