First, I would make sure you and your husband are on the same page with regard to a house aesthetic. It can be fun to blend two different aesthetics if that is the case, especially since you will be taking on the projects together. I like to establish a palette for a house. I like the colors from room to room to be cohesive. They don't have to be the same, but there should be flow to the colors. Next take a look at your floors. Are you going to replace them or just leave them as is? Do the floors support the desired palette? Sometimes your floors can dictate your palette if you don't plan on changing them. Also, for these bigger decisions consider what season of life you're in. Do you have children or pets? Will children be coming? Do you want a casual or formal lifestyle? Do have frequent guests for dinner or parties? All these things will start to shape the floorplan, finishes and ultimately the feel of your home. There are a hundred more questions I could ask you, but this is probably enough for starters. I'm sure others will chime in here with some additional good tips.
Hope this helps and good luck making house, just have fun! Charmean Neithart

We currently have the entrance a smoky grey color that I do love. Our floors are dark wood at the entrance/ front seating area and to our dinig area. It's all an open area that goes into our dining area and then our family room so the colors should definately be cohesive. I don't have any plans for the flooring up front as of yet but the family room we do want to change up. It is concrete.... with a really bad stain job on. We were thinking of either painting it or re-staining it and adding a rug. We have three boys and a dog and we do tend to have friends family and kiddos over. We would like somehting not too casual but not formal. More on the casual side. Our neighborhood has very wide streets and huge trees all over the place. It's one of the main reasons I fell in love with it. All the houses are old and unique. I would love bring that into the house.... somehow? Not sure if that makes sense. Most houses have character and are charming here. I should probably also mention that the family room is also the the entrance/exit to our patio/backyard. As of now the the ideas that are floating around is adding a built in book shelf and getting rid of the Ginormous entertainment center my husband brought with him and placing the tv above the fire place. We have a sectional ordered and plan on positioning along the wall and facing the fire place with a rug and coffee table in between. I will start on our palette. Thank you very much!!!

Sounds like a plan. I sometimes like to start with a rug when I'm considering a palette. Try www.rugstudio.com for a huge selection of rugs at affordable pricing. You might see something you love and then you can pull colors from the rug. Let me know if you need anything further, you can also follow me on Houzz for regular tips and suggestions. Good luck. Charmean Neithart