great thoughts, folks, thank you!! rob, the "sunroom" space is now going to be the only LR and DR in the house, so I definitely want it to read as interior space. If it was still going to be a sunroom, and there was a formal DR and LR elsewhere, the in/out materials connection would be a good idea... but I think I want to be really "interior" space. I'll post some exterior pics in a sec, but remember we haven't started the exterior yet! That's the late summer/fall project ;) bmorepanic- good point about code. Hmmmm. I just showed this to our code enforcement officer yesterday and he didn't raise an eyebrow. But maybe I should point it out to him and double check? Actually, I originally had that wall drawn as solid, like you have it, about 18" just to cover the end of a piece of furniture. But then my architect stepmom suggested this as a way to keep the open feeling. smilingjudy- after I had it drawn as a solid wall (like bmorepanic's), I also drew it as a column morphing out of the wall, just as you describe. Stepmom architect still changed it. And I definitely don't want to fill in the area between the two columns, even though it makes more sense architecturally. The impetus for this whole thing was to make the house feel more OPEN and be able to see the view out that big bank of windows..... It's a small, low, closed-in house otherwise and that's a feature (the windows and big huge yard beyond) we definitely want to take advantage of. Right now, just the window and door mullions in that space constrict the view and open feeling, and we're REALLY trying to make it as open as possible. (The original renovation plan was to keep the kitchen in the corner where the mudroom is drawn, which would have left that entire wall open. Now, while I LOVE the kitchen in this space, it does close it up more with the counter and backsplash... so I don;t want to close it any more.)

I'd consider a pale green. That works with the roof and also with your interior colors. I would not go more brown if that is not working for you already. BTW - I painted our wood siding and love the results. It had been an awful worn brown color and I painted it lavender because I could not stand it for another day. It took a ton of primer and paint to do, but the results were awesome. I know I'll either repaint later or use siding, but for now and for the coming years, it works so well. Our house went from ugly to cottage-y which is what I as trying to accomplish. When choosing the color, I wanted something that was not available as siding because with paint, you can choose exactly the color you want and are not tied to the siding mfr's palette. It would go more mainstream if we ever side it down the line. I suggest using quality paint and primer so it lasts longer before needing to be repainted. Here are the before pix (shown a few years before painting, was more worn looking) and the current look at sunset, with my cell phone, so not accurate as to the color. It is much more subtle a lavender shade where it even appears white until you notice the white trim and bricks.

Thanks for your kind words about the house. :) awm03, I believe you're correct that this house is post-MCM. It was listed as such on Zillow. "Just noting, though, that both the dining and front rooms seem to be visible from the family room, so I'm wondering about visual...symmetry with one very dark and the other very light. Also, painting the dining room dark will make that one set of windows especially dominant during the day." hamamelis, good points! "Curtains aside, they also seem to be asking me for a console or some such thing under the single panes..." I guess that would be possible if the console or some such sat far enough from the wall so that the drapes could move behind it. "Regarding the glass and mirrors, it occurs to me that the front room would change light and character dramatically with all of it gone. And that it can be beautiful when well done and lit." Excellent point. I think I'm not liking it now because there are so many things on it. I was looking at the listing photos and I much prefer it with a few select pieces of art. "Why is there what looks like a little wall sticking out in the middle, though, with the glass continuing on?" It does have a little wall that divides the glass area into two sections. It's just decorative and has been there since the house was designed - no doorway removal. justerrilynn, I like those styles of rugs. I've been eyeing them up on Overstock. I'm going to mull over the light-colored leather sofa idea. My set is getting older, but it's still in good condition, so it might be a hard sell to the BF. Lighter colors and a more MCM design would fit better in this house. I think after digesting all of the advice given, that I'll stick with light, neutral colors and hold off on the deep blue dining room. I suspect that a new coat of paint is going to go a long ways towards making things seem fresh and inviting. Thank you!

Thanks everyone, your suggestions are much appreciated. I have so much to consider still, as the house is only block at this point. It's a ranch style stucco home, with square windows and columns so the direction is pretty much up to me. With the modern front doors that I chose , and the gray and white exterior with some stone, that I'm planning I think it's more transitional than modern or traditional. The furniture is a mix of Farm house and traditional, a lot of grays, creams. I plan on adding touches of black so I thought black doors would look nice. I'm up in the air with a lot of things, and putting the cart before the horse so to speak with the door color it may seem...but I'm being pressed about the door choice from my husband and if they are to be painted black I'll need to know soon. So thanks for all ideas, much appreciated. I'll decide soon:)