that new stuff isn't much different from what you currently have. I think you could find something better. if you have any aspirations of painting those cabinets in the future, white would work better w/that color flooring. If I had to rob a bank, I'd get the money and put it toward that bubble florescent fixture. Honestly, that is the worst thing I've ever seen. Please, splurge and get an electrician or a family handy guy over to remove that and give you 6 cans. you'll be amazed at the diff. if you can do the cans, at least get rid of that behemoth and do a flush mount fixture. are you DIY ? painting those cabs will freshen up that spot. even if it takes you two months, you could do it yourself for a few hundred. countertops,,check in pre-fab granite or quartz they cost about 300-500 for one 22"X9' slab. hire a fabricator to come and cut it for your kitchen (800 or so) do the legwork yourself, offer cash, and save big time.

We're also located in Iowa and according to our abstract, the lot was first purchased in 1850, but no details as to when the house was actually built. The floor plan definitely matches up to a foursquare. As someone posted earlier, the Library of Congress maps have actually been super helpful. I had no idea there was such a thing :D According to thothose records, the porch/overhang roof is not an addition. Our kitchen in the back is however. It does show that the house across the street from us, the true Greek revival was built before ours. So maybe it is just a foursquare with that added style .....you know, to keep up with the Jones' haha. And I completely agree about the front door. It's awful. It doesn't even seem to properly fit what's been trimmed out. Our single car garage was damaged and is going to need to come down. We've decided to remove it completely and fence in that area for some very much needed yard space. So the brown picket fence will be coming down and a 6ft privacy fence will be going up. I'm trying to convince my husband of going with a white vynl fence to help go with the house.

You have some true masonry work with beautiful brick. I love the little arches but your wall paint not so much from what I see on my screen. I think it would a shame and a pain to paint. Neither a thin white wash or a thick bright white on rhe bricks would brighten those rooms as much as repainting the walls. If the 3 other walls were lighter shades they would bounce more light on the bricks to make them appear lighter too. When I painted the wood stained wainscot in our breakfast nook to match our white trim, it brightened our windowless kitchen trenmendously. I understand you don't want to paint the walls, but that would brighten things more. Keeping the yellow in a lighter shade and the wainscot and trim in a warm white would work with the brick and your furnishing. I think a white shade from the brick throughout would unify and brighten the rooms. I could see covering all the brick in the mudroom with the beadboard like the wainscot and adding shelves and hooks. You could build a storage bench from stock cabinets. And paint it all the creamy color of your trimwork. I totally get the toy decor from the days when our kids were little. My sanity saver was a large wicker laundry basket to toss things in when wanted to enjoy a more grown up space after bedtime. Now that you dont need those gorgeous niches for wood, they are great toy storage space. A wood crate or metal wash tub could be more decorative hidden storage. (I have no stones to throw for plastic tubs. My baby has decorated our dining room with a couple filled with stuff going back to his dorm.) Also the brick will look lighter if the mantel is returned to a darker wood stain.

3D rendering of the house & color combinations would definitely help in deciding your color before paint. I personally think a light blue color would look nice in contrast with the light color of the masonry.