Thanks II. The furn is staying. The wall over the mantle is currently a gold color, yes. The whole room used to be that color. Above the mantle is the last section that needs to change. I have that kitchen blue paint I could use. I also have the khaki-ish sidewall color. I could try to darken it a little for the area above the mantle. Thanks, AMy, 1.Side walls are raffia basket, the new color which will remain. 2. Above the mantle is some variation on the old color - boardwalk. It needs to change. The area above the mantle, and possible the mantle itself, is all I want to paint at this time. OPtion 1: sliver basically white or whitish. That sliver looked good painted slightly lighter than the bricks in the before. But now the bricks appear much lighter and more prominent than they did before, and I don't see how I can paint the sliver any lighter than the bricks? Can I? Should I? The bricks are color matched to my kitchen cabs, which are very close to BM Navaho white. The sliver is in a bit of a hole, so maybe whatever I paint in there will look darker? I need the mantle to stand in for some kind of architecture or richness in the room. Am I seeing it wrongly? Influence me. With this option, I could paint the mantle another color but I wouldn't know what. Brown is too much like the wood tone the mantle should really be, and would look like stage makeup. Taupes are too tricky. Blue? Option 2: Sliver painted Sidewall color. I'm thinking of taking the side wall color and trying to darken it just a little and paint the sliver. This might provide a little interest and make that wall recede a tiny bit. Or, maybe the sidewall color will appear a bit darker when it is painted on the sliver because the sliver is in a hole. Option 3: Sliver painted blue.

The two looks you posted are very family room casual - is that where you are going? The mantel you have is pretty formal in design, so I am wondering if your decor and the rest of the woodwork in the space are equally formal? I don't see either one of those working in a more formal space. A wonderful textural slate could be terrific, though.

I would paint the walls a pale but warm blue, whitewash the fireplace, put up cream-colored, thicker curtains with a white or cream pole, have blue and soft red pillows and do what you think is best with the bookcase. I would leave that for last. Right now the contrast between the lower and upper half of your room is too great, and the white looks boring. You could paint the walls a warm cream if you're against the blue wall color. I wouldn't put anything on top of the mantel or the bookcase and hang the snowshoes elsewhere. Also remove the two items off the base of the fireplace. In a smaller space you don't want clutter, and whatever is there should be meaningful and beautiful.

I am not sure what I think yet - but if round chandelier is bronze, and a wall is painted dark, that might be reason to include another dark 'piece' [the mantel].