Is it the stain on the upstairs floors that make it that reddish color? I'm thinking that it is. Could you sand it and stain it? It is amazing what can be done with wood floors. You could always paint the bathroom floor with a durable floor paint-a real farmhouse look. I would definitely consider refinishing what you have, since it is real wood and would be beautiful. The varnish that was used years ago turned orangey, but you can avoid that if you wish. Sounds like a neat house!

Thanks for the comments. I really appreciate the feedback! We really have given thought to the doors, and the architects have been great about incorporating our real life into the house flow. Also, this house really doesn't have a front/back/side, it uses all sides, which is fine because we're not on a regular lot and I didn't want it to feel like we were. Here's probably more info than you want, but: marthaelena is right, there's a parking area in the front of the house. So front door is for people who park there, namely guests and my kids when they're old enough to have their own cars (which makes me break a sweat just thinking about it). You probably can't see it on the plan, but there will be a low stone wall or concrete wall directing people from the parking area to the front door. We need to add an entry closet. The mudroom door is for people parking in the garage. The side door on the west side (facing south) is especially for my husband. He gets dirty farming, plus has a farm truck that will be parked outside the garage, so that's a great place for him to enter with his muck boots on. In fact, I've talked about having an outdoor shower by that entry so he can clean up right there. That would be awesome! The door from the laundry room to the north is so I can carry laundry out to a laundry line. The line should be fairly out of view if I put it on the north side. The main outdoor area will be to the east. We haven't finalized it, but it'll either be a big deck (as shown) or a deck outside the dining area with steps leading down to a patio outside the living room area (steps will go down about 6'). If a deck, then we'll have doors from the living room and dining room out to the deck. If a deck/patio combo, then just a door from the dining room out (because the living room will be up 6' from patio).

Without seeing anything or knowing what look you want or what else it has to go with, it's hard to know what to suggest. How much color do you want? How much wall space do you have? Do you have a lot of trim (crown and base, windows and doors)? My first thought was to go with the blue/green idea and something along that sea salt/sea glass tone. If the dry brush is really subtle, as in you don't really notice it as a separate color, I could see something in a pale yellow or into the peachy/coral tones with greys. After the man's bedroom thread, I can even see a pale pink. Guess it's summer and I'm feeling tropical.... Greige and white are possibilities too, but those shouldn't be hard to imagine.

Sarah, my DH and I built a home in western WI for weekend use and then moved ihto it full time 7 years ago. Let me just share a few observations that may or may not be helpful. I can't tell which way your house is facing. Our road is gravel, maintained by the county. We located our house close to it, maybe 50 feet in and above it on a slope. Although you'll have minimal traffic, the dust from anyone who drives by is something we maybe should have thought about more with our windows. We were also trying to save money, maximize views etc. Our house is narrow with windows on all exposures which is great for avoiding air conditioning and bad for avoiding dust. I'd also seriously think again about moving the house past the shed. When it's quiet, noise can be more nerve wracking because it stands out. Just don't talk yourselves into something on this issue. Our driveway must be 200 feet long and we maintain it ourselves with a large tractor and if you work from home, I wouldn't base the siting decision on driveway maintenance and I'd be really, really sure about that shed. Your neighbors could sell to someone. Will you ever want an out building? Are you sure? Where would it go? One last thought, my DH and I are both in our 60s. I'm retired, DH works in the city. Our house has 3 stories and I was worried about the steps, too, having moved from one level, but they've been a nothing burger. One thing we really needed was a mudroom. We have horses, but yard work, gardening, walking down the gravel driveway, life is just messier in the country. Our coat closet for going into towns coats is not the same as the one that houses our wear around the farm coats. And you need smelly boot storage, lol.