It won't be an easy job, but I'd leave the brick as is and paint the book cases, cabinets, and wainscoting, leave the FP mantel and back wall as is, and hang some kind of horizontal artwork on that back FP Wall, paint the crown moulding, leave the beams as they are, paint the walls a more saturated color, and paint the walls behind the book shelves a neat-o color. It would really brighten up the room, bring it up to more contemporary, but maintain the cozy rustic feel as well. Is this work you'd do yourself? wouldn't be easy. You have to sand everything first, then put three coats of BIN primer over the pine, and then paint. Knots in pine bleed right through paint, which is why you have to prime pine with BIN, three coats, before painting.

Great question! While our light sizing guide doesn't cover this exact scenario, it does mention the idea of using two chandeliers to light a long dining table. In that case, we recommend choosing a chandelier that is one third of the table's width instead of table's width minus 12. Perhaps we can adapt this advice for use in your family room. Your room is 21'x16'. Our standard ambient-chandelier advice suggests adding those numbers together and then looking for a chandelier that is that width/diameter, or 37 in your case. Maybe instead of doing that, you could look for two chandeliers that are about 25 inches in diameter (1/3 of 37 is 12, so 37-12=25). Then, each chandelier can be hung in its 'half' of the family room. The standard hanging height for a chandelier in ambient use is 7 feet above the floor. Of course, you can adjust this hanging height as needed, perhaps hang the chandeliers a bit higher, so as not to obstruct the TV. I hope this helps!

First, begin your scheme with a photo.

Words fail me @Little Bird ! All that talent in those young little hands and minds. You can see by my Houzz icon that I have a weakness for ”fluffy animals”. I live with that one - a Papillon. She’d be an excellent subject for your daughter! My sister has an Amazon parrot that your other daughter would love! Her fish is simply amazing! Is their art done with chalk pastels or colored pencils? I have these prints in my laundry room that make me smile while fussing with laundry - found them in a cute store while on a road trip - sort of whimsical I thought. The already framed fox caught my attention so I had to get more prints to make an arrangement! They seem your one daughter’s style.