You have a great start, the rooms just need some tweaking. The space looks very dark. You need to add some more lighting and lighter or more colorful accessories. Everything on your walls is hung too high and the dining room pictures need to be closer together. The dark closed curtains are too long and needs to be hemmed. Perhaps move the print area rug from the living room to the dining room and get a bigger rug for the living room.

Thanks! The curtains were left by the sellers and I agree they are too long, that's definitely on the list to fix. The reason everything is hung so high is that the sellers had things hung high and the marbelized paint job looks like sh_t when you try to patch over it. So the things we hung were basically to cover the holes for now. If we want to hang things lower and patch the previous holes we'll have to repaint the entire wall. So that is something that will happen eventually I'm sure but for now we are trying to work with what we have. Sorry the pictures are so dark, it was night time and hopefully another lamp or 2 in the living room will help.

You should consider biting the bullet and painting over the marble paint job. It will make the whole space look more fresh. Don't feel obligated to keep the previous owner's somber, too long curtain panels. Target and Ikea have many great inexpensive choices. Lighter curtains with the correct length will also make the room look fresh and new. The rods are probably not hung right at the right height either. Which will lead to more patching which is another reason to paint :)

Thanks again for your suggestions! It's something we want to do anyway because I do think the color of the paint is too dark for such a small space as well. Do you have any suggestions for the color of the walls or the curtains?

SW accessible beige is a nice fresh neutral color. Definitely try a sample first. Here is a good before and after photo. (And now I have to go study for a test tonight! )

Wow that really does make a huge difference! Good luck of your test!

The first thing I do when I move somewhere new is paint. It freshens everything up! I would also take down the curtains. Also, I am a huge fan of table lamps. I have five in my living room. I think they do so much for warming a space and creating a lovely ambiance.

I would also consider a new larger and more colorful rug for your living room.

I think it is best to take your time and find pieces you truly love. You can not do it all in a day.

Good luck!!!

Do you guys think teal curtains would be too much or should I stick with something neutral like taupe? I agree they should be lighter/more colorful and the appropriate length. Someone described them perfectly as "somber" lol

Stick to something closer to whatever color you paint the walls, that way the accent is on the room and the space looks larger. For instance, the dark drape looks like a vertical stripe whereas a soft color would blend, thus increasing the look of space and calmness.

Here's another option for paint color, this is a sample pic. It's softer and warmer. Grant Beige

I'd go with an off white pulled from the rug, and use it above and below the chair rail

Agreeable Gray

I'd paint the walls BM mascarpone, add a bench under the coat hooks, move wall decor down and get larger items as mentioned, lighter color curtains (natural linen at IKEA) and yes add lamps and change light fixtures!

I would paint so you can hang things properly (LR). Those things over the sofa are too small. It seems odd to have such a long curtain so close to a bare window. DR I think would look better if the walls were same color above and below chair rail.

Thank you everyone so much for your suggestions! So far I have: new paint (lighter beige), new curtains (lighter and correct length), everything hung lower, new light fixture and more lamps, maybe something bigger above the couch?

yes much bigger and closer to the couch.

When you are considering paint colors, make sure the color looks good with your permanent elements - your tile, your wood floors and your cabinets. Some lighter neutrals have undertones (pink, green, yellow) that aren't noticeable until you paint them next to something that emphasizes the undertone.

Paint a big swatch on poster board and move it around the room during different times of the day to see how the color looks. Good luck!

Thank you everyone for your advice so far! We discussed what we can reasonably change right now in our budget and we are definitely going to paint. I have a couple of colors in mind, going to get samples but wanted to get your input. Mi

Antique White

I also changed out the curtains. We can't go much lighter than this because we live on a fairly busy street and need true blackout curtains.

More updates. Found a beautiful repurposed buffet off of Craigslist. Going to get rid of the butcher block table in the corner and put something much bigger and lower on the wall in the center.

Do ya'll think the rug is too dark? I liked it at first because it contains the colors in the chairs but I think something light would actually make those stand out more.

Painting is the next big step but for now I'm trying to find little ways to bring the teal color scheme into the kitchen more. I'm thinking new kitchen towels, potholders and floor mats to start. New backsplash will happen eventually, I'm thinking light gray/beige, but again that is a bigger project.

@Bluebell thank you so much we will try some cooler paint samples like the ones others suggested above as well. I will try just removing the rug for now and seeing how it looks. We plan to move the curtain rods down when we paint so the curtains are just grazing the floor.

You can iron on a piece of fabric to make the curtains longer and actually hang the curtains higher. If you lower them, it looks like they'll be too low.

Thanks, I didn't think of that! I'll also see if I can maybe just let the hems out a bit.

Update: picked up some SW samples. Looking between Accesible Beige, Agreeable Gray and maison Blanche. I want to move toward more cool tones so leaning away from maison Blanche but afraid the others are too cool for the kitchen.

I really like it without the rug. Instant update and much lighter and open!

It's hard to advise on paint chips on a computer. I recently also painted SW Sedate Gray. i was worried it might read green, but it's a very pretty gray.

I also used Agreeable Gray with relatively warm, slightly reddish floors and cabinets, and it doesn't look too cool at all. However, it is so light dependent. Even the four walls in a room look like they have different paint colors on them. The may also pick up th ecolor from your slightly green/yellow glass backsplash.