We recently purchased a home which has a Tuscan style to it. The previous owner was Italian. The outside looks beautiful and gives the home a certain character.

While we love the house, the color palette is a little too chocolate brown for our taste. We are looking for some help in re-thinking what we can do with the colors. We find the color of the crown molding, door/window trims, wall paneling and baseboards all too dark. But we do acknowledge that it probably was put in to go with the existing colors of the cabinetry and flooring.

I am including pictures below of the living, kitchen and family areas. This is the house as it was staged for the sale. The furniture and wall decor will be gone. The current owner is however leaving behind the current window shades and all the lighting/fixtures.

Our own personal style has always leaned a little more towards modern and bright. How can we keep some of that tuscan charm of the house while still brightening up the place with more lighter and brighter tones?

We do plan to extend the current flooring into the living space and take out that carpet. Apart from that, we were planning a fresh coat of paint to change the color palette. But we cannot figure out what can we do which works with the dark cabinetry and flooring already in place?

Some questions that come to mind are:

1. What colors should we pick for the walls, crown molding, base boards, window/door trims and wall panels?

2. Should we keep the existing window shades or replace? They are custom fit ($$s).

3. Should we keep the lighting fixtures or replace them?

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!