The wall color looks very much like that in my bedroom, I call it a very light cafe-au-lait. Only two not very big windows, lots of doors, so some of the same issues. I've got cream, rust, fawn, brown - it's not at all dark, but very soothing and cozy. One reason your room reads dark is that not only do you have dark browns in it (sofas, rug, end tables) but you have a lot of solid, heavy forms - the sofas again, the end tables, book case, valances, fireplace, even some of the pictures on the wall. You might think of raising your curtain rods nearly to the ceiling, and getting some cream-colored (not white!) curtains long enough to puddle on the floor, with some texture or a jacquard weave or a tone-on-tone pattern. You get height, light, and a sense of flowing airiness that way. Hang the curtains wider than the window so they don't cover it when open - you get the impression of a larger window, of more light. I personally would leave off valences and just use a thin metal curtain rod in a dark bronze, but if you do keep your valences, go to the ceiling with them, and wider than the window. Paint your fireplace cream, not white. White is too harsh a contrast. Can you move the fireplace (it looks moveable - the cords go behind it) and get a console for the TV? The big black rectangle that high up gives a darkening effect, it's less obtrusive lower down. If you can't move it, how putting a big urn next to it, with some branches spray- painted off-white, tall enough to almost reach the ceiling, and a couple of clip-on birds or dangling crystals in the branches. Or some faux bamboo in the urn. The bookcase - can you paint it a lighter color? Take out some of the books and replace them with vases, pictures, small sculptures? Floor lamps for more verticals. A old brass vase with peacock feathers, you get verticals, arching lines, feathery lightness, iridescence, all in keeping with your traditional decor. (Spray-painted branches in above paragraph not traditional but I think they could work.) Hang a lamp on a swag from the ceiling - a sparkly chandelier, a globe - use the height, draw the eye up. No ceiling fan. They just make the ceiling look lower. Which makes the room look darker. Look for pictures with a narrow frame and a broad mat like EG3d has in her living room - not a white mat, but a light-colored one, cream, light blue, cafe-au-lait. Some soft gold on the frames to add a glint, either all gold or a gold edge. A grid of related pictures can read like a window - botanicals, birds, landscapes - something to bring the outside in. Some coral and sky blue throw pillows would look great on the couch. Perhaps a sisal rug for the summer? Replace a couch with some more open chairs with light colored cushions?

I’m following this post because I have the same issue with my living room — dark brown couch and very dark floors — brown overkill! Can I ask for more specific advice, if possible? Should my rug be mostly ivory, with tan accents? Or will the tan color bring in more “brown?” Should I paint the brown wooden top on my fireplace white to eliminate some of the brown in the room? BELOW: View from my entry foyer looking at living room. What can I place behind couch? The couch reclines, so it can’t be a sofa table. BELOW: 1. What color sideboard can I place under TV? 2. See room with yellow arrow. I have 3 swivel barrel chairs for that room (ivory color); must the rug in that room match the living room rug?

The covered front porch is robbing a lot of natural light. I do agree with Beverly that you can look at the outside trees. You would be amaze at how heightening the canopy on your trees will bring in so much more light. You have a good start.....just need some tweaking. Love the rug! For the furniture, I recommend the following: 1) Move the sofa to face the fireplace, creating a "hall" behind it. 2) Move the chairs to flank the fireplace. 3) Turn the rug the other direction, if it fits that way. 4) Add lamps on either side of the chairs. 5) Add 2 tall buffet lamps to the hall cabinet. 6) Add some lighter pillows to the sofa, along with some red. 7) The arrangement on the fireplace needs to be reworked. I'd put the red artwork up there sideways alone or with a couple of other pieces. Too much up there now. 8) Move the mirror to where the red art is now. 9) Remove the small pieces from the front hall table.

I usually agree with Lyn, but I'm not sure painting the room a very bright white would be an improvement. That would just create more contrast between the furniture and walls. However, I think it would be better if the color were less yellow. You need to sample colors before painting the whole room, so if you want to consider Lyn's suggestion, also look at BM Simply White, which is very light but warmer than Super White (it's a slight difference). Also look at darker colors like Edgecomb Gray (it's not very gray, but it might go with the rug), and one or two in between like Soft Chamois or Classic Gray. Test samples on all four walls before buying a lot of paint. You can also paint a board so you can just move it around the room. Look at it at different times of day to make sure you're going to like it. Samplize.com sells peel and stick samples which are easy to move around. If you usually use SW paint, Accessible Beige is very close to Edgecomb Gray, and you could also try Alabaster and Shoji White. The problem with the room seeming dark is not really from the wall color. It looks like the only light you have in the living room area is from the ceiling fan light. You could use some end tables with lamps, and/or floor lamps. The three large pieces of brown leather furniture really dominate the room. I like leather furniture as an accent. If you had just the sofa or just the loveseat & chair it would help the room. I like the rug, so try to build on that. Hang some curtains on the window to the left of the fireplace since there is already a rod there. That will soften the room some. Something in a neutral with a subtle pattern. Do you have a basement where you could create a mancave which would be a better location for the deer heads and leather furniture?