Late Century Tuscanini Contemporary.

I am not sure I understand how knowing the purported style of the house will affect how you decorate it.

Rita,

Well, I would like the interior to reflect the exterior.

If it’s considered more Mediterranean, I would probably go for more of a costal Mediterranean vibe, however if the architecture is considered to be more Spanish, I would lean more in that direction.

All I know is that the decor from my previous home doesn’t really work in the space at all.

One need not have the interior design reflect the exterior mishmash or even something that is pure. If what you have doesn't work, it's not because it was the "wrong" architectural style, it was because it's poor design period.

Matt.......smart guy.

Not that you can't use your furnishings on a temporary basis. Your new home can be really spectacular, but baby steps.

Anglophilia, I’m not sure I know what you mean.

My last home was much smaller, low ceilings, with zero embellishment. So in that scenario I thought more modern pieces with clean lines and more minimal decor lent itself very well to the space.

The new house has 12 foot ceilings, about 1,500 more square feet, arches everywhere, and tan travertine and oak trim as far as the eye can see.

Matt, I think you have lovely furniture and your living room looks great. I see no reason that furniture would not look great in your new house. Of course that does not mean you will be able to recreate the same living room - adjustments will be made- but I cannot see why you would allow the exterior of a house to dictate what is inside. That would mean all the houses in a subdivision would look similar inside- or think of a NYC co-op, should all those apartments have the same look because they are in the same pre-War building?

Rita,

I see what you mean. I think it may just be a personal preference for me. Some people like each room to tell a story. I just prefer that every aspect of my home feel like it is part of the same story. Also, with all of the visibility that this “glass house” offers, i just think it all should be cohesive.

Sitting on my back porch right now, I can see my front yard, my back yard, my living room, my dining room, my kitchen, and my family room. I think I would go a little crazy with varying styles. But again, that’s me.

Matt, I don't mean to be pedantic, but I never said you should lack cohesion or flow- I would never say that. The style you showed your current furniture is pretty classic. You clearly have good taste. Do not let a house boss you around too much. You will need to think about your color scheme, furniture plans and window treatments. And all of those elements will need to work together. Good luck with your plans. You are very thoughtful and considerate and will surely create a wonderful new home for you and your family.

I appreciate that Rita.

I do overanalyze things to a fault when in reality I need to just roll up my sleeves and get started.

In the past, I always caught flack from friends for my homes always being "too brown". I stuck with neutrals and traditional furnishings because it was safe. When I bought my first home, I decided I'd freak everyone out and go way outside of my comfort zone (hence the teals and white leather) It was EXHILARATING!

Now we're on to bigger and better things and I think I might just be ready to rock the boat again. Never living in this style of home before, I may just be assuming that I need to work in a design style I've never done before.

I'd be interested in hearing yours, and everyone else's thoughts though.

The attached photos are what you see when walk in the front door. What would YOU do? (again, listing photos so none of what you see is still in the house)

I started with my furniture laid out as the previous owners had, but thought it might work better with the spaces swapped, which led me to putting all of my living room furniture in the dining room (as shown in the photo I posted earlier)

I love the style in your previous home and I wouldn't start all over again just because the new house is a different size/design. (Disclaimer: I still have furniture I bought in 1981, that has been through half a dozen homes!) I'd spend some time working out where to place those pieces, and what other furniture to buy. While I agree that there has to be some consistency in the overall "vibe" of the house, that doesn't mean that you can't mix it up a bit, throw in the odd antique with your contemporary furniture, and not worry too much about whether the house itself is Mediterranean or Spanish (Italians and Spaniards don't worry about it, so why should you?)

Will you do basic updates like paint, new lighting fixtures, etc? That will help your furniture feel like it "fits" in your new home. You have excellent taste!

This isn't an insult but your house style is pretty generic. Nice and airy but generic. That is good because as long as you don't go too themey or adhere to strictly to a particular style, you can decorate how you like.

I would look at a few decorating quizzes to get an idea of your style. Do you have a partner who will be decorating with you? When you look at photos just pick what you like. Don't think about cleaning or fads or matching or anything else that might skew your choices. Those things can be considered down the line. First figure out what you like.

decorating style quizzes

Thanks for the input everyone! Yes, I will do basic updates, but have just been holding off until I know what I want. I'm thinking of going lighter on the walls and staining the trim a darker color. I feel like the tile would clash with "cooler" colors. (I wish I could get away with gray). Also, I'll definitely take a look at the quizzes. Never thought of that!

You can mix beige and gray but it gets tricky. If you have a rug, sofa pillows, art and accessories that mix beige and gray it helps the eye tie the two tones together.

It is easier to decorate if you stick with either warm or cool tones.

Matt, you have some nice furniture pieces that I’m sure can transition into your new home. Give yourself some time to get used to the new space first! As your “ new” home has a few decades on it I’m sure once your in it you will want to do some modernizing! As I said earlier, getting the input of a professional designer on how to incorporate what you have with what you will need for the new look that you want for this home would be money well spent. Yes this home has some traditional elements with the arch top windows but that doesn’t mean you can’t use your contemporary pieces too!

If it were my house (which is what you asked), I would extend the partial walls so that they meet the ceiling. I like the flooring the way it is, but I'm not sure where the house is. Are you indeed in Florida? Geographic location makes a big difference in design. I've never been to Florida except for the Miami airport to change planes, and so that doesn't count.

Just took a few of the decorating style quizzes.. they were all over the place

Hollywood Regency

Contemporary

Coastal

Goodness gracious, what's a guy to do? lol. I do know a designer, but was hoping I'd be able to slide by without forking out $100/hr. I suppose it would be worth it.

Lars,

Yes, I'm in Central FL, about 30 mins from the east coast. All of the homes in this neighborhood are built with a similar style and ours happens to overlook the 8th fairway of a golf course.

Also, I normally hate white walls because it makes me feel like I'm in a rental, but I wonder if that's what is needed to brighten things up and allow me to introduce some cooler tones.

I think you could bring these walls up to the ceiling, close up this nook and paint out the trim! Painting the room a soft white would look very nice. Doing these few things would update it considerably!

So, is the 3/4 wall thing dated? I had no idea. Lol

Yes, it was very popular back then! Not done anymore as most new Fla homes are more open concept. I just happened to have gone to see a few just yesterday in fact. It’s funny, they have gotten too open for my liking! I guess I’m old school;)! Then again my Fla home was built in the early 60’s!!

You might consider getting rid of the bridge into the kitchen altogether. It would open the space up!

I like your idea of going for a coastal Mediterranean vibe...

Lynartist, yes I thought about that too. Only issue being there are so really weird soffits on the other side.

Here you go Matt, just a thought!

Also I completely understand what you mean about being "too open". I can't stand it when you walk in a house and you're greeted by a "great" room with a kitchen in the corner. Our last home was built in 67. What I liked about this house is that while it was more open, each space is still defined and has a purpose.

In a perfect world, we would have bought this house though...

Yup! Well it depends on how much Reno you want to do right away! The bridge into the kitchen can go although they sometimes run electrical through those. This is all drywall work and framing. You will want to do that change if you remodel the kitchen down the line!

Beautiful old home Matt! No reason your new home won’t be beautiful too though!

That's actually pretty interesting Lynartist. That would also give me more space in the kitchen because I'd be able to get rid of that hollow triangle behind the nook you took out.

Yeah, I don't think we want to get in over our heads right away. We need to start with just sprucing up what we've got and getting this place furnished. The rest will come in time. Besides, I've got this monstrosity waiting on me...

What you do have Matt is nice large space to work with! In time you can make this a fabulous home! Do get at least a professional consult when the time comes for you to renovate! Congrats on your great new home!!!

Ha! If you think that bathroom is a monstrosity, you really haven't been around much!

Maria Killam did a piece once about working with houses that have too much beige. I thought you might enjoy reading her thoughts on the subject.

http://www.mariakillam.com/fresh-colour-tuscan-trend/

And here is a post about travertine floors from Maria Killam as well,

http://www.mariakillam.com/is-travertine-pink-or-yellow/.

Another great source for learning how to think about interior design, is Laurel Bern. She is a fantastic teacher and her blog is a hoot and super informative.

https://laurelberninteriors.com/interior-design-blog/

Personally, I would paint the walls white. I do not associate a beautiful coat of white paint with a rental. I would think about what color scheme I was attracted to the most- the teal you have now works great - maybe you could add a touch of orange with that. I would not consider getting rid of my furniture. Money spent on new basics, like your sofas and wooden pieces, is money that is not being spent on a fabulous new things like a rug that will tie together the basics you have already. While these rugs are super expensive, I thought you might like to get a taste of what is possible- just for inspiration- here is The Rug Company's IG:

https://www.instagram.com/therugcompany/?hl=en

Or you could think about a statement art piece eventually.

But again, do not rush. Oh and that bathroom- ha! It is no monstrosity- you should see what some people have had to contend with.

Don't rush. Enjoy the process. Pay attention to what you like and do some studying. There are a lot of books by interior designers- see whose work attracts you and read up.

Matt I see some tall beautiful plants thriving there!

Your existing furniture is very Art Deco "Miami Vice" ... and it could look very good in that rather generic ranch house with columns and arches tacked on.

Following....

Well maybe monstrosity isn’t the right word, but it certainly needs to be updated. The rest of the house can get by for a while with paint and furnishings.

Aren’t ranches long and low?

I think the best way to deal with a house like that, and 85% of all houses built in FL since 1990 are some variation of it, is the way everyone else does: just ignore it.

Everyone has those dumb half walls and getting rid of them will send your utility bills way up because your A/C venting was planned that it would all be essentially open with screens to separate it into areas. It's not as easy as just running those partial walls all the way up. And if you're in central FL, your electric bill is already high enough.

Writersblock. You’re right about that. We’re replacing both AC units and getting some insulation blown in the attic. Electric last month was $300 and it’s not even August yet.

Raising that one small wall in the living room won’t affect your ac! Yikes. That is very dated lookin, this era home is being updated all the time down here. Your other option of course is to blow that wall out and open the kitchen up to the living space and create a great room. Probably the more popular option these days;)!

Yes, lynartist, unfortunately it can. I have friends who tried this in a similar home. Their A/C bill now reaches $600 in the hottest months.

if it were me, I would introduce myself to the neighbors so you can check out their houses. Someone in your neighborhood has to have good taste and those conversations would be invaluable. You would get to hear about what works and what doesn't work. You will be able to hire the designers and contractors who did work that you like.

the second thing I would do is figure out which plants thrive and start with a handful, a small, medium and one or two large. again, take note which plants other people have that Thrive and in which exposures they do best in, north south east west.

then I would just, live in your house for a while and the ideas will start to come together. One thing at a time or you will get overwhelmed for no reason.

Matt, that’s a pretty high electric bill, my house is 3500 sq.ft and isn’t that high. It certainly isn’t open concept by any stretch either. I’m sure your air conditioning professional can give you some insight into why and if changing any walls would affect that.

Matt's bill could be high because he use the AC more. Ours are crazy because my DH runs the AC year round at night ... even in the cooler and humidity free southern CA nights. I freeze and wear long pajamas and socks to bed, even in the summer.

Heehee chispa! So true;)! I’m on the west coast of Fla. I only turned on my air a few weeks ago. It’s been a really pleasant sprint!

Spring;)!

It's only just getting to need the A/C here, Charleston, SC. My last summer in California, 2016, the temps in the East Bay (Northern California) were reaching over 110. Dry heat but oh my gosh, so freaking HOT.

matt, I think your home will be beautiful. Just stay confident in your own style. And you have a (pretty cool) style.