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Rustic meets flamingo sort of pink. ;-)

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Area rugs?

Are these just inspiration pics?

If this is supposed to be one home, are first and second pic two ends of the same room w/two fireplaces? If so, why is ceiling different?

Start by painting the walls and the painted ceiling a creamy white. I actually love the colour Creamy by Sherwin Williams. Of course you should sample in each of your rooms.

Then you'll have a nice clean look to start adding back interest with accent walls, accessories, etc.

Unless part of the ceiling is already painted, wouldn't paint the wood ceiling. Add your color to the room w/furnishings.

I agree with Lindsey! Painting all the walls and ceiling would look fresh and beautiful! Add a colorful rug and some coordinating pillows and replace the carpet with flooring.

OK - These are three different spaces - one with a wood ceiling and a wood floor; one with a beamed ceiling and wall to wall carpeting and the last one is a kitchen. Might be better to do a "Dilemma" for each space. It will be less confusing for you and us.

Don't paint anything that's wood, especially not the ceiling! That would wreck the whole vibe.

I didn't see any lamps in those living space setups. Of course it's going to look dingy if you're only relying on overhead ceiling lights. Even if you painted all the wood white (which you absolutely shouldn't) it'd still look dingy with overhead lighting only.

Put in light area rugs, end tables, and some nice lamps. Brightens your place up without ruining it with paint.

I recommend Solatubes for lavish daylight while still maintaining your beautiful wood ceilings.

Nothing a thousand gallons of paint won't fix. I find the built in cabinetry, along with the kitchen cabinetry.......... a very poor selection with flooring. Heavy, dry, dreary, and dark and VERY VERY BUSY. Just because it is wood, does not make it sensational. Much depends your pocket book. .........a soft white between dark ceiling beams, a lot of soft white cabinetry. It's not heresy. It's paint. Nuke the faux finished walls too : )

BIG BUCKS will be needed for paint, may want to wait until you sell the house in the Keys. Which needs nothing hanging in the portico, unless you mean a lantern light of sorts.

Fine. Fifty gallons of paint, very light upholstery and equally light rugs and window treatments.. Every house needs lamps and lighting. In KS and everywhere else. : )

95% of the time, I am opposed to painting wood. This one lands firmly in the 5% exception column.

All of the wood, ceiling, beams, cabinetry is very poorly stained. Appears to have been zero effort to control blotching. The stain on the ceiling is much too dark and the grayed brown stain on the cabinets is draining all the life out of the wood. The overall effect of the stain on the cabinets is rustic but the styling of the cabinets is anything but rustic.

The paint color isn't helping.

I would replace the cladding on the beams and perimeter with a natural finish wood (or stained a color to complement the floor color) and paint the ceiling planks. If the beams are solid wood, then I would clad them. Some variation of white paint for the ceiling planks & walls.

Buy 20 gallons of red can BIN (pigmented shellac). Two coats because of all the knots. And roller skates. You'll need them in the kitchen.

You have beautiful wood, and stone as a base for your decor. If you think of nature you have many wood tones in various trees, but there are also greens and grays and blue from the sky and what catches your eye is a few pink or cream flowers or a beautiful bird.

There really is not a lot of tan mixed into a wooded landscape.

I would change some of the tans to creams and greens and add a few touches of light pink here and there. Most of us can't afford to just dump our furniture, but we can lower the impact by adding area rugs, pillows, a throw. The plant in the corner of the first picture adds so much life to that area of the room, my eye is drawn to the plant by the front door and the two vases in the second picture and to the fruit and the red utensils in the kitchen. The dead tree in the second picture adds dreary. Keep going with the direction that you are moving. Painting the walls a lighter, creamier color will do much to lighten and brighten the space.

You can see the muddy green undertones of the current wall color next to the fireplace. Pick a cramy white that if found in the stone. Hold up large swatches (minimum of 8"x10" - 3'x4' is better to get the perfect creamy color. There is little "color" in creams, so you need a large swatch to detect the undertones.

Very nice home. Classic details, but time for new paint, draperies & area rugs. That will brighten items up. If you want to spend more money you could have the ceiling wood blasted with walnut shells to lighten the stain.

The room needs some accent lighting and a chandelier.

Wow. Is this house as big as it looks? Which walls will you be painting in this phase?

I am afraid so..11000 sq. ft.

Not planning on painting. We need area rugs, lamps and I like the chandelier idea! Thanks all!

Why is paint not " an option" ? It is what any KS designer worth her stripes would tell you to do. I will add that 11,000 sq feet ANY PLACE on earth is deserving of on site pro design help. Period. ....

Not horsing around here. Get a pro IN the space. The lamps, rugs etc need customized SCALE! Proportion! Not a bunch of links to junk online. Go ahead and beat me for the truth. That's the truth.

You asked how to lighten the space. you said it was 'all brown'. every person is telling you to get rid of the wall paper and paint the walls and some of that wood. You have mottled walls, mottled wood floors, mottled wood ceiling, mottled cabinets, mottled granite and a busy mosaic backsplash. everything is mottled and they are fighting w/each other. The walls are the first thing that need to change.

I'd paint the ceiling, or the beams at the very least. Paint the walls, remove the heavy drapery, do something w/those built-ins, the kitchen, etc. everything is over the top and isn't working. Changing some lamps, or lights, and doing new furniture isn't going to do one darn thing. If you want to lighten the load, follow the advice. if not, then buy whatever sofa and lamps you want, because it's not going to make a dent. In fact, the furniture that's in there now is ok. it's on the lighter side, and the room isn't overly crammed w/items. The room seems to get nice lighting, but the wall color/paper is horrible.

I seriously don't know why you think getting a new couch and end tables is going to change anything.

Listen to Jan. she's a pro designer.

As you choose your light, in lieu of a chandelier, at least consider a really nice ceiling fan in a style that suites your taste -- with a light, too.

In a room with a high ceiling, especially one with a fireplace, heat will rise toward the ceiling and could leave the floor cold.

A ceiling fan can circulate heat, make a room more comfortable and, by so doing, decrease energy costs -- and look really good as well.

OK Beth H! I feel as though you are yelling at me now. In all fairness it was not every person. :-( You send me to Jan as the 'pro" designer, I do see 'pro" by your name as well? I am certainly open to all ideas, or I would not have asked! Paint is currently not an option as we are feeling overwhelmed with recon of Keys home and John is a quadriplegic and stress frankly is not our friend. I greatly appreciate all input and the time everyone has taken to reply to my request! I will at some point hire a pro, as for now, this has become our home and I am enjoying it very much.

My focus is on the ceilings. I am cringing because in the first photo, you can see where they stopped staining and the stain Peters out, took a cigarette break, let the stain dry and then came back and started to stain with a rag full of heavier stain.

It is a deja vous ceiling comparable to the ceiling in my home

We paid a guy to soda blast the living room's 1000 sq feet ceiling. The cost was about $8K with a huge amount of baking soda sifting through the rest of the house no matter how well we sealed things up. Windows, walls, etc are covered with the stuff.

You can either soda blast and have fresh wood, or paint.

Having soda blasted, I'd recommend painting.

I'd paint the small boards first. Your beams are also a victim of too many cigarette breaks too, so you might have to paint them as well. Leave the beams for last, in case you can save them, but I doubt it. When you have the infill painted, expect to need a couple of coats of Zinzeer primer to cover up the stain.

Kim Soule, it sounds like you are settling into your new home nicely. Sorry you didn't exactly get the advice you were hoping for; if you want to add pictures of what you're working with now and a little more detail on any input you would like I know that people are still really interested in watching your house progress.

And if you feel as if you want to tackle painting at some point, I would advise you to reach out to any community groups, houses of worship, support groups you may be a part of. It's shocking how much 5 or so highly motivated people can get done in a day or two!

Finally, I find the best way to make a house feel like home is to throw a party :-D

I am not opposed to any of these ideas. I have welcomed and enjoyed hearing each and every one. I merely said, painting is not an option "currently." I greatly appreciate each and every comment. I will take them all under advisement! I am sure I will eventually hire a professional in this area to come in and take a look per your suggestion Beth!

sounds good Kim. you do have a beautiful home. I bet the rest is just as stunning. when you get the chance, by all means, consider the paint job. hopefully it won't be too stressful on you and your family. (i posted a few new pics w/my comment. I love the first one and think your room would look stunning with something similar)

The first photo is much more my style as well Beth! Thanks for all your time!

Thanks for explaining the circumstances for your looking for quick solutions at this point. Try concentrating on 1000 or 2000 of those 11,000 square feet to start with. Ignore the other 9000 square feet, it'll still be there in a few months or a year.

Overall lighting: If your agent can recommend a handyman, have them check that the light bulbs in the recessed lighting fixtures are as many watts as the safety label shows. If the builder is the seller, ask him or her about the recessed fixtures, too.

For quick individual lamp solutions, figure out what table lamp heights you want, then order a bunch in exactly the same style from an online shop. Same for floor lamps. You'll be able to use them in several rooms now and move them around later.

As for a sofa, go down to the local furniture shops to sit in their sofas. An hour or two should do it. You can pick a "quick ship" fabric. Get the matching chairs in a coordinating fabric if they too are comfortable. Make the decisions easy on yourself.

Kim,

I bought my home almost 2 years ago, shortly after leaving my husband of 30 years. While in escrow I had to have emergency surgery and was diagnosed with cancer. I can relate to stress not being your friend.

If I were in your shoes I would find out who the top 3 interior designers are for your area. Ask them each to come to your home for a consultation. Show them your home, tell them what you love and don't love about each room. Ask them to provide you with a plan for renovating your home. When they are done, pick the plan that you like best and hire that person to help you.

There is no rule that says your have to implement the plan in its entirety in the next 3 months or even the next 3 years, but you will know what direction you are moving.

I would live for the house as it currently is and take your time to make a decision to change things.

My husband and I vacillated tremendously over painting or removing the stain. We visited homes with painted wood ceilings, and they can be very opening and spacious. In our case, we finally opted to soda blast the ceilings which we felt would look better with the stone floors.

Even if you put a tremendous number of lights into these dark rooms, you'll still have a gloom and pallor especially during the fall and winter. You have a lot of light now, since its summer. When daylight is nigh, you'll find that the dark ceilings suck up the light and you'll be living in a giant dark cave. That was our house before we changed the ceiling.

Stress is certainly a factor, and very very sorry hubby is compromised. But, and it is a BIG one. With all on your plate, a pro can greatly minimize/ take the stress OFF. You actually should have that ally in the Keys as well, since you are living thousands of miles from the disaster . I must believe in 11,000 sq feet, not every room is vital to survival, and there are places to go to get out of the way of a painter. So my advice stands: ) and in the now versus the eventually as she can prevent a ton of the mistakes in scale and proportion, provide you with sources unavailable to you any other way. So unless it is a resources issue, (and 11,000 square feet makes that hard to understand ) .......the advise stands yet again. Sorry and good luck to you!

Agreed! Thank you Jennifer and Jan! Jennifer thanks very much for sharing your challenge and advice! I will do that for sure! Have an awesome day!

Paint anything that's drywall white and add a million more plants :)

While you don't have this lovely wood color, the general idea would transfer: add white, off-white, and light upholstered furniture, light or no drapes, a colorful rug, and colorful art and pillows. IMO, red goes very well with wood, as an accent color.

Your initial photos 'showed up' after I posted pink faux fur.... but an ivory or creamy sofa and transitional stuff sounds good. Or a slightly muted green theme... even avocado.

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A color - I'd try it not on large surface like walls... not just rug on floor [not as visible from across the space] --- but furniture and art.

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Say you're wild about denim in ikat, etc... maybe this stone colored paint [which they say can take on blue] -- only certain wall[s]

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Light furniture and rug / loveseats on each side of fp / 'backless daybed' / then whatever sofa, etc. works in front of tv. Is there room for this in yours idk.

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Good reviews for $250.

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Some houzz threads move ahead, sometimes rapidly into actual buying, and rearranging -- good advice to have a pro with you in home. But I consider much of houzz to be for browsing, gathering ideas, and thinking things through, early in the process. Sounds like it is early on for you. It can take a while, and then I have other ideas in my home. Did you say 11,000 sq.ft. ??!!

You liked blue and teal - are cool colors more an attraction? should I delete green items?

Hi..We actually have since purchased some green leather club like chairs. Thanks very much! We both love red..All these comments have been very kind and helpful! We will attack this house once we finish with our Keys project. We are in no hurry. I will bring in a pro for sure! Yes, 11,000 sq. ft. Long story. We are enjoying it however! Thank you!

Area carpets / carpet in general can be problematic if someone in the household is in a wheelchair.

If you focused on some greens and lots of whites in your furnishings and even some certain green on white, trellis prints in drapes or roman shades, over time, that will make your home look like a lovely garden. Than you can accent with the colors of your favorite flowers. You have a lovely home, you just have fun making it yours!! No one goes into the Forest and talks about removing all the trees and planting only bright annuals, that bloom for a few weeks. They marvel at the height and breadth of the trees! and may add some bulbs here and there where the sun allows. Bring is some brighter white lights in areas as you can and just love the fun you have doing soo. Such a work of many craftsmen is your home! It's done by humans, so flaws may show up. Some might bug you and other may not. As long as your warm in the winter and cool in the summer you have shelter, and thus time to go through phases of your home redecorating.