Ok, my 2 cents, I love your new granite and I think the backsplash works well. with it. I think your cabinets work well with the other wood furniture in your room. I agree the gold paint needs to go but it does work well in your living area with the colors there. That is a dilemma. Perhaps you can use a warm shade of grey in the kitchen area and transition to a different tone in the living area? It is an issue with the cold tones of the granite. The curtain above the window HAS TO GO. Poof, make it gone; it adds nothing to your design and detracts from your pretty kitchen.. I LOVE your kudu horn and ostrich sconce and your bowl of ostrich eggs. . I had 2 in one of my houses too and it took me back to my previous life every time I looked at them. I wish I could help more with the paint color dilemma but hopefully by commenting this post will be more visible and others can help you solve it.

To start I would take down the valance in the kitchen and the faux shutters in the dining room. Then choose a new, lighter wall color. Then consided some lighter brighter counter stools. Consider painting the dining room chairs. At a minimum add some lighter, brighter pillows and accessories to the living room, with a long-term goal of getting away from all dark, heavy furniture, art, and accessories. Then live with it for awhile.

Thanks Kristin! Yes, we want to update and get out of the browns as much as we can. DH wants to change the sofa. I think the color of the walls and sofa need to be done at the same time, especially if the gold is going. I love the lighter colors, but have been in this "dark" rut for way too long.

Will the light gray wall colors be the right start? The Behr Chic Gray has caught our eye, but I need to try samples.

Thank you!

I'm just a homeowner doing a kitchen reno/first floor paint refresher, but I think your kitchen would look wonderful with just a new paint job. A white or off white (whatever matches your beautiful new quartz) or a light blue. Or if you can increase your lighting, even a medium blue. I wouldn't paint the cabinets. What color is the backsplash?

You might check out Laurel Bern's blog - if I remember correctly she has a number of entries about lightening up brown rooms.

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

This entry in particular has some great images that might give you ideas to lighten things up even before you replace the furniture.

https://laurelberninteriors.com/2018/01/21/warm-color-scheme-look-dated/

The backsplash tile is glass (for reflection of light) and is a blue gray. We tried both white and gray tiles but our counter tops are not a true white but rather gray's with deep blue veins.. There is also a gold tint in the background. The blue veins are almost a deep gray to deep royal blue.

I would paint the two dining room walls[window wall and wall with arch]. ...a lighter color...lighten up there just for starters. I would place the small freestanding hutch to the right of dining room window on one of those two walls. I would do something creative within the arched area on the dining room wall. Maybe including sconces. Nothing that protrudes. The kitchen is fine..living room is small but cozy....don't run out and buy all new furniture. The dining zone..which is the area straddling the two busier zones needs help. It has low light....and has great potential with the arch but is not carrying its weight yet. The light fixture is fine.....can do dramatic table cloth/centerpiece/ etc. See what happens when you put the three candlesticks on top of hutch which gives more height and outline there.....remove some of the round objects from atop the hutch as they are a dark mass, undifferentiated so not really the best. Take the brown/white patterned egg shape item and put it on the table[do I see two of those-use both!!!!!]. That object is closer to low/wide/pattern/detail floral..whatever…. for table top. The dining chairs and table if they were dramatic/interesting could push this space in the right direction. While thinking this space over, I would every 10 days or so get a big live arrangement and just set it on the table....and consider budget.....maybe using a decorator..look at magazines....etc. I would not alter things in the kitchen...and I don't think living room is really a problem. Good Luck..all you have is a decorating issue.

I will second (or I guess third) Laurel's blog : ) .

DH wants to change the sofa. I think the color of the walls and sofa need to be done at the same time, especially if the gold is going.

NO! Sofa first. See what you find first. You don't want to do in the living room what you did in the kitchen, picking something like the countertop without considering the other surfaces. And your sofa choices will be much more limited than your paint color choices.

I would not go gray, which I think will bring out the red in the kitchen cabinets too much. I would choose instead maybe a grayed green or a grayed blue, but still wait until you see what the new sofa looks like.