Hello all and thank you for taking the time and much needed attention for my posting. I cannot tell you how appreciative I am that you all even did mock ups for me to see your perspective. I have always thought my wall sconces that flanked my sliding glass doors were not only almost useless but totally forbidding me from doing drapes (which I feel the texture would do a ton for the space let alone draw the eye and soften somewhere other than the harsh fireplace as the focal). I never considered changing the paint color. any specific colors throw them out there. I wont know tone until i select furniture I guess but am a real neutral girl. I love selections of various tans and neutrals and intermixing textures. I never dreamed of trying to pull grout color out. You are all right...the fireplace really is competing with my wall color isn't it? My husband is going to love my suggestion of repainting 3 years young walls that are 18ft high in greatroom (YIKES! :) I have seen in the pottery barn catalog a few years ago where they have the upper part of the fireplace wainscotted in white and with a white mantel. I was wondering if he could even just cover the upper portion of stone with a paneleling type wainscot and maintain a rustic yet custom, modern pottery barn like fireplace. I cannot imagine the mess of tearing it down to reface so am avoiding that drama. I sincerely appreciate your views and advice. Im absorbing all of it. Keep it coming.

When I think of a beach look I naturally think of a plain, unstained wood. There are several videos on you tube showing how to finish cedar. You may have to treat it with something so that it doesn't change color. This is the mantle we just installed over dry stacked bluestone. We found it at a lumberyard in Philadelphia that specializes in salvaging old timber from former factories and warehouses. The beam was old growth pine about 20 feet long and we wanted to keep it as natural as possible yet eliminate any rough areas that could cause splinters or snag clothing and allow for dusting. We didn't want to get rid of the checks but we did want to enhance the color. The section that we wanted to use still has the burn marks from a fire and the fossilized remains of a beetle along with several square cut nails. Our furniture restorer sanded off the rough spots and simply wiped the surface with (I think it may have been diluted clear lacquer) - but I'd have to check with DH about that. In any case since your beam is cedar it might require a different technique.

That hood could be considered transitional and would be fine if it works with your cabinets and other elements in the kitchen. I would consider the kitchen in your example to be transitional.

The mirror is perfectly placed. In my home I deliberately placed 2 mirrors near windows to capture the light.. The solution is to hang some art where the mirror reflects it. From other positions in the room, the mirror may reflect the outdoors. Hard to tell from the photo. Placing a mirror in the correct place in a room allows you to optimise natural light. To do so, place the mirror adjacent to a window to perfectly catch the angle of light and bounce it throughout the room. https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/interiors/how-to/a854/how-to-use-mirrors-to-make-home-bigger-brighter/ Hanging a mirror in a dark part of a room does nothing to increase the brightness in a room. A mirror can only reflect the light that hits it, so it makes sense to put it where the light hits the wall, near a window.