Ahah! now I see..thank you! Here's what I would do (and have done before)... Make a frame out of a matching piece of jamb molding (the trim around the doors) that completely fills the space above the kitchen door, and put a mirror in it. That will give you the architectural effect of a transom over the door, and provide a clear "DMZ" between the entry color and the LR wall. It will look intentional and more graceful than just a line. It would be even more effective to do the same thing over the other two doors in the entry space as well. Then you also open up the space visually, and throw more light around. I think it would look terrific, for a minimum of effort and money.

We took out our half wall between the kitchen and FR but left short 2' wall because we needed a wall for an outlet and the central vac outlet. At first, I was a little bummed, but now I like it because while the rooms are open to each other, they have some separation. I painted my kitchen a bolder gold color and the FR a lighter gold. We also didn't remove the wall coming down from the ceiling, I can't remember exactly why, but I think it was because we thought the short 2' wall would look odd just sortof sticking out. I wished we had trimmed out the opening, but we couldn't find the same trim as the rest of the house, and it was adding up in costs, so we just left it untrimmed. I love the before and after pictures of my kitchen. It was so god awful and I have to take all the credit for that lovely garden wallpaper! Before: After:

I suspect very few of us knew our styles when we first got married, and many of us keep fine-honing it all our lives, so you're in excellent company. I love all the great ideas and pictures posted here. I think you'll find some fun inspiration in your local library in magazines and books, and by googling key words and clicking on "images." You can save your favorite pictures to folders on your computer marked "living room," "bedroom," "curtains," etc. Paint is always a cheap way to dramatically change the look and feel of a room. You might even ask the guys at the paint store if you can look at their pile of paints people rejected -- they sell those very cheap, like about $3/gallon, and you may find just the color you want. It's worth a shot. Check out your local Craigslist. You'll find everything under the sun on it and lots of bargains if you're willing to wade through some junk that makes you laugh. You can go see things before you buy, you save lotsa dough, you meet folks and make them happy, and your $ doesn't go to some big box store. Plus, you can sell things you have you don't love and buy things you like better. It's free to advertise there. If you're looking for something specific, check it every day because the biggest bargains get sold fastest. Take pictures of your rooms. You'd be amazed what you see in pictures that you didn't see in person, like a picture hung crooked or too high, or an imbalance in your accessories, or dust bunnies, or whatever... but things will jump out at you. Some things are very easy to do yourself to save lots of money, like re-covering dining chairs, refinishing table tops, stripping old furniture and sewing curtains. You'll learn what you love or hate doing by jumping in and trying. There are tons of instructions for all sorts of projects on the web, and plenty of helpful folks all over the Garden Forum. We're on your side, eager to see your before and after pictures, and happy to help any way we can. Post pics and ask your questions. So yes, you CAN change your home's look and add loads of charm on a very tight budget -- many of us here do that -- and there are many charming cottage designs that say "come on in and make yourself at home!"

Keep the decals! Cuz I like them LOL. I like the photo with the purple bedding and the pink rug. These are much richer and much easier to change out than painting the whole room, and she probably will want to change some things out as time goes by. This way, too, it will still be her familiar old room, yet it will be a big girl room. (Kinda makes you happy, kinda makes you want to cry doesn't it!)