Are you thinking of a pony wall with shelving on one side and storage on the other?

wow this does look really good. I would continue to work at this. I think the idea of lightening up the inside of the bookcase with the fabric wrapped foam would also help bridge everything. also maybe decorating the mantle with lighter objects to pull the lighter color over to that wall. maybe replacing the the stone around the fireplace to something lighter as well. overall it looks really beautiful; I'm just nit picking.

Nice large room with good potential. Your plant in the corner, if real, is going to need some sunlight to survive, even if it's only a couple of hours of the day when the sun is low enough in the sky to shine on the opposite wall. Is that a mantel on the far left of the third pic? How much above the floor are your window sills? If you have an entire wall that is uninterrupted by any window or door, you could cover the entire wall with built-ins -- either all shelves or else cabinets with doors below and either open shelving above and/or glass doors on some of the upper shelving. Then you could set your furnishings in front of that wall of cabinet/shelving. https://i.pinimg.com/236x/d9/01/0a/d9010aebc3738a1f061af9d2d880de69--cozy-reading-rooms-bookshelf-styling.jpg You can choose a wall with windows and/or doorways and/or fireplaces and/or tvs and build around those things.

Start by removing everything, including what's behind the doors, giving the cabinet a good cleaning and inspection to see if it needs to be painted or repaired. Consider changing the hardware for a lighter, beachy look. Think about using luan or foam core to cut inserts for the back of the openings, so you can paint or paper them and change the vibe at will. Sort photos, decor and books into labeled boxes or categorized piles/stacks. Then reduce the items in the categories again, separating the sentimental items from the generic ones. Next, go to the sentimental categories and work through them. What is important about this item, was it a gift that means something, what is it that attaches you to the item, does it really need to be displayed or is it just a special keepsake? The items that you must keep, but don't need to look at or display daily, can be kept behind the doors. Work through the generic items in a similar way. For me, I would first decide how hard it is to keep the item clean. In my case, the topiary, the basket and the birdcage would have to go because they're intricate and are hard to clean dust-catchers. This may be a good time to analyze items in the rest of the home. Some may need to be used in this cabinet (or not.) Anyway, spring cleaning is good for the soul. When you put the cabinet back together use 1/3 books, 1/3 large decor and 1/3 open space. Don't line up items like soldiers, but layer them. Photos can be used but should be in different sizes so you can layer them for interest; trios of a large one behind two smaller ones is good. Don't put photo groupings on the same level of shelf, but mix them up, still keeping them low enough to be seen, and limit them to two or three groupings. Books can stand, lean or stack to support other decor items. You can wrap books in other paper to change their look. Decor should be large enough to be identified from the seating without having to approach the cabinet. Small photos will be better if put on tables in the room for closer inspection. Keep the top clear until you've staged the rest. One large item might be sufficient. You can also light the shelves with LEDs it you think that helps draw the eye to the shelves instead of the top.