Can you post a picture from the missing angle (your back to the fireplace) ?

Thank you for responding! This room opens to the front hallway by the door. The rug, painting, plant stand all can be replaced. Only want to keep the desk, curtains, and sofa.

If you are worried about the brown cabinetry not going with Sea Salt, you do not have to worry! Here is a photo of a living room that was painted with Sea Salt:

Living Room · More Info

Wood is very in. Please do not paint those bookcases. The panels on the ceiling maybe.
I'd work with all other elements in the room to tone down the wood if it's too much for you, but the bookcase and fireplace surround are gorgeous.
if anything, I'd change up your desk so the desk color doesn't clash with the wood of the bookcases. Other furnishings can also help tone down the amount of wood.

Lisa, thank you...I struggle with painting them too. Any suggestions on the color or type of desk that won’t clash? I am clueless on this kind of stuff....would a gray desk work? A heavier type that’s not open at the bottom instead of a writing desk maybe? I dont need file cabinets or drawers. Or an L shaped desk that goes along the opposite wall from the bookcases?

Would you please post a floor plan to scale? It’s a lovely space but something about the placement of the desk and sofa is throwing me off. The curtains are very heavy and blocking quite a bit of the natural light. More lighting could be useful and possibly you have some more lamps already in your home you could move into your office.

Think about an executive office- what would you see in one? Not much on the desk, a nice sitting area for a conversation meeting. Beautiful rug, art. Still showcase the fireplace and views. It’s a lovely place to work!

I am certainly not a pro, but do love beautiful rooms, especially with so much potential, like this one. I took another look at your desk and it's very pretty too and closer to the wood tones of your bookcases than I originally thought, so gee, I don't know that I would part with it easier. lol. Maybe it's a matter of moving your desk so the bookshelves are not the background of the desk. I'd square off the desk to face the sofa.

Part of me likes the look of two chairs angled in front of the fireplace so that's what you see when you enter the room.
Have you tried putting your desk, facing into the room, but in front of the window and moving the sofa to the side of the room where your desk is, with lamp with tables and lamps on them? That could look very sharp.
If that's too much furniture, maybe just two chairs angled facing the desk.
Remind me, are we trying to be less formal, more casual? Or do you enjoy a traditional look?

Instead of painting the shelves or the back part of the built-ins or even wallpaper, think about fabric. I once added a light weight fabric to the back of an inexpensive book shelf for my daughter's room. You could use something like removable glue dots which would make it easy to change out the fabric for a different look over time.

It will be easier to do if you can remove the shelves, but still doable if not.

A new rug will make a big difference. And if it’s in the budget, a new light fixture and mirror would keep the new color/design scheme going. The paint and curtains are nice and complement the existing brown wood color. Maybe down the road I would consider re-tiling the fireplace surround. Painting the wood would be my last resort.

It sounds like you painted wood work in another room. How do you like those results? IMHO it's a HUGE no no, MAJOR mistake to ever paint wood but you have already started so maybe it makes sense to unify your home. Without seeing all the walls in your room my sense is the desk should be in front of the window. Get rid of the couch for some chairs as stated above set a sitting area in front of the fireplace that is seen from the doorway.

Arcy, I actually love the white built ins in my other room and it’s paired with SW Mindful Gray which is a pretty blue gray. When we bought the house everything was yellow/gold or beige. Those cabinets were already painted but a yellowish creamy kind of color that went with the very dated paint colors. It was the typical gold/yellow/beige kind of theme, so I had to paint over the paint.

I am pretty stuck with the couch right now as I have no place to put it, plus it’s only about 2 years old and expensive (from Arhaus). More on that in my next post....

All- thank you for your input. I finally took the rug out and moved my desk as Sara suggested (that’s where it was before). I do plan to get a rug, but that wall behind the desk is huge, so not sure if I find artwork first before the rug or vice versa? Because it’s such a tall and wide (about 12 feet across) I can either do a gallery of different size artwork, or maybe 2-3 large pieces next to each other....I’m guessing I need the artwork before I can pick out the rug- unless I pick out a rug with no pattern like a shag rug in a blue/gray?

Before Covid, the sofa was against the wall where the desk is now. That part of the room is deeper and has more room to put another chair against the smaller wall and a coffee table. But now, since I need to face the window I can’t really switch the sofa and desk. I have zoom calls all day and I can’t have my back to the window. If I did move the desk in front of the window, and since I dont have a door, I’d be practically in front of the entrance to the room. So I am “stuck” with this beautiful sofa from Arhaus and have no other place for it in my house right now. I dont really have people coming in or out of my office (kids are grown) other than my hubby, but I enjoy sitting on the couch and looking out the window or taking a call there. I’m more of a practical/functional kind of person but still want something classic and timeless-not a trendy person at all. I will eventually replace the chandelier but trying to minimize expenses and focus on the critical few things.

I’m working on a scale drawing as Sarah suggested and will post. Here are some updated photos without the rug and the desk straightened out and sofa moved in a little closer. I think a nice rug could tie them together. Not sure if there is much space for a coffee table but 2 end tables might do the trick, right?

Here are the latest photos.

That already looks so much nicer. I like the desk square to the wall.
I like your couch too. I like it moved up a bit. I don't think a coffee table is necessary, but if you wanted something there, I'd be tempted to go with something upholstered and tufted. You can put your feet up and it could also hold a tray if you wanted cups or mugs for a drink in front of the fireplace. a cozy thought. I also think appropriate sized end tables and lamps would make a big difference.

Maybe a narrow table or credenza could add weight behind your desk. Art will help. I like your gallery wall idea.
I understand not wanting to spend lots of money and use what you have. I do the same thing at my house. I already have too much furniture. No sense in buying more.

I love what you've done. I'm looking forward to more updates.

Oh this is so much better already! I agree with Lisa’s suggestions.

Think about a couple of lamps with height. And maybe something tall behind your desk. A piece of art to the right of the entrance so you can see it from your desk as you won’t see the art behind the desk. I recommend a 3 piece series that won’t be too distracting behind your desk when visible in a zoom call. Maybe leave the gallery wall of personal photos in your view but out of view of zoom?

When you get a rug, make sure it’s large enough for the sofa and desk to sit fully on it. It will help with sound buffering as well in such a large space.

Thanks Sarah.....that is my biggest challenge - selecting the right artwork on the wall so it’s not too distracting for daily Zoom video calls. I did think of 2-3 panel series of art for that wall as well. I agree with rug size too, but feel I can’t select the rug without the artwork first. That wall is huge....about 12 feet wide and 17feet high. Most paintings are 60x40 so I feel I have to find 2 and place them next to each other. If the paintings are 60“ tall (5 feet), do I need anything taller or more artwork above the 2 panels? Maybe 4 large panels.

And yes a gallery wall along the smaller wall opposite the bookcase is a great idea. My current old photos have the same dark brown frames as the bookshelves but I wonder if I should go with a different frame (dark metal?). I’ll give it a try to see how it looks.

What a gorgeous room! I think it would be a shame to paint all of that lovely wood. However, I can understand how that much wood could feel overwhelming. Would you consider making removable inserts for the back of the cabinetry to bring some relief from the wood? That way you don't have to paint out the wood, but you can make something temporary to not have it feel like a wall of wood.

There are several blogs out there on how to do it with fabric.

https://uptodateinteriors.com/change-bookcase-without-paint/

Many on this forum would never paint wood, but I'm not one of them. I'm in the camp that there is too much dark wood in the space and I would paint the bookcases. However, I'd leave the ceiling as is. If you like the painted woodwork in your other spaces, you will like it here as well. It will significantly lighten the room. If unsure, you could try covering the bookcases as best you can with white sheets, paper, anything to see if you like the white.

I have the same dark wood on my kitchen cabinets which I plan to paint a lighter color in the near future (next project). So that means eventually most of the cabinetry in my house will not be that brown wood anymore .

I wonder if I just paint the mantel and the wall above it the same color as the white trim at the top, that could also break up the brown along the entire wall? May be a safer start than paint all the bookcases?

I do like the idea of fabric/paper on the back of the bookshelves to lighten it up. This may be a cheaper/safer option to try first without risking painting the wood.

thanks everyone! Will keep thinking but these are awesome suggestions!

Those bookcases could also be styled to be brighter. I've seen white book covers put on all books. Your display items could be in lighter colors. Styling the shelves differently could give a whole new look to the wood too.

I've seen pro's on Houzz talk someone through styling bookshelves with amazing results.

Is there enough room behind the sofa for a very narrow console table? It could hold a lamp (or two) instead of using any end tables. I could imagine myself sitting sideways on the sofa facing the fireplace and using the table for my coffee cup while I talked on the phone. There is something about the drapes that bothers me. They are beautiful and a lovely color but seem to block the beautiful window. Could you have all the panels at the two ends instead having four groups? I, too, have struggled with a backdrop for ZOOM calls. Remember that on Zoom you see only what is directly behind the person and a couple feet to each side, not the whole wall. So only a few feet of the bottom any large panels would show. You may have to make a trade off on what looks good in the room versus what looks good on ZOOM. For my ZOOM calls, I ended up not using my desk. I took an unused corner of another room and put an old laptop on a small table to make a ZOOM “studio.” I put a console table behind my chair with a large Grecian bust and a small topiary plant over one shoulder and a tall pair of brass candle sticks with two small family photos over the other. The wall directly behind me is blank and coincidently is painted a color that contrasts with my coloring, which also looks better on ZOOM.

My two cents:

The placement of the desk is much better. The wall behind the desk needs something, but I get the Zoom issue. Maybe sconces on each side? Or @Martha Edwards's suggestion about console table.

I am firmly in camp "don't paint the wood!". Those bookshelves are my fantasy-library dream :) Agree with the suggestion of inserts covering the back of the bookcase. Either a white, or light pattern, or even mirrors.

I'd also replace the light bulbs with a less yellow light, that might make the Sea Salt more cohesive in the space.

Can you get two curtain panels just on the ends of the windows? The four panels makes it look busy IMO and block the gorgeous window architecture, whereas I think two would frame them nicely.

Your room and home is very pretty. For an inexpensive but great looking idea for the wall behind the desk buy several simple picture frames that fill up the space and add visual height. Use black and white prints of botanicals, pics from places you’ve been, etc. I wouldn’t think these would be distracting as a background for your Zoom calls. If you wanted to go even more generic you could find a wallpaper you like and use that instead of prints in the frames. Or even use a nice coordinating fabric and staple to tall frames for another elegant but cheap idea. I like the suggestion to lightened the bookcases simply by adding white accessories. I’m normally a fan of painted bookcases but yours are beautiful so I wouldn’t paint unless you are absolutely unhappy with it. And I love the wall color. You just need the right rug and some accessories to tie it all together.