Jane, I was not attempting to discourage you from painting your floor. I just wanted to share what I learned through my own experience, because you had mentioned that you once considered using tile. Also, whoever buys the house might choose a floating floor and the paint wonÂt make a difference. Although I decided not to use paint on my porch/sunroom, I plan to go ahead with painting the plywood floor in the finished basement. Like you, I am contemplating a beachy (or summery) look, especially since I am on the coast. I thought about a distressed white or a gray similar to weathered shingles or weathered wood (ThereÂs so much of it around here). The patterned floors look great and seem like fun. The possibilities are endless. You can use stencils or sponging. You can also paint a faux area rug. This year I donÂt have the time or patience to attempt a pattern, but I am trying to learn decorative painting and maybe soon I can acquire the skills to attempt a pattern. For now, the painted floor is something inexpensive to go under area rugs. IÂm no help with a color scheme, but your wicker serving cart is great and will probably look good no matter what colors you choose. With area rugs, lots of plants and that lovely wicker cart, the floors donÂt have to be noticeable unless the paint looks really good.

That's really a nice room. So much to love about it, including the windows we can't see on the other walls. I agree with colourhappy's point about negative space, and also with those who feel for other reasons that nothing is needed in the high spaces. The first and third photos posted by Rebeccamom123 illustrate keeping attention down in the levels people occupy. But those rooms benefit from a unified upper line defined by the architecture that you currently don't have. Rebeccamom123's middle photo shows wonderfully that that isn't the only way to a beautiful space, but this design is far more complex and required some talent. And I think yours also requires a little talent and training to make it look good. That TV placement may be necessary, but to me it creates a really significant visual problem. Since you're adding a mantle, etc., perhaps consider hiring a good designer to pull it all together? For instance, just because the TV support and lines come out at that point doesn't mean the TV itself couldn't be moved down (and sideways?) to a better position, adding architectural detail to disguise as needed. (Btw, strictly in the interest of feedback, one of those corner side walls looks big enough for your TV, or next size down, and I'd almost certainly have put it there. If it needs to be on the end wall to be seen from the dining and/or kitchen areas, and a TV in the kitchen's out of the question, of course that's the place.)

You've got a beachy color scheme so with art and some decorative items that either are collected by you or someone else from the beach, and I think you're there. I would add yellow and blue accents--sun, sand and water colors. Also some green for trees and beach grass. At this point you've got the colors of the beach on a grey rainy day! The plants look a little harsh with black pots, so I'd look for something softer, maybe woven basket style or softer color, and I'd look for a third one, staggered in sizes. Some plant that evokes the beach for you. In my case, the beaches are northern, so it would be something evergreen or something with broad leaves.

Our floors were open to ground also. We had foam sprayed in from the underside. In some places, where it was a tall enough crawl, we had pink stuff, foil covered foam installed under the floor joists, taped and touch in foamed along edges. We did get occasional leakage between boards, once peeled out, ya don't even notice.