I continue to look at fans and fan light combos. I am reluctant to purchase onlline without knowing what is possible to hang, of course. I will need to hire help to hang and wire the fixture. Part of me wants to go to a local showroom and purchase it there, hoping that they have installers who will know what they are doing, and I will be able to exchange the fixture if they find a problem with the one I choose. I just have never done things that way - the expensive "rich people" way of doing things! It goes against the grain. My inability to help with this installation really makes me frustrated. I have to rely completely on others and I don't have anybody for this complicated a job. At least now I know about armored cable, thanks, David! And I know I can use surface-mounted boxes and conduit if the ceiling turns out to not be usable for running electrical. How about aesthetics? Does anyone have an opinion on having a ceiling fan rod coming down through a faux beam? If I got that odd fan in the second picture, would you think it looks stupid having the rod coming out of the center of the faux beam? It would have a 18" or 24" downrod (I forget which) to get it at the right height for the room, so it would be hanging lower than in the photo. Please give opinions, even if you tell me it would look stupid.

I would keep the wall and wood but change the sofa into a very light color to "lighten" the space. the ceiling fan and sconces need to be replaced, a modern chandelier can lift the space. In Galilee lighting we make unique lighting made of hand blown glass in beautiful styles. We specialize in custom lighting. We invite you to visit our website to view our unique lighting collections. If you would like to receive our catalog by email and get more ideas, contact Sales@GalileeLighting.com or visit www.GalileeLighting.com We offer free design consultation, to design the perfect size of chandelier for your space. Call us at 305-807-8711

So a few things to lighten a space and make it more modern immediately for not too much money is to paint the trim white. You can white wash the brick for a more industrial look. But if you seem to like a hint of traditional with modern (called transitional), id cover the red brick in stacked stone. its mainly used for siding but i use it on fireplaces for a hint of warmth, lightening it, but between modern and traditional. I included a stock photo below but they come in a wide array of options. Also bepending on whats behind it, you can probably remove most the brick to make it "slimmer." and go up the wall to make the ceiling feel taller. this will require a sheetrock guy to come in after (unless you are comfortable doing it). but it would help to achieve the look you like. To remove the half wall, youwould need an engineer to tell you if it is load bearing and the type of support needed to fully open it. he less expensive route would be to take out the door frame and sheetrock it so it just a opening. then remove the lower half of the half wall. Assuming no plugging or electrical is in it, its very simple. half walls are not structural. The beams - Personally i'd only paint them if your ceiling is low or they stick out greatly making it feel like the ceiling is coming in on you. the ceiling in the living room picture looks lower than the kitchen but i suspect thats due to the mantle height. Lastly, add LED thin canned lighting in a nuetral color/variant. They are pretty cheap, easy to install, come with everything you need, use less electricity but also brighten up a space quickly. When I bought my house, none of the rooms had overhead lighting except the dining room. i did all the rooms in my house for under 200 bucks with the les lights. are they are very thin so as long as you arent on a beam, you are good. The neutral color is important as yellow light is more romantic but doesn't lighten a room the same way. you could also go with cool color/variant. I just like the more nuetral color range.

Thank you everyone for the feedback! Still searching for a fan...it seems so many of the larger ones have an industrial kind of look to them and I'm not sure I like that. I looked on big ass fans and none of them were very appealing to me...some super expensive too 😕 I do agree now that a fan would probably be best so if anybody comes across a specific one that would look good in this room, I'd love to know! I think I will move the mirror...you're right Norwood, it does seem to reflect the railing (and the photo wall) and all those lines take away from the mirror's pattern. Idt a flower pic from the wall will work tho, they're too big. I'll search for another piece of art. Any ideas? I was kind of using these photos I found on pinterest as inspiration for this room...a room with 2 main focal points I guess. There aren't many ways to arrange it with the current pieces I have (esp as a family room with kids 😏) There are A LOT of prof decorated 2 story rooms with art on the high walls...are these wrong? I'm a big fan of hanging anything at eye level (which is why I did not want to mount our TV above the fireplace) So I understand how hanging stuff way up there goes against that. I just felt that it was such a large expanse of nothingness I needed to fill it. 😊 Maybe I should move them tho. I'm thinking about it! Thanks again everyone!