Is the carpet staying? It looks brown. What does it look like in person? Can you show us a picture of the foyer? Are you planning on painting the foyer? Green is actually back in - are you just tired of the green? What are the blue-gray colors you have been considering? What direction do those windows face?

No one can tell you whether you will find a color to be too dark, but it's not a bad idea to start sampling with the color that is the next lightest color on the chip. I find colors always look darker on walls than they do on paint chips. Also, I would find a blue-gray to be gloomy, but other people find it to be restful. Do you like the room moody, or would you prefer something lighter? Don't think about what is in or out - your workspace should be invigorating for you.

For now the carpet is staying; it is a gray color. Eventually would like to replace it with amendoim hardwood which is what we have in our kitchen, dining and other front room. I was thinking to repaint because we've had it green so long I figured it is out of style, but my daughter just said the same as you - that green is back in. I hadn't picked out any specific blue-grays. So I'm really just looking for how to make the room overall feel more stylish and not so stuffy or cluttered. Our windows face the west.

I would select a very dark flannel gray paint for the walls.

BM's Color of the Year is October Mist 1495, which is a lighter green and different shade than what you currently have:

If you want to brighten the room up you should be looking at lighter colors such as November Rain, 2142-60, which is a lighter green:

Paper White OC-55, which is a white with a blue-gray undertone:

or Soft Chamois OC-13, a warm off white:

There are so many choices. It's hard for someone else to tell you what to paint your room. The bookcases and furniture do make the room dark, so if you don't want to change that out, if it were me I would paint the room a lighter color. You don't have a lot of wall area for art, but you could get colorful roman shades to perk up the room.

I would paint the room a warm white to balance out the volume of dark wood. Also I would add Roman shades to the windows with a neutral pattern, think beige, light gray and warm white pattern. Lastly I would get foam core board, cut it to size and place it at the back of the bookshelves. This is a cost effective way to brighten up the bookcase without painting. Just cut the foam core board to size and place it at the back of each shelf opening. Good luck!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm not opposed to painting the bookcases, I just don't have budget to replace the desk and file cabinets right now. I hadn't heard of the foam core board before. Would you suggest white?

A rich warm grey would work beautifully as would a smokey blue. I think painting the cabinets would look amazing and pulling in some warmer textures/colours/materials for window treatments, accessories and lighting would give it an elevated and sophisticated vibe.

Here's an office we did for a client last year..painted their wood cabinetry, added dark wood herringbone floors, gold and white lighting fixtures and kept their dark wood desk. High gloss white ceilings and light coloured fabric on the sofas and light coloured area rug kept it from feeling too dark and heavy and helped balance out the masculine vibe.

I do find Revere Pewter to be a lovely neutral. Wonder if that would work. I'd say that painting the bookcases would be my very last option although I think it would be nice to paint the molding maybe a White Dove. Our home office is Hale Navy with White Dove trim and I absolutely love it. I do have more windows, though. I also think maybe a nice swivel upholstered chair in a color would lighten up the room instead of that straight chair which does not look too comfy. Like if you need to sit and read a bunch of things, could be nice to have a more comfortable chair and a standing reading lamp. A hard purge of books in the bookcases would help and there are tons of great pics of well-staged (and practical) bookcases here on Houzz and elsewhere. For the windows, totally agree on the roman shades - if you even need anything.

I would spend the budget on matching new flooring to the other rooms you have it in before it is no longer stocked. That would be my first order of business. Have you checked to see if it is even available anymore? Many products aren't these days.

I would think about making the room more stylish with minor decor changes, but make them bold. I would get a new guest chair, a new desk lamp, put a big piece of art over the file cabinets. Consider layering a bold graphic area rug under the desk.

Are the shelves in the book case adjustable or removable? I would take out some of the them so you could add some big art or objects.

Right now the room lacks curves and swirts, so I’m thinking a modern-ish curvy swivel chair for the guest chair, a dynamic rug under the desk (even a zebra hide!), an archng or round modern desk lamp.

Rather than try to jazz up the interior or back of the bookcases, I would break up the appearance of the shelves with a couple of framed oversized black and white photos hung over a few of the shelves or propped up within them, or absract modern artworks with color.

Also consider, if it’s not impractical, arrangng some of your books horizontally, instead of all of the spines vertically upright

Given a few unknowns at this point: potentially changing flooring/ furniture at some point, and painting bookcase or not, my feeling is to just refresh room.

- remove filing cabinets, if you can edit to most current needs and relocate them to lower cabinets in bookcase and older files into filing boxes for storage elsewhere.

- move desk into middle of room and eventually add a rug when carpet is removed.

- paint walls a soft white or cream for now, edit bookcase, add large art where filling cabinets were, and desk chair to something modern, but versatile.

Hold off on painting bookcase (if at all) until you have looked at lots of on line inspiration and have a plan for entire room, which really is the key.

Sorry to be a downer, but I would hold off on painting the space until you can get rid of the file cabinet and potientially paint the wall unit. The furniture you currently have takes and the rug take up about 80% or more of the visual field in this room. A new wall color is just such a tiny sliver of what you see in here that I don't think it will make the room feel all that different.

Declutter, move the desk out from the wall if even by 5", get a new lamp, remove the extra chair. Then wait to paint until you can do enough other things that will really make this room feel new.

Hi again —- If you actually work in that office, keep the file cabinet and don’t move the desk inconveniently away from electrical plugs.

Your office looks hundreds of times better than most home offices. Sorry to say this but a lot of design and decorator advice is really against the interests of the people living in those spaces.

Is it prying too much to ask why field of work you do that still utilizes that many paper files? I haven’t seen so many files in about a decade.