Hello Houzz Friends, Thanks so much for your comments! I could only load 2 photos on my original post so wanted to include some more so you could see how the room works all together with the kitchen. I had not even been thinking about painting but now am thinking maybe a lighter wall shade would be good. Thank you for the the nice compliments! I wanted to address a few items: The wood wall - we want to keep it - we built it ourselves from our old fence and love it. When it's lit from above it looks less dark. The rug- I had it custom made for this room as this is where we all hang out and watch TV and we have kids - I wanted something that was huge and neutral (we have cats and a dog as well so this is very forgiving) and more like carpet than an accent rug. I wanted the gray floor to flow seamlessly into the kitchen to let the eye flow easily from one room to the next. (I actually tried a smaller patterned rug in here but we have a pool and it took a beating). The fireplace - ack. SO do not like it at all and Ingrid, you are right - there are 2 competing focal points which I don't love. However, we do use it and it's not going to be torn out as I don't think we'll get the ROI for that project - so I have to make it work. Making it white was to tie it into the kitchen. It will likely be a DIY so I have to work with simpler materials (either paint which still leaves me with 12x12 tiles which I don't prefer) or DIY tile like Inoxia Speed Tiles (which I've read reviews of and seem excellent). So if I redo the fireplace - what do you all suggest to make it work with the kitchen?? (And I'm going to clear off the mantel of the trophy and the crock which contains the dog's fetch balls!) The furniture - the consensus from you all is definitely that we need some new pieces and I agree completely. I like the suggestion of two chairs and sofa. Our challenge (which you can see better in these new pics I think) is that it's open to the kitchen so it's a pathway AND everyone wants to face the TV. I had thought about swivel chairs against the wall but think it will drive me crazy as they'd never be lined up. The challenge in this room is that it's for movie watching. Ideally it would be a large square room but alas it is not. My other rooms are much easier to design!! Please feel free to share any other thoughts! Thank you! Julie

We are almost finished with our LR makeover and I painted our old brick fireplace. So my husband decided that's where we needed to move our tv to after purchasing a new (much bigger) one. We purchased a ceiling mount from Amazon to hang it from and it works great. My husband installed it at an odd angle I thought in the corner BUT it looks great and the tv doesn't cover up all my hard work painting. If you hang it from the ceiling, it frees up so much room to add things like plants, shelving etc. Good luck!

Candid! The first thing I saw in both rooms were the window treatments. The living room valances, although formal in design, are a dated look even for kitchens. The dining room drapes and swag should be framing the stage in a theater; they're just too heavy and dark. The red art in the dining room and the blue art in the living room are "off" elements in contrast to you furniture. The red ones might work in your kitchen, and the blue could theme another space. Dried floral arrangements and sticks as decor faded a long time ago. The living room rug should be as large as the one in the dining room. What to do... Here's a favorite house of mine and you have the furniture to pull off a similar look if you just simplify and get a larger rug and some side tables and a coffee table that are in scale with your other pieces. Click through the link with the photo to see other rooms in this lovely home. Brighten up your space by painting both rooms as below (believed to be Navajo White walls and White Dove Trim.) Consider wainscot for the dining room and a new chandelier. Updated window treatments that match in both rooms, larger rugs and less clutter would improve things. If you do paint, then removing all the tchotkes will happen anyway. Pack them up and only put them back judiciously.

I u sweat and why you want to take that piano wall out. It could be a game-changer in terms of expanding your layout options and being able to add an island is definitely worth serious consideration! But as other posters have pointed out, it does have some drawbacks. You are smart to listen to them all and weigh these drawbacks. The best advice is living in the space for awhile before making major changes. Think about what happens on each side of that wall and how you will manage without the wall there. If there are cabinets there, will the storage space you lose in those cabinets be relocated elsewhere, like the island? Will the type of storage function similarly? Island storage is low, and generally not as easily accessible as wall cabinet storage. There are pullouts and organizers that help improve function, but they only go so far. We’ve been in our home for 34 years and just recently (finally!) remodeled our kitchen. Our peninsula countertops had a stepped up design that I wanted dropped down to one level. I had to weigh the pluses of chopping that wall down: more open feel in a fairly small footprint, better use of space and more prep & serving area. The drawbacks: the stepped up area provided a spot for the coffee maker and other small appliances, had the disposal switch and two pairs of outlets and yes, did hide food prep messes and dirty dishes from view in the family room. I had to rethink where I would relocate the coffee maker and other appliances and how I would address the kitchen messes being more visible. And weigh each thing on MY scale, according to priorities. Ultimately I decided the more open feel and improved function of that work area was most important to me and I worked to resolve the issues that taking that wall down created. I have edited down the “stuff” I used to keep on my counters. We went from a double sink to a larger single bowl to have a better landing place for dirty dishes. Ultimately, after about 4 months time we are very happy with our decision to lose that wall and open up the space. Good luck with all your figuring and planning. This is such an exciting time!