Need a bit more information. Are you looking for wall colors? Cabinet colors? Hardware? What rooms are getting makeover? What does exterior look like? Setting? Trees, water, desert?

Literally all of the above. I'll start with living room because I can kind of branch off from there. I like greens. Anything natural/earthy looking colors.

Kitchen
Some sort of quartz and either natural wood or cream cabinets. I like the blue cabinets that are trending but trying to stay away from anything too trendy or anything that will say "oh the redid the house in 2023" in 10 years.

Living room
Either creams/neutrals or if I could incorporate color on the wall greens or dark blues (navy?). We have super high ceilings on a slant.

I have been debating on replacing carpet with LVP or engineered hardwood for some time and am impressed with the reviews of a company that only sells a high quality LVP online/through their home office. Even though they don't use showrooms, customers have been impressed with their customer response/customer service. Maybe looking at some of their 'sample room photos' will help you narrow down the decor looks that appeal to you. Best wishes.

https://www.flooret.com/?utm_medium=company_profile&utm_source=trustpilot&utm_campaign=domain_click

Yes! I have already ordered some Flooret samples :)

Can you post some photos of the home/spaces so we can get a feel/idea of what you’ll be working with?

The flooring you posted looks very nice. A light sage green and white kitchen with sone wood could look light and airy but not too beachy. No matter what you do, in 10 years it will be dated. So instead find look you really love. That way you will enjoy it every day.

@Jo Bo, I get what you are saying…our beachfront home mixes dark and light, tans and grays, more than 1 furniture style, doesn’t have a beachy vibe, and we are installing LVP right now. if you want to start with LR, please post pics of LR from all angles so we can see architectural features. It would be helpful to you and us if you captioned the LR photos in your Ideabook with what you like and don’t like, would keep or not keep, in each photo. Do you want advice on paint color? window treatments? Furniture buys? Furniture arrangement? Rug? Lighting?

The major paint brands have color collections - groupings of colors that go together but if you use them you get variety. I don't like every wall to be the same color either. Look at them to see if this gives you inspiration. There are usually more than a dozen colors in a collection. Just use the ones that appeal to you. If you have an open floorplan you won't be able to go too crazy without it looking mixed up, but bathrooms and bedrooms can all be different colors if that appeals to you.

Here's current situation. Thanks everyone so much.

We will probably get rid of the whole built in area but keep fireplace in some fashion. I'd like to highlight the windows too. And the whole house needs windows replaced.

Will you be keeping your existing dark brown couch, chair and ottoman? Your brief stated you like neutrals, greens and blues. Here’s a living room by Studio McGee with a color palette I really love. The two pictures following it illustrate the difference in a room once it has been painted with darker colors. They may help you decide if you like dark walls or not.

Looks I Like · More Info

Looks I Like · More Info

Looks I Like · More Info

We'd replace the couch and rug. It's hard because options are literally endless. I love the colors and color palette but I'm thinking I might have to keep living room with cream walls and then maybe the smaller rooms like the den and office use the dark walls. Because I think dark colors might just be too overpowering in such a big room.

IMO beach decor is really not my thing even at the beach. I think inside your house can be anything you want so do what you love and stop asking strangers to change your mind.

Do you like yellow or blue? You could also add Orange as an accent like pillows a vase

Are you full time at the beach? And in what climate? We lived full time in a beach house while raising our kids. The light airy beach look feels very cold on a gray day in January! And we had to do a lot of things to correct the function of things….a house at the beach, but not designed for sandy kids and dogs!

It looks like you have very nice spaces. Only need good layout with proper sized pieces. Good luck!

You may want to keep the wall unit if you have children. It’s a great place to store their toys and books. You can update that wall by painting everything a soft color (such as @Flo Mangan showed you in various kitchens) or just paint the back wall and keep the rest of it whatever neutral you choose.

Of course you have to do what makes you happy. No one on this thread is telling you what to do. You’re being shown options. A lot of the pros have amazing photos that help us visualize ideas and colors.

I would recommend pulling your furniture toward fireplace. It will make big positive difference. This is rough sketch. Not to scale but to show concept. Hope this inspires you for simple changes using furniture you have. Center rug to fireplace and get furniture on rug at least front legs. I put a sofa table behind your sofa and a pair of lamps. A faux tall plant toward corner. One end table at fireplace end of sectional. The other table could go beside chair. Might want to consider painting them to give them fresher look. A few pillows for the sectional in black and whites would help break up the black blocks of color. Enjoy!

The sunniest room is a good place to use a dark color which can take the light and not feel so dark. My bedroom is only 11 x 12 but has a triple bay window, so I painted it dark charcoal gray and used heavy bronze drapes. It is just dark enough to sleep in late, but bright and inviting when the drapes/shades are open. Hallways, bathrooms and closets need lighter colors and good lighting, IMO, although powder rooms can go dark and jewel-like for interest.

A bit confusing because in your original post you say you don't want cream and white but some of your responses you say you're going with cream and white. Have you started collecting inspiration pics? I think texture brings a lot of warmth to a room, so think about that in addition to color. Your floor selection looks great so far.

@Jo Bo, you scored big with the lovely LR architectural features. Haha, I remember the days when all our lower cab doors had baby guards on them, too! Don’t tear out your built-ins; the style befits the room, height adds balance to the low furniture and soaring ceiling and somewhere for the eye to settle, and storage will be appreciated once the kiddos are school age.

@Jo Bo, you don’t need any rug over carpet (unless to protect the carpet if y’all eat in the LR?). If you want a rug, that formal style is not consistent with the vibe you are creating. If you want a rug, pick it out first so you can draw the paint and accessories accent colors from the rug. IMO, you want a family room for a young family to be a joyful place to hang out, so it is not the right room to go all “dark and moody”. Leave the walls a light color, however, a great place for a dark paint used as an accent color is the back walls inside the built-ins.

@Jo Bo, I would forego drapes because any drape panels on that wall of windows will look too skimpy. Instead I would lean into fabric Roman shades to bring in your accent color and pattern, or shades that pull from the bottom Up - you want a comfortable room 24/7 and it depends on how hot the room gets and if sunlight hits the eyes of people sitting on the sofa late in the day.

@Jo Bo, the mirror above the fireplace only reflects the ceiling fan. It seems like an ideal spot for a feature wall. Remove the mirror and paint that new section in your accent color all the way up to the ceiling. For a relaxed look in the mantle like you have on the shelves, try leaning (not hanging) a vertical picture and layering things in front of it (unless you live in earthshake land). You can take better advantage of the ceiling height by using taller items on the mantle.

@Jo Bo, the open triangles over the built-ins are not being done in new houses and they are dust collectors. Either embrace them “as is” as a nod to the age of the house OR cover them with wall board.

@Jo Bo, an easy cheap way to elevate the LR is to remove the circle pad where the patio door handle hits the wall and use a door stopper that sits in 1 of the door hinges.

@Jo Bo, another way to elevate the LR but not add fussiness is wainscoting. Add a chair rail and use your dark moody paint from chair rail down to toe molding. Or add simple shaker-style boards & batten. Avoid picture molding and raised panel (both too formal), shiplap and beadboard (both too coastal). And keep in mind, you don’t want the entire room painted dark - the internet photos of all 4 walls in a dark color have been artificially lit with professional studio lighting, not table lamps and ceiling lights.

You are going to need a lot of patience, or suggest hiring a color consultant (will be worth it).

First step is figuring out a color scheme, how and where to use.

For instance: your bookcases could become a great feature, bringing in your desired warmth and how you decorate will have a big impact as well. Walls don’t have to be dark for a room to feel cozy. Highly suggest living room be light.

Maybe go with dark walls in a bedroom or two and even consider only a feature wall.

If feasible, painted kitchen cabinetry is a great way to bring in warmth.

After a while you may tire of dark rooms, so consider long term. We bought our house and living room was similar to bookcases in above picture. Loved the look, but after a few years felt it was a bit oppressive. Painted a creamy white and it feels softer and more refreshing.

I have not read through this since my original question asking for photos so I may be redundent in my comments.

You say warmer tones.....

I would pull the mirror from above the fireplace. I would then paint the entire built in wall unti a neutral tone like taupe. . If you have it in the budget I would close in the area above built ins with drywall and do a moulding feature that encompasses the built ins and that upper wall. Paint it all in the taupe. Then I would bring in layers of warmth and texture. I don't know your color preferences but A neutral linen looking sofa fabric but in a performance fabric to withstand kids. Two chairs in a loden/olive green. Two chairs with a lighter neutral performnance fabric that have some wood elements and texture like these cane ones. A large cocktail table. Two cube ottomans. Lamps with texture. A warm white or ivory drapery panel to dress the windows. Some great art over the fireplace. A textured durable rug. Some very rough mood boards to help you visualize. I accented with navyblue here

however if blue isnt your thing you could certaily go all neutral or for even more watmth pull in a terracotta color or leather.

I would search for inspiration pics, a lot to start with maybe first searching for color schemes- and you don’t have to severely limit, to start- mean you can search for a few different ones, like “ green, brown and ivory& or “ blue and green “ , or using Houzz, put in a floor color, wall color , other. Then maybe do some searches by style / theme + colors- cottage, traditional, garden room, etc. Maybe you have already done this.
You might find that helpful to see what it is about some rooms that “ sparks joy” particularly colors, patterns or no, whether you like that in furniture or on a rug or just as art or all 3, serene low- contrast vs higher contrast/ energy, nature items as part of actual decor or not. You don’t even have to limit your inspo pics to living rooms- a bedroom or kitchen might trigger what it is you like.