Thank you for all of your comments and compliments... You have reminded me not to rush into changing things. The house has alot of trim work throughout, including on the dining room ceiling, dining room walls, living room, windows, entry/foyer, doorways, etc...In those areas, all the trim has been painted white, but it appears to be the same style and type as what's in the kitchen/family room. I guess I was thinking that the rest of the trim work should be white too. But, I see now that it doesn't have to match and will leave a bit of character to the family room! The wood for the built-ins do appear to be an upgrade over the kitchen cabinets. As much as I love the look of all white trim, the family room has such a warm feeling, as is, so I will probably just keep any furniture in the room light for contrast and accent with color. I will definitely not rush to change to quickly! Some of our main reasons for choosing the new home is because it was custom built, is loaded with trim work and moldings and is in an older neighborhood with lots of large trees and yards. Of course, there is also plenty of shiny brass in all of the bathrooms, door handles and foyer lighting that we will be busy replacing. And, the landscaping needs some updating from the overly manicured large bushes surrounding the front entryway of the home. I may have trouble with interior design/decor, but I am in my element with landscaping and yard work! I appreciate all the comments about the kitchen...My husband and I have done a lot of work ourselves in our current home. He does most of our home repairs too; he hates hiring out! Life has gotten extremely hectic these days, so we have less time for DIY work like the time it would take to do paint the cabinets. But, I think we can easily handle the backsplash and modifying the cabinets with beadboard on the sides, but will find someone for counters/sink and help with whatever we do to the cabinets. It sounds like if we have to hire someone to paint the cabinets, it might put us way over our current budget. While I still love my inspiration kitchen photo, I may entertain the idea of darkening the stain/refacing the existing cabinets, possibly painting the center island as one of you mentioned and updating the counters, sink and adding backsplash and other details. This would buy us time (and save us money), until we can afford to get the wood floors we want and the painting of the cabinets the way GreenDay detailed. I appreciate all the advice.

Here are some lighting ideas that may just fit the bill for you: https://www.lightsonline.com/jeremiah-39438-bki-villa-8-light-pendant-in-black-iron https://www.lightsonline.com/kalco-7415cl-livingston-22-medium-lantern-in-charcoal https://www.lightsonline.com/quorum-6904-9-86-kaufmann-31-9-light-entry-chandelier-in-oiled-bronze https://www.lightsonline.com/jeremiah-lighting-25236-mb-6-light-open-frame-in-mocha-bronze https://www.lightsonline.com/savoy-house-1-9110-8-68-turing-8-light-chandelier-in-whiskey-wood https://www.lightsonline.com/sea-gull-lighting-5116410-839-turbinio-ten-light-hall-foyer-in-blacksmith https://www.lightsonline.com/quorum-6030-9-86-lariat-30-9-light-chandelier-in-oiled-bronze https://www.lightsonline.com/savoy-house-1-1009-9-13-9-light-chandelier-in-english-bronze https://www.lightsonline.com/savoy-house-kelsey-9-light-chandelier-in-durango https://www.lightsonline.com/golden-lighting-3602-2lp-rbz-rbz-duncan-2-light-linear-pendant-in-rubbed-bronze-with-rubbed-bronze-shadess https://www.lightsonline.com/savoy-house-winbrook-10-light-chandelier-in-aged-iron https://www.lightsonline.com/savoy-house-1-8001-8-64-flanders-8-light-chandelier-in-feildstone These are only a few of the options we have--I didn't want to overwhelm you! You can check out our full selections of chandeliers and foyer lights for more.

I love the character of your room! I agree with cpartist that blue walls would highlight the orange tones of the wood, so that's something to consider, though is not necessarily a bad thing if you like that look. A deep, dark navy, something like BM's Hale Navy, probably wouldn't have the orange-highlighting effect as much as the less saturated blues in the mock ups. I also love aktillery's example of the her husband's office in Pewter Green and think that (or something like it) would look great in your space. Though I completely disagree with the sentiment that white rooms are boring, especially when the ceiling and architecture ooze character as yours do, I understand that they're not for everyone. I think a warm off-white would look beautiful, but it sounds like it wouldn't suit your tastes. Hope you'll update us with whatever you decide!

I'm the one who had suggested painting the doors, but now that I see more of your house, they don't look so bad! I'd still suggest painting some things though: the trim directly above the TV (but not the railing above that). and the window trim. keep all the other wood. your house has some 90s details, but overall it has nice clean lines and a lot of potential! what kind of decor are you into? because of all these angles and clean lines, I could see this house working well with a more modern look. If you prefer an older style, it's going to take a lot to get that to work.