All three rooms look comfortable. But you haven’t added your personality. My first thought is, where is the art? The wall behind the dining table would love a beautiful painting (print) of something you love.

I agree with auntthelma, you need to bring in some art. It’s screaming for something colorful. From there bring in different shades of a few colors from art in your living, kitchen and dining area. This will make it flow.

The single BEST upgrade in the moment? Ditch the wall to wall for unified flooring, and a nice baby proof, soft and comfy area rug.

Lose the quite awful light over dining table!?

For now?

Go to Home Depot. Measure that slider, it CAN be two shades outside mounted. Get the "cut to your size cell shades" in snow....cordless!!!

And put them up. Nobody can see in in daylight, you want no curtains with a baby crawling around, and you want NO CORDS.

There are a billion counter stools on Wayfair.......

Nice house - congrats!

Agree with the art idea and breaking up the grey with some color and texture (hits of black can add interest) - i would focus on one room at a time , otherwise it is easy to get overwhelmed and feel frozen -

how about starting in the kitchen and figuring out your stools? think first about function - do you need backs, for them to swivel, be easy to clean etc.. then figure out what you can/want to pay for them - that will help limit the decison pool

for your sliding door - do you just need privacy just at night? Meaning you will close them them at night and open in the morning?

Soon the baby will need a high chair. The table area will get much more crowded and there won't be much room for bar stools. Skip the stools for now.

Your place looks very well put together. Character is added with time. Add art when you find some you love.

I agree with take a deep breath if you’ve just moved in! And have a little one to care for. Can’t do everything at once. Especially take time to put things away and figure out your storage options in each room.

“ Character “ in kitchens means different things to different people and can be achieved in different ways. But most kitchens don’t do well with lots of “ decor”, but look best when they look tidy, clean, ( and easy to clean) and functional. ( Not right after fixing dinner though!)

I think you have way too much stuff “ out” in the kitchen for long- term ease of care and easy on the eyes. I would start editing out things that might be better in family rooms- photos and vases and such. On surfaces, that is. This can make the difference between a kitchen what looks like a nice kitchen that you enjoy using, vs an area of dissatisfaction.

I reduced kitchen utensils by a lot, to just my very faves ( I am picky about how handles function and feel, how spatulas work, etc!) and also kept a lookout for items that worked better.

I also understand arrangements have to accommodate/ protect small children— we used a magnetic knife strip on wall ; my DD couldn’t have the sharp knives in drawers for 6 years while children young. And couldn’t make best storage use of bottom cabinets for awhile!
But, do think what you absolutely need on countertop & what can be in less prime storage. Anything you use only once a week or less might go elsewhere.

The point of that is, after big editing, THEN you can look at more inspo pics and add your personality in either colors of items, or adding wood items, , in the actual functional pieces and some very limited “ decor”.

Then you add more warmth & personality in your living spaces.

If you have a favorite photo, you can have it blown up and printed. There are companies on the internet, and Sam's Club does this as well. The first photo is a photo my husband took in Bonaire. It was late evening, and he was experiencing with motion and exposure. We made it a triptych. The second is a photo he took on a cruise, printed on canvas.

I don't think there is anything wrong with wall to wall carpet with a baby. You're not going to have a lot of time to think about anything other than childcare for a while, so try to relax and enjoy your new home as much as possible. Look for art in what little spare time you have and let the house evolve over time.

Easy fixes to try:

Get backless barstools that slide all the way under the countertop - match the color of the island. They will visually "disappear" so you won't have a lot of visual clutter.

Are you handy? Can the seating surfaces/table top be sanded and restained? If so, restain in a cooler color so they don't clash with the grayer woodwork/cooler flooring.

Your whole house is fairly neutral. You need color in art and pillows.

Get a colorful piece of art for behind your table - long horizontal, or three tall vertical. A touch of black plus your accent colors.

Get a much longer and a bit taller cabinet under your tv. Buy a design that can house blankets, toys, etc. Leave the top empty.

Then - repost here and we can help you finesse the rooms.

Give it time. The house will evolve as the baby grows. Enjoy the baby for now. Mine is 9 years old and I would give anything for those baby days back again!

New baby and new house? You are doing great! Everything looks comfy and put together.

Your space is color coordinated but I agree it's kind of bland. There are some easy fixes mentioned above - pillows, art, etc.

For a big fix, from your pictures it looks to me like your wall color is dragging everything down. It has a dull undertone in the photos. For the short term, adding some more people level lighting and upgrading your bulbs will help. I would definitely consider painting with a brighter, lighter color at some point.

1. You need to understand the style you’re going for and keep it uniform.

2. I would focus on choosing complimentary colors, fabrics and accents. The entire house is grey, the dining table is grey, the sofas are grey, the carpet is grey- everything is getting washed out; this is why you feel it lacks character. It’s not character, you just need to create some visual interest.

3. Uniform flooring throughout would be ideal but its a major project. Esp with baby!

You might look at wooden stools to integrate the table with the kitchen.

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