Oh, Squirrel...you are so sweet for doing all of this! I feel very posh, like I have an interior decorator! Thanks so much for all of your help! I haven't kept up with all of the ideas, I'm still on the suggestions from yesterday! So, I will move the furniture around according to the latest and see if it works IRL. I like the end table by the sofa but we are family planning and I know I'll need all the space I can get when the time comes for a little one! The openness of the 1st plan is really appealing to me. I did find a mirror that complements and mimics the scroll design from the iron gate piece (which is from Pier 1) for the buffet. And, I placed more flowers around to liven up the space like you did with the plants. Need to find a good source for the trees you put in. Love them! The scale isn't right for the flowers I added but was just trying to get a feel for the colors. Going to look for drapes this week. Love the idea of painting the art niche in a metallic finish. BM has one called Veil Cream which is absolutely beautiful. Kinda taupey, kinda creamy which will be a great tie in between the Harvest Brown formal area and Cream Wave family room.

Yes, such a common problem. Imo, your space is so limited you should consider solving your problem outside the box. Outside the house box by putting the area where you first greet guests and make them feel they've arrived outside that thin, 3" thick front door instead of inside. To do this, of course, an outside "foyer" has to be created. Most homes front to public street, and their front yards are also completely open to the street, to windows across the street, etc., so that the thin front wall and door are very often the first and only transition from public to private space. Very undesirable, and no good architect-designed homes fail to make a much more emotionally satisfying transition from public to private. That's why people want an indoor foyer. It's a transition between truly public to truly private that makes finally arriving in the sheltered living area feel right. You can't have one, but you could damage the appearance and functionality of what could be a very inviting room by devoting a space that tries and fails transition guests... From it to itself. That's why I suggest creating a separation from the street and public yard outside. Presuming you don't already have one that can be further developed, of course. Think of, for instance, a gracious, paved outdoor landing or porch that guests arrive at by passing through a gate and/or under a tree or arbor to reach. Imagine a delicate tree perhaps, like a birch, that creates a gentle see-through privacy screen between this area and the street to increase the feeling of separation from public . It might be surrounded by low shrubs or a fence to define it an give a sense of separation. Planted pots or sculpture, a bench or pair of chairs. You now have a transitional middle space from public to private, a transition(foyer/entry area) that doesn't feel at all public from which guests can then move to a very inviting sheltered inner living space. If you google, you'lll find many landscapes that do this. They're very common in neighborhoods of what were once small homes that have become very expensive. People who pay $750k or $1,750K for an 1100 square foot home often bring in designers to fix their foyer problem, and this is a common technique. It's all about meeting emotional needs, and of course looking great, without cannibalizing those living rooms that need all their space for living in them.

I’ve renovated and now am at the exciting step of purchasing furniture. I was hoping to have two sofas and two arm chairs. It’s a large space but the layout is awkward. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Yes - except that paneled wood doors have lots of joints. Wood moves with changes in temp and humidity which can crack the paint at the joints. So doors with little upkeep, become major upkeep, especially if painted white and there are kids running around. Some wood paneled doors of that era were made with MDF rails and stiles with veneer. These would be much more stable as to movement and hold paint better. Often you can tell by looking at the top edge of the door and seeing if the stile cut edge is MDF with veneer or solid wood. Mostly this wood tone is considered "dated" because HGTV says so - a marketing ploy. Just as now many are saying white / black gray is becoming dated - lets get everyone to spend thousands to change out perfectly good because it is "dated" - make people feel badly about their stuff so they will buy new stuff - marketing 101. Many here spent major $ converting to the white / gray kitchen, and I expect they will love their kitchen even when the next generation of House Hunters say, "Oh no, not another white gray kitchen!" My young adult daughters dislike white / gray kitchens because that's been in every Parade Home they've seen for 7 years. If one does not like something and one can afford it and it will not be too wasteful, by all means make changes. My house was originally a tribute to the 70's - harvest gold and all. I painted the dark stained pine trim white, replaced the harvest gold carpet and vinyl with hardwood, and replaced the cracked hollow core doors with new wood paneled doors - and since I did that in the 90's, they are oak - natural oak but would be called "honey oak" by all the viewers of HGTV. (It was actually "golden oak" which was more ubiquitous.) I have lots of friends and relatives with oak trim - none intend to change it out. They are fine with it, but I also live in the midwest, slightly rural and it is just not that big of deal here. These pics may more mimic the OPs wood tone. However, wood tone is hard to capture on a computer monitor and lighting can majorly affect wood tone. If it looks too "honey" and you don't want to spend the money painting, try changing light bulbs out to LED - I believe it is the 4000 range that tones the wood to more brown. Wood trim combined with a white kitchen: Similar to my home. This is very doable - but may not be to the OPs vision: My house - not very posh, more cottage, but we like it:) upstairs hall: https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/my-kitchen-in-progress-phvw-vp~45783770 https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~88642832 some main level doors: https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~93784236 Lighting effects: