SFGate

donnakca The space itself is fantastic as far as open concept and comfy living. Keep the one rectangular wood table and I hope you have a gigantic budget for the rest. :)

TSG Designs, LTD The first thing I notice is your artwork is too small for the room. I would also remove the chair rail , or if you love it, move it higher. A lot of things seem off scale. Curtains need to be raised and extended beyond the window frame...In a large room like this, less is better, but what you do want is large scale pieces.

Chris Lane Needs some different textures- the wood is lovely, just so much! I'd lean toward a modern/eclectic furniture mix with some industrial accents. Brushed steel, glass, tall plants, floor lamps, and put those overhead spots on reastats! Wonderful space, needs to make smaller sections and divide with furniture arrangements.

Christie Bieber So you hate rustic/cabin. What would your ideal design aesthetic be? Paint can go a long way on wood furniture, even the kitchen table and chairs. If you would like to get rid of it anyways, then why not paint it? I would save your money for new couches and chairs. Get a fun new rug to tie it together, and update the drapes. You could also consider staining the wood a different if you want to avoid painting it. There is certainly a lot of knotty pine. The ceiling is also beautiful. Re-staining might be your answer. You could spend quite a bit of money on that project as well.

BarbaraGriffin Shores Swap the small coffee table in LR for a library table, then put it behind the sofa, with a lamp on it to divide the space. The wall right before you enter the kitchen would be a great place to put a large
painting, w/ a big bold frame. Add some decorative pillows on the sofa and the lounger. Put a decorative metal box on the table in front of the sofa, lid open and display a collection of shells or balls.
Have fun. I couldn't resist.

Katerina Sand I am not a designer, but here are my two cents. Paint the walls white (get rid of the red chair rail), you need it to be bright and airy looking. You can also pick one wall to be your accent wall (a different color from the rest).
I am guessing the reason you do not like the rustic look is due to the lack of light, for the most part. Consider reupholstering your furniture into lighter shades with material that is still very durable for every day use as I am sure you want to feel cozy when using the space without having to worry that it will get dirty fast. I also think that wall lighting is essential in this space as it is quite big, as well as add some large floor lamps. I am not a big fan of pot lights...The fan is very out of scale...either need to lose it or add a bigger one that would compliment your furniture. But first and foremost, paint the walls white. The window blinds should also be complimenting the color scheme overall, and in this case they are only highlighting the wood...
As for the kitchen, I agree with the above comments, paint the wood and install some fancy looking knobs, for example: (http://susangoldstick.com/products.cfm?catID=7) Of course if you want to go a more conservative route they can be just transparent glass or something along those lines. Good luck! :)

Emiy I am studying interior design at the moment, my few comments would be : 1. Change the grey'ish walls to a warmer colour maybe light brown almost beige. 2. What is the green covered thing, actually I don't care what it is get rid of it! it's huge and ugly, it's cramping your style :( If it's a table of some sort then replace the other table with a more modern one that you can make bigger if necessary. (I suggest you get a table thats the same colour as the couch) 3. You floors seem solid, therefore get rid of the carpet under the dining table, it separates the room into virtual cubbies which makes it hard to feel comfortable. 4. Last but not least, if you have the budget change all the Kitchen cabinets, their pine colouring makes them clash with your colour choices, again I would go for the same brown as the couch.

All in all you're doing pretty good just a few minor tweaks here and there and your space will look superb.

arlendau Wow, what a giant space - a real challenge. It looks to me that you have too many different things going on. I agree with Helen, the chair rail should go and the wall should be one color - not cream because it is too neutral against the pine. To select the wall, start with the carpet which should also be a dark color. You have a big enough carpet space for a generous sectional and in a contrasting light color it will pop against the darker carpet. Then settle on one wood color for furniture - perhaps cherry. Park a large 48" coffee table in the center of the sectional area - it's a great place to display more color. If don't want the cabin look, then yes the pool table and oak dining room table should go. Start shopping for a nice large dining room table - dark color. with 8 high back chairs. Basically, I wouldn't add more furniture that is close to pine color - you have enough. Consider staining the kitchen island a dark color, so it too becomes a focus against the tile floor and cabinets behind. Now your accents in pillows, pictures, window treatments, lamps ... all serve to tie it together. I know - a lot of money ... take small steps. Start with the chair rail, wall and carpet. If you know where you are going, you will eventually get there.

trixylarue We stained our wood vaulted ceiling in our master bedroom a dark walnut. Then even though I am not a huge yellow fan, I painted the walls mustard (Brittlebush from Sherwin Williams). In the picture you can see that the walls were navy and how beautiful the wood looks with the mustard. I like country so I have decorated with some of my favorite things. A large room can have a bold color.
I think your kitchen cupboards could use some paint, bigger art of some kind, new curtains to match your new painted walls will help a bunch!

Linda Anthony Remove the chair rail and paint the room all one color - perhaps a green which would compliment all that wood. Green is nature's color (grass) and goes with anything. Move the large 'cupboard' by the double windows to the largest wall where you have a picture with two sconces. It looks like you have everything jammed at the one end. Put something LARGE on the top of it also. Remove baskets from under end table - put it up on the cupboard or on top of kitchen cupboard.

Put your TV on the wall with all the small pictures, which should be removed and put elsewhere or away... Have the one love-seat face the TV, with the other beside it in an "L" shape, like a sectional would look. Put the larger end table between them. Put the chair opposite the love seat with an end table beside it. It will change the "L" look into a square. Tables need nice TALL lamps. Remove the small coffee table and only use the larger one which matches the end table. Put all your drapes up to the ceiling and they should match. The sheers don't go with the look of the house.
You could utilize the other end of the room as a rec area/office, using the pool table for what it was intended. Find another use for the other two small end tables.
Paint your bar stools a nice bright color, to compliment all the 'wood' around it. Remove boarder over cupboards in the kitchen, and add some tube lighting along it and fill with a collection or a coordinated grouping of some kind - incorporate some greenery and make them large in scale (like the large piece you have sitting on your island...). Do same over cupboard to left of the kit window.
Move the nice 'stand' sitting in front of the windows with the sheers, behind the back of the love seat by the pool table and put one large colorful TALL lamp on it or a pair of buffet lamps.
You must think BIG with your accessories because of the tall ceilings. You can see how all your 'tiny' pics and knick/knacks disappear because of their size compared to the room size and ceiling height.

Your area rug could be centered in the room, and your furniture does not all need to be on it. The rule of an area rug is to have just the front of the couches or chairs on it, and the backs of them on the hardwood floor. This would allow you to spread out what you have.
Try putting the desk in front of the window with the sheers and move the pool table around as there will be room because the desk is moved and it will make it so it is not going the same way as the eating table.

Group things in 'three's' on your tables. Larger items on coffee table, smaller ones on end table. So if you have a lamp on an end table, it would count as one of the three.

janetdixieinc Ditto on removing chair rail. Paint walls SW Tabacco Road. It is a wheat-beidge and would go well with all the wood tones you have. Add pillows to the sofa and love seat. You could use a lot of wheat, green, and the cranberry color of you window treatments. Also, hang your window treatments, minus the sheers, all the way to the ceiling. Add 2.5" blinds. You can purchase them at home depot, etc. You can paint just the chairs a deep cranberry color if you didn't want to takle the entire dining set. Or at the least buy chair cushions in deep cranberry. Once you paint the walls you room will come alive. You need only use large scale accessories. Leave the walls blank until you can find the right scale items for the room. Very nice area.

Pradhan Design Interiors You didn't really say what style you are going for, other than you don't like the cabin look, that having been said I'm assuming that you want to modernize the space. You could stain the ceiling and base/case. In an open floorplan like this you want to unify the space while defining the functions of the space. Since you have so much wood in the space I would encourage you to use other materials: stone, metal, fabric.

The first thing you can do would be to remove the chair rail and paint all your walls a creamy white, white with a yellow undertone. This will lift and unify the space. Make all your draperies the same fabric, something with some texture or a mild, but large scale pattern would be great.

Use the coffee table as the anchor for the space, it's wood, but doesn't have the rugged look of the pine. You could get a sofa with cleaner lines, ditto on the chair. A sectional with a console behind it would really help anchor and divide the space. Move the TV to the photo collage wall. If new cofas are not in your budget, leave them where they are, but put them closer together and move the recliner to where the bookcase is, with the dark side table in the corner between them (where the corner seat would be in a sectional). The bookcase can go in the hall, where the painting and sconces are.

I'm counting 3 side tables and 2 coffee tables, and while I can see where you're going in terms of functionality, they are making the space feel a bit disjointed. Would you be able to use just the dark coffee table and dark side table and eliminate all the light wood items?

It's AWESOME that you have a pool table in the great room, what a fun area for your whole family to hang out together. But it's next to a desk, is this a play area or a work area? Is there somewhere else the desk can go, I see that you use a laptop, so is the desk a necessity? If there is no desk, the pool table can run the other way.

Put a simpler rug under the dining table. You can try to paint the table legs black, or stain them espresso.

Your wall art is small for the room, and you have the right idea with the Photo/Love collage, but it needs more variety. Take down the clock above the doorway. You can do simple large pieces like a mirror, or some metal sculptures.

I hope that helps!!!

reginacpa This is my color scheme with vaulted wood ceiling. I have a butter color trim that is also on kitchen cabinets in adjoining room and a peanut butter color on walls.

mmilos I agree on eliminating the chair rail trim and bigger scale artwork. If you hate the wood, paint out the knotty pine ceiling, trim and kitchen cabinets a crisp white.

Melissa Nellis Wow, thank you all so much. I have decided the only way I will be happier with the space is to change the stain of the wood throughout. Would it be easier to replace the T&G with drywall and maybe add beams? So I guess my next dilemma is deciding a paint color. Many of you asked what my style is... I guess it would be eclectic or country...comfort if that is a style:) I just don't want to feel like I'm in a museum, I want it to feel lived in and make guests feel comfortable. What color will best help me achieve that? I don't think I like yellow on the walls, at least not on all of them. If I did it, I feel it would have to be textured somehow. I'm trying to get rid of the yellow hues by staining the wood. Thank you!

Linda Anthony you should incorporate the wood with your paint otherwise when you walk in the room, the 'wood' will stand out instead of the rest of the furniture. Before I would drywall the ceiling, I would stain it an off white, which would brighten the area. It's beautiful and shouldn't be covered. If you stain the wood as I suggested, then you should then choose a color to compliment your other light colored cupboards and woodwork.

trixylarue I have a wood ceiling in my craft room. I added glaze to a mixture of RED paint and water. You still see the knot holes and grain AND the color is wonderful! Good luck with your decision. I don't have a wood ceiling in my great room, but it is also a huge room like yours. I have lots of big windows and went with turquoise on the walls...it makes me smile everytime I walk in it.Here is a little picture of our fireplace. Red and turquoise...it's only paint! I hope you find what makes you smile.

7j DESIGN See how I contrasted the cabinetry and the flooring to the pine ceiling. My client loved the ceiling after we completed this reno. Too much of anything or any material can be too boring. There is too much brown in this space. You need to get rid of brown furniture.

Linda Anthony I am NOT in favor of painting kitchen cupboards - after a couple years, they will show the wear. We live in an 1833 farmhouse and the kitchen was custom built and repurposed cherry wood. We've live here for since 1982, and I've completely stripped them and varnished once; sanded and revarnished a second time, and JUST sanded and re-varnished for the third time. The varnish softens when constantly touched by the hands, especially around the hardware on the cabinets. I suspect after-market painting would be the same way.
Many other colors could be changed to compliment them. Shiva Interiors is right, too much of the same color is boring and everything fades away...

Darzy The least expensive way to coordinate mismatched furniture is to paint them all the same color. You could paint the coffee tables, end tables, bar stools, etc black or espresso. I agree to remove the chair rail and paint all the walls the same color. Swiss coffee will brighten the space. Floor to ceiling grommot drapes will update the look and LARGE art on those big walls. I don't think you need to change the ceiling with other updates.

Katerina Sand Something like this, but since your ceiling is dark, the walls should be painted lighter :)

sandkshouse You have an awful lot of tables there. I see three end tables and two coffee tables. I think you could pare down the tables. Is that a flat screen TV? If so, hang it on the wall to the left of the hallway and move the recliner type chair to the corner where the TV is. The chair between the two couches seems a little wonky.

ruthmand We have knotty pine on the ceiling and a couple of walls as well but my house is very modern. Knotty pine can be taken in any direction you would like, please keep that in mind. So here are my two cents:

1. Take the advice above and get rid of the chair rail
2. Paint the walls the same color from top to bottom.
3. Get some furniture in different woods, don't match your pine any more than you have.

This will truly help you not be overwhelmed by the pine, especially getting rid of the two toned walls. When your walls are all one color (I vote for a creamy white, but any light color you like would be good) your room will look lighter and your furniture will stand out more. Now everything just blends into the red lower wall. This would be a very inexpensive start and I think you will be amazed at the results! And may just make you love that ceiling!

Melissa Nellis So I rearranged the furniture. It was something I had planned to do anyway:) It helped a lot! I really should have done it before I took pictures. I got rid of the smaller end tables. My boyfriend and I have just recently moved in together so we have combined our things so that is why so many things clash.

Next, it sounds like I need to paint a light color. Should this color go into the kitchen, or should I chose a different color?

The cabinets are hickory and will not be altered. Thinking about a back-splash of some sort.

bdennison i would add some fun stools. These would go with your pendants.

bdennison Maybe bring some stainless into the kitchen with backsplash and pulls? You can replace the foot rest on the bar to match.

Pradhan Design Interiors Don't forget about undertones, your cabinets are yellow, so you'll need to use colors that have a yellow undertone as well. Your current paint color (not the red) has a gray undertone, which is why it contrasts so much. If you go to a Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams showroom they will be able to guide you, and also have larger samples than a 2" square. If you're doing HD or Lowe's get the small canisters that you can paint on the wall, that way you know you've got the right color before you invest too much time and $ into the situation!

Katerina Sand I think golden/yellow mosaic backsplash would look amazing. Agree about creating a pop of color with red bar stools :)

Linda Anthony keep the kitchen the same color as the family/tv room for seamless flow as you can see the KP ceilings from the kit and see the kit from the FR. Start with the paint first, moving your furniture around as many suggested, and THEN think about your next plan.

priscillamorrill Sorry, all of your furniture has to go. Walls painted light manilla gold. Area rugs with red, gold, green. Red sofa and accents of red in chairs.