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starzzzinhereyes Oh and the pics are not staying

carole i agree that the woodwall on that side should go,but the cathedralarea!!is gorgeous and with the color of your couches there are lots of options,it will also depend on your style choices,more modern or rustique
i've tried to find light colored walls combined with your furniture and think you might want to look for a multicolored rug,so you can take colors from that and brighten your room that way,the other option would be lots of whites and creams,will see if i can find examples of that!!

mjlb I like the radiating wood around the half-circle window, and possibly on the stairwell wall. But I would remove the wood from the wall behind the sofa - the diagonal is making me dizzy! It might be interesting to reuse some of the wood removed to build a short wall marking the edge of the stair.

carole .....

mjlb Can you also post a photo of the wall opposite the window? It's hard to tell whether furniture could 'float' there, for instance.

starzzzinhereyes I think your right. I need to find a multicolored rug and take a color from that. I thing fall colors would work. I like your choices Carole. I guess I will go with a traditional theme. I love the Mediterranean and French country look too but my husband prefers a more traditional scheme which I can make work too.

starzzzinhereyes Mglb I love the sunburst type radiating wood above the window too but the pink and white ceramic tile around it yuck! The wood on the walls behind the couches was one of the features we love when we first moved in but you may be right about taking it down. Not sure how I can brighten up the space if it stays but hubby likes it so... Lol I would hate to waste all of that beautiful wood. It would definitely need to be saved for something if we did, but I doubt it's going anywhere anytime soon .

starzzzinhereyes Dining are right next to the wall where the chair is with sliding doors or second story small deck area. Kitchen right nest to it. Wood also on those walls. Wood wood wood everywhere lol lol

starzzzinhereyes Also the wallpaper and wood on dining room are def coming down and need same paint treatment as living room. New dining set ordered dark wood round. Also hate the drapes on sliding glass door. They were there when I moved in. I need help!!! Lol lol

starzzzinhereyes More wood lol

starzzzinhereyes This is how we did the bedroom. Had the wood floor redone and stained English chestnut. We still need drapes. What do you think? White or something with color?

carole love the floor,is that the color you will do in the livingarea too?for the curtains in this room,i would go with a bleu and repeat that in a bedcover or bedding

Kelly Are you wanting to paint the wood? I am a little confused with what direction you want to go. So I am just going to put in my two cents...lol. The space is great! I disagree with a patterned area rug. You have a lot going on in this space. Between the diagonal boards, the wallpaper, All the wood is 'fighting' itself. I say a shag in a lighter color will be better. First thing I would do is take down the shelf over the windows, or lighten it by taken off the railing- this screams 1970's plus it is in the wrong place- it looks off without any drapes. Choose things to go with your sofa. I personally like the idea of a paisley fabric. Paint is going to be your friend here- I know you said you are taking down some of the wood, but have you considered painting the lower wall a neutral taupe color? Pick the background color of your fabric choices. A new chandelier over the stairs and if you could remove the mirrors. The potential is definitely there. Start with one thing and live with it for a while before making the next decision. Remove the wallpaper first etc. Good luck- please share pics!

lefty47 HI -- OH MY ! No one should decorate iike this , it's all sooooo busy and dizzy . Looks like someone got a bunch of left over building materials and stuck them to the walls . For your benefit and the houses also , I think it should all be removed ,- save nothing not even the light fixture and get into 2013 . Clean slate - new room ! I am also not a fan of matched SETS of furniture . Can you find another place for the love seat and maybe even the chair . Perhaps a pair of lounge chairs in a fabric would look better. I think all that furniture is too big for that room . I think the whole space , living and dining room,and kitchen and entrance should all be one color . When you can see all these areas from one another it is best being one color. With all that odd wood mixture gone the room will look a lot bigger and the floors and the kitchen cabinets will look newer. Add to the wall to hide the fridge a little more but remove the rest of the other wall and contiue the counter right across filling in that small doorway opening . You did a real nice job on the bedroom and all it needs are some nice textured off - white drapes with under blinds . With the color of your sofa - if you go into a moss or sage green then that will bring out the red under tones or go into the blues . Benjamin Moore colors to look at are "Revere Pewter " or " Florintine Plaster" or "Classic Grey " or any stronger colors from their new color sets.

starzzzinhereyes Thank you all for the great ideas. I showed this post to my husband and now he wants to gut the whole thing lol lol

starzzzinhereyes Uh oh now you've started something lol. We were dying to see what was underneath

Patti Wilson white, Benjamin Moore Acoustic White ...it is a cooler white

starzzzinhereyes Bye bye wood panels

starzzzinhereyes Hello wall

curacaoblue I've never seen so much wood in one home! I hope you keep the floors as they are very nice. Must feel liberating to take that off the walls

Barnhart Gallery What fun to see reno/demo in real time!

carole what!!is all the woodpanelling going now?????????

Kelly yay!!!!

carole wow!!!!!that is brilliant!!!am guessing you still want to darken the wooden floor???sky is the limit now,you dont have to consider the panelling you can really get the look you love congratulations!!keep all that in mind while you are clearing and cleanig and painting before the FUN starts.....and keep us updated????

starzzzinhereyes Well, he got one wall done, onto the next one tonight. The floor is actually laminate and we peeked underneath an edge and it looks like there is hardwood under it. Eventually, we would like to uncover it and have the hardwoods refinished. One step at a time. I keep having to tell myself, "This is our house now, we can do whatever we want." Lol. We just closed last Tuesday and it still seems unreal. It is our first house. I already told my husband I want the shelf above the windows gone. I always liked the idea of the chandelier since I never had one before, but after seeing all of the ones out there, wow there are some really beautiful ones and the one we have is really dated. Thank god my husband is very handy, but he works seven days a week so I guess it will be a slow process. He promised the wood on the big wall is going tonight and I've been given the task of attacking some of the wallpaper in the hallway for today, ugh. Should be interesting lol

starzzzinhereyes Picking up spackling tonight to fix the wall.

starzzzinhereyes I think I like the color perfect taupe

carole its amazing what we ladies can do to help,learned to paint and decorate many moons ago,but untill 4 yrs ago never owned a house,i now also know how to measure and cut plasterboard,mix cement and use a nailgun!! i love demolishion-hate tidying up -then LOVE the decorating.
and it is such an amazing freedom to know that no landlord can come and say ..put it all back the way it was!!! it might never go as quick as you want,but it is worth the wait..

starzzzinhereyes Thank you for all of your encouraging words, Carole. :)

lefty47 HI -- starzzzinhereyes !! - for removing the wallpaper - use liquid fabric softener in really warm water . Apply with a sponge till the paper is soaked and then you can scrape it off . Use more of the same ( clean batch ) to clean the rest of the glue off after the paper is gone .This breaks down the glue . There is a commercial remover you can get from the hardware store that does the same thing . For a chandelier ,- have a look at Restoration Hardware - it will give you some great examples and ideas . The ORB ones are very IN right now . The style is here to stay I think - so I don't think any of them will get dated . Love to see all that wood and tiles and wall paper going. I wish I was there to help you . I love changing rooms for the better. I hope you find hardwood under the laminate , that will save you a few thousand . Good Luck with your reno , starzz & Hubby !

carole thanks lefty,but there is no wallpaper,its all stone!!i think you are confusing me and starzzzinhereyes,but thank you for wishing us luck with our reno,its 4 yrs in the making!!!and i love starzzinhereyes project because we had wallpaneling all over on the top floor and was so happy that it was gone!!!

lefty47 HI - Carole -- Yes , I was directing my comment to Starzzzinhereyes -- this is what happens when I try to do this with a migraine , It was nice meeting you anyway Carole ! Doing a reno for 4 years is nothing -- we have been working on our house since 1987 and it is still not done !

carole nice meeting you too!!ohh,dont say that!!!!i was thinking another 2 yrs!!!bet you have changed everything now!!

starzzzinhereyes Thanks lefty. We picked up a wallpaper stripper from Home Depot and some plastic scrapers. Boy, it's slow going. Will do a little each day. We are actually starting with the wallpaper in the hallway because its even more hideous than the dining room and we were hoping to get it done quickly, but alas this will take a little time as I find it one of my least favorite things to do, right up there with labor pains and root canal, lol. Here's my progress so far

carole keep going,the warmer and wetter the space gets the easier the paper comes of!!!;-)

lefty47 HI -- I am impressed with the progress you have made so far . When we got our house - every room had a different wall paper,some rooms had two and the ugliest they could find -- must have been on sale ! Some areas they had used white glue trying to repair rips and then every corner had a plastic stick on corner protector . It was a lot of hard work and many hours but I became a real good wallpaper picker/ remover and I actually enjoyed doing most of it . And there was also a whole wall of tacky veined mirror tiles that I removed -- I used a long bread knife slide under each tile and never broke any or cut myself. So as you fix your new home , I am sure you will have many "why did they " moments !

starzzzinhereyes Wood gone from big wall

carole so much better!!you guys are really moving on!!!!!!!!!!!the leather looks much nicer now it can shine!

Genevieve This reminds me of a Swiss Chalet , I would go a bit rugged with the decor a nice rug to bring in more warmth ,a rug with a bit of brown will give the imagination a warm cup of cocoa ,a touch of Merlot to compliment the sofa and a good glass of of Merlot , and a bit of gold to bring the sun in and give the wood the final touch .
http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/4b/a/AAAAAqQ0S2YAAAAAAEusjg.jpg?v=1179943537000
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Ski-Train-Gstaad-Bern-Switzerland-Posters_i4064989_.htm
http://st.houzz.com/fimgs/aec1cd7b00ac4eaa_7124-w406-h406-b0-p0--traditional-living-room.jpg

Cheery Curtains Cheery Curtains offer a wide range of quality curtains at affordable prices. Here are some you may like. Mouse over the image for a better view.

For more curtain designs, welcome to my Houzz page or our website!

Nophie
Cheery Curtains
Website: www.cheerycurtains.com
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SPACIALISTS Great transformation! Looking forward to seeing the final arrangement.

cohoek LOOKS GREAT! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

starzzzinhereyes Thanks all for great advice and encouragement

starzzzinhereyes This is the rug I'm contemplating and the color perfect taupe for the paint. What do you think. I like neutrals and then add color with large artwork.

starzzzinhereyes Paint color

starzzzinhereyes This is the dining set I want.

starzzzinhereyes And then I have the merlot leather set but thinking of only using 2 pieces from my set and getting a different chair to add to it.

starzzzinhereyes The rug would be for the living room are which is open concept with the dining room

starzzzinhereyes The rug says it is shades of grey, gold and crimson

Stamps Design Services You might want to consider taking the old wallboard off and putting up new, rather than patching and painting the walls; there could be a hidden reason they chose to add wood rather than paint the walls. Here are some area rug examples.... if you find a rug you like you could select a color from the rug to paint your walls.

carole it all looks good!!like the idea of having a different chair with the merlot and love the rug,and the diningset and chairs..good colorcombinations,what kind of different chair (something like these??)

lefty47 HI -- The dining room furniture you show looks like it may be too big and heavy looking for your space . You have to be careful because the room is not that large. Once you have the walls all stripped down , Have all the electrical checked , we found hidden live wirers in our walls under the paneling .Test try the paint with a small sample first please , - the color you showed looks like it may be a little pink and the color of the sofa will make it look even more pink . I love the rug you showed , base your wall color on the taupe in that . I like the striped chair Carole showed ,-or something with similar fabric . I know we haven't talked about window coverings yet but , I think natural linen with wood blinds under , hung on wood rods and rings or wrought iron rods and rings, having the drapes hung wider than the window area and a little higher. Now that your room has been lifted into the light , you will have to be careful not to go too dark with all the new furnishings..

starzzzinhereyes What about something like this, lefty? My husband agreed that the round table and chairs were too heavy for the room size. I have to have dark wood. It's my favorite. This table is more delicate and can be as small as 48 by 48 and comes with 2 22 inch leaves for holidays. We could get the 7 piece set with six chairs but store 2 of the chairs until needed. I will definitely get the rug first and then pick paint colors. You are right. there are a lot of different shades of taupe. once i have the rug i will be able to get paint samples then see which one looks best.Hubby told me to slow down. We are in no hurry, but I'm just so excited. A friend at work is lending us a steamer for the wallpaper. Carole, yes like the chair on the right, with a pattern that will work with the rug and wall color and furniture.

starzzzinhereyes When it comes to window covers I do want drapes of some kind, hung very high where the side wall meets the ceiling and I hate the placement of the windows. You said I could hang them wider than the windows. I wonder if I could create the illusion of them being wider by extending the drapes a little wider. The window is so far to left and the furniture placement never feels right. Oh well, we will experiment when the time comes.

carole it is difficult to slow down,i know the feeling!!!but you are doing the right thing by windowshopping!!and thank you for letting me shop with you!!ieally like the diningroomchairs you picked before,they look very comfy!!but ofcourse you need to take into consideration if they will fitt the space,and for the curtains,i think it will be possible to cheat the eye with the curtains,still that is not this weeks job!!must feel very calm in the room now without all the wood around and i love the paintcolor you have chosen,just find the right tone!!will keep checking in,its great to see the progress...

Cheery Curtains Yes, please add about 25cm at each side of the window width so that the curtains will not interrupt the view. Measuring curtain length from the ceiling to the floor is a good idea to create a better view.

Hope this will help, and please feel free to contact me at nophie@cheerycurtains.com if you need further help regarding the window treatment.

Nophie
Cheery Curtains
Website: www.cheerycurtains.com
Email: sales@cheerycurtains.com

starzzzinhereyes I love those drapes on the right. Actually, I love them all. Yes Carole, feels good with a lot of the wood gone. More to go. Will concentrate on wood removal and wallpaper removal :) and yes I LOVE the other chairs :( who knows. My husband said my tastes will continually change as we progress lol

carole he is right(but you can never say this to a man ;-)) that is what i really like about Houzz,so many oppertunities to see what is out there!!! so,whats been happening???or did you guys take a break?should do,every now and then!!but not for too long,as i want to see more changes...about changes..and furniture placement...just looked at the wallspace/window you mentioned,and thought if you put a unit along the wall then that would make you shift the furniture more into the room away from the window,but..is that possible do you have enough room for the dining and livingfurniture then? and where is the kitchen??thinking maybe you can switch dining and livingarea?

concordhome I'm very interested in your project. Nothing to add right now but wanted to post so I'll get updates! I've been following Rhonda's Design Dilemma and she has almost 600 post. It's amazing the help you will receive here. My only advise is to go slow with furniture and accessories. Don't buy anything new until the remodel is completed. You may find that your taste change during this process and what you think you like right now may not actually be what you end up with. Good Luck - keep us posted with progress pictures.

starzzzinhereyes Little at a time :)

starzzzinhereyes Getting there

carole such a difference from the first pictures!!what is going to happen now its all fresh and new?

apple_pie_order Amazing changes.

starzzzinhereyes We have to finish a little bit of wallpaper removal in the hallway this weekend. My husband started patching the spots one one wall so far. On the big wall, where all of the wood was there are A LOT of nail holes that have to be filled. We are moving pretty slow I guess since we both work full time, but I'm happy with the progress so far. We want to replace all of the bedroom and bathroom doors in the hallway with 4 paneled doors painted white and white trim. I now want to try getting some paint samples to try on wall soon even though I still don't have a rug yet. My tastes are changing daily. Now I like scenic view for the paint and these rugs for living and dining but I am just thinking still.

carole plenty time to get to the rugs,but i do like the ones you picked here!!!!!!

concordhome When you're deciding on paint, get the sample cans and paint poster board rather than the wall. You can move the poster board around the rooms at different times of the day and night to see how it is affected by light. Just up thumb tacks to tack up.