SFGate

Jayme Hobbs There are some great neutral colors out there & in your nice home...I think a common color will help these areas flow together nicely. Removing some items from each room, wall hangings, decor and some furniture even, may help the rooms to feel more spacious. Yest. I went through several rooms and removed items throughout and it really helped the rooms look less cluttered and more spacious. (getting company...LOL)!

Anne Dabecco Totally agree with Jayme, you have lovely colors and it looks like good quality cabinets, counters,floors. They are a bit lost in all the additional decorative times that are placed through out. Really edit this items. Keep the high quality times that are timeless in their design. Have a good friend come and help you. They will be honest with you about what to keep and what to get rid of. You will find your space will open up quickly.

groveraxle You have some gorgeous things--paintings and furniture and objet d'art--but there is so much of it, it's impossible to see. There is no place for the eye to rest. I would remove everything, paint all walls a neutral color as a backdrop for your art, then start moving things back one at a time. With each piece you add, assess the space to decide if the piece adds or detracts.

One example: on the wall to the left of the corner cabinet you have three paintings hung high and close together and two fleur de lis to the left. They are all too high for proper viewing and none of them get the attention they deserve. Instead of art, they become clutter. Remove them all and the sideboard with the mirror will get its proper focus. Take that thing off the top of the corner cupboard so the pottery IN the cupboard is the star.

Edit. Simplify. Find a way to showcase the truly beautiful special things. Get rid of the rest.

Dytecture I agree, try to simply the number of items you have, and using white as a backdrop on the wall would not only provide a continuous look for the entire space but also showcase your collection much more vibrantly.

AMN Another one who agrees with what's been said above.
Places to start taking stuff out/down to get the most impact and clearer feeling.

- Next to the television - no need for things on the wall there. The TV provides the art--so to speak.
- Do what groveraxie said.
- Take away the baker/wine rack. It impedes the doors it is sitting in front of, creates a lot of visual and physical clutter, and doesn't really offer you that much more storage.
- Take stuff off of the wall above the threshold from the kitchen to the other room(s).
- Take anything that is on the hearth off -- what is essentially the floor.

New motto: If there is no room to give an average-sized accessory or piece of art its proper space (I'm talking about the square picture on blue wall between light switch and window), it should not be hung there and probably nothing else should.

New mantra: Keeping the corners of a room clear makes for a much larger-feeling room.

Best wishes for achieving a pleasing, cohesive, elegant overall design that works for all rooms involved!

Marie Hebson's interiorsBYDESIGN Inc. Hi Valerie Claverie, Marie here.

Too much clutter! You have something on every single surface with no rest for your eyes.

You've also painted a very small wall in a bold red colour close to the ceiling - which is making the ceiling feel very short.

Empty everything out - start from scratch, only bringing in like with like. Post updated photos with everything emptied. A visual of a bright and airy french country look - this is what you should be striving for...

rosiegabby First too much stuff. I know everyone has said that but if you start with a clean slate it will be easier to see what the bare bones are and make some adjustments to the "clean slate" and build from there. I agree also you have very nice decorative items. You don't have to use everything at one time. Consider rotating items.

rosiegabby Also, I like red too. Why not try using it as an accent rather than the main color (walls). I don't mean an accent wall I mean accent pieces such as Marie Hebson slows you