How can I change up some of these areas to modernize my home a little?

Hi Elsa, Here's a link that shows rooms designed around a corner fireplace. You can browse through them and find one that's closest to your room to get an idea of how to place your furniture: https://www.google.com/search?q=rooms+designed+around+a+corner+built+in+fireplace&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKiqjfutzWAhUDOCYKHTHKAOEQsAQIJw&biw=1600&bih=745

It would be nice to know what your style of decor is, to better help you with your other questions.

Have fun!

Hi, thank you Suzette, I think I saw 4-5 that were both corner and attached to a vaulted ceiling. I will look closer at them. I am retired and will be moving into my home at some point in the future. I want this information so I can dream a little over it before getting there. Also my fireplace is not lifted it is flat on the floor. Do you know if there's some way to give that illusion as I'm sure it's way to expensive to actually do, if it can be done at all.

Thank you, I appreciate your input.

Here is another link to help arrange furniture around a corner fireplace.

http://blog.schneidermans.com/design-dilemma-arranging-furniture-around-corner-fireplace/

If you are looking for a more modern look I would suggest you change out the mantel and maybe do a stacked stone or tile around the fireplace.

Yes, I thought doing a floating mantle but wondering if I can give it a raised off the floor look even if it isn't. Thank you so much!

You can lift the fireplace by using slate or tile or marble, cut carpet and install on floor boards..cut it in at end of fireplace and install corner to corner of the slant...then buy molding to go around hearth to finish it off both carpet and hearth...

My first thought would be to paint the wall around the fireplace with a bold color, maybe either similar to or contrasting with your décor. Then maybe antique the white fireplace frame itself.

Hi, you said you want to make it more modern. If that's the case I would remove the entire surround and mantle. Using shiplap on an angle from ceiling to floor on entire wall as well as the adjoining wall facing the windows. You can ad a few scattered shelves on both walls . This will give the appearance of it being connected. I'd use shutters painted white on the windows. Light grey on remaining walls. Hope this helps

Paint kitchen cabinets a medium grey as well as front of island. Ad glass back splash in shades of white and silver. If you can afford new counter tops I would do a white marble look. Some of the new formica tops are beautiful and back in style at reasonable prices. (home depot). Paint the adjoining walls a light grey.

Bathroom should match the kitchen cabinets in grey. Frame out the mirror with wood and paint it white. Use same countertops as kitchen and paint walls a medium shade of blue.

Elsa, don't fret make a breath and clear your mind. Ok. So is your home normally this clean and bland? You probably have some of the things on hand but some you will have to purchase but if you pick out what your heart desires you only purchase once. So even if costly once is better than being unhappy in your own home. Oh and congrats on your retirement. OK so my first suggestion is pretty simple and apply to both bathroom and kitchen add pulls on doors and drawers. The ones in one room don't have to be the same in the other room. I can see that you have the shiny silver faucet in the bathroom so I believe that you should purchase shiny silver pulls. There are so many out there to choose from and you can actually do it yourself if you have a drill and the correct is bit to make hole if it is not on the package ask in hardware they also sell a great placement helper so all your pulls will line up. I did it and I had never used our drill before. Then you have to have things for the counter for kitchen that have color. A tray with just some folded cloth napkins tied with twine would look great. Don't ever clutter your countertops though. I wouldn't touch the wood it looks fine and that can really be costly. In the bathroom just add a silver tray with some pretty hand towels. Or add a beautiful orchid since they love hot humid weather and are not as hard as people are led to believe to be taken care of, once it's done flowering and the stem is withered because you don't cut it before then, you find a nice sunny window and just sprits it to mimic humidity from bathroom. You have to feed them as well but that's easy. Anyway if too much work then stick with hand towels and a tall vase with some sprigs that don't need to be real now they look real just go to a craft store. The fire place, this is where real money comes into the picture. First, the mantel is very traditional, get rid of the entire mantel and add an updated one. This wall paper that you found is it for that wall behind the fireplace or the entire space? Please just do the fireplace wall. But to be honest I would never do it and here's why, the fireplace is the focal point by adding in textured wall paper now it's too busy. So it really is wasted money. The look you wanted is lost. Sorry. But if the wall behind this current mantel is in good shape fill in nail holes and I would just use one chunky looking piece of wood basically just the largest floating shelf that will spand the entire fireplace box. Then I would climb up the wall with floating shelves staggering them and making sure that they are getting smaller as you go up to make ceiling appear even grander. That would make entire wall an extention of the fireplace so it's one huge focal point that originates from the fireplace. Draw it out on a piece of paper to get better idea of my explanation. If your heart is set on that wallpaper that you will need to have professionally done due to height and keep in mind if there is a repeat because you will Ned to purchase that much more due to waste, then go for it because your heart will be happy everytime you admire it and I don't pay your mortgage. Just take paper from where the width of that area is and cover entire area and it will encompass your fireplace making it look no different then when people have brick wall surrounding fireplace. The mantel I can't give any advice on because I don't know the texture you are talking about. This becomes trickier because it will need to somehow match the texture not fight it and yet be substantial due to amount of height of wall. I wish you had added a pic of it as well. Bringing your home up to date is one thing but if you forget to make it your own space you won't be happy and I would hate for that to be the case. I love what I have had done in my home and I don't care if it's up to date because these are things that make me happy. I don't conform and I like to change things but I do know that color makes me happy so I surround myself with color. In artwork I love trees I have 5 different depictions right know and one small little jewelry hanging tree as a sculpture with a few other things. So I'm happy, it's my space. I'm the queen since I have 4 men living here 3 sons and a hubby and they don't notice anything. I have the freedom to express myself. Life is to short to listen to all of us and not follow your own instincts, but if we can help or maybe give you a different perspective then great. But in the end please listen to your heart. Heck I didn't until I was in my 50s and have that regret and never again. Have fun in your retirement take time e visit flea markets thrift stores and home opening gs to see what you like. Get to know yorself again . Edna

Love our idea, she can also take a wall paper and cover some books and put that on a mantle or floating shelves it looks great

I have a rental house and the renter wanted to paint the cabinets Gray and it looks GREAT in the kitchen

Paint the one wall around the fireplace. Something noticeable, but not too vivid. That should help 'disguise' the corner-ness of it. If you don't care for the 'gold' on the fireplace, paint it with high heat type paint.

In the kitchen, paint the back splash area. [very glossy paint for easy cleaning] Add stools with colorful cushions. [I cringe when I see blond wood painted over, so I wouldn't do it, but that's me.] Take a color from the cushions and find something, or create something, using that color to add it on the top of the cupboards. Fake it by painting some old jars, or plates from the thrift store.

In the bathroom, use towels to add the splash. Maybe add a coat or 3 of poly-varnish to the cupboards to make the wood stand out.

[Lucky you with all those cupboards and counter space!]