The first thing I thought of was Amy Butler's house tour: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/amy-and-davids-creative-textil-145530

Her living room has wallpaper in place of your stonework, but I think her tour serves as great inspiration: white walls, muted furniture palette (whites, beiges, charcoals), natural materials, and pops of pattern and color in pillows.

Have you considered a projector with a retractable ceiling-mounted screen? That way you would have a big enough screen for the space, and you could make it disappear when you aren't watching so you could style the wall with art unmarred by electronics. Good luck whatever you decide! Visual Apex is a reliable projector equipment vendor.

Wow, what a stunning room. I think in order to address your question we should break this up. Paint and color wise I think picking up the wood and stone colors would set a nice tone for the room.
Paint: a soft and very light grey. Maybe white if you are childless or pup-less... i am both and cannot keep a white wall clean to save my life.
Furniture: A dark grey sectional (a-la World Market http://www.worldmarket.com/product/charcoal-wyatt-sectional-sofa.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn) and some nice light grey/white walls to make the statement stone wall pop would be nice. This would anchor the space but you would also need some barstools for the kitchen and maybe two club chairs for more seating since this room is huge.

Other big changes: Lighting, you could go big statement. Probably two lights to define the space. Carpet, either dark wood floors to mirror your vaulted ceiling with a funky rug to anchor furniture or something off the wall like painted concrete.... Really is up to you.

Overall: Define your space, ensure its light and bright and have fun.

I agree with DEBBLES and would add on definitely paint the beams white. It might seem crazy to paint over nice wood but now they make the room look super top-heavy and low-ceilinged and painting them white will help them disappear while still keeping the cool architectural look. I would also nix all the various hanging lights and maybe just do recessed lights if that's possible at all. Good luck!!

My first thought was to drywall over the sides, but I think it's got a lot of character and I think it can be integrated in to the room. First, I'd start with paint; a neutral dark color on the other walls would make the stonework stand out less - if you paint the walls white, the fireplace will pop, but if you paint the walls in grey for instance, it'll blend the fireplace in with the room more. Don't go too matchy though - if the color on the wall is similar to the fireplace it might all just blend too much.

Second, you might consider putting something to the sides of the fireplace to break it up - some shelving, for instance. Depending on your taste it might match the rafters, or might be glass to let more of the fireplace be seen. Objects on the shelving would help break up the massive wall.

As for furniture layout, I'd embrace the fireplace and not put a TV down at that end. Put two couches (or armchairs) to the sides of the fireplace, facing each other with a coffee table in the middle. Put the TV on the left wall opposite the first window, then build lounge furniture around that. It will have the added benefit of making the TV visible from the kitchen, which is handy when the cook wants to be part of the action (movie night, game day) or just keeping an eye on what kids who are watching TV.

What an amazing room. I agree with soft dove-gray or white walls. That looks like carpet and god only knows what is underneath it, but stained concrete would be awesome in there. I would play up the earthiness of the stone wall with a faux-antler chandelier, and carry that theme through with a live-edge coffee table. I would then contrast that with sleek, unfussy furniture, in a dark color like chocolate or charcoal. That space is so big you could fit a large sectional as well as an Eames style chair and footstool. I would then accent with throw rugs/pillows with soft earthy colors and textures like faux-fur. The main point is to not try to downplay the strength of that gorgeous wall, but instead capitalize on it. Amazing!

Whatever else you do, please do not paint those beautiful beams or drill into the stone to hang shelves.

I'd go with Ginnielizz's suggestion to get a retractable projection screen.

The room is big enough that you can have a lot going on without making it feel crowded. Decide what functions you want the room to have, and then block off an area for it. Use area rugs to anchor each area. Go with something natural on the floors, wide wood boards in the same wood tone as the kitchen would look fantastic.

As for colors, I'm seeing buttery yellow and navy for this room. That teal has got to go, at any rate.

Yes, a coat of crisp white paint will bring the stone wall up to date. I'd ABSOLUTELY paint the beams white, too. I'd do a big round "game table" with chairs centered in front of the stone wall. I assume the TV goes on the wall to the left of the door, and so a large sectional (you can really go huge) using the chaise length to divide the space. Lose the fixtures, get some good lamps, take up that wall-to-wall (or redo with sisal). Some white Marais bar stools for that counter (I'd paint out/change the kitchen cabinets to a white, as well). I'd keep it family friendly and chic with linen/earth tones and pops of bright joyous color via wall art. Congrats! It's an amazing space.

I agree with white, but a softer white, maybe a cloud white or dove white. Get rid of those light fixtures as soon as possible! They're too heavy and too low.

That room just screams Don and Megan's cool apartment to me, in my head I am singing Zou Bisou Bisou (sorry for putting it in your head now too, lol). So I would take some - updated - cues from this: http://oystermag.com/inside-don-drapers-new-digs

I would pull out the existing pass-through bar thing, but add back something for dining/ bar in that area, like put a bar (or bar cart) in the bottom left corner of the floor plan, place a funky mid-C sideboard on the right under the passthrough window with some cool vintage lamps, and place a large rectangular table on the bottom right, oriented in the same direction as the room and centred on that big window. You certainly have the space! Then I would divide the upper half of the room towards the fireplace with an oversized L shaped couch and lounge-y chairs facing in from the corners against the stone wall. Make a clear dining/bar side and a clear lounging side. And use all the old tricks - delineate spaces with big area rugs, make the fireplace wall the focal point, and add a projector screen if you can afford it; otherwise put the TV on one side and something like shelves of equal visual "weight" on the other side to balance it out.

Also, think about pulling up the carpets! With that kind of woodwork on the ceiling you might also have something amazing on the floor that just needs refinishing.

Oh and the best advice is go slow. Put the furniture in and see how it feels for a couple weeks. Then paint the walls before you paint those beams - maybe it won't feel so dark after the walls are lighter, etc. Hang the art when you're sure about furniture. Don't put holes in that brick wall until you've sized it up with different options.

I love the stone wall. A neutral grey on the wall and ceiling and beams painted white will really blend and make the ceiling feel lighter and taller. Also, if you could add built in shelving/storage on both sides of the fireplace, and add a door over a TV cabinet on either side of the fireplace, you could hide the TV (and wires, etc) when you want the fireplace to be the focal point of the room.

We have a very similar room in our house, and scale is key. It's a great space and a ot of people can hang out there and it doesn't seem cramped. Here are some things I would recommend:

First thing, tear out that carpet and put some other kind of flooring there -- hardwoods are an obvious choice, maybe something light to contrast, or something dark if you're going to embrace the beams.

I think the fireplace needs a mantle. Not a fussy one, but something with scale and that looks like it belongs there, style-wise.

To balance out that amazing rock wall, do something with the bar at the kitchen pass-through that has enough visual and style heft to draw people there.

I'm sure this will give many people the vapors -- but we ended up putting our TV in the fireplace. We live in Texas, the chimney would require extensive work to be usable, and there wasn't another good place to put the seating grouping. Hanging it over was too high. (Our opening is a bit on the high side, so it is a perfect viewing angle from the couch.

Consider resurfacing the ledge if you have the budget. We did ours in white Silestone with a cantilevered edge (the fireplace wall in our case is all brick, painted a dark green-grey) and it is a showstopper. It has mass but because it's white it gives lightness and also bounces some light around, which can be an issue with dark fireplaces.

And, it's probably obvious because of the room's size, but float groupings of furniture -- i.e., a big couch or (if you're the type) sectional and some other seating and occasional tables around the fireplace, and a dining or some other kind of entertainment grouping near the kitchen.

Definitely get rid of all the mismatched lights! I think they are what makes it feel low, rather than the beams. I would do matching pendants equally spaced throughout the room on a dimmer, maybe several dimmers. Make sure the bottoms are level or above the bottom of the beams. Then add in lamps for ambiance. Also consider taking the wall color all the way up the ceiling to make the space feel taller. The white ceiling seems unfinished. You could choose either a warmer neutral to make the beams blend in or a cooler neutral to make the wood pop, whichever you prefer!

I won't comment on furniture or color, as I find different people are drawn to different things, you'll figure out what you are drawn to.

But furniture placement, I'll do. Start with removing what's in the room, not just the green paint, but those round things (can't tell if they are light fixtures or mirrors on the stone), the odd round chandelier, and the ceiling fan, unless you love that. Remove that counter coming out from the kitchen - it looks tacky, really, in this room, with its stone and wood beams. If you want it there to use like a buffet, it would look much better if you put an actual wood buffet in that space (it needn't be as high as the counter.) Just frame the window nicely, and leave it. That will help that end of the room enormously. Oh, and put some piece of wood furniture in the other corner at that end of the room - I'm seeing a narrow tall cabinet, not necessarily a corner cabinet, just placed as if it is.

Having a long(er) living room than this myself, it is clear to me that you must divide it into two areas with furniture and rug placement. A nice long couch would look good here. You want it on the fireplace end of the room, obviously. You have two options - place it in the middle, facing the fireplace (that would be great) - though I agree that you should not put the TV on the fireplace wall. (I like that projector idea, but know nothing about them.) But you'll put the TV in front of the stone if you want to anyway. The other option for the couch is facing the doors out...but if you do this, do not place it back against the wall. Use a console or other piece of furniture there, under the window, and leave lots of room in front of it, and then the couch. 2 chairs across from the couch. I wouldn't do 2 couches with that door there. You've a lot of width here, so whichever direction your seating area is, you have room to have the seating furniture pulled well away from the walls...your seating area needs to be away from the walls. You can put the tv on the wall next to the doors, perhaps angled toward the couch. That's the logical place. You'll want the couch in this second position, perpendicular to the fireplace wall, if you agree that you shouldn't put a TV in front of the stone wall (unless you put a projector screen in front of the stone - that would look cool - only if you only sometimes watch tv though, so it isn't down all the time...that would defeat the purpose of having the stone wall.)

Now, as to the other section of the room - it looks from that round chandelier that some previous occupants had a dining table there. Since you don't mention dining as a use for this room, I am assuming that you have a dining area elsewhere and aren't interested in dining in here. Maybe that's incorrect. In which case, install a dining table (and a better light fixture above). Don't put it directly in front of the stairs - the room is wide enough to divide into areas in the shorter direction, too. Put it on the window side, not by the window opening to the kitchen. Even if this is not your main dining room, consider putting a smaller table in here, since it is so near the kitchen, perhaps a round one, like a 40"-ish inch diameter one, or a long narrow one under that window.

You could also do 4 large chairs instead of a couch, around a large central round coffee table. Or, if you don't like my tv placement idea, but need to be looking at it from dead on center, well, those windows look high, put one on a lower stand in front of the window next to the fireplace, and place the couch across from it, many feet in from the door so there is a wallway behind the couch, and put two smaller chairs on either side of the Tv, facing the couch. You can really do anything in here. You can also put the tv in that area inbetween the two windows, and have the seating area more centered on that, leaving room on either end of the room, though this gives you less options for the other space that isn't the main seating area, as they will be 2 long, more narrow spaces. Still, I could see this working - you can find ways to decorate that area in front of that stone wall - I'm seeing low seating, small chairs or those square leather storage ottomans or poufs, depending on your style. And you could also figure out how to decorate the ends by the kitchen. I think the room will look be cosier and feel less cavernous if you divide it into two main areas though. The tv is the problem. You don't say how much you watch it, how many watch at once, or how big a tv you need. If the tv is truly going to dominate, then all design goes out the window, really. Since you have another living room, consider whether this room is really where the tv belongs...even if you are envisioning that other room as the more formally decorated one. It likely does not have the stone and doors and doorway this room does, and might actually be more suited to having a tv in it.

Don't paint those beams - the wood tone softens the stone in a way that paint, in white or any other color, won't. What's under that carpet? This stone looks old - I guessing it might be wood. If so, take up that carpet and refinish it - that will also soften the stone look. If it isn't, consider installing hardwood floors. Nice rugs on wood will make the room look so much nicer than this, or any carpet, does or can.

Put some nice curtains on that door - do not use those ugly vertical slats things. They will look particularly bad next to your nice stone wall. On the windows, consider putting floor length curtains on each side of each window, even if you place tables or other stuff under the windows and so never draw the curtains, and instead just use blinds in the actual windows if you need something there to control light or privacy - the length of the curtains will balance out the doors on the other side of the room.

What a fantastic room! I would definitely nix the ceiling lights. They take all the attention away from the stone wall, and not in a good way. If it were my space, I wouldn't paint over the beams but would paint the walls and ceiling (between the beams) the same light color. You could go crisp white, warm white, or a light gray very comfortably and they would all look great. If privacy isn't an issue, I'd keep the windows and door bare; otherwise try bamboo shades and/or long white drapes. I'd bulk up the mantle and possibly paint that board on the stone ledge white (if it's wood; if it's stone, then don't paint it). A coat of new heat-safe black or oil-rubbed bronze paint on the stove hardware would look nice, too. If it's in the budget, wood floors would look awesome (maybe a similar shade as the beams to balance out the 'heaviness'). And then I'd go with a mixture of light and colorful furniture, airy glass pieces and 'heavy' metal ones, and lots of fabulous textiles and rugs to add comfort to a space that could easily be overbearing. Don't forget good lighting, too: wall sconces, table and floor lamps and artwork-highlighting sconces.

As far as the furniture arrangment, I'd lay a rug in front of the fireplace and have a large couch facing it. Then put two armchairs facing the couch with their backs to the stone, two stools to the left of the couch in front of the door, and two lighter-weight chairs to round out the rectangle. Behind the lighter chairs under the window I'd put the TV on a lower stand. If you want more seating in this space, some sheepskin throws over the built in stone bench would be very inviting, as well as floor pillows. You'll probably want a pretty hefty coffee table in the center to ground it and pull all the seats together. I'd put a few stools at the bar and create a seating area with two armchairs in that back corner. Any empty space I'd fill in with interesting things to look at: shelves full of books and doo-dads, great art, a prized collection, etc.

That was a horribly long response... apparently I covet your room! :) Good luck, and congrats on your purchase!

This screams mountain lodge. You like the space - the question you need to ask yourself is why? Do you like mountain lodges? If so, disregard all the responses above mine. :) No offense upthread.

Go earthy, go rustic luxury - Google "moutain lodge" and "luxury" and you'll find what you are looking for. You may also want to look at Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch for inspiration.

http://www.gibeonphotography.com/#/resort-hospitality/RitzCarltonBachelorGulch0910_0416

I agree with PI that a soft white for the walls and ceiling (but not the beams!) would brighten the room significantly. To balance out the massiveness that is your stone wall, I would bring floor length drapery to the sliding door and windows, in a medium gray or greyish taupe. As far a furniture goes- find pieces you love! If you are going to embrace those beams, then keep your choices mid-tone/dark to ground the top heavy room.

A couple of more personal recommendations: four club chairs (that swivel- it is key) around a statement coffee table has long been a family favorite for entertainment rooms. Ours have always been near the fireplace with a view to the outside. You have the perfect opportunity for that, with plenty of room for a larger couch/ tv area near the kitchen. I also think this room could use something shiny. Perhaps refinish the fireplace surround in a iron or pewter finish. You could find light fixtures that compliment whatever finish you choose and are a more suitable scale.

Some construction ideas.... beef up the bottom shelf on the fireplace. It looks like it could be 16" deep without obstructing the doorway, great for accessorizing. Whatever finish you decide you could bring across the room to those steps. Dyed concrete would be my go to choice, with a metal surface. But that may be too contemporary for your taste. Also, that banquette shelf is pretty dinky in comparison to the rest of the room's features. I think removal would be easiest, and allow you to bring in matching storage to flank that doorway.

Hope this is helpful- in truth you have so much to work with in this room, I think you will end up having a lot of fun decorating and living in this space.

Without knowing what your 'style' is, its difficult to suggest the theme but here goes:

I don't really understand what the white bulbs are....but, remove remove remove!!! In fact get rid of the fan and the old dusty lighting they make the ceiling feel very low.

At first i thought, oh! they should paint the beams white to really let the stone wall pop, but now i'm thinking could you remove the horizontal beams? to let there be more height?

If you removed the carpet, whats underneath?? go for wood floors!

Big grey sectional and mix up your pillow colors and textures, lots of white feux fur

I think you need to draw a focal point within the wall such as a modern shelf, with a large piece of art white/gray - light and airy.

http://www.slim69.com/wonderful-jack-dorseys-house-with-golden-gate-san-francisco-bay-views/stone-wall-fireplace-in-living-room-with-beautiful-sf-bay-view-and-golden-gate-bridge/

As i'm guessing this room also includes the 'dining' area? you should think about breaking up that back space by the kitchen...

Drop down some lighting and put a dining table to the left of the kitchen doorway. More artwork. Two chairs at the end of the table that are different from the rest of the chairs, a rug underneath... cowhyde?

so many ideas!!! :)

"At first i thought, oh! they should paint the beams white to really let the stone wall pop, but now i'm thinking could you remove the horizontal beams? to let there be more height?"

Yeah, if they want the ceiling to fall in, that might be a good idea :-D

Paint/not paint argument again. Here's one more vote for not painting. A bare floor would look marvelous - concrete especially. Paint the walls white or light gray. Get a new light fixture. Simple furniture. Some nice rugs. The stonework and beams are amazingggg, keep them as is!

If the floor is uneven and slopes like it looks in the photo's I'd spend the money to make the floor level to start with. Any furniture you use with the floor sloping as is will be uncomfortable and look odd until the floor is level. Of course that will also effect that patio sliding glass door as well. Guess you can figure out how to deal with that. I also think one of the best ideas offered so far was to get rid of that overhang "thing" from the kitchen, it is tacky. Take down all the fixtures hanging from the ceiling and whatever light fixtures you hang as replacements with just be consistent. I also agree that the fireplace needs a large mantle. Maybe a large mirror leaning against the stone wall sitting on top of a mantle would help brighten up that end of the room. It looks like it will be a big project no matter what you decide to do. Keep in mind it doesn't have to be done all at once. Do it as you can afford it.

I love the beams as they are. White would look good too, but seems a shame when they are a stunning feature, along with the stone wall. I agree with the soft/dove gray for the walls, and a polished concrete floor would be fabulous. The lighting fixtures are very distracting, in my view they need to go.

With regards to the beams...if you don't paint them white, they do have a tendency to be top-heavy as a previous poster mentioned. I think you need appropriate colors and furnishings below to balance this heaviness. If you got for spindly fine furniture, the beams could feel very oppressive, like they are going to fall and crush it (and you!)...but if you go for something substantial with sturdy sort of proportions, and perhaps some similar wood tones to the beams, but not too much (or it will start looking very mountain lodge - unless you like that, of course)...then you can create a sense of balance with the color, texture, lines and weight. I think neutrals for upholstery, but some good, rich cushions and accessories (could be any color really, but nothing too wishy-washy) will help to "anchor" the seating and add some weight and strength to it under those beams.

The stone wall is perfect as it is...let is steal the limelight - it deserves it :)

Personally, I'm not big on TVs, so I like the rollaway screen idea, or a TV that lives inside a cabinet and can be closed away when not in use.

I should add, I wouldn't have much wood in this room in terms of the furnishings. Perhaps a small side or coffee table, but not the entire lounge suite or anything...that would start looking a bit too woodsy for me.

Posters need to help us out with some ideas of personal style. This room could keep the wagon-wheel lamp and go full western, or scrap it all and go fifty shades of contemporary.

What should I wear? Well, what's in your closet? Also, what kind of party are you going to and who are the guests? Help us help you.

My recommendation is to get rid of all the lights in the room and install track lighting on TOP of the beams, and bounce it off the ceiling (leave it white). Cleaner look and soft light. You could also do LED strips for a cleaner install and lower electricity costs, just use SMD5050 x300 to get enough light. They can be somewhat of a pain if you want dimming, but you could always alternate which strips are lighted to change the amount of light.

Also, I support the projector and screen idea. The only argument against a 100+" screen is if you watch a lot of tv, but in that case I would get a regular size in another room. Installing one in this room it will look small and change its function.

There's another set of inspiration phots available on Rue. Jocelyn of SimpleLovely blog has a similar feature wall PLUS wood panelling, and pulled it off beautifully. Start at page 89.

http://www.ruemag.com/august-2012/

WOW! Thanks for all the comments and I especially love the LED on the beams idea. I don't think I clarified the height of this room. It's never felt short in there. The walls are 111" tall. Those horrible white orb thingys? are some of the cheapest ikea-esque paper lanterns. The previous owners seemed to like paper lights as they're in a couple of rooms.

As for the kitchen, that will be redone as soon as I can...probably not as fast as I'd want to since kitchens are expensive.

Gray walls were something I was definitely thinking about and it's nice to be reassure that I was heading in the right direction. Other ideas I really want to try was the mantel and darker furniture. I'm seriously appreciative of all the help you guys have given me so far and I hope when it's all said and done I'll have my own house tour featured! Fingers crossed!

I agree with all the others who recommend leaving the wood (ceiling beams, etc.) as is, and painting the walls a lighter color (white, off-white, light grey, depending on your preference) and replacing all those hanging lights with something less intrusive.

I would put in a big asymmetrical mantel- across the top of the fireplace all the way over to one of the side walls, but not the other. I would use a piece of wood the with the same width as the beams and in the same stain. I think the horizontal line there would help make the room not quite so top heavy, and the asymmetry would modern things up a little. Then you could lean some large frames or decorative items on that ledge, and perhaps balance it with a large picture or mirror hung on the other side of the fireplace. It would cover up a little bit of your stone, yes, but I think there will still be plenty left visible to make quite the statement.

I agree with many other commenters about keeping whatever new hanging light fixtures you choose consistent. Hopefully you can ditch everything that is currently there, including the ceiling fan. Alternately, the idea of uplighting your ceiling was excellent. Perhaps that, and then a unique hanging fixture over a reading chair in a corner or something.

What an exciting challenge! Good luck!

This sounds mean, but I can not emphasis enough how hideous that green is. Get rid of it immediately. I live with a massive stone fireplace in a low light room such as yours. Eventually I learned I couldn't fight it. Painting the walls white doesn't brighten the room up, it only makes it seem colder.
You've got two competing styles of light fixtures. The white globes seem almost modern. The wagon wheel is wanna be rustic from the 70's.
I don't know where you live and what the day light is like in your state. If you want to do a Colorado look, I'd experiment with either warmer colours-Benjamin Moore Calming Creme. Farrow and Ball Straw also works well as an accent colour, though think you'd find it too strong as an overall colour in such low light conditions. If you want to do a modern look, modern rustic is totally doable. Look at the Design Within Reach catalogue from last December. Grey tones with red accents. Maybe do a driftwood light. Get rid of the wagon wheel. Don't paint the beams. Consider doing the space between the beams the same colour as the walls so nothing competes with them. Between the different wall and ceiling colours, the stone fireplace, the modern globes, textured carpet, and wagon wheel fixture, it's too busy and has too many decades competing for attention.
I like the idea from previous poster about splitting the room up like Amy Butler's.
Try growing moss on your rocks. Look on-line for directions about getting it to grow.

It's a nice area. I would get wood floors to match the finish and texture of the beams, paint the walls white to make the stone look more modern, and I would put a glaze on the stone; maybe a medium grey opaque glaze to make the colors a bit more uniform.

Have fun! Oh yeah, and HUGE oversized sofa in the middle with lots of beanbags scattered about :)

Get rid of the ceiling fan, replace the light fixtures, replace the fireplace insert with something more modern, add a chunky mantle and large-scale art work, remove the bar counter and drywall over the pass thru. Paint the ceiling beams white and let the stone wall be the star of the room. Divide the space into two furniture groupings. Sofa and chairs and good reading lamps around the fireplace. Put the TV at the opposite end of the room with it's own sofa and chairs. I'm assuming you have a dining room elsewhere and don't need this space for a table. If you do, use this end of the room for table and chairs and mount the TV above the fireplace. Either go white or pull light gray tones from the stone for your wall color.

That's a terrific room! My living room looked a lot like yours. Stone fireplace, beams, etc. Since it looks like your carpet is kind of a light beige, I would paint the walls a light color, like cream (Benjamin Moore Rich Cream is my favorite). A long mantel that matches the beams would break up the stone wall a bit, and I love the idea about a retractable TV/movie screen (that's part of our master plan for our living room too). Even a really big flat screen TV would work there & then you could hang some art work on the wall too. If you can afford it, hardwood floors would be great. We had 2 ceiling lights in our living room & replaced them with antique/industrial looking ceiling fans (from the Home Depot) that made a huge difference in the mood of the room, and it's now furnished with an eclectic mix of antiques, hand me down end tables that really work in the room, leather sofa, oriental rug, and a few chairs that we will be replacing as soon as I find some that I like! I also love the bar area! A couple of bar stools, or tall directors chairs would be perfect there. As for preserving the stone, you really don't have to do anything to it. Vacuum it with a brush attachment periodically. If for some reason it's particularly sooty or greasy, there are stone & grout cleaners out there. If the room will be a media room, you might want to get lined curtains for the room to prevent glare from the windows on the TV screen (if you go with the flat screen or retractable screen ideas).

What stinkypants said. And Aceyx for lighting.

I would get rid of the overhead fan and lighting fixture, leave the stone wall and beams as is and paint the walls a neutral color, maybe a light mocha. Try living with it for a while and you will know what to do. Less is more.

Another thing is, you don't have to focus everything around the fireplace. Maybe have a few different seating groups. Overhead lighting is not flattering.

I would definitely paint the walls a very deep blue-grey and break up the space into smaller areas with dividers, furniture placement and lighting. I'd keep furniture and accents lighter in colour, maybe with pops of red to add some warmth and to tie in the warmth of the wood. The key, I think, would be to make sure you have a lot of soft lighting and very layered lighting. To add some evening glamour, I would place candles in mason jars and put them absolutely everywhere (on ledges, hanging from the center wheel, even some on the floor)

That stone wall is cold looking because it's well, STONE (I have one too!)

I suggest lots of organic texture in the room to offset its cold hardness. Wood, plants, wovens of any kind, preferably large weave things. Stay away from glass or more hard cold surfaces around that wall.

Large spaces can be just as challenging as small to bring together properly.

I had a bedroom for a while that had similar issues. Gorgeous and huge room dominated by this gigantic stone wall, a fireplace and super high natural beam ceilings.

It all depends on your style, but I'm fond of leaving the beams natural. When I moved in, this was the wall: http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n2/rkcanfield/?action=view&current=IMG_2111.jpg
(John Wayne decor was NOT mine!)

I love strong colors, so I opted for an intense mustardy yellow on the walls that really brought out the colors in the stone and the beams. http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n2/rkcanfield/?action=view&current=fpwall.jpg

With that fabulous bar/pass through I'd put a seating area and TV over near that end of the room and then do a second seating area around the fireplace, using area rugs to define the two spaces.

With a large seating area and TV right when you walk in, the gigantic stone wall will recede into the distance just a bit and guests will feel less overwhelmed.

I think the natural beams look best left natural with the stone wall, but you could also white wash them. My goal with the room would be to create a soft, warm, welcoming feel by painting the walls a rich butter color and leaving the beams alone. Then using rich, Persian style rugs and warm-toned leather for the furniture.

What a great space! Please post after pics!