Paint your walls white or grey, first.
Then start replacing the red.
Then the green.
Last, the dark wood..although I love dark wood in a light space.

I would start with painting the walls a light tan/sand color that doesn't clash with your current colors but can also work with the wants you want to move towards. Ensure window coverings allow in as much light as possible to lighten up the rooms naturally. If you could use slip covers on the current furniture, that might be an easier transition as well.

I would paint large items white and then sell off a lot of your old accessories like pillows, rugs, and curtains. Get a white curtain and then slowly build up your accessories again. Doesnt need to be done in one day!

You just gotta jump. Since it seems like you are totally over your current color scheme, I think you'll love it once you start, and be inspired to do more. And since it seems like little you already have will work without a paint/slipcover overhaul, that seems like a good place to start. Whenever I am reworking a space, I tend to start with one big thing (repainting the room), while simultaneously shopping for the big add on pieces that will make it all happen (new slipcover). Once you get the general vibe going, you'll see what you need (new pillow covers? accessories? repaint all your picture frames?). Remember it's a work in progress and not an overnight TV makeover (we are all so spoiled watching those shows; make me feel lazy because I "can't" get it done as quickly!)

I was going to suggest something similar:
First, remove all your accent pieces (throws, pillows, art, curtains) temporarily
Then, pick a wall colour that goes with whatever is left, and will still go with a blue/grey/cream scheme.
Put back any accents that go with the new wall colour; replace those that don't.
If you're left with a giant red or green sofa or chair, try a slipcover as a cheaper alternative to replacing it.

I've done this too! It's hard to say without seeing your house, but I started by un-decorating as much as possible. Removed the vases, pictures, throw blankets and other items that are unnecessary and bring the red/green pallet to your house. That should leave you with a few big items and the walls (if they're painted a color not neutral). Then paint! Go to a neutral you want to end up with, like gray. Choose a shade that looks ok with the items it will take you the longest to replace like sofas, chairs, etc. If gray is going to look bad in the mean time, just go to white as an intermediate wall color.

Then, you can start replacing what's left and adding the new accent pieces. I hope some of that helps and good luck!

I'd also paint the walls white first, to visually clean the background. It may stay or you may choose to repaint it a soft grey or blue, but I'd go the white route first. White is a cool color and would get the visual temperature a few degrees down at almost no cost.

Then, I'd remove every single decor. I'd leave the big pieces: furnitures, rugs, tables, big lamps and such. Only then would I look hard at each tchotchkes to evaluate their potential in the new space. The fewer you put back the better. Then I'd pick new curtains to match your new color palette and the pieces you want to keep and build from there.

Personally, I love dark wood in a very bright and cool space, but that's just me. I also love primary red against baby blue walls, in very small quantity, as an accent.

Give yourself a neutral background to work from as a starting point: white walls+slipcovering the couches worked for me.

First, never buy art based on your decor, and don't necessarily decorate around your art. Good art, true art, has its own singular integrity so that it is beautiful independent of its surroundings. That said, it's always satisfying when you find the perfect spot for a piece you love.

As for the colors, you are making a dramatic change so I respectfully disagree with the previous comment, I think you should just plunge in. If you can't afford to buy everything you want at once, my suggestion is you paint and buy lower cost curtains, bedspread, slipcovers, etc to get an idea of how you want to deploy the colors. In fact that might be a good idea anyway, so you won't get stuck with an expensive chair that turns out to be the wrong shade of grey. When I did a similar major color transition, I painted and made curtains, then went through a few different Target bedspreads before I found the color I wanted. Then I went back and painted an accent wall and added accessories. But my investment wasn't huge while I was figuring it all out.

Sometimes you gotta be a warrior. Leap! If you start with wall colors, the rest will follow. You'll see what you can keep for accent color and you will be inspired to slipcover or replace other stuff. Do it sister!

I agree with painting everything first. It's funny you mentioned this color palette change because this is exactly the change I did. I picked my colors from a painting. My colors are blue, grey, sea green and soft white. Everything got a coat of simply white paint by Benjamin Moore or hazy skies by Benjamin Moore. I replaced my red persian carpet with a inexpensive white shag and bought a white sofa with slip covers. In other words, replace the largest items with a neutral or white background and then start adding your colored accent pieces. After you have your color palette in mind, it's easy to find fabrics, art, accessories and pillows to coordinate. In fact, yesterday, I found a shower curtain at target in my palette but I didn't use it in the shower. I used it to cover a window seat cushion. It's beautiful. And I've snapped up a lot of end of season napkins and area rugs in my colors that work as seat cushions and pillows.

Buy art you LOVE not because it matches. You'll forever be buying new art.

White paint and white slipcovers blue silk draperies. Then slowly collect all your art and accessories.

Don't do anything with your furniture and accessories until you paint the walls. You might find that what you really want isn't a white room with pale accessories, but a less complex color palette. Paint the walls something light, then see how your furniture looks against it.

Garanimals for the home. When I was a kid there was a line of clothing where you knew which colors went together based on the animal.

Instead of looking at your house as a color scheme, look at the furniture, art, and accessories that you love and try to get a color to work with them. That way you can make the transition without busting the bank over a new furniture set and decor.

Exactly what mshannahnv said-- paint the room in your desired neutral first. Then prioritize what needs to be transitioned out and gradually complete this process. You'll also probably be really surprised that some stuff looks great (and really different) in a room painted a different color.

I recently went through the same change in my home! My home was bright and colorful with a lot of greens, yellow and blue, which I still love, but I wanted to change the mood to create a more warm and relaxed atmosphere with neutrals. If you change your home as often as I do, I wouldn't recommend pulling out the paint and paintbrush just yet. Start small and try to remove one of the dominant colors by replacing a few pillows or a throw with ones with neutral tones. I found that taking one or two colors away in a room can dramatically change its mood.

I was tired of my red sofa. I covered it with a canvas drop cloth (as a temporary slipcover) and it allowed me to see how the other furniture in my room would look with a neutral color.

OH MY GOSH I am doing the same thing right now!! What I did was take everything out of the room that wasn't a "staple" like a furniture. A blank slate is easier to work with and will help against clashing styles. I buy a lot of thrifted items so for me, I'm planning to paint the chairs, bookshelves, and tables (possibly replace my coffee/end table as it was given to me, no loss) My entertainment stand, which we paid full price for, is NOT my style anymore, so I'm tossing a lovely lace table cloth over it. My colours now are red/black/dark blue and I want white/light teal blue and a fun purple ala wonderland. Just start by gathering new couch covers/towels/pillows etc and slowly replace things. I'm going from kiddy goth to bookish wonderland. Just be creative.

First, don't listen to anyone who says, "Never do ___________" (fill in the blank). Some people like rules but if you don't, ignore 'em and do what feels right! Most people would agree it is a process and it should be fun! Sometimes the best findings occur serendipitously. Maybe just keep on the lookout for items/colors/textures you love and try to figure out how they could be interpreted as decor elements. You've more or less already started, because you know the colors that are singing to you right now! Buy/change in bits and pieces or if you're flush with $ go out and go wild! Transition slowly or with a bang!

I recently had the exact same thing happen to me! I bought a new couch, and that made me get an itch to change the palette of our living room. I chose to sand and re-stain my coffee table and side tables because those are the high ticket items I didn't want to replace. Then I did a little rearranging of chairs (they went from office to living room), and re-upholstered them. I then bought a new area rug and curtains to compliment the chairs... it wasn't something that happened overnight, and it was not cheap... but it was totally worth it. It's still a work in progress!

What a timely post for me. I am in the process of trying to start over in our living room. I am planning on repainting, and am keeping an eye out for furniture and such to slowly transition it into my dream room.

I don't know if anyone mentioned this is in the comments, but have you considered doing an inspiration board? Sounds like you know what you want, and having solid ideas in front of you might help you do a faster transition. Paint samples, curtain samples, pics of accessories all together could help you make faster decisions and decide which pieces to replace with what, and what the priorities are.

Then take a photo of your current place, blow it up and put it up on a wall. Take a Sharpie and write in everything that's going to happen with each piece and area (discard, sell, re-upholster, paint). That's great motivation plus your work's broken up into easy pieces. Good luck!!! Send us an update!

I don't much like white. I use white in decorating anyway, because sometimes it is necessary. So my version of a soothing color scheme would be heavily influenced by that. I also love wood, whether it's a natural light color or a natural red brown or a natural dark chocolate...

In your case, I'd leave all wood pieces that are "good" wood... ie a natural finish with no funny stains or paint used. If natural wood isn't soothing in feel, that suggests the design itself isn't very appealing, or you dislike that particular sort of wood. As you shift your decor, you'll probably find that some (or even many) of your wood pieces are not to your taste, but others you love no matter what. Get rid of the ick, keep the lovely stuff. If a piece can be slipcovered in one of your desired colors, I'd do it. Most inexpensive slipcovers are white, tho depending on your furniture, you may be able to get fitted slipcovers in either light blue or grey. You can even slipcover things like wood dining chairs to get a slipper chair or Parson's chair effect. It can be really nifty. Don't waste money on slipcovers that are weird fibers... natural fibers can be dyed (especially if you buy white) and plastic can't be.

If your room allows for puddled curtains (not all do... we've got electric heaters under most windows), swap your existing curtains. It's usually possible to find nice, natural fiber, washable and white curtains for cheap, and even if it doesn't end up as your year round default, they'll be a lovely way to add summery light to your place.

In a dining room... if you don't have a plain white tablecloth... you already should have one, so buying one is quite reasonable. It's a classic for a reason.

At this point, your decor should now be much lighter and brighter, and it should be doable to wash and prime the maroon walls so you can pick a paint color. While Martha Stewart paint may not get the best marks for quality (I haven't done a ton of research into paint), the color selection is limited. In your position, you don't want the *perfect* paint color. You want limited so your choice ends up being "well, do I want the white, the blue or the grey?" If the illustrated blue, grey and white room is one you'd like to imitate, MS Heavy Goose and Love-in-the-Mist or Ice Rink will likely be your grey and blue. (our palette is rather different in feel, but does use all 3 shades)

Everyone is giving good advice about painting the walls a neutral first, taking all the red and green out of the room to see what you're working with, etc. Here's a tip (or rather, a rule) I used when I did this a few years ago on a budget: I took all my accessories in a colour group and put them for sale as a 'lot' on a local website (like Craigslist or Kijiji), and sold off all my brightly coloured stuff this way. Maybe there's someone out there who is thinking about decorating with red or green or both, right? Advertise your tablecloth with your curtains and you might make an easier sale (you can always add "willing to sell separately" to the ad). Or have a yard sale.

Then I put all that cash in a jar and made myself promise I would only buy new accessories with the money I made from selling my old accessories. You might be working with more cash than I was back in my college days, but I think even if you don't need the money, you'll feel better about clearing things out if they've gone to a new home and you feel like you got something back for all the time, energy and money you invested in that old colour scheme.

I can't tell if you are not doing it all at once because you are on a budget or if it is because you are scared. But if you do have the budget to do it all at once, it might work better than having one piece at a time that has to go with both your old and new stuff. I'm kind of in a similar boat right now, not with color scheme but because I moved and got rid of a lot of older thrifted furniture and stripped down to the basics for a bit of a do-over. I do not have the budget right now to go all in on new decor but I am planning and doing a lot of Pinterest boards to try a bunch of different styles. Then when I have some $ saved I am going to try to shop all at once or within a month or something.

I am doing almost the opposite right now, and I'll tell you why - the cool, crisp, clean colors don't WEAR WELL, and within months of normal use, all I could see were dings, smudges, chips, scratches - the slightest little sign of use just glares at you from a field of white, or pale color. So much as I love the light look, the sofa that I just ordered - you could throw mud on it, and not notice it lol!

Paint your wall first, takes only one weekend.

I'd then suggest replacing linens, pillows, rugs and other textiles. They are affordable and make a big impact instantly. This will only take half a day at the mall.

Then I'd replace one colour at a time by painting furniture and replacing upholstery. This would take quite a long time, I think.