You may be using vibrant colors that will detach details and accents of the past. Bold and contrasted colors should do the job.

I that pic is your place you are already there.

I agree with ljgfromof. If that's your place in the picture, you're already there! Congrats on scoring such a great rental!

I think you are off to a great start by mixing your shapes and furniture styles, that is a great way to keep things fresh. You may want to look at the architectural details that you love, and see how you can accent them- i.e. tall ceilings- great chandelier that draws your eye up, hang window treatments just below the ceiling line and use a vertical stripe pattern, or hang art in a linear way. If you have great wall molding or door details you can hang a mirror opposite to repeat the view.
Finding great modern power pieces- that just command instant attention will make it feel more modern.
I have found Suzanne Kasler, although at first glance to be very traditional, she has many interesting ideas that would work well- she always does a neutral background, but has some interesting ideas on mixing shapes, and upholstery design in a modern way.
I would love to see more photos of your home, it sounds amazing.

Also, Savannah has an art school and the last time I was there there was student work for sale everywhere. Look at an Anthropologie catalogue for inspiration. Savannah had a pretty good flea market. Meet the neighbors and see what they have done with their interiors.

Accent the Robin's Egg Blue with pops of red or yellow. Otherwise, don't worry about it. The room looks fantastic as it is.

If that's your house, I agree, it looks very good already.

I'd look at lots of European design books and magazines for inspiration. The mix of old architecture with modern style is something done very often and very well in Europe, where there are so many old buildings.

Usually the idea seems to be to keep the newer furnishings quite simple and scale them to the spaces, allowing the grandeur of the old to show through while not competing with it.

Paint the moulding (on the walls) white to match the ceiling and moulding above and below... and if you can switch to a light french blue.

Otherwise, it looks nice already. Thrift for some unique vintage pieces.

That house is from previous AT house tour...unless she rented the same place!?? that would be amazing as I love that home.

The house in the picture was previously featured and is in Woodley Park in DC.

Ironically in the 18th century many houses were full of vibrant color, see mount vernon for an example.

I think it is important to be sensitive to the architectural elements of an old home, especially an 18th century home, while filling it with a mix of mid century modern and clean line antique furniture, refreshing and contemporary wall colors (think relaxing blues, subtle beiges, or bold accents), and bold graphic print fabrics layered into the space. It is almost a crime to turn an 18th or 19th century home into a completely modern space. IMHO, it is much better to use the character and qualities of an old home that make it unique to support classically modern elements and style.

This tour is a good example of how to make historic architecture look modern- http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/house-tours/house-tour-summer-and-joshs-pumped-up-traditional-chicago-065851

Vibrant color, clean lines, some fun wallpaper

I used to live in Charleston, which has similar architecture. We modernized our interior color palette and painted the moulding a crisp, semi-gloss pure white. Furniture should have curved lines if possible, but solid colors! Our interior was mostly sunny yellow with navy and white furniture and accessories. Patterns only on pillows and art. It's easy to look overboard with such elaborate architecture. LOVE Savannah...I bet your place is awesome!

The photo from a previous tour is a great hint from the person who posted your question. Use it for inspiration. Here's the link.

They tone down some of the ornate detail by painting it the same color as the wall. They mixed antique pieces and modern pieces. Their tufted sofa has a more antique feel, though it is tailored and modern. There is a mixture of curved and straight pieces, but even the older pieces have clean lines, and upholstered pieced are tailored, not frilly. The upholstery is kept light and neural, no prints or chintz. The artwork is also spare, graphic and clean lined -- not flowery and period. I think you could successfully incorporate more color as well, but these are the concepts I am seeing in this home as a starting point.

I was going to make the same point as Dulcibella: look to Europe, where people live with a modern sensibility in older buildings.

shop at paris market!

That's a beautiful living room you have! And some great furniture! I think its great that you want to make the best out of the house by respecting the original architecture :)

I would suggest you move the coffee table and oriental rug somewhere else in your apartment:

I think the table looks a bit akward there, it is a bit too narrow for the space. Perhaps something wider and a bit lower - something that has proportions that match both the sofa and the fireplace?

The problem with the rug is that its so dark, at least in the photo. It draws all the attention while everything else blends together. Could you try living without a rug at all for a moment? Exposing the parquet would give quite a modern, nonchalant French air too!

Personally, I find that painting the skirting boards, picture rails and moulding the same, or a darker colour than the walls looks more modern than the 'icing on a cake' look of bright white trim (a pet peeve of mine). As for furniture, just have what you love in your home, rather than trying to stick to any particular period or style, which would look forced.

Can AT make a rule that the picture submitted needs to be ACTUALLY SORT OF MAYBE RELEVANT to the question, and, you know, be helpful for ppl trying to give responses? Not that I know how offenders can be penalized for non-compliance, but this is seriously annoying.

I'm in the same camp as Dulcibella and ValHalla: get your French on. Take a cue from the 18th century apartments of Paris and let the architecture do the ornamentation, using simple, minimal, modern furniture as a counterpoint.

Apartment Therapy and high-end design magazines should give you plenty of inspiration. As someone who lives in a house built in 1982, I'm jealous of your historical space!

Like this:http://megannl.tumblr.com/post/3739477646