Jesst, the colors are pretty light throughout the house. I thought about keeping it light in the kitchen, not that there's that much wall space in the atcual kitchen area, but in the eat in, there's a bit more - but this brick/rust color red keeps coming back in to play on the virtual painting site I went to - in the kitchen next to the cabinets, it looks good, not sure how it would go over in the eat in area though... Karin, thanks so much for your post - glad you were able to sleep on your reply and not have it keep you up at night - that's what's happening to me. Too much to think about, really. I honestly don't know the difference between paneling or t&g. Someone told me it could be either maple or birch, personally I wouldn't know the difference, but I am trying to learn. Why this house - many reasons, price, location, layout. As for the interior, I see a lot of potential, but prior to posting on this site, I saw the potential of painting it, at least the kitchen, not so much the den. The wood in the den is nice, don't get me wrong, I do like it, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, to me, it's warm and inviting (with the right kind of furniture, not the crap the people have in there now) and it reminds me of my Grandparents cottage in upstate NY where I'd spend summers as a kid (they had it for over 50yrs) What I don't like is that plate rail at the top, and I can't come up with any solutions on what to do with it - THAT bothers me a LOT. It's a dust collector in my eyes, not a plate rail or shelf. As you mentioned: "I can see two things wrong with how it presently looks: one is that no one who's previously owned it has ever been able to think of anything that goes with wood" That's what I'm afraid of with me, and which is why I'm here looking for ideas. I'm going to be only the 3rd owner, and as you can see from the pics, the current owners (CO) haven't done squat, nor do they have squat. I'm not really a blue or green person, I've always been scared of color and usually go with beiges, though I was convinced to venture in to golden yellows in my daughters room and loved it. Don't get me wrong, I love color, and admire many homes I've looked at with the colors they've used, it's just me, being afraid of what to pick and how it will look and the possibility of me hating it (and second guessing myself along the way) I hate making a mistake and wasting money. As I mentioned to Jesst, the virtual website I tried out with cabinets similar to the color in the kitchen, I liked this brick rusty red color on the walls - very unlike me, but would definitely think about putting that color in there. If I had to pick between a blue and green, it would be green, but otherwise, I'd be gearing more towards the golds, yellow, beiges, tans, etc. The house was painted not too long ago and I probably wouldn't change the colors in there, with the exception of the YELLOW that's screaming out. I'm just very surprised I can't find more info on what I'm looking for out there. It seems people just aren't keeping (and showing) their paneled rooms - only their painted paneled rooms. I've looked on TOH website and others, nothing really to mention. But not to worry, I won't be delving in to the den right away after closing, kitchen will be top priority. The only thing I know I'll be wanting to do in there is rip that chair rail out (when I find a suitable replacement idea) and somehow make that built in have a pullout for a laptop computer so we can use it as a desk. Thanks again!!!!

I also like your windows without any covering on them. The room has a wonderfully tailored look with the bead board and the contrast of the paint. If you feel you need something on the windows, I'd find something in a window treatment that would only cover maybe the top 1/4 of each window. While I'm very partial to plantation shutters, had them in my previous home in all but two rooms, I like them in the full length style. They might work with only the transoms uncovered but then I think you would need something at the top of each window or they might look unfinished to me. As far as the plasma goes, we've had a plasma in the family room for three years and no problems with the "burn-in" you used to hear so much about. With a great brand like Pioneer, I doubt you'll have any worries about anything. Enjoy!

I would NOT paint the vertical trim or horizontal trim on the walls .. to me, that.looks like part of the stairs somehow. I think I WOULD possibly paint the grid on the slanty ceiling though (making the wood the same color as the ceiling - you would still get the effect of the grid pattern on the ceiling, just not so intense). Why not get some samples of those woodsy colors and just put them up in those spaces on the wall next to the stairs - the thing about wood is that it is such a strong presence in a room (esp. a room like that which is kinda arts and craftsy in style) that it can really look spectacular with a deeper, darker richer color to complement and balance it... you might find the idea growing on you once you see it. Or not! You dont have to commit - just see how it looks. Have fun!

Consider a warm white paint, that is on trend, and would lower the contrast between the oak and the walls........possibly a blend of the lightest color in your sofa? find a rug that is done in a tweed effect; cost effective and lots of choices that will work with the warm oak trim. Also you have a lot of room on either side of the fireplace; consider putting the TV on either side down low over a console? Or if you are considering new furniture place the TV on another entirely and see about doing a sectional that embraces the new TV location and the fireplace. win win. Some examples of TV to side of fireplace in rooms with multiple windows and some nice furniture arrangements. Go big or go home!