We are dismantling most of our home. We will be left with @900 s.f. for a retirement cottage. What worked for a large area is not working for a small one. The kitchen (24 x 20) has an angled wooden ceiling. It did not feel oppressive when paired with open rooms off of it with a lot of windows and white walls. Now it is our single room (kitchen/living room/den) and the wood feels over-bearing. At it's highest it is 9 ft., but it joins the walls at just 7' 6".

Hubby really wanted to keep the wooden ceiling. I would have preferred a white ceiling with such a small space but felt I could make it work somehow. Based on that he has just finished a very difficult super insulation job of the attic above so there is no going back now. I've had him paint white a section of tongue & groove ceiling in a part of the house to be torn down but didn't care for the shabby chic feel.

I've already decided to remove the upper cabinets in the kitchen to give some breathing room from all the wood; I'll use white open shelving if needs must. Don't think painting the bottom kitchen cabinets will buy me any "up lift"; if anything, I think it might make the ceiling stand out more. I'll scale down the furniture; the large roll top desk will be replaced by a Queen Anne slant and the sectional couch by a small sofa and the console table might double as the dining table if there is no room for a small drop leaf. But what to do with the windows and doors?

We are replacing all the windows. I've thought about using white windows & trim and painting the doors white but in my imagination it looks funky. I've thought about not using any window trim but to let the white walls "trim" the window -- as you see in deep-set European windows. But would that look contrived with windows in 6" walls? Then I've thought that I just need to embrace the wood and work with an autumn palette: apple green to brighten the golden color of the southern yellow pine, Sage oriental or braided rug.

Would appreciate opinions.

Deb