So many great points! Aktillery and Madeyna: Thank you! NoSoccerMom: Thank you so much for the inspiration. I agree that a more contemporary feel would go better with the house. (But I still love those rustic beams!) Mtnrdredux: Thank you so much! I think that what you are saying makes a lot of sense. I look at photos and I love the European/French country look, but you are right - the design isn't going to come together if I don't give appropriate consideration to the home's architecture. GreenDesigns: I love your input! I definitely don't want roosters! I just want an aged look that's classic yet warm. I am not a fan of the stark/cold feeling that I get in modern interiors, so I have to figure out how to combine all of these elements in a way that makes sense with the house. PricklyPearCactus: Thank you so much for the info on the beams in your house. What you are saying makes total sense. Miz_M: Thank you so much for sharing! Now for an update... I have some really bad news. :( We went over the beam locations today in final preparation to order the beams for the living room. The bad news is that we are not going to be able to make them work there. It's a combination of structural support and spacing constraints (recessed lighting, sky lights and windows) that aren't allowing us to space them evenly or in a natural looking way. I am so frustrated. I've spent days trying to figure out how to make them work. The only way to make it work is to move the skylights and there's no way my husband is gonna go for that. Now the big question is... do I put beams in the entry? I have about a 20 foot long passageway with cathedral ceiling that leads past the dining room on one side and a wine closet on the other leading into the living room. Would it be ok to put beams there or is it going to be weird if I don't have them elsewhere in the house?

Thanks, Pal. Yes, we are going for a light mid-tone for the walls. I am hand sanding this myself. I don't want to do any more work than necessary! The oak beams are a bit of a challenge bc those were stained very dark in the 1970s. The woman who grew up in the house told us the floor was a light oak color before her parents redid them in a dark Jacobean stain in the 1970s. Seems like the dark stains hit here in the mid-1970s and before it was originally "natural" looking. pamghattan, thank you! I work on it a little at a time. It seems like I have made little progress. But then I see the old photos and I realize how much fresher it feels. Well at least the dinning room feels better. Hamamelis, renewing is definitely not the trend. But the warm glow is wonderful. The wood was so damaged and darkened with age the place lost the glow a bit. It felt dingy and not just dark. This side of the house wouldn't have worked white anyway. It needs cozy colors. as we update and fix, if something is original and it works, or it can be made to work, we try to keep it. If stuff has been previously replaced or something is damaged beyond repair we do what we think is best to make the house modern and livable, in keeping with the spirit and idea of the house. I appreciate your feedback. We realize the wood--even painstakingly refreshed --isn't for most folks.

Thank you for the input. That is my worry that it will be too much for 9ft ceiling but the ceiling is textured and will have to be repaired from all the work being done on beams so we want to at least do a tongue and groove shiplap or beadboard layer since we will be working on it anyway and were just trying to find a way to tie in beams and post somehow but we are probably over thinking it. The house we just sold in Texsas had 13 ft ceilings and 7.5ft doors throughout house with a huge kitchen with 25 ft ceiling and all the fancy woodwork but are trading that to downsize as new empty nesters and live on the beach but these 9ft ceilings are going to feel claustrophobic for a while so I don't want to make it feel too closed in. Going for light and airy and open so you are probably right :) I just gotta crowdsource so I feel like I am making smart decisions LOL!

I'm sorry to have to agree with the commenters who have said the tin ceiling was a mistake. It must be something you really like or else you wouldn't have done it, but it really fights with the style of the rest of the house. While you didn't need to be a MCM purist, going so far afield is really jarring. I am also cringing at the thought of dark gray LVP. Gray LVP is now only being done by flippers and as a trend is on its last legs. It also doesn't convey cosy to me. Since it's already in the kitchen, what's done is done, but I can't see what is in the great room currently. If it's natural wood, refinish it, but not to gray. A natural color would look fine next to the kitchen floor although it's less than ideal to have an artificial product next to a natural product. If you had come here before starting your kitchen remodel and presented your choices I would have suggested you consult a real estate agent and consider moving. This doesn't seem like the right house for you. I like to be able to tell people they should do what they like because it's their house, but your style and the house style are too divergent. If it doesn't make you uncomfortable, tone down the traditional elements to live in harmony with the house.