We had our log cabin sandblasted to remove varnish and water stains. Both were taken care of and it looks beautiful. It was actually blasted with corn husks which were more gentle on the wood than sand would have been.

Gosh I never even considered leaving it raw. Is that ok to do!? As far as I know there are no finish coat police so no one is going to throw you in the slammer ! ;-) We opted for an almost matte acrylic clear coat inside and out. Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference visually to leave them raw but my brain would have felt we missed a step. Your beams follow a flat ceiling ours are angled following a vault so someday when I get up on a ladder to dust them, the finish coat will make that possible. I'll sell tickets when that day comes.

I wouldn't do ceiling lights in this room. I have a feeling the exclusion was intentional at design conception. I think they'd be a distraction. I own and grew up in a MCM. I've visited several others over the years and it's pretty common for MCM houses in our region to not have ceiling lights in the living room. My advice is to move in, get situated, get some table and floor lamps (and lots of them because the days in PNW are mostly gray, damp and dreary - welcome to the PNW!) After four seasons in the house, you can reassess ceiling lighting. You have a jewel. Please remember that furnishings, art and textiles can do wonders to bring in "light". Best wishes!

Wow so many different comments. Nothing like confusing you more. Not sure how old this post is.... If the photo color is true I think it looks amazing. I am so surprised that the flooring is red oak. It doesn't look like red oak. However it looks great, the ceiling looks great and they look great together. I also agree no stain just a water based clear coat. The room has a lot of heart and soul. I'd love to see the finished product. I am an interior designer and your look so far in this photo is so appealing. I'm sure you made the right decision and it looks perfect.