Fir wood has a wild grain pattern to it, so that is what you are getting unless you replace it all with AAA grade wood. I would love to have this interior, my bungalow is so plain. I would not paint it, just find a vintage wall color to highlight the walls instead.

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/home-builders/color/find-and-explore-colors/color-collections/historic-palettes/interior-historic-colors/arts-and-crafts

Live with it a while before making such a change. Value of house may decrease with paint. Maybe a more experienced poster will chime in but I would never paint that trim.

I can't be sure by looking at pictures but I seriously doubt that the wood is plywood.

If this was my house I wouldn't paint the wood and most definitely don't paint it different colors from one room to the next.

Its hard to tell from the pictures, but in some areas, that wood looks like tiger oak. Regardless, it is beautiful, and I would never paint it. If you do paint it, you will be decreasing the value of your house. People that are buying these vintage houses, will pay more money to get one with the original wood in it. They will pay a lot less, if they have to go through the time, bother and expense, to strip it all to get it back, to what it should be.

Uh, the grain in that colonnade is super awesome and I'm not sure why you're complaining about it/think its plywood. I'd definitely keep it and never paint it. You might want to strip and refinish if the varnish on it is old and uneven, but from the photo it doesn't look bad at all.

Oftentimes, the square columns were hollow and each face is just a plank of (good quality, pretty) wood. Solid columns that thick would be MUCH more expensive, both back then and today. We had hollow square columns in the Craftsman era apartment we rented. Everything there was painted, so I never knew what the wood was like.

It would be worth it to have a professional woodworker come in and evaluate what you have. I don't think it is plywood and I don't think I'd paint it, but refinishing might just be the key to making you happy with it.

Thank you to all of you, I guess what you can't see in the photos is that the wood on the window's especially weren't cared for, a lot of discoloration and the stain is different on the stairs and the floor trim. I would have prefer'd a less wide grain on the tapered pillars. Its not oak. It is probably hemlock or fir. We are in Historic Tacoma, and its a registered home.

I know stripping and refinishing is the way to go. We have plaster walls that also need attention. Looks like we need a professional.

strip, and refinish. no staining required, just apply a coat of varnish.

Such a cool space! Can't wait to see how it turns out! I agree with everyone else - get a professional in there to find out what can be done to highlight the wood.

Lots of Craftsman/Bungalow houses in Pacific Northwest used Douglas Fir for the woodwork. Can't make any suggestions because they're my favorite style home and it would kill me to lose any original features. Don't have many of them here on the East coast.

It's doug fir, not plywood. A lot of homes used oak, but I assume since Doug Fir abounds near Wash, that was the wood that was used for those homes. You think your home wasn't 'top tier' at the time? think again. you wouldn't have had those columns and all of the great window trim and other millwork if it was a 'cheap' build.

if the wood is damaged around the window, can you replace it or fix it? Up to you if you want to paint it. White always looks nice, but move in and give the wood a chance. you may change your mind with the right wall color.

if you want to paint the staircase, do that in the black.

I think we'll live with it, just clean it up. Maybe paint the staircase.

Ack don't paint the staircase! I have a Victorian with a mostly painted staircase (that's supposed to be wood) - newel posts, rails, and risers unpainted, but with painted balusters and paneling. Looks terrible and I'm not looking forward to unpainting it.

A craftsman home in this condition is a treasure!! What a great score. I hope that you take the advise of other commenters and give yourself some time with it. Search for interior photos others have refinished, maybe you can find a style that brings you into this home without painting. If everything was done in similar tones and the stairs accented with black- you would have a jewel. Keep us posted.

Yeah.. I live in Tacoma and I most definitely got the poorman's Craftsman with painted trim and a bizarre fireplace. I would kill to have original fir trim like yours. I hope you kept it unpainted. It's beautiful.