So, for a bit of a twist, it’s my husband that wants the knotted pine walls painted, in our 1954 cottage. I thought men were supposed to love wood, haha...!

Below is the east facing knotty pine room in question:

I actually like it, however everyone else that has seen it HATES it; and are very vocal about it. Comments are usually as follows: dark, depressing, tear it out, paint over it.

Poor little ’50’s home, still in his awkward stage of life; I guess you could say he’s still in his teenage years. Not young enough to be fashionable, not old enough to be considered historic or worth saving.

I have decorated around it with lots of white ( trying to work with it) but after living with it for almost a year, hubby still doesn’t care for it. The paneling was poorly glazed years ago, so it probably needs to be stripped anyway. I could fill in the knots and paint over it, pretending it’s vertical shiplap ;)

I change my mind everyday. But I’m afraid it will look like lipstick on a pig if I straight up paint it.

I want whatever I do to still feel true to a 1950 cottage, and not like I’m trying to hide the fact that it’s 1950’s paneling. I did find historic proof that paneling was not always this honey brown that we are use to (very interesting...)

https://archive.org/details/WeyerhaeuserPortraitsinPaneling0001

https://archive.org/details/Sherwin-williamsHomeDecoratorAndHow-to-paintBook1958

and it was painted in some cases (but I don’t think it was knotty pine?...)

My current idea is to wash with paint. A balance between knotted pine and painted paneling...does it still feel appropriate to the 1950’s?

In Benjamin Moores...Quiet Moments, or Healing Aloe

Or I could go white...

What do you think? Thoughts?

Thank you!