Hello, we have a small sunroom ( western side of the house) has knotty pine wood on the walls, ceiling and up into the cut out Skylight areas. The area up in the sky light reflected drip like black water marks on it so we decided to paint the ceiling (had the skylights replaced three months ago and we know the Knotty Pine is in fine shape otherwise). We decided to paint the ceiling, including up in the recessed sky light areas. started with the Bin primer, put two coats, then started to see an Amber-colored film coming through. Unfortunately the painter then added two coats of a latex paint. The amber color is still coming through. I'm wondering if it's old sap that which from the heat of the sun coming through the skylights. Suggestions on how I tackle this project at this point considering we have two layers of den and two layers of latex paint and the amber color is coming through just like we simply did a white wash.

Picture of Painted beadboard with pine ceiling You could do a buffet or hutch along the wall where the bookcase is in the most recent pictures. Painted walls would really brighten things up. Notice in this Michigan home that the artwork is medium sized, matted and framed so that all the pieces work together to form a harmonious whole. Each image is different, but the colors and subject matter are very similar. They are hung with a little bit of breathing space, yet they are grouped tightly enough together that visually they almost read as one large item. That's not to say gallery walls can't work, because they can. My personal preference would be to have a gallery wall in a "through space" like a hall or stairwell, with something more unified or simple in the main living spaces. YMMV.

Those current wall colors are awful as they don't even seem to complement the actual wood tones and they are dark. It looks like an awful murky dreary mess. There has to be a color that lightens and brightens the room without it being a "horrible contrast". There is a veritable universe of light paint colors which read completely differently from each other because of the undertones. You might really benefit from hiring a true color specialist to suggest a specific paint that works best in your room. And of course lighting would make a huge difference.

Start by providing photos. No one can really give good suggestions without seeing the space you're dealing with. Take pictures of rooms you're asking about from all four walls so we can see doorways, windows, adjacent spaces. What furniture do you plan to bring? Start an Ideabook on Houzz called "knotty pine" and save those that appeal to you. Is this a vacation home or main home?