No, you don't have to choose a darker color for your accent wall. Check out this color by Benjamin Moore, it's called Stone brown which is a moody purple and looks great with brown (at least in this photo). You have alot of color options available...red, orange, etc. You might also post on the home decorating forum on this board. Here is a link that might be useful: Benjamin Moore Stone Brown

Thank you again everyone for your comments and opinions. Here are some updated photos and further explanation as to why this looked so crappy from the beginning... Definitely amateur hour work. The base of the paneling is dry erase board material! (Literally. I know because I took down a 4 x 8 sheet of it that was sloppily applied to the office wall as well.) The shiny smooth surface combined with latex paint and bad painting technique with a coarse brush left a terrible looking finish that would never look right, even if it were sanded and repainted (sort of like polishing a turd... Oops! Can I say that on here?) And as discussed before, the majority of the trim was Chinese made MDF. Unfortunately, they used adhesive on one of the walls before realizing it wasn't necessary and, fortunately, didn't use it on the other walls. So one wall will need to be floated and skimmed, but that's okay. Oh, and the odd-proportioning was likely due to the fact that it was convenient for Builder Bob to rip the sheets in half and use one piece on top of the 4'x8' full sheets. Those joints were then covered with the MDF trim. Hence, the disproportionate dimensions of the panels themselves and the exaggerated height. My wife is still a little concerned that it will look "plain" after it is painted, but I assured her that paneling can be added later if that is something that she wants. Right now, the priority is getting it all finished by July 21st and seeing what the space looks like furnished. Thanks again, everyone!

Please leave the kitchen bead board alone. As others have said, it's most likely original. Agree with you that the paneling in the dining room and bathroom need to go. They are not original and are fugly. Because of the age of the house, I wouldn't paint a pure white if you redo the dining room paneling but instead something with more of a cream base. It will still read white but just a bit softer. Personally though, I'd probably just do the walls in paint or even find a beautiful wallpaper. Check out Bradbury and Bradbury wallpapers. Also we do plan on painting the homemade quasi-ugly fireplace mantel (and redo the tiles with something colorful that doesnt blend with wood - yuk). From here the fireplace and tile looks original to the house. Can you take a few closeups? If the tile is original, I certainly wouldn't cover it up. People pay huge bucks to find original tile like that. The best I can tell the trim on the floor and ceiling is original but the work around the doors is sort of junky with bad stain and has a 70's feel to it. If you're talking about the trim around the kitchen window and the trim in the dining room, from here that looks to be original and I wouldn't touch it. Be very careful about painting any original woodwork as once you do, your stuck with it. Plus for those who are looking for an original house, it will lower the sale price when you go to sell. What a gorgeous house.

The concept of negative space means that not every nook and cranny have to be filled. Let the eyes rest. One thing you could do if you're looking to do something different is instead of the basic wall art, how about framed prints in a vertical column? That way you can use a number of pieces without it filling up the wall. I've had that for many years, and it looks great. Another idea is a tapestry. Take your time and get pieces you love.