wood is wonderful. I'd leave it..what you need is to balance it out. do you have a furniture budget? I see a need for area rugs to make conversation area nicer....dining zone nicer and replace the old carpet on the stairs and freshen the apricot wall paint in the entry....better window treatments here and there ....its a lovely entry....unusually large ... and with a designer you can do a lot there to make a welcoming feel..personal and artistic. I would not start painting or stripping the wood . find some texture/color or pattern w upholstered furniture..maybe some better window treatments here and there and definitely some area rugs.......entry images below with lots of details you can see possibilities/ pull a few ideas.....a nice spot to work on for the shorter length of stay you have here.

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Thank you! I know and the home has such great energy. I agree doing lots of area rugs to brighten things up. I'll try and reach out to a designer about brightening up the foyer, maybe some wainscotting like this. We haven't really discussed a furniture budget but maybe that's the route I should take.... I dunno if I can get used to those wood panel walls though haha.

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living zones in homes with wood .... attention brought to centered seating areas where people actually spend time...help with rugs/some color/maybe pattern/scale of pieces.... interior design issues.

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What a wonderful home! I agree that with some colorful, lighter, brighter furniture that the wood may not be as dominant as it is now when everything in the whole house is the color of wood. I could probably live with most of it but the pink counter, the only color anywhere, lol.
This isn't the most practical place to spend your money, but I would want to take the carpet off the stairs and redo them, maybe with a colorful runner, or even just paint. If there is nothing but construction grade wood under the carpet, it could be an expensive redo, but there may be some DIY fixes to make the stairs look great.
If I were to paint anything, it would probably be the room in your second pic - or at least the interior wall.

eta: I'm not suggesting black trim because it would not be in keeping with the rest of the wood trim; just showing what removing the carpet might do to improve the entry/first impression of your home.

$15,000 isn’t very much for a whole house remodel, and “updating “ the one bath would easily eat that all up, so I’d focus on swapping out light fixtures, ceiling fans, and maybe choosing new paint colors that aren’t so yellow. Just keep in mind, you bought the house exactly as it is, so in five years, someone else will too, even if it has lots of wood or things/rooms that need a little refreshing.

I agree ^^^ spend that $15 k on removing the wallpaper frieze - painting all walls but leaving the wood - and then additionally consider new counter tops in the bathroom but I think you’ll find the money is gone by then.

15K wouldn’t cover a designer’s fee for that size of house. Luckily, it really doesn't need much of anything. The wood is great! Leave it alone.

Just buy a ladder and learn to paint the walls yourself, if you want to personalize. That will run you 5K, for tools and aspirin. It actually needs nothing, so you could even skip the painting.

Consider living in it for 6 months making a list of priority updates to tackle. The wood is beautiful and I’d leave it alone. $15k will eat up fast just decorating.

Five years, $15k…I’d do what I could and pay professionals for what I couldn’t do well. I’d start with getting an electrician to get rid of the florescent lights in the kitchen and having a pro re-texture the ceiling where the box was removed and the bath walls, then paint them and the peach strip in the kitchen myself. Remnants can be purchased for the bath countertops, you can be on the lookout for them. Scaffolding can be rented inexpensively to paint the foyer. In the past, I’ve purchased all the materials and hired a person to paint with me. Rugs and furniture will go a long way towards taking the focus on the wood walls. You have a beautiful new home, hope you make many happy memories there!

Thank you for your service in the Military. I am grateful for you and keep in my prayers.

haj12, I feel ya. We gave up a home we dearly loved to move into a house we didn’t like to be near my elderly mother. House is in a great lakefront location and close to Mom. But. The WOOD. Inside and out. Three stories of cypress outside. Oak inside. Oak slab doors nearly 2” thick. Wall to wall oak cabinets. They killed entire forests to build this thing. We did gut the kitchen and master bath. But to remove or paint the wood and have it look right would be impossible, and would ruin the essence of the house. My advice? Embrace it. Buy 25 gallons of Benjamin Moore Simply White and go to town lightening things up. That and the afforementioned rugs will surprisingly improve it. It really is a lovely home.

Haj12, thank you for your family’s service to our country. Before you do anything, move in and spend a few months making sure no appliances need replacement and no major repairs are needed.

Agree with everyone else. The wood is wonderful. Paint, area rugs and a few choice furnishings will help with this wonderful house. I would probably see if I could replace the bathroom counter too. You might be able to find a remnant in a stone yard but otherwise you've made an excellent choice for a house.