Here are a few more pictures. I need advice!

The kitchen cabinets look rather generic oak, so may I suggest painting them?

I suppose removing some of the scalloped wood would be sacrilegious?

The kitchen cabinets are very small and I think a family would need more cabinet space, so replacing them is not out of the question. What color would you suggest? They may be OK removing some of the scalloped trim, especially in the kitchen.

Carol, what are your paint color suggestions? What would you do with the ceiling in the living/dining area?

I love the dinning room. Can you remove the wood that is between the beams in the ceiling? I would also suggest that the furniture you select be painted wood, not stained, and paint or change out the ceiling fan to something not wood. If you are going to live here, you will need to decide how much wood you can live with and what you have to leave as is in order to respect the heritage of the house.

I am helping the owners prepare this home for sale. They aren't desperate to sell, but live out of state. They love coming here for Christmas but worry about it being vacant in our cold Utah winters.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HOME! I love it and want to take some ideas for my future Scandinavian cottage. The cabinets and kitchen need an update. The wood trim around the interior windows and baseboards etc could be painted. I would consider using blue, white and possibly yellow accents on furniture (all Scandinavian, right?). Closet doors, interior doors, walls could all be white. Remove or paint the dining room wainscoting (this could be a different color than the trim). Update all lighting fixtures to be very very simple (easing the eye on the many patterns and textures available). I suggest the same for staging furniture. It could be modern Scandinavian to kick up the charm and ease the eye. I would consider painting the exterior but certainly not removing any of the charming trim. I can envision some light and dark blues against some bright whites. Red and white is always a classic when it comes to Scandinavian. What a cool house!