Please don't paint those beams....PLEASE! :-)

I wouldn't paint the kitchen cabinets, they are too lovely as is. What I would do though is paint the beams a charcoal gray to match the metal on the window frames or black instead of leaving it that shade of brown you are so opposed to. Those beams look like they are metal and not wood. Am I wrong? Painting everything else white will give it a feeling of floating from one area to the next. I myself wouldn't paint the door frames or doors white. I'd paint it the same color as the beams and remove the handrails if they aren't necessary. Your space is so beautiful as is, I wouldn't change too much. The way you decorate it (furniture, art) will give it that modern feel.

You might not have to darken the beams if you decide to paint the kitchen cabinets black. Take it in steps. I recommend that you change out the track lighting on the beams to a smaller more contemporary styled track in a bronze finish to match the bronze finished windows and doors. You could change the hardware to a more contemporary style in bronze if you don't paint the cabinets and brushed nickle if you do decide to paint them black. The wide photographic wide angle view of the rooms make them seem cavernous wnd the ceiling low and a bit oppresive so I am revising one of my earlier recommended paint color options of an off white wall paint color. I would consider a grayed down sage green that will stand up to the heaviness of the natural wood ceiling and compliment the outdoor views. I would still paint the all the woodwork the same sage green color but in satin or semi gloss and the walls in a mat finish. The brown doors are so 70's dated so I would consider also painting them a satin black and add new hardware in a brushed nickle finish. Keep the door casings the same color as the walls. You have some long windowless walls. Large scaled paintings, framed posters or mirror would help break up the space as would some tall large scaled peices of furniture. Get the seating arrangement mostly off from the walls so you have a comfortable conversation area EVEN if the main function is TV watcing.

The last owners didn't know what to do with the kitchen, and it shows. Everything is fabulous except for the kitchen. That's where you can spread your wings and reinvent the wheel. Did someone say black for the cabinets? Inspirational! This would be a great beginning with your envisioning how to furnish your home and all the while respecting the bones. Your ceiling is fabulous. The floors were an afterthought or not too well thought out, but they are OK. Certainly, it is not worth your while to replace them. So, if you can think in terms of black cabinets, it could be very interesting to watch how it grows from there.

The beams look really good as they are. My concern is that there is not enough natural materials, other than the wood to bring the outside in. I would paint the walls a neutral gray or something and try to bring more elements in from the outside. It will balance them and not have such a stark contrast.

We had similar beams in a room about the same size, and we painted them white. We are totally happy that we did this. The room looks brighter and the ceiling looks higher.

Nothing original to say here...wouldn't paint those beams. No way, it's such a great 70's hallmark. I think once you pull up that carpet you will feel differently about the overall look. Modernize the kitchen and you will be all set. Great house. Hope that helps.
Charmean Neithart

uh... No, do not paint!!!

If your beams look dull, I can't tell from the photos, you may want to varnish them. That would brighten them up and let them reflect some light. Glad to hear you are not going to paint them.

I would paint them to lift the ceiling---I think it brings the ceiling down.

I have a 70's home with dark chocolate beams on a pine ceiling like yours, and visitors frequently comment on how beautiful they are. Our ceiling is high, so I can use heavy log furniture in our great room. The beams balance everything. Do NOT paint the best feature of your home!

hmmm---dont paint the beams, you could paint the ceiling. you could think of carefully drywalling the large L beam/column and that would allow you to remove it latter.

the bigger issue is you have a large, undefined space that is too low for its width. look at vertical elements to divide the space visually into better proportions and a mix of expansive and intimate space-think nice shelving or bulit ins that are chest hieght or higher, tall wood screens, a different toned floor or strong rug to define an area, or a dropped horizontal wood panel to lower the ceiling plane in a more intimate area. all great problems to have!

My ceilings were exactly like your when I purchased my home. I did cover my pine ceiling with Luan board due to the extensive damage they had.but I would NEVER paint the beams.adds so much character to the house. I did paint all of the trim and baseboards in linen white...

I highly recommend not to paint the beams. I have cedar ceilings and have enjoyed the classic beauty through many years. In my opinion white would cheapen the look of the wood. I would recommend bringing more metal into the room to modernize the atmosphere.

Amy Butler's house.

Hi there, we have a 70s style home with a huge lounge with also an expansive beamed ceiling just like this one. I had the same feeling about our ceiling and the need to get rid of some of the 'wood look' with whitening it. We have decided to box in (with gib) between the beams and paint this white, although this means covering about 1/2 to 3/4 of the width of the beam (we still want some showing). The architect and builders we had consulted all agreed it would be a shame to lose the beam entirely, like most people in your poll! The main reason we are boxing it in is because we have a flat roof and no insulation at all which is a bit $ and energy drainer! and right now its raining here and we can't hear each other speak or the TV! We are planning to have the ceiling done in the next month or 2 so I could post a photo if u like.....

I'm an agreement with the majority, leave the ceiling alone. I think once the floors are done and your furniture is in, you'll find the ceilings compliment the contemporary look you want. Refinish the kitchen cabinets before deciding what to do about other trims. It will give you time to see the total picture. This is a beautiful space with high ceilings and the traditional furnishings are throwing off the balance. I can see why you think all the trims need to be changed because of this, but I recommend patience and complete one major project at a time.
I like Tres McKinney recommendations. A greyed sage green would soften the ceiling contrast the creme wall color creates.

I would leave everything alone and concentrate on furnisings, that space is screaming for Danish modern furnitue, clean lines, beautiful woods like teak or cherry. The grey rug is bla. I see a punchy colorful rug with bold colors. Load the room with some green. I also would leave ceiling alone. Great contemporary space.

how I dealt with lack of insulation in a recent addition to a 1950's modern house-covered the beams and insulated between, and then applied false wood beams and t&g ceiling, and the large glass panels are modern double pane insulated glass. the beams are only a few inches deep, but give the same idea of beamed ceiling as the original.
This project also had dark floors and darker ceiling, but it was offset with crisp white walls and large window walls-I think the wood helps it feel more sheltered and pulls down the scale a bit.

NO.NO.NO...Do NoT paint the beams or ceiling! As Kevin stated, it would be a mistake of epic proportions. Unpainted/natural wood shouts of Modernism-Contemporary.

Replace kitchen with lower cabinets and open shelving. Add island large enough for cabinetry/drawers and seating on the other side. No need for two dining areas. Keep one area for dining table and chairs.

Do not paint, worry about maybe adding a bit of interest and maybe mix it up with different wood tones to contrast in the kitchen or do something different with your flooring or rug and add color that way.

My family room has rough-hewn 8" T&G and beams with plenty of knots. The roughness contributed to lots of cobwebs, which you couldn't see, as the wood was very dark. Due to the darkness, in the evening, the ceiling seemed to disappear, and made the room feel cavernous. I painted my ceiling white and now the light bounces off of it and feels bright. Your ceiling and beams are beautiful. I wouldn't paint them either if I had a ceiling/beams like that.

I feel like the medium brown cross support beams are too "medium". i would stain those dark espresso and it will modernize the space. I really would discourage painting them out white! They add so much texture and interest. The darker espresso would be modern and striking.Consider refacing the kitchen cabs or refinishing in the same dark stain with light countertops. Best of luck!

I think if you paint the rooms a more earth tone color and modernize the lighting and furniture that that would. help. I would not paint the wood. I think a big rug with modern design and more modern lighting would help the kitchen shine. Granite counters or some natural stone would be good. There is already too much white in this room.

Definately turn all white: beams, ceiling and doors. I am not sure if the furniture is yours, if it is, you have a lot of dark wooden furniture. So you might consider using a WHite and Chocolate palette. this is, just go rather in dark cool brown or cold white, avoid the beiges and cream yellowish colors. Somethings that might help are: the kitchen should be painted white and darkened (but please desapear that yellow wood) tha countertop could be carrara white marble or salt and pepper granite (if want something more functional) the floor tinted to mocha, or bleached as clear as you can. Try to include silver color accesories. It will give a monochrome design.

Definitely white wash or light gray wash the ceiling and stain the beams a dark espresso. Do not leave them unpainted. The room is overwhelmed and much to top heavy and dark with these ceilings. Then paint the walls a warm pale or medium gray. Do not place the sofa and furniture along the walls. If I were you, I would tend to take advantage of the view for the living area furniture. Consider removing the carpet and putting in hand-scraped darker flooring.

Paint the ceiling, - leave the beams, or stain them darker, - depending on the colour of your floor :) that's my opinion anyways. Also try to make different "zones", by using your furnitures differently. Removing the carpet, as "jeanlab" suggests is a very good idea ! Good Luck !!

The ceiling does feel a little overpowering. Have you considered coloring the huge cross-beam to lighten the feel - not white though - something a little softer and more natural. And something that could look really dramatic is to add some Velux roof windows so that as you look down the room you see not only trees but also sky.

also pain the door trim the wall color to lighten the look. leave beams and ceiling as is.

I would not paint the beams. I would paint every thing else. You have to also look at the fact that you are having wood flooring as well. Maybe a whitewashing of the ceiling would be ok. I also agree with changing up the kitchen. How about a lighter color on the upper cabinets and a fun color on the lower ones

I would try painting the space in between the beams white. Leaving the beams, hand rails etc as they are, will tie the room together, especially when the wood floors have been revealed.

What was the outcome here? I'm always so intrigued to know the final verdict :as getting others opinions is not always so easy, when you get info overload or conflicting ideas when you are already conflicted in what step to take which is why you posted in the first place :) I love your ceiling but can understand the comments about balancing the ceiling with darker furniture cabinets etc. I am planning to add ceiling beams to my home and am not sure what color/style to choose (or how to ensure the rooms are decorated to compliment ). So again, I wondered what you ended up doing?

Live with it for a year before you make any big decisions. I made the mistake of moving in and immediately making changes, and now regret some costly mistakes. Get a feel for your space before spending a lot of money.

I think if you had a clear idea about the floor surface and color you could brighten up the room,,, I hope so because I am working on the same exact issue.. would WOOD floors be too much wood or is something like terrazo better? big room means big decisions.. I put lights on my beams facing the ceiling........... it helped a bit

I may be shot...but I'm all for painting the ceiling white. Perhaps to keep some of the feature you can leave the large cross beams natural. Try it for a while and if not your style then go all white. You will still see the fact that it's wood and retain the heritage of the house but you'll make it yours.

I alos just bought a 1973 home with exact same ceilings and I'm going all white. We have dark wood flooring and it's a flat roof so it feels like a coffin. First thing I'm doing is painting the ceiling.

Considering resale is one thing but you need to enjoy where you live and feel like you can breathe in your space.

Go for it!

Hahaha...just realised this post is 4 years old...dont know how it got to the top of my feed.

You want to retain some of the quality features, but you are considering painting the ceiling. If you do, don't paint the beams. That's a lot of ceiling! Refer to Houzz for "painted wood ceilings" or "open beam ceilings" for ideas.

Wonder what ended up happening here. I'm in the same boat but mine are dark dark and it's awful. I can't believe those who said to make his even darker! I kept reading this thinking "I would keep mine if they were mid-tone like that!" The espresso ones are awful, there is no wood character, it just looks 70's. I personally love the look of the ones above that are all white but with the wood texture. In my case the beams are in totally dumb places too and it way overpowers the house, but I'm still not sure whether to paint because I want to sell the house...

@ qofmlwok: If your ceiling is white, I would paint the beams to match. Best way to make them blend in, especially if they are not attractive.

My ceilings are stained pine or fir, which I'm leaving. I'm probably going to put a wash on the beams to lighten them up.

This is an 'after' shot shoing the ceiling wwe painted white, below is the 'before' shot (sorry didn't have a photo showing much of the celing unfortunately, but you get the idea).

This is a better one showing the wooden floors with the white ceiling. It really opened up the room better after we painted the celing. Wooden ceiling and floors just closed in the room. We really wanted a light and airy space and this definately did it. Along with adding the charcoal wall to modernize the feel also. It is a 1970s home.

This is what we ended up doing (great to see renewed interest after so many years!). After we moved in we found that while the ceiling was original pine the beams had been painted and stained various shades of mission brown. We made a decision to keep all wood original and just repaint everything that had been painted. The walls went white (lexicon half) and beams went charcoal (Dulux domino). Not painting original wood was the best decision ever as it is maintenance free (we have toddler boys so skirting boards and door frames take a beating). Because there was so much brown in the kitchen we painted the cabinets charcoal and resurfaced the bench in stone. While I love our dark kitchen I wouldn't paint under other circumstances as its only been 3 years, it has chipped and we need to paint again. We also re did the upstairs bathroom and all the light fittings. Recently we just moved to East Timor and rented the place out, so now living a very simple life makes me realise how much money we blow on our houses (but such pleasure it brings...). Here is the link to more recent photos. Any opinion on the charcoal beams? Lessons from my experience are leave wood alone and enjoy it! Paint is a money pit! http://www.domain.com.au/property-profile/37-unwin-street-templestowe-vic-3106

That looks very sharp! Glad you left the pine ceiling, it adds warmth and texture to the home.

Wow, kitchen looks great - excellent idea!

I would leave the ceiling natural and gel stain the beams grey/blue jean

The Grey/Blue Jean coloured gel is easier to apply and you can dry brush/swipe.

I have the same dilemma. My upstairs ceiling are vaulted with dark beams and cedar ceilings. However, the downstairs are not. I just replaced all my windows and doors from a dark brown to white. I was wondering how a whitewash trim for the trim and doors (closet and bed door) would look with the ceilings as they are. Or should I whitewash the beams as well and leave the cedar ceiling. the Rooms downstairs are the o my ones I can reach

but my daughters room upstairs, she really wants a lighter trim color. I’m so confused second guessing myself

Thanks for the update. OP! It looks stunning. Well done.