The sets of double doors on the far wall would be a good opportunity to *blend* the two spaces together.

Meaning - you're kitchen is getting new white cabs and it is juxtaposed to a lot of wood in the family room.

You could replace the sets of double doors in matching wood and stain color and leave the door trim white. In a sense marrying the two methods - stain/paint - together.

Once the cabs are white, you might not feel so overwhelmed with woodtones. What's in the FR looks gorgeous and pristine. Painting wood is just a fact of life, but I'm not sure it is the right thing to do or necessary in this case.

Here's the thing about paint- it's removable. Yes, it's a total PITA, but if for some reason you decided that you want stained wood after having painted the cabinetry, then you strip the paint and stain and redo them. Paint is NOT a permanent change. Do what you want.

MamaBear, anyone that's been here awhile knows I love stained wood. I know it's personal, but that is darn pretty wood you have there. A closer look would help, but my guess is it's either cherry or maple from what I can see in the above photo. To me stained wood always looks richer than painted wood. Once painted it's equalized with painted MDF as opposed to the richness of grain one can see through stain.

I would darken the wood on the mantle. I feel that color stain is too light to support that beautiful stone. White would work, too.
For the built-ins, either paint white and leave the back of the shelves brown, or paint them black and still leave the back of shelves brown. I would also add some larger scale items to your built-ins -- everything is basically the same size. Love what's on your mantle.
Or, paint the built-ins a cream and antique them with a warm brown glaze.
There's too much of the same tones of wood.
But, I also have to say that this is a really nice room!

Thanks for all your input. I love stained wood, also, but this color is just not doing it for me. I had to get used to the cherry floors already - they are a bit red for me. I love the deep walnut/mahogany colors. I wonder if the wood could be stained darker? Ugh - it sounds like an expensive project to me.

Funcolors, you also have a very good point with too much white being around once the kitchen is done.

I am having trouble trying to decide what I am doing here. I have all these rooms to decorate and I'm getting too much inspiration, going one direction, and then my ADD kicks in and I head another. Maybe I should just move in first and see how everything we have already "goes" and go from there... I am very excited, but cannot make my decisions easily.

If anyone wants to help decorate a whole house... let me know because I'm starting to lose it. I know I'll develop the right looks with time but even just getting the right thoughts together is hard.

I had 2 sets of built in bookcases in my family room (approx 17 feet of wood to paint)with a wood shallow window seat and double windows in between. It was a yucky 60's stained wood. I first got a bid from a cabinet painter and the bid was 1800. I just couldnt bear to pay that much, so I tackled the job myself. I used a product called Paso which cleaned and dulled the finish and then used an oil primer and final coats with white dove. It really turned out pretty nice and I am so happy to see that dark wood gone. So I say if you want a cleaner crisper look...go for it.
And i agree with some who say darken the stain on your mantle. I dont think white paint there would look right at all against the stone.
I am also doing that with a few doors. Again I used the Paso and rubbed Ebony stain with a soft cloth. It looks so much better to get rid of that orangy 60's color. Good luck.

Oopsie, do you have pictures you could share of your work? Thanks so much!

I would paint the yellow and orange walls before I did anything else. I think it's changing the perception of the color of the wood.

I dont know how to post directly on my messages but i will do a link in 2 messages, with a caveat that we are still evolving with the decor etc. I have photobucket if anyone knows how to help me post on the message itself. thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Ok, this is the best I can do. I guess I need to take more photos.
I think at least you get the idea from this. The room just looks so much brighter now. We had even thought of painting the beams too but opted for the ebony (very dark brown) stain on the beams and they look great.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Mamabear there are products out there that can be used over prefinished wood. Check with your local paint store and do a bit of research online that will work with how your cabinets are finished.
Here's a little virtual I did of the cabinets in the family stained darker and the white doors stained the same. Well kind of. I also took the liberty to paint your kitchen cabinets, though I too would stain them darker. But then you could have guessed that by what I said above.

oopsie - the shelves look great! I still really love the white... but could do a dark stain if that's possible...

I will look into the staining methods.

Franksmom - yes, I am painting the entire house. it's a little daunting. i was planning on having everything painted before we move in, but i don't think that's going to happen. All the furniture in the pics are the previous owner's.

justgotta - I wish I could do that on my pictures! I would actually stain the wood even darker (if possible). I'm removing both sets of doors. And, the kitchen is being redone into white/off-white cabinetry with black soapstone (or granite - haven't decided completely yet) counters. We have a dark brown leather couch that would go in this space as well as a dark walnut coffeetable. Other pieces I'll be purchasing. The color scheme I'd like to do is a rust-orange with linen-colors (grey?) - but I'm not sure how that will look with the white/black kitchen and then off the family room is the sunroom which will be green/blue/white. (Sunroom is off the opposite wall as the built-ins in the family room). Think that's too much color going on that doesn't "go"?

Fam Room inspiration pic:
{{!gwi}}

Sunroom inspiration pic:
{{!gwi}}

Here's the view to the sunroom looking from the family room:
{{!gwi}}

Here is the sunroom:
{{!gwi}}

The best decorating advice I ever got was that you should live with a place a while before doing anything. Then prioritize, and use the best materials that you can afford.

I would just do the kitchen first and then see how you feel about the wood.
Diane

with living there for a while before you do anything, but I WILL SAY when we came in this house for the first time, I knew I would paint almost everything in site that was wood stained. In fact, I decided on painting the trim on 2 windows in my living room and leaving the actual wood window stained wood, and it has just not looked right to me, so I am about to paint that now too. In a fairly busy and eclectic house like I have the painted trim just looks so much cleaner and more like a canvas for the rest of my furnishings and that is my point, MY furnishings just look better with the painted wood, yours may do ok keeping the wood and maybe staining it darker.
Just my humble opinion JMHO, LOVE your sunroom and all the space you seem to have.

I agree with the posters who said to wait a bit.
It's as if all your different elements are fighting for attention-- I would definitely paint the walls a neutral color to tone down the red tones.

The red walls in the kitchen are competing with the cherry floor and built- ins in the family room. Maybe someone with photoshop talent could help you visualize. Painting the walls is inexpensive, so I would start with that:)

Stupid me, I just looked at your original post and saw that you are redoing the kitchen in white. That will give the whole space an entirely different look--maybe you could glaze the cherry to make it darker. It would give them a browner, less red tone which might look great with your new white cabs.

Ooopsies before and afters:

I have to agree w/ justgotabme, but am also biased to nice wood actually looking like nice wood and not just any other imposter. Based on your pictures, your built-ins appear to be cherry and just seems wrong to paint over them. Agree with others to wait. If your set on doing your kitchen, maybe you could start with that then see how you feel about the cabinets. I also think it would look much better with a different paint color. Overall, it's a beautiful house and gorgeous sunroom! Enjoy your new home!

mamabear, I just used Windows Seven Paint program to darken the wood areas. Just use the Polygon shaper and the fill with the marker. It's a transparent color so you see the background through.
The ladies are right. Since you know what you are going to do in the kitchen, I'd work on that first and then see where you want to go in the family room. It's all beautiful just the way it is to me, but I agree the family room would look awesome stained dark. My favorite wood has always been Walnut and if this is cherry it would look great stained that dark.

Sooooo. I wonder if once the kitchen is bathed in white and juxtaposed to the woodtones if perception of the wood will change.

A lighter influence from the kitchen has a very good chance of *informing* the perceived darkness of the woodtones to darker and likely richer then it is now.

Definitely get the kitchen squared a way since you KNOW what you want in there and then take a good look and re-evaluate how you feel about the wood and adjoining space.

I think you are feeling "orangy" because of the wall colors. The wall colors are bringing out the "red" "orange" "rust" colors of the wood. Can you re-face the built-ins? Mahogany built-ins, cherry floors, white kitchen.........so hard to visualize!!!! The home is beautiful!!!

Personally I think the wood is beautiful and it would be a shame to paint it. But it's your house and if you hate it then you should do what you like. I do think you should get the kitchen done and paint the walls before you decide, though. They might grow on you.

Ya really need to live in a house a year before you make any major changes. Time gives you a chance to see how you and your family will live in the space.
I'd wait on making any changes in this room till the kitchen was redone.
In the meantime change the wall colors you might find everything else falls into place without the major hassle of painting such large pieces.