Some fashion of whitewash would be an option. Darkening ceilings is generaly something to avoid unless walls are unusually dark and ceiling is high.

Why not just use a whiter wood, such as white pine? Use a water based finish. Oil based and oil modified will add an amber tone which will get darker over time. All pines will get a darker and more amber color over time also.

Thanks to all for your comments. We had to go with the southern yellow pine for cost reasons and it's now installed, so I guess we're stuck with it. Whitewash is certainly an option. Or I was thinking perhaps of a light stain with as little gold as possible - Provincial, for example. Any other thoughts are welcome!

Go back to the basics. What is the opposite of yellow? It's blue.

What you need is a very light wash of blue over the pine. Since blue combined with yellow makes green you'll probably end up with something too green looking. Counteract that with the opposite of green which is red.

So a purplish stain or dye that's very thin would do the trick. Careful though. Using unnatural colors on wood is tricky and it's easy to overdo it and make a mess. Proceed extremely cautiously and test on lots of scraps before committing.

Wow, I would have never come up with that solution! Great idea. Not sure I'm courageous or persistent enough to carry it out - but I'm going to give it some thought.

This is such a touchy process, test, test, test. And I would also recommend that it be sprayed on, not brushed on. You will never get an even thin coat with a brush. If you are not experienced, this is a dangerous approach.

Yes, it's risky, that's for sure. However, in a pinch, we've done it without spraying onsite once. We used Zinsser shellac that was thinned out 50/50 with alcohol and tinted very lightly with dye. This was wiped on with a rag in thin applications. The key is that each coat is so thin, you barely notice a difference. It takes about 4 layers to create a mild shift in color which is usually sufficient to satisfy the eye.

The biggest plus is that shellac can be wiped off with alcohol if it looks wrong.

Spraying is ideal but not always an option outside of a proper workshop.

Altare,

If taking this approach, wouldn't it be best if the owner sealed the unfinished wood first, so that if it has to be wiped down, because the correct color wasn't achieved, it would be easier to remove. The sealer would have to be a non-alcohol based sealer. (i.e. not shellac)

Ah, sorry but yes. For some reason I assumed the wood had been sealed already. Normally people don't worry about the final color until after the wood has been clear coated. Re-reading the OP clarifies that.

You are correct that a non-alcohol based sealer is necessary. We use precat lacquer for both the sealer and the topcoat on most projects. Shellac is the utility finish that gets pulled out for specialty tasks between coats.

Since the wood hasn't been sealed yet, another possibility is to get a light wood stain that's still wood-tone but leans towards a purplish hue.

First of all, thanks for all the great information. I had thought about a wood stain too - maybe something like Minwax Jacobean (because it has that kind of deep brown purple tone) thinned way, way, way down. But I really don't what I'm talking about at all. Does that even sound reasonable?

Whatever you do seal the wood first to prevent blotching. After dry, lightly sand.

I'm not a fan of any MinWax products. For you, I would recommend Sherwin-Williams stains. They have more colors than MW, and can even custom mix something for you.

Whatever you use, develop your process on samples first. Hopefully you have some wood left over.

Now that Sherwin Williams was brought into the discussion...

If you go to a Sherwin Williams store during non-peak business hours, you may be able to get someone to work with you on a custom stain color while you're standing right at the desk. Downside is that most of the reps are better with paint than stain (more practice) but they can start with a clear base and sneak up on the color you want if you provide samples prepared just like the ones going into your home.

Not sure how well that will work for you since you'd be dependent upon the rep's skill. I usually stay during the mixing process and instruct them about which pigments to add. Visually breaking a wood-tone stain color apart into its primary colors takes experience.

Good point Altare. But remember that your final color will depend on what top coat you put on. So what you see in the store while mixing and drying with a hair dryer needs to have the top coat(s) added for final comparison.

I usually do just what you suggested above only with a locally owned paint store. He is great at knowing what colors to add to get where we need to be. In our area the SW guys aren't so great with real custom colors.