i'd say give it the benefit of the doubt til you get your things in. it makes a huge difference what your furnishings bring to the room and to get you geared up to paint as soon as you move in (or worse, before you move in) would be wrong.

congratulations on your new house tho, even if you have to be patient.

Move in and live with it for a while. It may turn out that you really like the wood.

The current paint color isn't helping. I'd paint the walls white first and then decide.

I have wood ceilings in some of my house. I've left the high living room ceiling alone but painted the bedroom and bathroom ceilings white because they were small rooms. Regardless of the primer I used knotholes bled through - although with the last oil-based primer it took ten years for them to appear. Painting means more upkeep.

I would leave them like they are now. It looks nice. Once you bring your furniture, you'll see how you like it.
Congrats on buying something this nice in Silicon Valley.

Thanks a lot folks for your inputs. Would it help if I painted the walls, the trim and doors white and stained the wood on the ceiling to be less orange? Any suggestions on the whites and the stain?

If you are up for staining it go for it ..Be careful not to go to dark. Every wood takes stain a bit different so there is no color I can tell you. I suggest having a floor guy in to look at it and give you some ideas. Large light colored area rugs would be in order here too. Also shiny and reflective surfaces.

No! Don't paint your beautiful ceiling!

I have a vaulted wood ceiling in my living room, but all door and window trim is white with white plantation shutters. I like the look of the natural wood (Termites love it too, unfortunately!). I'd consider painting you door trim and leave the ceiling as is for now. See how you like it with your furniture.

Don't you just hate it when people wear out their welcome. Let's move those folks outa there so we can paint. How about greige?

Or warm white?

You might paint out all the wood trim and add a skylight to brighten the space.
ref pic

Thanks groveraxle... You are a genius. It helps a lot. I don't want to give you any more trouble but do you have a version without the rug just to give a perspective of the room?

it's a paint cloth!!

I would do a cool white

Sorry sacapuntaslapioz .. Pardon my ignorance. I am new to this.

Meg, you didn't think I'd paint without a drop cloth, did you? It's actually not there to catch the drips; it's there to hide the furniture I was too lazy to remove. ;-)

Love the last look groveraxle did for you Meg G. Personally I wouldn't paint the ceiling or the trim. I agree you should live with it for awhile before making a decision. Anything you do will take a whole lot of work and money, so it's best to make sure it's what you really want. Stained wood looks much richer than painted wood in my opinion.

Wow .. I can't thank you enough groveraxle. Looks like a different room. ;)

Groveraxle, you are amazing. So helpful for Meg. Wish I know how to do that! :-)
I think the room looks great with the furniture and the drop cloth gone. Well done!

Please don't paint ANY of the beautiful stained wood. Stained wood adds so much character to a house. Check out this site for paint color ideas: [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200)

NO...DO NOT PAINT WOOD CEILING !!!! Paint wall Benjmoore "Twilight Gold" Prime all trim and paint "Super White" Decorate modern 70's...

I would leave the ceiling as it is, it's a nice feature, but try to first establish what style you want in your new home; Bring in your furniture first, and as everyone would probably agree, choose your paint last…including making the final decision on whether to paint it or not. If you leave it, and introduce some contemporary or modern furniture pieces and lighting, this ceiling could actually create a really interesting contrast. It's not a ceiling here, but you can see how a very rustic table makes a statement in this modern open kitchen-dining plan. Hope this helps!

Free

May I suggest painting the ceiling a light color to make the room feel taller and larger but leave the beams natural.

Thanks Katie. That looks gorgeous. I was thinking of getting some modern furniture to give it a more contemporary look. I will look for inspiration and ideas here to decorate this room.

don't paint the beautiful ceiling, leave the wood. Once you paint the ceiling, IMO it will just look like you are trying to hide not so nice wood. Changing your decor can make all the difference, I agree with some of the decor changes already mentioned.

Paint ceiling and all trim Benjamin Moore cloud white!

I would start by painting the trim around the windows and doors white or a satin version of the color you choose for your walls before I would touch the ceiling. I think once you wipe out some of the wood trim, you might actually embrace the ceiling. Keep your walls light, but not necessarily white, to get a nice contrast with the ceiling. A warm gray might work well here if you are going a bit modern with your decor. Check out Benjamin Moore's Nimbus. Good luck!

Please move in & add your own furniture to the space. Live with it at least six months to see what you think. You have a beautiful room with warm wood floors & ceilings, which is probably what attracted you to the house in the 1st place. Embrace them & if you decide to paint anything, buy sample cans of 3 or 4 light colors you like to paint on 2 foot by 2 foot poster boards to move around the room at different times of the day. This is the best way to select a color for a room. Have fun living in this wonderful house & adding your own touches to it.

I agree with painting out the trim first and leaving the ceiling unpainted for a bit. It is actually very pretty, but if the room feels too closed in after you move your furniture in, go ahead and paint it. It is such a lovely big space...enjoy it.

Like many others, live there for a few months. Move furniture, etc.. I would paint the walls and trim the same color. I personally love the ceiling but make it your home.

less orange and matte finish would help!

Something like that is a "look", it's a certain look that can lend itself a couple of different ways depending on the style of the house and how you're going to decorate it. It could go log cabin rustic left as it is. It could go Spanish or Mediterranean if you painted the ceiling the light wall color and then stained/painted the beams a darker wood color. It could go kind of modern loft with a contemporary vibe. So before I did anything I would decide on what style you're going to do and then make the ceiling fit in with whatever you decide.

Personally I like painted wood ceilings.

Agree with most of the others . Move in, change the wall colours and sit and look and look at it ... It will come to you but don't put the cart before the horse . Wall colour change , your furniture , how the light fills the room ... Then you'll know :-)

Paint! The ceilings aren't high and it just weighs down the room! And the Orange stain is difficult to work with.

Saw this on a few decorating shows recently - leave the beams & paint out the ceiling, white or cream. Looks fantastic!

You might like the ceiling as it is now! Enjoy, it's a great room.

Nice question actually!

First of all let’s say that if you paint the ceiling white you will change the room outlook dramatically (you will loose most of the “wooden effect”), which may not be what you want, but it’s perfect to make it brighter.

We would also recommend to paint the trims white and to use light-color forniture elements (only if you go for the white ceiling).

A plus could be to stand the wooden floor and then treat it with a natural resin (quite a low-cost procedure here in Italy); it will result in a way lighter floor that will make the room even brighter!

Hope we helped

Greetings from Italy!

I have to agree with many of the posters here - don't paint the ceiling or at least, not yet. See how the light fills the room through the different seasons, it will change dramatically from winter to summer and will definitely affect paint colour choice if you did decide to go that way. It is a lovely room so looking forward to seeing how you decorate!

I would say it all depends on your individual design style. If you prefer a cottage/shabby chic vibe then I would say paint the entire ceiling, beams and all, white. However, if a mediterranean or spanish look is what you are going for you could just paint the ceiling white and leave the beams natural. Or paint the entire ceiling and beams in a creamy tan that will lighten the look but not be quite so "white". It is a beautiful home, have fun!

I agree with those who suggest only painting the walls. Look how beautiful your room is when Groveraxle removed the furniture!

First of all , it appears as if that ceiling is sealed with some type if varnish so forget about staining it! You would have to prime it first before painting with a knot sealing primer . Then at least two coats of paint. Keep the ceiling but paint the trim and walls a light color! Love the sky light idea and lose the boring light fixture. A very large light colored rug would be great too.

What about staining the beams a darker, complimentary color to make them stand out? I'm thinking of an espresso-colored gel stain.

Thanks a lot everyone. You all have been super nice and helpful! I think I am going to keep the ceiling as is for now and maybe brighten up the wall color and also add some better lighting in the room. I loved the idea of a lighter colored rug. I will keep you folks updated.