I think hoot_owls's paneling looks great, too. Here is some more painted knotty pine from one of my jobs.

Toni Sabatino~your painted paneling looks great...especially love the wood boat mosaics! Thanks for sharing!

Connie Q- Thanks so much!

Connie....here is a link about the remodel of that room. http://tonisab.com/2012/02/01/kitchen-for-a-sunny-seaside-retreat/ We also remodeled the dining and living rooms. We used some mid century modern teak furniture she was ready to throw out and had it reupholstered and added some bookshelves with nautical books and model boats...it all really looks great....have fun with your project.....

Toni~just looked at your sunny seaside retreat remodel...good inspiration there for me!! Thank you!

You are welcome...

hi ConnieQ,its been a while, wondered how you are??

What about painting the wood panels light color? I've done it in one house, using light mint color and it looked great.

The paneling in our family room is painted a light tan color. I love the way it looks. If you can't remove the paneling then paint it a light color. It will make a huge difference in your room. I think you should get new doors for the fireplace but I would not paint the brick.

Hi Carole, thanks for checking in! Two months later and not much has changed. I bought a can of Kilz oil based primer for the wood paneling, but haven't started painting yet. Still having doubts about painting it. I am narrowing the search for a swivel recliner chair and comfy couch. I'm hoping I can make the room feel better with new furniture and lighting and rug! I promise I will update with photos as soon as something happens! How are things for you?

Thanks also to Katya and Alleykat for your comments! If I do end up painting, it will be a light color. Then, either paint the trim or leave it...it's mahogany. My long range goal is to have a gas insert for the inefficient fireplace!

Connie, I can also do a painting of water and boats, which will bring more space and a feeling of outdoors to the space.

i think you are right in waiting with painting the panelling untill you have found the furniture you want,here mostly the same,not much work has been done inside,have painted but am not happy with the color. ;-(... and now that its spring the garden takes up a lot of time and energie,but nice to get out!!

Here another idea decorating with wooden oars, large selection of decorative wooden oars http://gonautical.com/wooden-oars-c-2_99.html

So, it's been a year since I began this discussion. What has changed? Both turtle tanks and stands are gone. The TV has been moved to the left corner. We never did try the bookshelf on the right side of the fireplace because I decided I liked the less cluttered look in that corner. I bought a can of kilz primer for the paneled walls. Then, chickened out, and took it back to Home Depot. We recently found a cognac leather sofa and loveseat on Craigslist. The door had to be removed to get them into the room! The loveseat might go to our niece...leaving us with the sofa and one or possibly two swivel-rocker-recliners. I had thought I wanted a mid-century modern sofa, but after sitting on them, decided they really aren't that comfortable. I still want to honor my husband's boat making skills. He has said he will build a wood strip coffee table for the room, and perhaps a skin-on-frame row boat model! We also have a HUGE nautical map of the area we live in and would like to frame it and have it up on the wall.
http://www.sobaymaps.com/shop/puget-sound-san-juan-chart/

Love it! Yes, paint he walls and use the rug..

Our living room was carpeted, wood panel walls... This is it painted. Just do it:)

Yes, I agree...painting the paneling will definitely brighten up the room. My daughter keeps threatening to do it while I'm out of the house sometime! ha!

Ha ha yes... You guys would love it.. With your style I'd go white. Not creme.. White kilz it and then paint :)

Now that you have the comfy sofa, give the love seat to your niece and find a couple mid-century chairs to match a bright color in the rug. There are many cool mid-century accent pieces out there to show that style. I can see orange vases on the mantle and hearth. You need larger art above the mantle. Perhaps string are in the colors of the rug. (Think The Brady Bunch) Hang the framed map on another wall where people could get a close look at it. Window coverings could pick up the rug colors. Have fun finishing your room. The boat model and c
Handmade coffee table will go with this look.

looks great already!!like the new sofas and the rug together ;-)

Thanks, Carole...it's not done yet...but, I'm liking it more and more.

its never ending,but thats part of the fun,i think....just look how much your room has changed ;-) and i still like the panelling,are you sure you want to paint it?

My daughter is expecting a baby boy this Spring, so I'm hoping to get things kind of ready by then.

No....hahaha...I am not sure about painting the paneling...I am very indecisive about that.

congratulations x

Accurato - I love those rocking chairs!! So Cute!

Wow, You have a lot of great information here. You are getting professional interior designer's input, gratis, for free . . . nice. The place has great bones and we all would agree on several points. The most important is to lighten the paneling and replacing that ugly ceiling fan. The vintage carpet could be cool if it wasn't harboring critters/poisons (you don't want to know). Google I.A.Q. before you paint or do any major changes like flooring. Tearing out the paneling should not be an option. The mess and rehab of the walls underneath would be a waste of resources. A wash (not necessarily white) would keep the interest of the wood grain without the overwhelming dark CAVE LIKE feeling. Your husband could work some magic in the room and I would love to help with some outside the box ideas. My good friend here in Alameda hand-makes kayaks and paddles the centuries old way without any glues or modern fasteners. My company is simpleFLOORS Oakland. I'm an Interior Designer that specializes in "Healthy Homes" with over 30 years experience. Lighting and some modern touches will make this room sparkle without taking away from the great MC look. Jamie

I didn't see that it's a rug not wall to wall carpet so if it's wool it's worth cleaning naturally. There are some great rugs out there though, it is a major point of interest and setting the whole color palette for the room so . . .

One idea, the most comfortable recliner in the world is from Norway. A company called Ekornes. They make the streamlined Stressless recliner. The ergonomics are unparalleled
and the styles haven't changed much in the last half century. REAL MC Modern. They are available from a small store in Alameda called Danish Interiors .net. Expensive but well worth it. I gave one to life-long friend for a wedding present 30 years ago, still their favorite piece of furniture today. Open and airy the style is perfect for 'lightening' a rooms look. You might get lucky on CL looking for a used one. Many sizes so find the one or two that fits you exactly. Just one man's opinion.

Thank you, jamiemichaels for taking the time to post your comments on our TV room project! I have seen the Ekornes Stressless chairs. I like the look of them, but for grandbaby rocking comfort, I will choose a different swivel rocker recliner. Also, I used to agree with you about the ceiling fan, until last summer...between the heat wave and my hot flashes, I developed a new appreciation for that "ugly" ceiling fan. ;)

The area rug is a high quality wool shag. It has been professionally cleaned and still looks nice, so it stays for now.

The ceiling fan is a great invention and has come a long way since the 60's. They can be reasonably priced, with much more efficiency than older ones. It costs you pennies a day to cool you directly. Ceiling fans are an electrical appliance. You wouldn't have a 50 year old refrigerator in your home, safety. One of the things that a warm and comfy room should have is a well thought out lighting plan. Soft ambient lighting, up lighting, splash lighting, task lighting and in none of these are there light bulbs staring at you from above your head in the middle of the room. Look at the movie "Casablanca" sexy, cooling ceiling fans overhead not a one has light bulbs hanging in your face.
I am not very smart about a lot of things in life but home furnishings and interior design, is where I'm an idiot savant. My grandmother and mother owned furniture stores starting in the thirties and they liked to say, " if a piece of furniture does two things it doesn't do either of them well". Case in point, there is no "sleeper" sofa that sits like a fine sofa and we know how they sleep ! Love to talk to you on the phone when you have moment,

That being said your fan is not as ugly as many others. This room should be all about comfort. The look and lighting make it more comfortable for the users. 70% of the time you are in this room there will be no babies there. COMFORT. I said the Stressless was the most comfortable recliner on the planet, it swivels but is comfortable to sit in, COMFORT. There is room for a rocker, also. A nice rocker that doesn't recline. Lower back support and seat depth on both of these chairs is imperative.

How tall are you ? Are your feet flat on the floor ? I know that the Stressless is expensive but if you sat up in "the one that fits you" for thirty minutes then compare it to any "rocker/ recliner/swivel" you find. With your eyes closed feel the "all over" support - lower back, leg, shoulders, neck and head support as you sit up or recline.

One more thing, have you ever owned a chair that after sitting for less than an hour your back is in pain ? Constantly adjusting trying to get comfortable. Most furniture does not take ergonomics seriously. Just one man's opinion. Style is important but remember that as my mom used to say, "buy art with your eyes buy a chair with your backside".

I love the idea of kayak or row boat coffee table. Most important thing is not to fill up the floor space with a big table. My opinion is make a very small (outside measures 48 to 52 long, no more than 32 inches deep). My thoughts would be to have a half finished kayak or row boat that is not as bulky and shows the hand work inside and out, show the frame work inside with a stretched leather top. Glass is so not cool with a little one , shows dust, finger prints etc.

Sorry about the Stressless spouting just be careful about comfort. Those two chairs you are about to buy are the MOST important purchases in your home except your mattress and some good shoes. Lol

I reread my comments and it sounded preachy, sorry. It is a very cool room and has great potential. Love to see pictures of the canoe coffee table when your hubbie does that.

libradesigneye had some great color choices and overall a great sense of the look. I was sure you should paint the paneling now I'm rethinking that. The creamy green would look amazing but . . . Please if you do paint be aware of the VOC's is many paints. Very strong outgassing for decades to come. No VOC's paint are available. I had made a the frame work only of a kayak model that was only 4 feet long. Showing the skeleton of the vessel with a spot light on it hung from the ceiling right over the mantle the shadows of the frame casting a cool design on the ceiling.

Jamiemichaels, thanks again for your interest and suggestions. I agree that the room has great potential. Right now, the changes are contingent on the cost of those changes. So, progress is rather slow. The ceiling fan was purchased just a few years ago (by my husband, not me)...it has the option of just running the fan, and not the overhead light. Perhaps, at some point I may replace it with a more classy fan with no light, but it is nice to be able to flick on the light when needing to cross through that room in the evening. We have a store nearby that carries the Stressless chairs, I'll go sit in them again and give them some more thought. I agree on the VOC's in paint! Don't want to add any harmful ingredients to our home, especially as we had a lot of work done last summer to tighten up the leaks, and added insulation to upper and lower portions. Also, great minds think alike! Your idea of the kayak frame work model with light behind it for the wall is something my husband has also thought about!

Connie I love the orange rug! Did you sell it? I am interested. :) riveras831@cox.net

Just wanted to chime in that it's great that you didn't paint the fireplace - that would have been a huge mistake IMO. Brick and mortar are "natural" materials - akin to stone in their texture - and they don't "want" to be painted. Painting brick can't be undone, and will never look as good as the brick in its raw state. Even the most well-done paint job over brick looks like it's trying to hide something. It's a beautiful fireplace, with lovely Roman brick, and the room should respond to it positively! The changes you did make look great and really celebrate the room's style.

I'd say the same thing to a lesser degree about painting the wood paneling. Wood can certainly be painted, especially if it's cheaper wood, but it's not the ideal state. If you really want a painted wall surface or brighter room, plain old drywall's the way to go - it's made to be painted.

Christina Rivera, no we did not sell the rug...still have it on the floor. I guess I'm still "Stuck in the 60's"! Ha!

Here's a photo to show you the room as it is right now...the large framed picture above the fireplace looks much better than the smaller framed art I had before. I bought the "new" one for $15 at a flea market! It's a bit "moody", but it has 2 boats and matches the color of the hearth. Oh, and the coffee table came from Goodwill for $4.99! It needs sanding and a coat of finish, but I like the design.

Remember me if you want to sell that carpet Connie! My whole house is orange practically. When I was little I had an orange and yellow carpet. I am going back to my childhood. Let me know. My phone number is 619-808-2992 Thanks!

Ps the painting is cute! Yay for Goodwill!

Since the paneling is in good condition and has a beautiful wood grain, I would keep it. However, I would paint the fireplace brick white and have the blue metal surround replaced with black wrought iron. I also would suggest adding rather wide white crown molding around the room to accentuate the white ceiling and contrast from the wood tones of the paneling. In keeping with this, I would replace the flooring with large squares of white tile to match the white ceiling. White or off-white curtains in a nubby linen type of fabric will bring softness and freshness to the room. The use of white will help tie the room together while providing contrast from the wood tones. The occasional tables are pretty, but replacing them with black-painted built-ins that flank the fireplace would save a lot of space and make the room look less cluttered. Since the tables are so pretty, you can use them as end tables, credenzas, or bedside stands in other rooms. As for the flame shag rug, perhaps you can have it cleaned and mounted as a wall hanging in a bedroom or foyer.

I would suggest that the black-painted built-ins have the original paneling as the interior backs. This will keep the room from looking smaller.

I hated the paneling but knew I was going to live with it for a loooong time so I strieed it hoping the strie would camouflage the lines in the paneling. It did but now after 28 years I can finally replace it with regular walls and paint them a fun color. It's an option.

Love this room with the changes you made! I hope you never did paint the fireplace or paneling. Just light it well, and moving forward, add more touches of the bright colors you like. It's a neat 60s room and now that you've got some more tasteful things and less clutter in there, it's really working.

Thank you, "myexecutiveranch" for your kind comments! I'm actually sitting in the "TV Room" as I type this. It looks pretty much as it did in the last photo I posted in June 2014! I have not painted the walls or fireplace. I have added a couple colorful accents; turquoise throw, and a yellow print pillow on the sofa. I do need to replace the window blinds soon--maybe with some simple floor length drapes. Thanks again for taking the time to comment! :)