Normally I hate white on walls (I have 3 small children, so that may be why), but I think a shade of white would really brighten things up and make the wood look richer, and not as dark. I wouldn't go plain white, but find a shade that is a touch warm so it looks right. Think Pottery Barn. (In fact, browse their site for ideas. I can't afford their stuff, but I love it!) Were it my house, I wouldn't hesitate to commit the sacrilegious act of painting all the stained trim white, but that is drastic. Lol. I've been known to paint wood cabinets, too. Ahem.

I think some white would go a long way. I noticed everything that's not wood is black, further darkening the situation. Depending on your budget lighter countertops/white appliances.
I love love love wood and can't suggest painting it. Although a translucent white wash might lighten up the place up without sacrificing the wood. Depending on what kind of Finnish is on the wood currently it might not be worth the sanding work though?
Or/and paint the island but leave the cabinets. From the pic it looks like the island wood is maybe a little lesser quality? Good luck

Oh I forgot to say it's beautiful, and 40 acres!!!! Wow! Good for you.

Great place! Is this case the lots of wood works on wooded acres. I'm not loving the too many wood tones and busy cabinets. A simple solution is to only paint the sheet rocked walls an off-white (SW Swiss Coffee) and leave the ceiling, floor, horizontal wood walls and trim alone. How about painting or staining the kitchen cabinets and island a bluish gray color? I think the multiple wood tones and wood grain needs to be toned down a bit to balance. Sample of wood floor and bluish/gray cabinets...

Hi there, yes definitely a white on the walls, we have just done the same and one surprise was that really made the greenery outside pop. We used a washable paint on the walls as we have two kids. We also went for an all white kitchen (high gloss cabinets) lightened the place up. Another way to lighten the place up (not sure how close some of your trees are) we pleached some of the closer trees which lightened everything up.

I would change the cabinets, maybe go for a fun color or even just a pretty soft blue whatever tickles you, but leave the floor and ceiling as is. Think Rustic chic.

If you are thinking about working with the existing kitchen, counters, cabinets,ect. I would change the cabinet hardware to chrome or nickel. I noticed the hearth is tones of grey. I would paint the walls grey and or possibly a warm red tone. change the lighting to pendants, something industrial to match the hardware on the cabinets.

a few thinks i could recommend: the cabinet wood type and color don't work with the ceiling wood. i would paint the cabinets- a lighter color will help the brightness in the room- an accent color would be fun. you might exchange a few of the cabinet doors with glass fronts- this will make the room feel larger. lighting with pendents over the island will help define the kitchen- give you opportunity for accent lighting and fixture color. painting the island a different color will make it pop and feel like a piece of furniture. together. if you go light color on the cabinets- you could go dark on the counter tops ( maybe just the back ones) to help bring the black accented appliances together with the overall solution. looks like a a fun project.

Lovely wood! The cabinets have a redder tone than the ceiling which the contrasting green paint further emphasizes. The black appliances have a masculine feel with the wood and there is some nice slate tile around the fireplace to work with. You could start with painting just the island and walls a light silver gray and add a carpet (maybe something from Flor which is easy care modular) before doing anything drastic. If you want to do more I'd consider tying the slate in with a backsplash that has similar slate incorporated in it and add LED undercabinet lights if there aren't any. If your budget allows try stainless or white appliances to lighten it a little. As a last resort paint the cabinets. Take your time and it will be just right.

I would start in the kitchen! Remove (what looks to be) oak cabinets-replace with a painted maple. An off-white with lots of distressing would be great to match the rustic appeal of the house. Pair with a brushed/matte finish granite. For the walls, try to stay away from vibrant colors. There are so many beautiful textures in the house, try to tone the rest down. Go with the grays & taupe that are in that slate tile. Good luck :)

To reduce the heavy use/look of wood surfaces, start with painting the cabinets. My gut also says to paint the ceiling because it is knotty pine, and that random polky-dotty effect is too busy and distracting for a ceiling; to me, it is an eyesore. Once painted, it will just be a texture. If there are areas of wood paneling on the walls, I would take that down and put up drywall. Once you have decided which areas of wood you will definitely keep, choose wall color(s) that harmonize with it. For colors, you need to select a bunch of colors you like, and then, see if they harmonize.

I am assuming that the floor is actually true wood planks. If it's laminate, then this entire idea goes out the window.
How about we take those cabinets & paint them a nice mossy green possibly with a wax stain. A nice crisp white countertop and backsplash would definitely brighten things up. The island needs some updating with countertop as well. And add some really awesome barstools!
The tongue and groove ceiling, if that were whitewashed or painted white allowing the stain to slightly come through that and consider adding beams in the opposite direction, following the rise of the ceiling. Keep those beams the color of the floor stain.
Now we've got a great colorful kitchen that looks up to date. Also hang some pendant lights over the island and you've got a great looking room.
Good luck. Its a great canvas to have fun with! Show the afters please!!

Paint out the island and lighten up the countertops...a nice light granite or quartz

Yes to white walls! Also consider a green island which I think would look great with your wood.

You're ceiling and floor is beautiful as is. I personally like your cabinets too, but they would look good painted. I think stainless appliances would lighten it up. Different color on walls, and add backsplash

I can relate to wood floors and a wood ceiling with dark wood cabinets. Our cabin was similar. It had dark wood 1978 kitchen cabinets making the house way too dark. In your case, your kitchen cabinets are the wrong color (too red) and do not work with the rest of the wood floors and ceiling. What about painting out the kitchen cabinetry with soft white / cream tone in a satin finish. Consider painting your island the accent color of the room.......maybe a dusty blue or sage green. We have a chocolate finish on the island as it relates to the other dark rich furniture in the room. The painted kitchen cabinets and island will contrast and compliment the other beautiful wood and at the same time reflect some light into the room. Our example is BELOW : the dark kitchen is our before 1978 old kitchen. The white kitchen is our new kitchen as of December 2014. We also layered the lighting with LED task light and mood lighting all on dimmers. Dark kitchen be damned. You can see more of our renovations on our web site www.LazyBowenHideaway.com

Depends on your budget and what style you feels comfortable with, here are what I suggest. Stain the wood cabinets in a darker tone and make sure the wood in both wall cabinet and the island are the same tone. Paint the wall to a light cream color. Everything else stay how they are. The attached photo (the one with green stools) is my current kitchen. If you want to remodel more, change the counter top to light color stone, and appliances to stainless steel. See the other photo I attached. Hope this give you some ideas :)

All of the wood including the ceilings are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! DO NOT touch that! but you definitely want the contrast to show off the wood, so paint everything white including your cabinets...paint the island black and all the countertops a white marble or granite or my favorite, quartz, with a slight wash of beiges n blacks...Also, if you want a wall color that's perfectly neutral and coordinates with EVERYTHING! check out the color Pashmina from Benjamin Moore...it's gorgeous!

Benjamin Moore Bone White would really brighten up the space, as well as enhance the wood. I'd go with a nice large area rug in maybe a tribal motif with the same colors that are in the slate around the fireplace or a really plush lighter color rug to ground and define the space, maybe a cushy leather sofa, lightened up with a plush throw, and pillows with pattern. End tables maybe stay away from wood, do metal and glass, something not so heavy and wooden. Kitchen I'd paint the walls white at least, possible paint the island white just to give some variance. Just some ideas off the top of my head. :) it's beautiful!!

For the sheetrocked walls SW Navajo White maybe. It's a very warm white (on the walls). On a paint chip it looks more "creamy"