Congratulations on a lovely new home. Maple is as durable as it is beautiful. Consider a gray/green paint color like SW Sea Salt for a more contemporary look. I would also suggest the addition of hardware to the living area built-ins.

well - I would be painting a lot of it white -- mostly the trim and probably the stairs.

stair railing

Are these prefinished floors or are they site finished? Possibly you can have the floors refinished before moving in and take them to a gray/brown tone that provides some color separation and gives you more of the rustic feel. You can deal with cabinetry and other items after you move in and live there a while to see what you do and don't like. It all depends on your color scheme.

I agree - paint color really needs to change to the grey/green suggested... depending on how much you want to invest, I would look into changing the lights over the island - get 3 or 4 smaller ones or an interesting larger one, change the hardware on all the cabinets, paint the backs of the glass door cabinets for a nice pop of color, pull your furniture into the room from the walls for a cozier seating arrangement and get some beautiful drapes for the windows ( large rod across with panels on each side to the floor - you won't close them ), also look into floor runners to break up all the wood. It looks as though part of your counters are laminate and the island is granite.... save up some money, pull the laminate out and replace with granite ( a different color ) or even replace with a more interesting laminate ( there are some beautiful ones out there these days! ) and change out the backsplash to something more interesting ( a combination of glass and slate perhaps? ).... Whatever you do , just have fun with it.... if it gets stressful, that is when you will make mistakes...

Good luck!

The great thing about maple, is the lack of wood grain. Therefore painting it can be easily done. Need more contrast in general. Paint the cabinets, trim, built-in, & hand rail on the staircase a white/off white. Update spindles on the staircase to iron/oil rubbed bronze, & stain the floors a deeper brown with more variation. Stick with an oil rubbed bronze for the hardware to keep with the arts & crafts feel of the home. Terracotta walls should be neutralized and maybe a pop of color on the front door!

Nice thing about your maple is that is is a pretty good neutral. If this is not your forever home, see if you can't design and decorate to incorporate them as is.

I love the maple. I would paint the walls and live with it for a while before doing anything else. The current wall colors aren't doing anything for me.

I would not paint those beautiful maple cabinets, since they lend themselves to your contemporary "rusticity" look. I'd change the hardware only, and you might want to change the backsplash and the countertops( except island - it appears to be granite).

I'd paint all of the door trim, window trim and baseboard trim white.

I'd bring in more rustic with the coffee and end tables in the family room area.

If you do a search on Houzz or any other image search for "maple kitchen cabinets" you will see lots of ideas and color combinations. I think your kitchen is lovely - except the wall color:)

http://hookedonhouses.net/2014/08/27/updating-a-1930s-cottage-kitchen-bath/

Congratulations! What a beautiful house and space. I would not paint the maple cabinets. I would paint the walls a nice clean neutral white color with a tint of gray (take the color of the gray rug to a lighter tone) Check out Kelly Moore Foggy Day or Ancestral Water.

I would replace the lights above the island, and get something more contemporary. Check out the mini-pendants at Lamps Plus:

Also I would consider contemporary bar stools - see some examples below.

Check these out from Crate & Barrel:

Other then that, I would move in first and see how you feel - nothing better then living in the space & then have inspiration come to you!

Looks like I lost all my photos, so here they are again:

Lamps Plus:

Crate & Barrel:

Maple is very good in partnership with dark brown color - the dark brown neutralizes the volume of maple, and along with is gives the maple the rise to brightness from brown contrast. These two simply creates very fine partnership which supports each other vise versa. Of course this doesn´t mean that all except maple should be dark brown. Wall must be "the right brown" - simply take a piece of your maple furniture - a shelf probably - and compare it with paint chooser - the brown should be exactly the most brightest in overall but yet - it should give the maple the chance to excel more or less - depends on your taste and courage. The courage is that should let you paint at least ONE wall (maybe the smallest one) pretty dark. Then, if there is a lack of courage, you can bring dark brown by dark brown decorating. This combination when fine mixed, can bring a lot of complexity, clearness and piece relax mood.

Pretty! In reference to " a more contemporary space" I think you should start with the wall color. Once you tackle that, ideas will come more natural and easy. I suggest a more neutral color, anything from warm light grey, ivory, or even a grey beige. Or for a little more drama, look at some deep blues, with the light maple and what it appears to be GREAT natural light it would be a great contrast but not too dark.

Good Luck

M.M.

Basic problem is floor, cabinetry and walls are too close in color. If floor can be refinished darker, that would be top priority. Second, look long and hard at all the maple cabinetry in the kitchen and elsewhere. Consider painting or staining either the kitchen cabinetry or the living room cabinetry (after floor refinished preferably). Finally, with floors refinished and some cabinetry refinished, repaint walls...walls are easiest to change and should therefore be last component to redo.

Live with it for a year before you paint anything other than the walls.

I think if you start painting stuff white you may end up regretting it.

Jen, think you are just asking about how to achieve your decor goal.

see they have used a lot of harvest color here. One way to make it feel more modern immediately is to paint all the walls a crisp white so you are going with a sort of scandinavian modern thing - pale grays, white, maple wood tones. The fireplace stone and architecture will support that. Stick with neutrals in your upholstery and main pieces - black, white, shades of gray, with touches of wicker or other blond wood touches. I would look at all my existing furniture and go to the annie sloan chalkpaint site for it (not the built ins) .. so i had lots of soft true grays and something black for nearly every public room.

Can you post another picture so we see the sort of tile you are working with in the bathrooms?

On the built in in the family room, I suggest you take doors off and display simple things well - if the doors were removed from most of the piece, it would feel a bit more updated. You can organize books by color, and use some sculptural or art pieces in there. Leave it 1/3 open space, 1/3 objects, 1/3 books. If you are using a television in the space, put it on a swing arm back in one of the shelf recesses, and balance the black of it with more black in stoneware or another sculpture piece in one or two of the other cubes.

The inside of the front door (which appears to be fir) is the only thing I would consider painting (charcoal gray?) and I would use as much (true) gray and white and black and white photos in black frames and mats as I could stand. Graphic art will help a lot.

Then pick one primary tone you love - red, cobalt blue, a tangerine sort of orange .. possibly an apple green (but this takes more black to balance) and repeat some of it in each major space as your accent color. You might do chairs in a print with this shade and white in the family room, (washable slipcovers? ikea has bemz) put it in art and pillows .. You could do a chalkboard wall or door .. look for galvanized metal rustic farmhouse things ..

Once you get into the bedrooms, you can switch up and insert navy as another classic tone with the gray flannel tones and your accent. .. carry this rather monochromatic approach through and you will end up loving the wood and what it adds. Add some board and batten somewhere as a feature wall in a kids bedroom or a powder room .. . as for the White paint - I would suggest bm simply white. It is tested and proven.

I would leave the wood as is. Gorgeous and a change from white. Look at BM November Rain for the walls. Looks great with maple....white with a slight green undertone.

I love the maple cabinets! There are many colors that would make your cabinets pop! I considered the November Rain color for my walls, and I have maple cabinets. You might also consider gray which would give you a contemporary look. You have a beautiful kitchen!

Thank you for all of your detailed advice! Please keep them coming! Seriously. I'm writing them all down in my "things to do to this house" notebook. Definitely need to change the paint from terracotta to something more neutral, upgrade the laminate and do a lot with decor (everything pictured is the seller's decor). I'm going to have to think about painting the wood. It is A LOT of maple but painting/refinishing it makes me nervous. But hopefully some rugs and MAYBE staining the built in entertainment system would break things up? I'm not sure if it was prefinished or site finished and the seller doesn't know because they're the second owners. Is there a way to find out? I've attached a few more photos to give you a bigger picture of what I'm working with.

A few more

Couple thoughts: The tomato soup wall color has to go. To warm it up, I'd look at a chocolate brown perhaps? Or for a brighter look, a cream color, but not too yellow.

I wouldn't paint them. Maple is a timeless hardwood. If anything, I'd have a cabinet maker look at re-facing the island with a darker stained beadboard/trim and refinish the drawers/doors on the front side of the island to match resulting in lighter cabinets and a darker island. Then, maybe update the lighting with more rustic fixtures, maybe a clear glass with Edison bulbs? And then area rugs to add contrast and cover up a bit of the massive maple floor.

I vote for the gray/green paint and re-arranging the furniture in the family/living room!

Jenny, the maple is gorgeous. You've made a smart choice! Maple adds warmth and its uncomplicated wood grain leans fresh and modern. It helps you achieve that rustic, modern vibe you are going for. As others have said, concentrate on painting the walls to start. Go for a neutral colour that compliments both the granite countertop and the fireplace. If you are bringing furniture items with you, they should also be considered before settling on a wall colour. Lastly, your instincts are correct. Start by focussing on the main living area - kitchen/living room. Your choices here will dictate the style direction for the rest of your home. Looking forward to following your progress on Houzz! Keep us posted.

I like the maple, very scandanavian style, your furniture looks good, I would paint all the walls white. Love first pic with the red

My Goodness, someone went "Maple Wild".

Yep - I still hold to what I said - I'd paint all of the window, door and baseboard trim white - and the french doors.

The grey? in the hall before the kitchen looks good. You have lovely views!

I like the maple, but do understand what shirlpp is saying because I felt my house was overwhelmed with wood and painted all the trim white and left the cabinets, part of the stairs, fireplace mantel and doors wood. This works best if you have panel doors rather than hollow core flat doors. My trim was also cheap pine and easily painted.

I would start with painting walls, but if it still feels like too much wood, painting trim work would be the next step.

This is similar to the look I have in my home (which has oak floors, doors and cabinets):

Knockout Knobs can create custom hardware for you to differentiate the maple cabinetry throughout your beautiful new home. We use 3D metal printing technology to add the jewelry to your cabinets. Your Passion, Your Design, Your Hardware. nancy@knockoutknobs.com

Please don't paint that beautiful maple! I love that you are using grey and (if it were me, I would) have two color palates; one for winter & one for summer.

Warm cozy throws, pillows, art, flowers/plants, can all be added and taken away. If you want to break up the maple it is possible to do non-permanent things, (think wallpaper like products, thin paneling can be hot glued) that don't wreck the natural wood, which is beautiful. Did I say that already?!

Can understand why you are excited to move into this GORGEOUS home! I know someone already said this; please wait a year before painting any wood. Others have raised great points about the fact that with the right wall color (white or pull out one of the stone colors from the fireplace) you are well on your way to a contemporary, rustic look. This may sound crazy, but look for photos of art galleries...they often have maple/blonde wood finishes and are (of course) the perfect clean backdrop for virtually anything. The upkeep once you start painting wood is really something to keep in mind. Absolutely beautiful home...enjoy!

Beautiful home. Great natural light Enjoy the maple. You'll regret painting it if you do. Everything painted will, inevitably, need to be repainted and look awful as it begins to get that way.

Floors look great -- wouldn't darken them at all. Would not cover them with floor runners for looks -- would only add a good rug at the door to catch grit to protect the wood floors. If your rug were turned the other way and your sofa where the light colored chair is, any "bare" look in the living area would likely be eliminated.

I definitely would NOT add hardware to cabinets designed without them -- they'll just end up looking like clutter.'

Not sure the pinkish walls go with the maple any more than pink would go with yellow. Blues or greens -- flat medium shades -- would likely go better. I like the gray rug; blues would go better with gray than green.

Your lights over your island bar are nice but colorful stained glass would look even better and add much needed color to the room.

http://g01.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB10AhCIXXXXXcjXFXXq6xXFXXXj/European-stained-glass-Tiffany-lamps-lighting-chandelier-restaurant-bar-table-lamp-Tiffany-lamp-lights-Goldfish.jpg

You might also consider a stained glass panel for each of the kitchen windows

https://www.google.com/search?q=stained+glass+window+panels&biw=1366&bih=673&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYja_YkKTMAhXHwj4KHcJKDgEQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=V-hVMvEJSni4qM%3A

or individual sun catchers for the high windows -- kitchen and/or living room, including front door side lights -- any place you want to add color to the room.

There is one item I'd insist on changing -- your mantel seems high -- I'd have lowered least half have the distance between where it is and the fire box and then hung the art rather than resting it on the mantel.

I hope your view out all those windows is as nice as your home.

Hi there, Jenny! I am facing a similar situation moving into a new home with maple trim, cabinets, and floors. I am leaning towards the teals/grays but I'd love to see what you chose to do with your home here!!

Hi Jenny,
I love your home! Can you post a few pictures to show the changes? Are you happy with how it turned out?

What do you do with a house full of maple? Enjoy it.

What do you do with a house full of maple? Appreciate the beauty of it.

Loving all your maple cabinetry and would also love to see what you did four years later! Hope you had fun with it, very pretty house.

Enjoy it. Definitely would not paint any of it.

What is your favorite bold color? bright red? cobalt blue? emerald green? Find a way to add those colors and don't forget to add some sun catchers to your windows.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Tiffany+style+flower+sun+catchers+in+windows&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiioNKGs6jsAhULHN8KHWJrCo8Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=Tiffany+style+flower+sun+catchers+in+windows&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoCCAA6BQgAELEDOgQIABBDOggIABCxAxCDAToHCAAQsQMQQzoGCAAQBRAeOgYIABAIEB46BAgAEBhQk6oBWK7sAWDS7QFoAHAAeACAAW6IAaQckgEENDIuMpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEAwAEB&sclient=img&ei=n86AX-LUK4u4_Abi1qn4CA&bih=654&biw=1366&client=firefox-b-1-d

https://www.google.com/search?q=Tiffany+style+small+to+medium+sized+sun+catchers+for+windows&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA1_3SsqjsAhU9oHIEHTAjDa0Q_AUoAnoECA0QBA&biw=1366&bih=654

And here we are five years after the original post and that light wood is back in style. Hope you left it as it was.

These ideas have help my situation. I definitely would paint walls first. The natural wood is gorgeous and brings warmth to a home. It’s very difficult to get a solid wood kitchen these days. There are so many different stains for solid wood floors, cabinets and trim these days. I would love to see the after pictures since it’s been a long while since your original post. Gorgeous home! 💕

Found this post searching to see examples of natural maple cabinets and trim. I hope you only painted the walls and left that maple as it is. Beautiful woodwork and classic door style.

Wood is in!!! paint especially white is taking a vacation SW Sea salt was a great recommendation