I agree with the 2 other posters. Perhaps someone can recommend an easy way to reduce the sheen

Don't paint ANY of that gorgeous wood! It is perfect as is.

I am usually the first one to say paint the wood but I am really hesitating in this space this is really lovely wood work but what i would have done was to go with white or

Your husband is a wise man. Don't paint the ceiling beams! Consider leaving the wood trim on the walls and painting just the flat/interior areas.

The TV would be too high over the mantel. Where is it now?

Truly beautiful room as it is. Please don't paint the woodwork. Think about changing the furniture or accent colors instead.

White paint is not the solution to everything. Paint aside, what is the mood you are wanting to create in the room?

I am not a "wood person" BUT, don't you dare paint any of that millwork! Have several cabinet makers give you their ideas about the finish. You have a gorgeous room, well worth preserving.

I am usually the one that says never paint wood but it isn't anything special in regards to species. I would leave the room as is but I see no foul in spraying the beams a white. They have seams and appear to be poplar or a similar paint grade wood. I think it would dramatically change the room leaving all else as is.

If you do leave as is you can change the sheen on the wood. Woodworkers usually apply clear in a semi gloss and then the final coat in a flat. Here you already have the semi or gloss and the final coat of matt would be an easy application. The more matt a clear is the more cloudy it get that is why if you apply 3 coats 2 would be semi gloss and only the last a flatter sheen. Some also say the gloss adds protection?

General finishes sells a dead flat clear as does Zar. General Finishes flat is flat almost like milk paint. Application also effects sheen. Woodworkers try very hard to get a nice matt or flat clear and GF is my go to product. It is a true flat clear. Remember even flat has a reflection from the clear.

Good luck and great room to start with.

Agree! Also agree that the TV over the fire place would be too high. If you want to take some doors off of the built-ins to have open shelving that would help, and may be even paint or put some type of lighter color wall paper or fabric on the back of the shelving units to brighten it up and decrease the amount of wood. But painting the rest of it...... I would vote no.

If you cannot imagine living in this room as it is you might grow to hate it, then you should paint it. But I think painting out will make all the features of this room disappear and you will have a huge disconnect with the rest of the house; as in What were they thinking?

But it is just wood and has no emotional value to you as it is and why live in something you hate?

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But if you do not paint it and then decorate it in a manner similar to this panelled room shown below, I think it could be reallly really fabulous. I would not paint it but I would decorate it in neutral pastels as show below to lighten it up. The furniture in the staged picture of your home looks so expected and heavy and BIG and tired. And maybe the furniture in the pics is what is offputting to you.

The room below is romantic and welcoming.

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But this is nice too.

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Bright and white is nice contrast to wood

Library With Fireside TV And Bookshelf Speakers · More Info

Paint with brick left natural for soft look

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I would buy new furniture and place it and live with it for a year and see how you feel. It might be that new furniture will give it a new lease on life! Good luck the home looks to be magnificient.

Check out Pinterist and see Candice Olson living room with rock fireplace, wood panelling, and a pair of blue sofas facing one another. Your room can look just as lovely!

Lightly sand, wipe clean then apply a matte polyurethane product like Varathane Soft Touch Polyurethane if you want to minimize the sheen of the wood.

Glopping poly on top of that beautiful wood should be avoided unless you want a peeling mess on your hands. Incompatibility of the finishes will result in that, or wrinkling, or cracking of the finish.

Thank you all for sharing your advice. This is our main living area and our first project of many in this house. This room will inspire the rest of the home, so I'm not concerned with it matching the rest of the home. The wood is beautiful, but makes the room feel very dark for our taste and dated.

I'm a huge fan of Suzanne Kasler & Darryl Carter designs. Lighter, brighter and keeping some natural elements of wood, stone/brick and natural light. We plan on making an opening in that wall to open the formal to the informal room. The formal room will become a dining room with a lounge area. Plus, the natural light will then flow from the front to back of the house. Our inspiration is a mix of two of my favorite places, Charleston, SC and Rosemary Beach, FL. We are taking a VERY traditional house and mixing in some transitional elements & coastal colors. I've included some of our inspiration pictures.