Keep em. We kept ours and it adds charm.

Paint them or leave them alone?

The entire room is being painted anyway. I'm also considering painting the dentil molding (if I keep the beams). It's hard for a lay person to make these hard decisions.

I'd paint the molding and keep the beams as is.

Why would u even consider removing the beams? People pay extra for a house with exposed beams. People even put n faux beams just 2 add interest and character 2 a room. Leave the beams alone. Get rid of the mirrors covering the wall.

I considered having them removed because they are dark and distressed. From the 1970's, I felt they were out of style. So it is interesting to hear different thoughts on the matter.

I'd leave them. Not painted. But I'd probably paint the china cab in the corner:-) In the pic above,the wood has been painted in some rooms and not others. Just more proof that there isn't any single,perfect answer.

I live in Connecticut in a house built in 1780. It has very similar beams, but you're lucky; your ceilings are higher than mine. My ceilings are under 7 feet! I think your beams look nice, definitely not 70's. I think your beams are definitely a design feature and that many people will admire them. I don't quite understand the dentile moldings though - in my opinion these don't go together.

I agree with the person that suggested you remove the mirror. Also, you may have always wanted a formal, fancy chandelier, but I think you should think through what the look is that you're going for. imho this chandelier is way too fussy for the rest of the look you've got going. I know, I know - I love chandeliers too, but there are many that would be more in keeping with the rest of the furnishings in this room.

I am not a fan of overhead beams, but people these days pay good money to add beams to their houses now, including in new construction. I don’t think your beams look “70s” but I think maybe the combination of everything - dark beams, mirror on wall, chandelier that does not really suit the space, dark and traditional furniture, wall colour...is keeping everything a little dark and maybe not leaving you with the “mood” you want?

The chandelier does look a bit fussy for the room - though sometimes that rustic (beams) glam (fancy chandelier) contrast can work. I just think everything else needs to be simplified though to really do that successfully. Right now everything looks a bit busy, fussy, and dark to my eye - beams, chandelier, tablecloth, very detailed/patterned furniture, dark paintings, dark rug, dark sculptures, dark lamp, dark flooring. It all sort of sucks the light in and there is not enough contrast.

Don’t paint the beams or anything and keep the floors, but do paint the walls - I’d look for a nice white that compliments the dark beams and floors. Remove the full wall mirror. I’d remove the tablecloth entirely or find something lighter. Love those little window seats - but not sure the fabric colour - is it pink? Those may need to go a lot lighter or brighter depending on how committed you are to changing other things (ie reupholstering or changing furniture) in this room!

Mirror was removed yesterday. Reading through these responses I’m thinking now, keep the beams (don’t paint them) but paint the dentil modeling (along with entire room and ceiling). Part of the reason I wanted to remove beams is (I thought they were long out of style and they make the room so dark), but now I realize what is missing is overhead lighting and some fabric on the windows. I love the photo with the light blue fabric from poster tbtqtbw. Please keep suggestions coming, I’ve waited 25 years to fix this room. Thank you for your honest opinions.

Paint them. If you still don't like them-remove. They are not structural and look it. Also: Paint the trim, remove the china cabinet and mirror.

I'm adding some more photos: still trying to put together instructions for painter. This basically covers the entire room. I am getting rid of living room furniture (starting from square one), I invision a cream velvet type material, big and comfy. with balance colors pretty chairs. So many decisions, I've already learned a ton from all the advice I have received so far. Please keep suggestions coming, they are all very helpful.

i love them as is

Elle, This isn't the photo I was trying to send you, but thought I'd leave it. What do you think of this floor (for a kitchen, for example)? I think it could go with the LR look. This is what I'm going to do in my new 1780 CT farm house! You are a dear to be so appreciative of our suggestions and it's obvious you're serious about changing things. If I can remember what I wanted to send you last night, I'll send it!

How about hiring a designer for a consult.

I suggest keeping the beams, but possibly removing the Dentil molding . If you feel the beams are too rustic, you can encase them in a simple 1x material, then stain or paint.

I would want rid of all the dentil molding and the molding and wavy trim on the bookcase, that's the 'dated' part, replace it with something simpler that goes better with the beams. The beams are great as is. Paint the rest.

So glad you removed the mirror. We used to live in a house that had a full wall smoked mirror in a north facing dining room. It totally sucked the light out of the room. Best decision I made was getting rid of it, not a fan of the "nightclub" look :).

We have beams in our family room that are painted white, along with the ceiling and walls. In our case, the ceiling is just a little over 8 feet, and we think all white helps "lift" it a bit. We actually don't have that much wall space due to to large windows, fireplace and built-in shelves.

This is going to be a fantastic thread because the OP has a beautiful home, lovely furnishings, and a thick skin! You will get so much out of this process and make great friends along the way!

So here goes:

Good riddance to the mirror! Great choice :)

Get rid of any fake plants. Permanently. Show us which ones are real, let's plan to group them not spread them around the house.

The beams will look horrible painted, so let's be done with that. As far as the molding goes, I like it but I do think it is a bit odd with the beans, so I advocate for painting it to create a further separation from the beams

fancy molding can look great with beams, what makes them look incongruous is the fact that they match and yet one is fancy and one is rough hewn.

I am usually in the "don't paint it" camp but I think your built-ins will look amazing painted the trim color. You could do the background wall trim color or an accent color like pale blue bringing in some light. While you are putting things away for the painters, take 99% of the photos in frames and put them in a beautifully bound photo album for your new coffee table. Make boxes for "keep," "donate" and "maybe." Plan for a goal of one item per shelf!

New furniture-fun!! To balance some of the fussiness, pick new furniture with very clean, straight lines if you can get yourself to like it. No rolled arms, exposed legs to let the room breathe a bit. Some of your pieces can be reupholstered to make a big impact. Ready, set...go!!!!

Also yes! No tablecloth unless it is meal time. Donate any stash you may have of table cloths or placemats used as decor but never meals. Tablecloths don't belong on tables between meals unless you live in the real world and don't have time to wash it and press it between meals ;)

I love this photo posted previously as an inspiration for you. What do you think?

also I have so many photos of dining chairs like yours that just make you want to drool because of the way they are upholstered. I will scratch some up...

I would remove the dentil molding. It is overly fussy. The beams, I think are too rustic and faux. I know they would not look good painted. I’d do this in baby stages, even though it may cost more in trip charges.

Remove the dentil, paint everything but the ceiling, add lights. Then take another picture and evaluate as if you’ve never seen the room before.That’s when you decide if he beams stay.

Because you will need to patch and paint the ceiling after the lights go in, and if you decide the beams go, patching and painting all of that that can be done as one project.

This is difficult, because you have here a mish-mash of styles with the dark woodwork that do not play well together.

There is the rustic wood beams, the corner china cabinet, the wood shelving unit with the cabinets below, and the dentil molding around the ceiling edge with the curvy edge attached at the top of the book case.

It is all too, too much.

That leaves the beams, the dentil molding, the book case, and the curlicue wood trim below the dentil molding on the bookcase.

The beams and the dentil molding definitely do not go well together, they are distinctly different styles, the beams very rustic, and the dentil molding more formal/traditional.

The curvy wood below the dentil molding is more cottage-y which adds to the confusion.

My guess is the beams were added later.

Please think about what you like and stick with it.

In any event,

I would remove the wall-to-wall mirrors. That is just not something we do these days.

I would also remove the corner china cabinet. It is not that attractive.

I would also remove the curlicue wood trim on the top and sides of the book case if you can do that without damaging the dentil molding if you want to keep that.

And then choose between the dentil or the beams.

I would choose the dentil.

To me the beams look too contrived, (too much distressing on them) and the ceilings don't seem high enough for beams.

I have nothing against beams but in your space specifically I think painting them to blend in with the ceiling would help because to me it looks like they are a big distraction and take away from the rest of your set up, then the chandeliers would shine and more focus would go to the room.

Wow I mean chandelier (singular), that mirror really does wonders on making the room seem larger haha but I also wanted to suggest white trim throughout would look great here I think.

I would agree that there are a lot of conflicting elements. If carpentry is in the mix of possibilities, let us know. I would remove the dentil molding and the curvy elements of the bookcase first. Otherwise, the goal will be to minimize these elements as much as possible by painting them to blend in to the background. I would do your walls and trim in the same color. Also I would paint the back of the shelves the same color as the shelves. That will greatly minimize the impact of the curvy lines. While I love eclectic design, the furnishings also have a lot of conflict going on. The corner hutch looks colonial, while the rest of the dining room set is more I don't know what the word is? 19th century fancy ? I would put the corner hutch on the shortlist for removal, but one thing at a time. Figure out what you want to do with the paint job and the molding. Then we can start working on the furnishings and upholstery. I love your paintings by the way. They will look gorgeous with the white walls.

Elle, just curious...how high is the ceiling?

Leave the beams but I would install a framed painting over the mirror to break up the reflection. You still have the benefit of the mirror, but it's not in your face. The light bulbs in the chandelier have an annoying glare. Use a dimmer or lowerer wattage. Remember it's supposed to be candlelight.

I would add drapes to the windows. I think it's likely that no one uses the window seat.

I would 86 the table cloth. If the table needs protection consider a plastic elastic cover.

https://www.amazon.com/LAMINET-Plastic-Elastic-Fitted-Protectors/dp/B076BRZBHS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1529770324&sr=8-10&keywords=plastic+elastic+table+covers

Everything greenfish said i agree with!! Plus no tablecloth or mirror. I like the chandelier and the corner cab too. Why don't u leave all the furniture and lights until u have the painting done so u can get a better idea of what you really like and don't like? For me, it's so much easier to make decisions in stages so I can really see what's going on.

Oh, but I would leave the dentil molding on the bookcase because it is going all around the room and imho make the bookcases look built in. It would feel weird to me if the dentil just stopped at the bookcases. But remove the curvy stuff on the bookcases if possible. If u can't remove the curvies, they will still look so much more updated when painted white.

Hopefully, you ditched the cluttered bookcase....it’s AWFUL.