That’s expensive wood. And it suits the hose. Keep the pant brush away from it. Don’t remuddle it. Preserve its originality.

It's definitely oak.

Not really possible to overstain finished wood. To stain, you would first have to remove all the present finish. Then sand/treat pin accordance with the stripper manufacturers directions. Oak has variegated grain, so the finish in the grooves of the wood will be difficult to remove.

The quickest way to change the color is to change the trim completely. Although, changing the trim means the window frames will no longer match, so that is a factor.

Painting means priming(I recommend shellac based BIN) and then painting with a semi gloss or gloss paint. Both types take some practice to apply and minimize brush strokes. But, painting window frames without causing sticking is really, really difficult.

10 years ago, we bought a home built in 1965 with all of the original pine woodwork still in place. It was originally stained with fruitwood stain. Out of all the available stains, guess which one I detest the most. Since we removed all the trim to paint, I sanded it all to remove most of the stain(much easier to do with pine), which brought it back to the natural color and then varnished. On some doorways, I replaced door and frame, painting the trim white. All that was done while the house was empty and all the other work was being done.

it's just ugly orange wood that I don't find pleasing at all.

Your floor is the same 'ugly orange wood' so I would suggest that you rip out and replace the floor before you start changing the trim.

Better start learning to love what real Mid Century means. It’s all about wood. All of those original details are what give a Mid Century home value and appeal. Remuddling into something else would devalue it, and cost 50-100K. And the result would have far less character and be less valuable than currently.

You have an unremuddled gem. You just need to realize it.

Just because your area is behind on design trends and is still on the prison gray train doesn’t mean that the more natural aesthetic of Zen Modern won’t be what dominates when you want to sell.

Remember that a house can only be original once. And those that would destroy that originality are destroying history. That comes at a price. It blandicises and genericises. And it makes the homes that aren’t remuddled that much more valuable, since they are in the minority.

Taller floor molding will look silly on a ranch. You do see a lot of it, but it's still silly. Paint it if you must (it's a nice oak but you have to live there) but resist the temptation to go nuts with molding. And no, crown will be goofy too, even if everyone is doing it. It makes ranch houses looks squatty inside. :)

I mean, the rooms where the orange oak doesn't look so terrible are the ones where we chose cooler colors (with green/blue undertones).

I think this is builder grade trim which is probably why I don't like it so much--it reminds me of my parents house with the same style trim but the poop-brown color.

Let's say I was willing to try and preserve it, which I am willing to but it's gotta look good. How could I "refresh" it to make it look good again? It feels like it's so dated and much of it has NOT been taken care of super well. I really like dark, rich woods (think Java) and I've never been a fan of how bold oak grain is but I'm sort of hearing re-staining it is not really possible.

My photos show just a little snapshot of it but I especially don't like how it looks when viewed as a whole. The only place it seems to actually look okay in is the bathroom (next to retro blue tiles) and the kitchen (with black counters and dark backsplash).

I've been looking at proposed colors that might go well with the oak color--it's possible we just haven't found the right blend of color to make it look good to us.

Ultimately it's up to us but I'm not opposed to saving money and not replacing it/painting over it. But I haven't yet seen an example of making it really work enough to make me say, "That's beautiful."

I think this is builder grade trim which is probably why I don't like it so much

Maybe builder grade but from another era. Today's 'builder grade' gets you very little trim. More like drywall returns with those awful bullnose 'corners', mdf & particle board. Veneer over particle board... Paint grade finger-jointed pine is a step up.

You have stain grade real hardwood.

in terms of colors..

-whites, off-whites etc

-certain grays can work-if you look to juxtapose. I don't have oak-yet I have enough of oranges and reds in my woods..teak (that's quite orange at first..takes it time to go darker)..walnut that has a lot of red in it..the difference here is I actually like these colors so I'm okay with accentuating them

-blues and greens with depth to them..nothing flat, in general, you want rich colors whatever they are

-if daring ..black:)

-going for patterns..wallpaper etc

obviously knowing what vibe you're going for, helps. You create bigger picture in your mind..can be vague, in the beginning. Then you think how to translate it. You're ready to adjust as you go-your light and other unique elements of your space will guide you..and a bit decieve you at first..it'll be a bit like a game. But games can be very satisfactory. Figuring it all out. Shaking hands in the end)) you-and your house.

Also. It won't be empty, don't forget it. It won't be trim and wall color only. These will be background to other things. a piece of a puzzle. an important piece-but just a piece.