How old is the house, how old is the TV wall? Are there two fireplaces in this room? Does the woodwork/door style among the areas differ? Strikes me that perhaps this was done at different times or ??? I can't really see much about the larger fireplace but does it "match" the hutch?

My inclination would be

• Put the TV elsewhere
• address the overall lighting
• remove the shelves on both sides of the glass doors and add well lit single canvas art instead (no multiples)

If the space still seemed too wooded, yes I would paint out the TV wall and the wet bar. (not white, maybe a putty or french gray or dark sapphire or moody green....just never white) Your envelope here, like with most Tudors has a fair bit of drama. Leaning in to it with some boldness typically pays off.

Obviously, painting some of the wood is a difficult choice and as your rendering shows, where to start and stop will be tricky. I do not like the compartmentalizing in the rendering shared, but I understand the logic.

Of course, the furnishings rugs etc. are what will really make this space. What is your style?

Great suggestions! The shelves already have lighting. Below is a photo of the illuminated shelves as well as showing how the previous homeowner furnished the space. My aesthetic is a bit more modern. Also, here are 3 more renderings from my interior designer. Her preference is for the one with the stained doors on the end.

those are not original to the home, so I think they'd look better painted. (and it is oak w/a dark stain). I disagree about leaving it to go w/all the other dark wood. It's perfectly fine to add a little white to all of that wood.

Since the home was never designed w/that bookcase in mind, painting it white isn't going to upset the 'wood balance'. It would be no different than if you brought in a white book shelf and set it up against that bare wall.

I think how the designer mocked it up would look nice. you could do a gel coat in the same walnut on the thick outer trim to spruce up that finish. apply a satin clear coat.

I'd have it primed first, then sprayed. use BM Simply White. It's a warm neutral w/no visible undertones

Quite honestly, I would leave the end doors just as they are. It looks good, why change it. It actually looks lighter and brighter with the old owners furniture, even though, their furniture is showing a little age and wear. Live with it a while, and then in a year, if you still want something changed, then its time, to think about it. Its a beautiful room.

You could lighten it up by painting the backs of the shelving units. We had a similar situation (we wanted contrast for a piece of art), but instead of actually painting the backs, we inserted a painted board so the color could easily be changed (or go back to stained wood).

All of the finishes and the lighting will be addressed as part of the whole house remodel. The kitchen is really the only room that is being gutted.

All of the built-ins are original to the home. This was a custom build. The previous homeowners wanted a Tudor style home. It was built in the late 1990’s. All of the timbers, millwork and built-ins were drawn by the architect and interior designers. They were specific about every detail according to the blueprints. Many of the details are repeated throughout. Here are a few more examples.

Entry foyer (as decorated by previous homeowner)

Powder room:

I would leave them unpainted, that house has a "style" and it's not painted wood. I would use grasscloth wallpaper as the shelf backing. It adds texture, and you can either go neutral or pick up a pretty accent color from your decor. Here's an example to give you a bit of a visual:

Even I can tell they are original to the home. Great home, post pictures when you’re done. Good luck...

I would leave them stained. The TV looks best against a darker surface so it blends in when turned off. Otherwise, you have a big black rectangle in front of the white paint. Once you have a rug and furniture in it will break up all the wood.

This will probably be unpopular--but if you truly have a more modern aesthetic--consider pulling out the wall unit entirely--sheetrock that wall over (except for the "vault" piece that descends down the wall). Don't let that existing wall unit dominate that room forever.

How about painting the built ins a rich, glossy (Fine Paints of Europe) chocolate brown? The high gloss looks totally modern and au courant, and the brown matches all the wood trim, which I would be sure to refresh. Otherwise, I would find a bold color to paint the built ins, something like peacock blue, apple green, or aubergine, and then I would follow through with a highly designed color scheme for the house.

Thank you for the suggestions and comments. I will for sure, post a before and after.

I don't mean this to sound trite but if your aesthetic is truly more modern, then maybe a different home would've suited you better. I would not try to force this Tudor, which looks to be in impeccable condition, to be something it's not. You have something truly unique. I would embrace that.

I'd either paint or restain everything but not the ceiling or floor

Look at interiors by Bobby McAlpine

What a glorious home so carefully done. I think you can mix the existing home with modern design elements such as wall color, rugs, furnishings and most importantly lighting! While this isn’t a Historical Home per se, it has been designed with Old World historical elements. Hence, I would not paint any wood elements. Putting grasscloth or some material on the backs of the shelfs in a temporary manner would be fine. The juxtaposition of modern furnishings could be stunning. Take your time and let the home speak to you before you make permanent changes.

I really love your new house. I would not paint any wood at all. It is simply beautiful. When I bought my house years ago I had to change out practially all my furniture because the style of the house is different than my previous one. Sometimes it doesn't pay to fight the style of the house. Embracing this one is the way to go. It is stunning!

Some inspirations.

@shead: I actually love this house fiercely. I like a traditional envelope with a considered blend of modern and classic furnishings and decor.

When we were house-hunting, we started out looking at listings for contemporary homes because we sought an open layout with lots of windows, but soon realized a contemporary home wasn’t right for us. When we walked into this house, it was like “BINGO” - this is it! Obviously it’s a mock Tudor, but the architect and designer were faithful to Tudor architecture. And now, I intend to respect the architecture and honor the painstaking labors of the architect and designer. The blueprints look like art. There are so many exquisite and charming features and elements throughout that one doesn’t even notice upon first glance.

So, I turned to you folks to simply explore options and ideas for how to treat that built-in wall unit in the living room. Can part of it be painted to break up that large expanse of dark wood? Perhaps as suggested by a number of you, wallpapering the back of the shelves will be enough. I am not looking to change it (except for a minor modification to accommodate a modern television). My interior designer wanted to paint everything white - including the half timber on the cathedral ceiling! Umm, no.

Below is the wallpaper used in the first rendering above that we scrapped. It looks like the marbleized paper used on the inside covers of antique books. It’s very pretty, but my designer thinks the design is too small for the back of shelves. It also comes in a red and blue colorway, but I really wanted a neutral. I do like the idea of a Phillip Jeffries grasscloth for texture.

Thank you!

What a beautiful home! We live in a 1929 Tudor Revival and are working our way toward a remodel. Although a smaller foot print, our living room built ins are similar to yours. I’ll use some of these great ideas (while preserving the dark wood). Would love to see photos of the bathrooms!

Here are some ideas for backs of cabinets.

Dazzling Dining Room · More Info

I love the suggestion of a grass cloth in the backs of some of your gorgeous Tudor style built in book shelves, etc. I also suggest that you re-think stripping the carpet off of your stairs for your older dogs. I have discovered that, as my dog ages, he doesn’t do slippery wooden steps very well. I suggest, instead, you stick to a simple sisal or synthetic sisal look alike runner for your stairs. It will provide them with something to grip as they manage your stairs. One final note: I think modern furniture and art would look FABULOUS against the Tudor woodwork that you have. The juxtaposition of old and new can really look sophisticated and timeless. Take your time. Feel your way. Modern lighting fixtures can make a huge difference, too. Your home has wonderful bones! Embrace them!

fun on location · More Info

Great accessories could accomplish brightening against dark woods too. A collection of white china for example.

PRO

Flo Mangan those are quite the - vases?

btw, silver objects are at all time low pricing in the antique market, so you could pick up some great pieces if that fit into your ultimate scheme. Of course, another option, which I would lean to, is lining with fabric or paper a beautiful Chinoiserie in color of your choice.

Dining Rooms · More Info

Loads of awesome options for those cabinets. Just depends on "statement" you want to make.

I would love to see some more photos if you have them.

You may want to interview a couple of other interior designers. It sounds like yours is likely to steer you wrong. I wouldn't do anything to any of the wood work that couldn't be undone easily. Once painted it always probably has to be painted and it is stunning the way it is when properly accessorized as can be seen in the original owner's photos. They put items in the wood display areas that showed off beautifully against them. I think you need someone who says, it looks like this now, but will look like this fabulous display area when decorated.

If you wanted to experiment then I like the idea of inserts (that can be easily removed) in the back but the way it is probably shows off the display items better than if you chop it up and put a different background in them.

Trying to change the character of this beauty is likely to just make it look muddled. Some shiny items that pick up the light against the dark wood is going to look stunning.

This is probably no help but I was just browsing UK House and Garden and happened on one of their articles about ideas for decorating/ color and pattern with "brown furniture". Maybe inspiration will strike.

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/how-to-decorate-with-brown-furniture

Here's another of their schemes (different article) I could see working:

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/the-paints-fabrics-and-wallcoverings-to-buy-for-a-contemporary-decoration-scheme

Bouncing around ideas with you folks is so much fun!

ptreckel - I will add some area rugs. Probably sisal or seagrass. The upstairs will remain largely unused except when my children are home from school. All the main living areas, including the master are on the first floor.

Flo Mangan - these images are stunning! I actually collect Italian pewter. I will attach more photos for you since I love getting free interior design/decorating advice.

mmmm12cozone5 - I have a contract with the designer. I’m generally happy with her. I like to hear other peoples opinions but she is a professional and I need her. Ultimately I make the decision and she seems okay with that.

You are correct. Having a designer on your project is very important. Do keep your vision in mind and you will be fine. There are always healthy discussions on options in a project like this. Good additional ideas help too because they open up thinking and help avoid potential problems.

Here are a few photos of the exterior from the original real estate listing.

Front.

Patio.

Front porch:

You have a beautiful new home.

A few more interior photos:

The living room again from the opposite view (looking toward the conservatory and the kitchen beyond).

Dining area (no room here for anything more than a table and chairs).

Is there a daily limit on uploading photos? I’ve tried 4 times to add more photos (less than 3 images per post) and I loose everything after I hit “Submit.”

Master bedroom.

Master bathroom.

Stained glass window in the master bath water closet. There is another one in the powder room featuring a lion.

This is the en suite bedroom with a private back staircase.

The house is stunning. Work with the wood instead of painting it. And I agree with the comments suggesting bringing some modernity to the furnishings and accessories. It will keep it from feeling like a purely “period” house but will respect and showcase the gorgeous architecture by providing a counterpoint.

Collecting Italian pewter makes some sense with your screen name ;-) The house is stunning. I would definitely incorporate some modern, Italian furniture (not much, just one or two accents) and an abstract piece of art. Juxtapositions of old and new keep things fresh.

Looks like builder grade oak, average workmanship, rip it out or paint it out. Why live with someone else's mistake? Ask yourself, Is this what I always want to see every minute of everyday and will I be able to make the house what I want and not what the wood dictates?

Flo mentioned that silver accessories can be bought at a very low price right now. Proof? I scooped up several silver platters and serving pieces (in need of a simple polish!) at my local Habitat for Humanity store yesterday for a few dollars each! I know that you collect antique pewter, but.... Cut glass and crystal, too!

Would you consider a pickled wood finish? That would be lighter for sure but would probably necessitate striping the built-ins first. However, that treatment with the other trim being left dark probably wouldn't work. Stripping all the trim, fireplace, etc. is probably more than you would want to do but the end result would be stunning in my opinion. Can you enlist an army of family and friends to help? Whatever you decide you have a beautiful home. Good luck!

Such a lovely, interesting home. I am sure you will make some great memories enjoying making it yours.

Taliafero - in the end, what did you decide to do with your built ins? I have the same issue on a smaller scale. Ours seem to be a similar tone and we are considering a white oak flooring. I noticed your posts on flooring issues but they seemed to be up against a white painted cabinetry. Did you paint the living room built ins?

following

Yes @Jill Hilts, I painted the living room built-in. I was actually waiting to style it before updating this post.

AFTER:

IN PROGRESS:

CLOSE UP:

BEFORE:

I also painted a built-in on the second floor and left the rest (as depicted in my original posts) alone.

What are your plans for the stair case? Of all the wood work in your home that was what I liked the least. I screamed gothic to me and that wasn't the vibe I was getting from your other pictures.

It looks beautiful! When you have it styled and furnishings in place it will be even better. I'm curious about your floors. Ours are red oak too and we are getting ready to have them refinished. What type of stain/finish did you use?

AFTER:

(still curing...)

CLOSE-UP (grain is gone!)

BEFORE:

(as styled by previous homeowner)

@arcy_gw, yes, I don’t like the stair spindles either. The plan was to paint them, but the painter did not feel I would be happy with the result because they are heavily distressed and where to start and end was problematic. Or maybe he was burned out. We will likely replace the stair railings down the line.

@jjam, the hardwood floors are actually white oak, not red oak, as originally suspected. We used the Bona system: Bona NaturalSeal x 1 coat, followed by Bona Traffic HD Commercial Extra Matte x 3 coats (2 would have sufficed - the third was precipitated by a goof that couldn’t be fixed with spot coating). Love them!!

Taliaferro - I love what you’ve done! You’ve injected some creativity into your home. Emerald desk is wonderful! Are those new floors or original floors refinished? Have been looking at so many samples of wide plank white oak and ‘see in your room feature” and after seeing your home, I am no longer concerned with light floors and dark built ins. Thank you! Will look for new photos when available.