If you're concerned about trends, be aware that stained wood is making a definite comeback. I like the way yours plays against the light walls and would think long and hard before repainting all of that. Have you looked at photos online of other rooms where stained wood trim and cabinets are used? It's a beautiful look.

The kitchen cabinets look very nice and are at the greatest risk of looking bad when the paint gets banged up from use. My wood bedroom doors and vanity cabinets were painted by a previous owner and they look pretty shoddy (hint: don't use a brush) and damage easily. YMMV if you pay someone to do a good job.

Windows and baseboards are probably less risk, but I think you should decide on your floors and (if you're changing it) wall colors first. If you put in wood floors, for example, and they clash with the existing baseboards, I'd think you'd have to paint them. If you did something like slate, OTOH, I think the wood could look great.

I'll also note that a previous owner painted the inside of the windows in my house and it looks atrocious (they didn't take the time to take apart the hardware necessary to get everywhere, and clearly relied on blue tape to get straight lines--ugh--I'd so much rather have wood!). If you're going to do it, shell out the money to do it right.

The only thing I would for certain change is the trim above the mantle. But I'd remove that entirely. If you put art there, it should have its own frame. And if you put a TV up there, I don't know why you'd want to have it "framed."

I agree with removing the trim above the mantle. That will go a long way towards making the space look more current.

Jslazart - Yes, I agree on the trim above the mantle. We do plan to remove that, as we thought it strange as well! If we do paint things we will definitely be hiring someone so it is done right. Thank you for your input.

Maybe painting the upstairs banister would be good, make it a little less obtrusive. Also of course ditto on the mantel. I'd spend money on getting rid of the builder grade victorian front door. Just doesn't go with the house. If it were me, I would leave the rest of the woodwork.

IMO live there for a bit before deciding anything. I agree the kitchen would not be my choice but I also do like raised bars, or fridges that are not counter depth in a row of cabinets that do not cover the sides.I think the house seems quite comtemporary and that front door would be my first change. Pinting caniets is very expensive and I always suggest living with the kitchen before making expensive decisions . Do not even start replacing flooring until you have lived with that kitchen. For sure get that TV off the FP .

The wood is beautiful. Obviously quality wood. Love the color of the stain. I wouldnt be painting any of that. Like the others, I do not like that piece above the mantle, so that would have to go. Some wood is cheaper grade and made to paint. Some wood is higher grade and meant to stain. You have the higher grade wood. To paint all of that correctly, you would need a quality painter, and it will be a considerable amount of money.

I would start with the trim and the doors and decide about the kitchen cabinets later. The cabinets may look better with the existing finish or perhaps they will look better in an actual color like gray, black or greige once the trim and doors are painted.

Someone must have forgotten to send me the bulletin about stained wood making a comeback because I simply don't see that happening with any new building taking place.

If that was really “special” wood (e.g., American chestnut or old-growth, rift or quarter-sawn oak), I’d try to embrace an unpainted look—maybe change the stain to something more to my liking. But 1990s wood trim? Now, that I wouldn’t think twice about painting! But I wouldn’t paint the kitchen cabinets, simply because of the reasons @jslazart mentioned.

IMO the wood trim very much suits the more modern esthetic of the house's design (what you have shown us, anyway) and is not dated. The front door very much does not - I would change that as my first priority.

The kitchen cabinets and the spindles of the railing are also not quite the same esthetic either, but are less glaringly so and could be left for a while until you've done the floors - then decide if you still want to change them. I wouldn't necessarily paint them - a mix of painted + stained doesn't appeal to me, and won't really hide that they are of a different design style. If you can't stand them, replace (or reface/replace the doors and drawer fronts of the cabinets) with a sleeker style, in a matching stain.

I agree with Beverly. Paint the trim and doors but leave the kitchen.

I would change the Victorian front door, remove the over mantle trim ( and find a better place for the TV) and paint the railing spindles. Leave everything else.

Nice looking house.

All - I can’t thank you enough. I think I have a clear idea of where to go from here. Top priority - get the rid of the trim over the mantle, and a new front door. From there I think we will tackle new floors and painting doors and trim. I think with those updates, the kitchen will be less glaring. I may even learn to like it! Thank you again - the input has been very helpful! :)

This gives you an idea of how it would look.

Depends on what you hate. The wood stands out because it is a highly contrasting color to the walls. If you like all white walls everywhere, then yes, the wood is going to stand out. But if you put up more art on the walls or furniture in the great room OR paint the walls a less contrasting color, the wood will not stand out as much. However, if you like or want a monochrome light color palette, then you will probably want to paint the woodwork. Depends on the esthetic you want.

I have white walls and wood trim which is cheap wood and I don't much care for it, but I have a lot of color, furniture and art in the rooms so the woodwork kind of fades into the background. The worst place I hate my wood is in my kitchen with a white countertop and white walls and oak cabinets. The white countertop requires constant cleaning with bleach cleanser to keep white, so if I do anything it will be replace that, and put up a colored backsplash with glass tiles, and paint the walls. Then, my cabinets will not stand out as much. They are grainy oak, so not worth painting and I'm not in the mood to do a total kitchen redo, not worth the investment compared to replacing the countertops which will save me an everyday headache. So you have to decide how much bang for the buck you will get with various treatments . . .

You could paint just your kitchen, but then it would stand out against the white walls of the great room. Not necessarily bad and I'd do it because white walls bore me and in the chilly climate I live in, are no fun. If it were me, I would get some nice furniture for the great room and maybe new more dirt resistant carpet if it is a new-to-you house and the carpet is old, or hard flooring (carpet gives my allergies fits and I have white carpet and hate trying to keep it clean), YMMV. I'd also do the door, redo fireplace to make more modern looking (I'd rip off the framing around the TV, it's not necessary and why frame/call attention to what is a black blob a lot of the time). You could redo the spindles on the landing easily too, they aren't in keeping with a modern vibe. If you do all that, the kitchen may not seem so bad.

Zeld! Wow! Thank you. Love being able to visualize it. The trim alone will make such a drastic difference.

View of other side.

With trim around tv removed.

Here is trim removed around tv with stained woodwork.

Zeld I am curious, what software are you using for these mockups? I would love to try this for my own projects

What a difference without the trim around the tv! It looks so much better with the stained woodwork.

Heidi, the program I use is called Picture Painter. I bought it back in 2009. It was really cheap. It's easy to use and I have used it so many times thru the years. I looked for an updated version but I couldn't find it. I don't think it's available any more.

Huge improvement for little effort to remove TV framing. Same will happen if you simplify the front door instead of painting it white . . . It's a nice door, but out of character for your style and the wood color doesn't match the wood color of the trim, which ads insult to injury.

Love the third mockup zeld did. Just redo floors and front door and you are all set. Any chance the TV could go in a different room? (Asks she who has the worlds largest TV in HER living room).

I would also consider painting the spindles of the railings, but leave the handrail wood tone. I prefer the window trim, crown and baseboard trim painted white. It lightens up the entire space.