Live this!

I can't get over how short and squatty the brown door looks in palimpsest's image where your wood paneling is painted white. If you paint your paneling white, then I'd consider having the door be white on the inside. Golly that was a really shocking image. I don't care if you paint over "cheap" paneling though. If it was real and in good shape, then I'd feel bad about it.

Can you try improving the lighting first? Otherwise you could end up with a dirty dingy look after painting and still be unhappy. In other words, maybe the paneling is not what is causing the darkness. I was surprised at the difference new lights made in my kitchen. The technology has improved a lot. So have the designs! I read this was a result of a technology Archetectual Digest called multi-point lighting. Though the reference was vague. I really don't care; I just love the results and can't wait until it is time to start replacing the lights in my own home. So getting new light fixtures will help with the "dark" issue and the "update" issue at the same time. The older light fixture styles date the house to a pre-now era.

All the information on columns is valuable and important. If you are worried about the fluting on the columns making them look dated, don't. I've been reading for around a year that both fluting and reeding are a thing now. However, if you don't like them, go ahead and replace them if you want. Just don't replace them with something skimpy. Nothing looks worse.

I can't get over how short and squatty the brown door looks in palimpsest's image

This is because proportion is rarely considered in residential design/architecture anymore. In my opinion this started going awry in the 1980s with the rise of the McMansion.

Elements of the house started being a checklist of desires and these would be added regardless of the outcome.

And then the high ceiling fetish kicked in, 8 is "pressing down on my head", nine is "too low for a main floor," "you need at least" 10, 12, 14 foot ceilings . This is all fine, but the extra feet just get stacked on with little attention paid to the size of the rooms, the windows and doors and so forth.

Look in the building a home forum sometime

" I have 19 foot ceilings and my kitchen cabinets look so tiny, what can I do?" Well you can't have 5 foot high counters that just doesn't work.

" I just had the builder raise the ceilings on the first floor when we started building and now we don't have room for the stairs" No kiddin'?

Check out this article for how they dealt with the columns when the whole house was updated

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/houzz-tour-redesign-makes-a-big-house-more-comfortable-stsetivw-vs~157505787

From this

HT Haus Kirsten · More Info

to this

Living Room and Entry · More Info

Palimsest...you are too funny. :-) Tell us what you really think. I guess those folks would be horrified at my 7.5' ceilings in some places. I'm such a toad...

I have lived in 7.5, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14.

Most of these have been fine because the ceilings were in proportion to the rooms and the windows.

The 14 was too high because the room had been lofted at one end, and the the divided ceiling heights of the lofted area, about 6'7" each were not pleasant either, especially the one that was the kitchen. The original rooms with the 14 ceilings would have been okay, especially if you had the entire double parlor, totaling about 50 x 17 or so. But they had been subdivided.

The article RTHawk suggested is excellent. I've seen it before and loved it. The main thing I noticed in the best of the renovations was improved proportions. Notably, the columns size, the vanity size, etc. The kitchen however seemed off somehow, not so much in proportion but something else I can't figure out. Maybe it was the sheer size of it. It seemed too big for one person to work in without feeling like they'd run a marathon all day and too undivided for a staff to use without ending up throwing knives at each other. Maybe it was proportion after all, as it didn't suit human proportion.

All in all a great article, RTHawk!

Right now your house projects a 'Ralph Lauren style. Stained wainscotting is very rare and IMO should not be discarded easily. Yes, this group has shown you scores of images of white wainscotting and it's fairly common. Do you want something more unique?

To get that all painted up correctly, as in sanded, primed, and painted, with no steps skipped, is easily going to be a 40k job from a painting professional. Many days on scaffolding, and lots of home protection from dust and overspray. Anyone promising less is not going to do the full job process that needs to happen.

It's a beautiful house that looks to be in pristine condition. I wouldn't touch anything (maybe remove the upstairs carpeting), just work on the interior decorating.

@Paula Cummings I know this must feel very daunting, but how fun to be able to make this pretty home, yours. I agree with the various opinions about housing during the dot com bubble and the choppy feel of various styles squished into one space. It's like a woman wearing all her jewelry at once, even the costume stuff, her skinny jeans and her lulu lemon sundress, and having 1980s claw bangs to boot with an hombre dye job. One thing at a time, please. The columns vs the iron rails, the wood paneling vs the doric columns...the reed and rosettes vs. the tile floor...

But you did not ask us about that. You asked about paneling...

I like the idea of painting it, but I am team-please-not-so much white. (You might not have space in between trim for color without peppering it with small artwork.) All the sample photos provided with other colors look so much better than straight white. And let me tell you, I have this sort of thing in my (much smaller) foyer and up the staircase painted polar bear white, and with kids and pets, it IS a bear to keep clean. ANY other color would be easier.

With that said, I sort of like the paneling. Your paneling has a plywood foundation, which is why the stain is blotchy. If you want to keep it and tone down red, look into Old Masters GEL stains to given them a fresh coat with a deeper color, and bring down the red color. They can go directly over what you have after cleaning.

The real problem, however, is there's just too much, whether you keep it stained or paint it. Consider keeping it above first floor, with the only first floor part remaining that piece that is connected to wall going up stairs. Refigure the trim above door so that is matched, when you paint below. ANd get rid of the fake stuff to right of door. Like someone else said, that imbalance screams mistake.

But I also might replace door with a custom french door and window set, filling where the door and the window above it are now.

But if you do nothing else, get rid of the trim above door, and fake raised stuff beside it (and the iron spindles. AND PLEASE come back and show us what you finally do. Obviously, we are invested, LOL.

Sorry, absolutely NO to this!! "If you want to keep it and tone down red, look into Old Masters GEL stains to given them a fresh coat with a deeper color, and bring down the red color. "

It will create a muddled mess!

I'm not sure if the 40K estimate for proper prep and painting is correct - depends on your location. It will also depend on many rooms the project ends up extending into.

But do it once and do it right!

Yes, white can be difficult, but that's why it's so important to get a quality painter who uses top of the line finishes.

What part of the country are you located in?

I am just north of Houston. Getting back from holiday travel…eager to make some decisions. Feeling some direction and a little better vision for this space. Will post the outcome in the coming months as we move forward! This has been a very helpful thread.

@Paula Cummings, if you're by Houston, you may want to see if Flo Mangan would help you.

(IIRC, she's in the Houston area). You will often see her name in the list of "Top Commentators".

She's so helpful and has wonderful design ideas - one of the best on this site!

Ah, Texas!

@Paula Cummings Regarding Gel Stain, @Mary Elizabeth is not wrong about gel stain possibly ending up a mess. Poorly prepped and applied, gel stain can look as bad as any awful paint job, It has a long cure time, and can feel tacky for weeks. It can be plastered on too thickly by a heavy hand. But well done, gel stains can transform already stained wood. Below is color Java on top of old golden oak cabinets...not a "muddled mess" at all.

Update:
We painted the dark wood window frames in the living room and purchased a sideboard for under the tv- which will be wall mounted and cords hidden. I definitely plan to paint at least part of the entry box paneling but have to wait for a new front door. Two bathrooms are mid project and must be finished before we begin changing the front door. Next is choosing a new overhead living room light fixture, maybe standing lamps or sconces and coffee table/ ottoman. I am currently finding inspiration from Jean Stoffer Design.

Beautiful so far!

Paula, that looks so nice and bright.

I found a similar fireplace to yours

they did a contrasting trim color, but look at the accessories and how nice it sets off the rest of the room

Looks beautiful! I just finished watching "The Established Home" on HBOMax and yes, I like Jean Stoffer Design too.

Can't help myself with styling the room. Unless you need a lot of seating, I would move the leather chair and one of the patterned chairs to a different room, and put the remaining patterned chair to where the leather chair is now. I would add an end table on either end of the sofa, move the lamp on the TV cabinet to one of the end tables .

Before we paint the box paneling in entry and stairs we need to replace the front door. I want a black front door so considering iron doors. Any opinions on iron vs. painted wood? I know it will cost a little more. First pic is our current front door. Second is what I’m leaning toward.

Beth- where can I find the marble top coffee table in the picture you posted above? It might be perfect in my living room.

paula, sorry, it was just in that pic. have you tried searching brass pedestal oval marble coffee table?

west elm

home depot

kathy kuo home

Cute side table too. Wayfair-kelly clarkson collection

About to paint entry and stairs! 🎉
And, ordered new front doors today…
Doing 8 ft double doors - black ( see example) 12 weeks before they are ready.

Update- we painted it all! New front door has been ordered. Black 8 ft double doors, 6 panes each side, 1 ft transom above.

More pics- we also painted living room window trim and I finally found an ottoman I liked.

Amazing progress!!

Wow! Great transformation! Painting the woodwork makes such a huge difference. Enjoy!

Gorgeous! Spot on! Have you followed No Demo Reno TV show.....she does what you have done......now for a new chandelier or paint yours white or black?

I absolutely agree that painting the trim and wainscoting was the way to go. Your "after" pictures are showing a really lovely home.

Cant wait to see more progress!!

so much better! love it. New light in the foyer??

Wow. Your "new" house looks great! Definitely lightened and brightened the house. The new door will be the cherry on top. Great job!

Beth- love the suggestion. Yes- I am working on picking out a new chandelier and lighting for the rest of the house. Its taking forever researching and deciding. I want all the fixtures to flow and compliment each other.

@Paula Cummings I like the result much more than I thought I would. Well done! Have fun choosing lights for the whole house. The new lighting the LED technology has made possy is amazing. I can't wait until I can replace all mine.

Possible, not possy. Spell check can be a disaster. But that gives me an excellent opportunity to ask where you plan to shop for your new lights. My favorite so far is Lamps Plus, but that's mostly because of the search engine. https://www.lampsplus.com/

If you have a better place to shop on-line I'd love to know about it. I'd also love to see pictures of your purchases installed.

STUNNING 🤍🤍 enjoy!!

Front door is in!👏🏻 I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Still need to trim out the inside.

LOVE the doors! They’re perfect. Can you take a further back photo too?

RedRyder- outside or inside?

those look great!

Beth H. I am having trim painted white. Gutters will be white but I am considering dark downspouts like in this pic. Thoughts?

Further back outside photo with the new door. I love that door!

The challenge with using darker downspouts is that the trim is white and the downspouts are close to those. @Beth H.: What do you think of dark downspouts?

Dark downspouts! Closer to the brick color.

RedRyder- further back

Wow. The house is elegant! The black door is exactly right. You can paint the downspouts, but if you don’t it won’t be tragic. The house looks soooo good.

I also love how you took chances inside and did the wainscoting in a lighter color. Those photos were also a “wow”.

I hope you love your house now. You’ve done such great, simple changes that did a lot. I’m a fan.

Painted the exterior trim, gutters, and downspouts. Window treatments need help but we are getting there. Pavers and sod to come in backyard as well.

Looking good! Will you be painting the window frame in the room with the piano? I hope you’re planning to do something with the columns? I do wish your wood floors extended through the foyer.

Tex max Im not sure what I want to do in the piano room yet…I wish the floors were all the same throughout the house- that will have to be a project for later- We May remodel the kitchen next year and that is when we would replace the floors throughout the 1st floor.
Columns- either they should go away or be wrapped differently. For now we are leaving them. We have so many other projects currently in the works! Upstairs bath, downstairs powder bath, pool going in…

@Paula Cummings looking forward to following along to see it all come together

The black downspouts are so invisible I had to scroll back to earlier photos. Wow. Good call. Black was the right choice.