instead of White, I would choose Soapstone, or a similar gray stone. White is too stark.

a more modern ceiling fan or light fixture and a really richly colored area rug.

Are you going to use it as a food service area or a bar? Or is this to be used as a study with a built-in desk?

If it's the latter, stone is a very uncomfortable work surface. I'd sooner do the whole surface in leather.

I would spend my money refinishing the wood and getting a ceiling fan I liked better. It looks like the wall space between the windows can take a TV, and I'd put a leather sofa opposite it, add an ottoman and rug, maybe even a big animal hide. (I think there is no limit to how much leather you can put into this room). The windows would look nice with tailored

I think if you add your favorate quality contemporary furntiture and drapes it will look great. For behind the sofa I would do large scale framed photos in metal frames that complement your new hardware.

huh? just sand off the peeling poly finish, sand the wood top down to bare wood, and stain it to match the original color. apply a new coat of poly.

cost? about $40 for materials, maybe a few hours. (I could do this myself in one hour)

cost to get a stone countertop to fit that and installed? $500-$1000

and if the poly is peeling off the top of the desk area, it's prob peeling elsewhere. Honestly, the entire room of wood needs to be refinished with something.

We want to make some minor changes to this study in a way that preserves its vintage look while adding some modern elements,

what do you actually 'like' about this outdated (vintage) look? All of that wood needs to be refinished, including the floor (is it real hardwood?) Can you do any of that yourself? If you could redo all of that wood and get diff floors, paint the walls AND that crown molding, they I'd say you'd have a nice start. But leaving the wood finish as is, only makes the vintage room look tired and outdated. Look at this pic to see what refinishing everything and updating would actually look like.

see the lighter, natural floors? refinish all the wood in the room and stain a nicer brown tone, just like shown here. paint the walls a creamy white.

What kind of modern upgrades did you have in mind?

what about furniture?

will you be using this as an actual study or office?

mini blinds/fan are extremely outdated and no amount of 'vintage' appeal is going to make them work. sorry.

You don't think any of these would look better ??

all of the walls/trim/paneling painted white

I'd paint the crown molding, at the very least, repaint walls, ceiling. get new hardware for cabs.

But,

I think the entire room would look better painted along w/some upgrades, but that's me.

navy blue walls and white painted wood would also look nice

This would look good w/the blue sofa mytwocents posted in the next comment

If it was mine, I'd paint the cabs like this, paint the walls and wainscot white, also like this.

you have enough room for a proper desk.

refinish the floors or get a giant rug to cover most of it.

ceiling fan needs to go

Paint could do wonders for this room.

even if you redid the cabinets (refinish them) but paint the walls dark and the wainscot white, it would really take it up a notch.

if you did the dark walls w/dark trim work, or white trim work, I'd bring in a warm leather sofa, black/white accents, greenery, maybe some vintage chairs, a nice rug

I might go for this minus the coffee table and crochet pouf

https://www.apt2b.com/products/phantom-leather-sofa-with-power-foot-rest?variant=32079328182361

I would start by replacing the fan and painting the crown moulding white. If you aren’t painting the cabinets just get the counter refinished.

drapes on sale!

https://www.ballarddesigns.com/bd/606713?SourceCode=BDSHOPSMT&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&listIndex=0&offers_sku=DC276%20CFL%20108&intlShippingCtx=US%7CUSD&SourceCode=BDSHOPSMT&SourceCode=BDSHOPSMT&utm_id=go_cmp-17746547919_adg-_ad-__dev-c_ext-_prd-DC276%20CFL%20108_sig-CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8o1CHqEey7bnDwGdihYnEHexAM1_2W0vvGIZAekBUEdwZkOCgrf4FBoCqSwQAvD_BwE&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax:%20BD%20-%20Smart%20Shopping%20-%20Drapery%20%26%20Pillows&kclid=k_CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8o1CHqEey7bnDwGdihYnEHexAM1_2W0vvGIZAekBUEdwZkOCgrf4FBoCqSwQAvD_BwE_k&cmpid=17746547919&agid=&tgtid=&prdid=DC276%20CFL%20108&gclid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8o1CHqEey7bnDwGdihYnEHexAM1_2W0vvGIZAekBUEdwZkOCgrf4FBoCqSwQAvD_BwE

Nicer ceiling fan

https://www.build.com/product/summary/1328008?uid=3164601&jmtest=gg-gbav2_3164601&inv=1&&&&&&source=gg-gba-pla_3164601!c1710655136!a69464684849!dc!ng&gclid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8nPatxUDu9SQsGqxERcYFEzi1gQoaGPf5ZeoC-W8dKBrtiY7Kw10gBoCVSMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I don't mind the crown moudling as much as others do. I like the corners. I'd consider a different tint for the ceiling, but if you're not in the mood to paint, don't paint!

Upload your own b&w photos and get them framed (I'd do 4 the same size as the cabinet doors)

https://frameology.com

Beth - those are some great questions that make me rethink my decision. I appreciate all the comments here. To answer your question, this room will be my home office. I won’t be working off the built-in shelf. I will put in a table (or two), and they will hold three 27-inch monitors. We will probably use the built-in tables for printers and books.

Your room is lovely. I also would sand and refinish the tops only. A vintage rug and windwow panels would do it.

monzkale, Then I would prob do something like this

But do all of the wainscot in the white like you can barely see in this pic imposed on here.

another shot of some darker painted cabinets. you could opt for the white trim, or do what they've done here and carry the dark color over all the trim/paneling. get new blinds. light

and use some leather furnishings. (try Article Sven sofa)

Cleaning wood: Murphy Oil Soap and water: For wood paneling on just the lower half of a wall, use a dusting cloth to remove dirt and lint, which can collect more often in this area. For full walls or upper walls, get a duster with an extension. Then, apply a solution of Murphy® Oil Soap and water, and wash down the walls.

craigslist has wonderful deals on vintage rugs that are amazing. Just make sure you have it professionally cleaned before bringing into room.

A William Morris wallpaper would look amazing. (easily available, especially Anthropologie)

Don't paint, don't get talked into it. Painting that much wood is going to be incredibly expensive and tackling the job yourself is a lot of prep and no guarantee of a good result.

It's a very nice study. Beautiful windows. Just clean it up and furnish it with what will make you love to be in there.

No, never use murphys oil on wood. it leaves a wax finish on it that merely traps more dirt and grime. NEVER use that stuff for wood floors either.

oil clear coats yellow over time. the only thing that will make it look better is stripping or sanding it off and applying a new stain and new clear coat.

If the wood finish is tired old and peeling, Murphys is the last thing you want to use. If there are any cracks in the protective finish, applying water can seep into the wood and do more damage.

Denise, please don't give advice on wood finishing if you don't actually know how to do it.

Mytwocents, Don't paint, don't get talked into it. Painting that much wood is going to be incredibly expensive and tackling the job yourself is a lot of prep and no guarantee of a good result.

stripping and refinishing that wood will cost a lot more. Maybe the person can DIY. I could redo that entire office for less than $500 and get a fantastic result. (priming and painting)

The issue is, peeling clearcoat, yellowing, tired wood. You don't think getting that fixed is going to cost?

This is already a poor result. painting can only make it go up. Refinishing the wood, ditto. (but more expensive due to labor) If OP can do either, Great!

Sorry for so many posts!

Your room with original wood details is all about layering textures and fabrics to enhance the wood.

I like dark cabinets if I were starting from scratch, but having details to work with is a joy. Consider a period wallpaper and installing linen drapery panels with simple rods (like brushed nickel, simple finials). The "shell" of the room will allow furniture additions of most styles to modernize.

Keep the hardware on the cabinets clean and simple also.

(Just read some of the comments above my earlier one. Just ignoore all the BS about dated and etc crap. Seriously.)

You definitely need to preserve the wood if you don’t want to paint it. You need to put on your messiest jeans and have at it. Once the polyurethane is off, you have an opportunity to stain it more brown (and less yellow).

I can see walls with William Morris paper to make it cozy. I agree with Denise and love the two she posted.

The room should make you smile. The woodwork should take a back seat in the design.

Oh No! The Refinishing Police!

Being in the design industry for over 40 years, there are several ways to restore wood. Starting with lightly sanding and washing with soap and water. Dry well. Oil and buff. Clear coats are poly based and look fake, even with low luster finish.

Pros seem to always give expensive eye-popping advise. I don't need to be scolded and neither does the OP.

Throw some white paper up there and stand back to see if you like the look. Add a rug and a new like fixture and it will look good.

The papers that Denise posted are fabulous -I do feel like the wood needs some love

(if it were me, i would try to get it cleaned up and stained in a darker, more classic hue - I would def want a richer less orange look)

I like the idea of cleaning and staining the wood in a classic darker hue. Definitely not the espresso route but something more classic. @la_la Girl - any recommendations?

I love those Anthropologie wallpapers and plan to use them for the formal dining and bath areas. Thanks to all the images everyone shared, I am opening up to painting the cabinets now. I feel they will make the room more welcoming and less stuffy. To clarify, this room will be my home office. And I like working in bright, welcoming spaces. I also want to see some pics of a functional home office. The kind that has a table with three large ugly monitors with all the wires. I don't need a fancy office, just something that's tastefully done, welcoming, and pleasant workspace.

I am definitely in the refinish camp. The orange tone of the wood is overpowering. But I do like the vintage look of natural wood i.e. I'm glad you're not wanting to paint. If you paint the wood trim I would not paint it white. Maybe an off-white or some darker color. Here's a very nice updated look of a classic dark wood finish.

Refinish the counter yourself. If all you're doing is putting printers and books on the counter, you're covering up most of it anyway. You can brighten it up by painting the back between the counter and upper cabinets, maybe even that center wall section and the back wall of the glass cabinets.

Definitely change out the fan to something that disappears into the ceiling, The crown molding as shown in the picture is too skinny to be complimentary, that's why I would paint it. IRL it might be the correct scale but doesn't look like it in the picture.

Painting out the crown molding and making the fan blend not contrast with the ceiling will make the room look much larger, ceiling taller.

Looks like a nice place for a home office!

Not a pro for sure but I would probably try a nice middle-of-the-road Provincial stain - I’d definitely find an inconspicuous spot to test it to make sure I was happy with the result - it’s such a nice room!

If you commit to painting, you need to let us know which colors would make you happy to work in. Blues? Greens? Dark? Light?

And do you do Zoom meetings? Your color will be your background and that matters.

Whether you redo the wood or paint it, you have a job that will completely update and change this room. It will be gorgeous since the existing cabinets are perfect for an office.

Regarding the wires from the three 27" monitors:

You can buy cable covers (or "sleeves") that will enclose the wires both above the desk and below. You can also buy cable covers that can be attached to the table legs with velcro or double stick tape. Some cable covers can be painted. Google "cable management sleeve" and "cable cover" for ideas.

Depending on which way you will face, you will also probably need some electrical wire floor covers that can be walked on. Or you can hire an electrician to add a floor outlet for a power strip.

More Info: Yes, multiple Zoom calls throughout the day! I like working in a well-lit area, preferably by the window (I just like peeking out for a change)....definitely want walls to reflect light, so I perhaps light neutral colors, maybe a light gray? Definitely not white. Again, open to feedback on wall colors, cabinet updates, and table placement for three monitors.

You have options.

Quick question for the ones offering the updated images, what tool are you using?

I added rugs to the space using the tool on Rugs-Direct.com

Color to walls was used using Microsoft Paint which comes on Windows computers.

I think it’s really important to step back and consider how you want the room to feel and function.

First decision is the wood being redone or painted (and if walls and trim will be done as well). That will set the backdrop for the many other decisions.

What is your furniture like and complement style wise and consider the best layout. Facing windows will provide a view and the focus will be on the bookcase as you enter (I would remove the glass doors). Consider a seating area.

Paint color and accessories are the last decisions, so decide on a color scheme first and look at lots of inspiration rooms for help.

This color looks good with the reddish tone of the wood. If you go this route make sure to use a lot of lighting and keep the rug light so it’s not like working in a dungeon.

If the wood shelving is going to be behind you for Zoom calls, you don’t want it painted gray. It’s pretty unflattering to most skin tones. Deep navy, or emerald green, would be better. You can also buy a 4 panel room divider to put behind you so you don’t have to keep the shelves neat….😂

Getting good lighting is going to be important no matter what color you paint the wood, walls or the choice of your rug. I have a professional light I use only for Zoom calls and use natural light (or one lamp) most of the time since my office has good windows like yours.

Please post the overall dimensions of your room, indicating the window placement and entrance location. I would be happy to do a proper floor plan,

Are the three monitors only used by you or joined by others?

I'm not recommending these just responding to your request to see photos of more functional offices

A Water's Edge Retreat · More Info

Consider locating your desk between the two windows. Note your desk can overlap the windows especially when you add window treatments. This way the natural light will enhance your complexion during those zoom calls.

Add two beautiful lounge chairs and also two occasional pull up chairs if needed for guests.