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10acredreams

To paint wood walls or not?

13 years ago
We have a nice sized living room, but there are two wood walls opposite eachother. We live out in the country, so my husband wants to keep the "rustic" walls.. but they have a weird orange hue to them and I'm not really a big fan. PLUS the fireplace just looks so plain and blends in. The living room is dark to start with, no ceiling lights right now (planned in the future). Would painting the walls a white/cream color be too much? Or maybe just the fireplace?. I do love the beam on the ceiling and even thought about extending that, but I'm just at a loss for what to do with the walls and fireplace! Thanks for your input.

Comments (13)

  • 13 years ago
    Thanks for your advice! Can't move the clock unfortunately as there just is no good place for it. I hadn't thought of an opaque stain vs paint.. thank you! The walls are a similar tone as the floors already, so I may just leave it alone. And we can't move things to a console table because of small, reaching hands in the house :) So question- until we can stain.. still lower the pic and leave the rest of the mantle bare?
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    I empathize with you, as I have lots of orange-y wood window and baseboard trim throughout my house, which I hate. I think it's an 80's thing... I am going to be painting it white. I wouldn't mind it if it were more of a light or dark brown...
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Yup! For the other pictures you might add a shelf on one of the walls.
  • 13 years ago
    smiley- definitely an 80s thing! I generally love the wood look, and my husband thinks it makes it look more like a cabin but it just seems super dated to me and really darkens the room! Jeffrey- you know, everytime I walk past that mantle I'm frustrated, it seems I can never make it look like pinterest, I guess that's because there's too much going on then? I never thought about that. I thought about putting the wedding pic in our bedroom instead, but I didn't know what I could put there to offset the ugly walls. Thanks for stirring my brain on that one :)
  • 13 years ago
    jlplatts- I thought about adding a large mirror, but the opposite wall is the same angled ugly wood and I thought it would just cause the same problem! Although the room is pretty big and you are right, it would brighten things up! I just have to resist the urge to load up the mantle with "stuff" :)
  • 13 years ago
    good call, I still think we may go with the opaque look, I can at minimum change out the photo with a mirror until then.
  • 13 years ago
    Consider moving the pic to a more personal space and clearing the mantle. Try a larger vertical piece of art which will also cover more of the wood. I like the opaque idea as opposed to paint or removal. Show us the other wall pic too. It doesn't look like any furniture faces the fireplace. Is it unloved?
  • 13 years ago
    I uploaded 2 photos, not sure where the other went, ill post tomorrow when im not on my iPhone. The furniture is a whole other issue. We moved I year ago from a teeny living room so we only have small coffee and end tables, and although I had a large chair facing the couch, so that we could see the tv or fireplace.. But the coffee table didn't reach both sides and it was awkward.. Any suggestions? i was thinking a large coffee table or end table? maybe another chair? id like to keep it pretty open if possible.. I am 5 days overdue with our firstborn so priorities have been focused on getting the nursery done! I like the idea of art vs a mirror too! Thanks for your advice :)
  • 13 years ago
    I would leave the wall and paint the fireplace to make it more a focal point
  • 13 years ago
    I struggled for years with this same dilemma in the master bath around a large jacuzzi tub. The 70's and 80's taught us to be wood 'worshippers.' Instead of painting it. a decorator implored us to just take it down and replace it with drywall. It's so nice to be able to choose any color I want for the room and I love it! All that worry was wasted. Absolutely no one cried when the "good wood" was gone. My advice: get rid of it!
  • 13 years ago
    lisa- I attatched a photo of the opposite side...Kris- what color would you go with if you suggest painting the fireplace only??
  • 12 years ago
    Just realized you sent pic of other wall. Consider painting the organizer to minimize wood on wood. Just wondering what you ended up doing with the wood walls?