The house can still be very charming with the walls painted. Just make sure you KILZ any knots before you paint.

Pop off the fussy trim and see if you like it better. I would also play with some rugs to see if that helps break up the wood's monotony.

If neither helps, I would paint it a warm white like the pictures above. Dry wall would also work and it would preserve most of the wood. You'd have to adjust your trim and outlets.

You'll probably have people post complaints about it being painted, some folks have strong feelings about stained wood features.

They won't be living there.

Definitely a bit of an odd duck Normally, I like the hominess and vintage look of knotty pine for a cabin or cottage, but for a year round ranch, all that wood is a bit much. Beverly's before and after examples are great. Just paint rooms a warm white with refinished wood floors. Leave the trim wood to see how it looks. Leave that window bench section in wood to see how it looks. Same with the china shelves, though you could remove the glass. If you don't like the wood trim and window bench in wood, then paint it all.

I'd keep it and try to design around it because it certainly hits the cozy vibe you are looking for but is also pretty over the top.

A few of these pics paint one call white but leave the rest knotty pine. You could paint the window seat wall and area white. Get an interesting rug as a focal point. Pop off the cutsey trim and get rid of the glass doors. Paint the built in shelves white. Get a more iconic looking, round dining table and chairs.

Knotty pine is definitely a certain aesthetic that I find hard to work with. Even your dog is the same color or maybe it's just a chameleon. I had a ranch house with a knotty pine den and we painted it. Never regretted it. I'd paint it after removing the trim. If you want to keep some of it, don't paint the back wall of the window seat and the back wall of the cabinet. Might add some interest as the original pine. Or it might not look right and if that's the case, then paint the entire thing. I'd go neutral on the walls and add color with the window seat cushion and other things in the room that you an easily switch out as you desire. The arched door is nice.

I am one of those people who generally says "don't paint the woodwork", but in this case the room is too small for that much busy woodwork busy trim and busy panel design. I would most likely remove it all including the window nook, drywall and start over.

What’s your budget? Paint will be affordable and will have almost the same impact as removing the paneling and doing drywall. You can get rid of the froo froo trim, and maybe have the built ins reworked into something more your style. Do you need new furniture, light fixtures, maybe a lottery ticket???

I would remove all the scalloped detail everywhere and paint the knotty pine in a warm white for a cozy warm feel. BeverlyFLAdeziner has showed very good examples. I also suggest you remove the tablecloth from your table and place something decorative instead (tablecloth only at meal time) and replace the ceiling fan with a chandelier. Your rooms will look great painted!

If you hang drapes around the room, it will cover a lot of the wood. The remaining wood then becomes a feature. Hang the drapes at the ceiling, and use a number of panels - go wider than the window. Artwork will also break up the wood. If you can bring in a nice chandelier or more updated fan that would also give you a nice look.

Wonderful suggestions!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such thoughtful advice. I definitely agree with everything and can’t wait to get to work!

I think you should keep the scallop trim! Imho its kind of nicely done, unlike some clunky versions I've seen, it repeats in several places, and it fits right in with the vintage built ins the window seat and the arch doorway, etc. Yeah I can see painting the knotty pine but don't go off the deep end and stamp out all the personality! Keeping some of the old vintage feel I think fits in with your goal of coziness. A lot of current furnishings and style meshes quite nicely with retro 1950s/60s style .

Before you do anything, read this article by Amy Mitchell, a designer in New Hampshire:

https://www.homeglowdesign.com/2016/07/30/help-knotty-pine-paint-alternatives-problem/

Old solid wood such as you have is really lovely, and it would be a shame to paint over it. I love those scallops--they add such a homey character to the house.

But if you really hate it, then take it out and sell it to someone who can appreciate it.

Not only remove the scalloped trim---lose the wrought iron strap hinges on the doors.

See what Sarah did... No way drywalling is ever cheaper than white washing/painting!!!

Something that I neglected to ask is how this room look compared to the rest of the home. Is this the only knotty pine in the house or is it in other rooms? Does this room feel like it belongs or is it the odd duck?

I love MCM but not knotty pine for my style we ripped out a whole wall of knotty pine storage in our 1956 MCM ranch to get rid of it there was no way to paint it to make it work. IMO you have to live in the home so do what you think you need to do. We also switched the kitchen for the DR to give us a much bigger and better kitcehn. We tried to stay true to the exterior and as much of the interior as we could live with easily. The room you show would have been a complete rip out for me .

Bite the bullet and take it down, sheetrock and paint.

If you definitely don’t like it, get rid of it now. That’s what I would do because I don’t care for the 1970s painted-paneling look.

I appreciate the charm of knotty pine, but preferably in someone else's home, not my own :-)

Sounds like you are the same. So take it down, sheetrock and paint.

I bought a small apartment that had a lot of pine paneling in the hallway and kitchen. Taking it down made the space look twice as big. I never ever regretted not keeping it....

By my reading OP is ambivalent- or wouldnt she have already proceeded to remove it. OP how exactly do you define your "personal style" beyond "not farmhouse." My thinking is that , depending on what that is, it could conceivably fit well with 1950s americana. Im usually of the "dont paint wood" camp, but truthfully never liked knotty pine unless stained dark enough to conceal the contrast. You could also take off the shiny yellowed finish and go with a more neutral translucent stain color in matte finish to give you a fresh, updated version of knotty pine panelling - some of the pics above imho look quite nice even though knotty!

If painted. that would conceal knots and give you more of a blank slate for decorating - but still leave you with plenty of character. This is solid wood tongue and groove, its not the 1970s thin sheet panelling with a vinyl picture of wood printed on - Ughh!!! If it was that I'd say have at it, rip it out! This is kinda the 1950s version of beadboard, more akin to that than 1970s panelling. If it was original beadboard in a 1920s house, I think there would be more understanding of its value as a desireable architectural feature. When I look at the befores and afters above, the most appealing imho are the

Partially painted with light and airy furnishings:

Beach Cottage Living Room · More Info

Also, sounds like you’ve already overhauled other rooms, will you post pics? Ultimately it’s your house and you should love it.😊

We painted our tongue in groove knotty pine and love it. Our Decorator told the painters to paint it and not worry about the knots too much. Definitely wouldn’t think about removing it when it looks great painted! We had great painters. This was over 15 years ago.

I do not see "farm house". I see 1950/60's "what was cool" application. I would keep the paneling. I would remove the scallop trim. I would add good quality fabric and art and rugs.

This photo is from a 1950's cottage colony in Dennisport Ma, Cape Cod, which is my neck of the woods. @Diana Bier Consulting, I think we chatted about your trip to the Cape with your son.

White is the accent color used here in fabrics, art, rug, and accent furniture with the mid-century look. Notice how the curtain rods have been installed: higher and wider than the window frame.

Trick here is all the wall art with white matting

https://www.domino.com/renovation/rob-blood-bluebird-dennisport-cape-cod-hotel/

Love that home, elcieg! Adding light furnishings and wall art definitely makes a difference!

I’m trying to get away from the farmhouse look

Then the only choice is to remove & drywall. Painting it will be a big undertaking/ dealing with double & triple priming the knots & the fumes from shellac (to block tannin bleed) and net you 'cottage look', one step removed from farmhouse.

Paint it the wrong time of the year (spring/ summer/ humid weather) and you will have raw wood brown stripes in the winter when you fire up the furnace and the wood starts shrinking.

My first choice would be to remove the paneling and have it all sheetrocked, but, if that isnt in the budget, I would still try to remove the scallop stuff, and then see how you like the knotty pine. If you still want paint, rather than all that knotty pine, then prime it and paint it, after filling in all the nail holes, and scrubbing it down well, and a light sanding. Make sure you also use a bonding sealing primer, so those knots dont bleed through your new paint job and ruin all you hard work. I do like wood, and hate to see it painted, but, your room, isnt huge, and all that knotty pine does close it in, so in your case, I would paint it.

I love knotty pine and think it could fit the aesthetic you like well. Others here have shown some really nice examples and ideas. A pretty rug and other decor would break up all the wood look.

I’d keep it, but as Dee wisely said up there — it has to make you happy, not me. :)