@beesneeds - thank you so much - I needed to hear this. Wish I had a thicker skin.

Yer good Amy, let your skin glow in your new home :) It's not a Tudor, and that's OK. You can still lean into the flavor of it with the beams and accent wall if you want to. After you get your floors done, you will likely feel a little firmer about some of the other decor and color points in the house.

Amy - Congratulations on our new home! It's beautiful, and I'm sure you will find a way to make it fit your vision and lifestyle. Take your time, and live with it a little. It's a process, for sure!

@BeverlyFLADeziner - Not cool posting additional photos. It's not your home, and they are not your photos to share. If the OP didn't provide what you needed to opine, then just don't weigh in.

@ajuju Thank you so much! I could hug you! 😄

"they are not your photos to share"

Ok, @Amy cover your ears for this because it is certainly not meant to be directed at you but because the topic came up on this thread ...

Whose photos are these really? It brings up good cyber safety issues. From a house listing photo you can gain a whole lot of personal identity information. It is maybe just a heads up to us all to be aware of what we are posting and the ramifications. It makes me think twice about what I am going to put in a design dilemma. Not because I'm afraid of Beverly or what a snarky designer might say but because lurkers can figure out our home addresses, some people here post their real names, a ton of information can be put together. Just something to ponder. Maybe I've been watching too many Lifetime movies.

I guarantee you that Beverly was not trying to be hurtful. She is a very helpful, kind person on this board. I think she was merely eager to help.

I can see how it can be really jarring and feel like an affront to have someone else post pictures taken from the real estate listing of a home you are in the process of purchasing. I think the lesson here is we all need to be careful about what we post because anything is fair game online and it is scary enough that even people with the best intentions can come off as hostile. Imagine what people with poor intentions can do.

@Amy, just a note for something that might feel beneficial for your mental health - you can go and delete this entire postings. Nobody else will be able to comment and your pictures of your home will be removed.

Sorry that you've encountered such a stressful situation here as you lead up to closing, which can be an already stressful time.

Whew…. lots of comments & opinions. i will only say that I don’t think that the exterior of a home necessarily drives the interior design My vintage MCM home is furnished in modern MCM style while my Spanish Revival home ( exterior only ) is furnished the same because that’s what we like. Good luck, looks like a very nice home.

Ouch. The claws are coming out! Some serious hurt slinging going on.

@K Laurence - I too think it can be really fun seeing a juxtaposition between inside and outside of a house. It's like you are walking into a different world. Spanish Revival and MCM is a combo I'd love to see. I'm not a fan of sleek contemporary design, but I do dig pics of historic row houses in NYC and London with contemporary interiors inside.

To make the oak accent wall recede without overwhelming the room, consider using a light neutral paint like BM Classic Gray instead of stark white. This will complement your cooler palette and add depth. Alternatively, a whitewash technique can soften the oak while allowing its texture to show through, harmonizing with your planned reclaimed wood beams on the ceiling.

@Fresh Remodel thanks so much for this great advice. I especially love the whitewash idea. I can see how it would lend itself more to the rustic beams we’re considering. On the other hand, I’m already using BM Classic Gray in other parts of the house so I will consider that as well. If we did go with the gray paint option, may I ask what sheen you would use on the paneled wall? My painters are using matte on all the walls and satin on the trim. Thanks again!

Amy - I missed some comments that have been deleted.

I just wanted to say a few things:

- first - CONGRATULATIONS on your new home!

- you do have to have a bit of a ”thicker skin” sometimes when posting on Houzz. There are some architectural purists on here who have a lot of knowledge re: various types of architecture/architectural periods/architectural elements. They will ”call” people out when they post plans for a new home that mixes styles. They will tell people to sell their brand new home if the person has a certain architectural period home - and wants to make changes that are inconsistent with the period. Also, because they tend to be blunt - it comes across to some as being very rude - even when not intended to be.

And if your home was built in the 90s - be ready to hear MANY comments about your home being a mash up of various styles thrown together + if your 90s home has red oak kitchen cabinets, it will be called various names: dated/builder grade/tract home/spec home (even if your kitchen cabinets were custom made for your home + constructed better than 90% of the ones in other homes) - and without knowing if your home was custom built and/or has a purchase price of in excess of a couple million dollars. FYI - my home was built in 1996.

There have also been posts where someone just finished renovating his/her kitchen or bathroom - and people have criticized the selections/choices. While it doesn’t feel good to hear ”negative” comments about a home that you’ve just purchased (and are excited about) - it’s even worse when it’s a brand new home that you’ve custom built (or just spent $$$ renovating). I’m not trying to minimize your feelings - I’m just being honest about what happens here on Houzz sometimes.

- While I don’t personally know Beverly - I have interacted with her on Houzz (and received some great advice/suggestions) + have read MANY comments that she’s posted over the past 3 1/2 years that I’ve been on Houzz. I’ve never read a comment from her where she was anything but helpful and considerate.

Please know that I am not trying to invalidate your feelings (especially when I haven’t read all of the posts because they’ve been deleted). I’m sure that you were extremely surprised to see additional photos of the inside of your house posted by someone else.

- FYI - this is not the first post where this has occurred - although the other OPs weren’t upset by it (or maybe they were - but they didn’t voice their feelings). I’m sorry that it upset you - I imagine that it caught you off guard - and was very unexpected.

- Kendrah has made a good point for people going forward - including a MLS photo of the front of a house probably should be avoided. It is way too easy to find the actual house listing - and make people’s addresses pubic info. Add that to the amount of personal information that is shared (in various posts) - for example, that the OP has a new baby and another child under two (who knows what type of weirdo might read that + be able to find your house) OR that a user is about to head off on a three week vacation in Europe with their family (maybe someone is able to link that info to an MLS listing from several years ago - and now knows that the house will be empty for a few weeks). Some people (who aren’t professionals) use their real name + post a photo - that info, along with an address off of a MLS listing might lead to identity theft.

In this technology driven world, people need be more careful - unfortunately. It makes me sad - but it’s just the simple truth.

Anyway - I came back to look at this post because I was interested in finding out what you decided to do - I wasn’t expecting this. I’m sorry that you were upset by the posting of additional photos + some of the comments. Houzz can be a very helpful resource - I hope that you don’t decide to leave.

Sorry for the long post - I haven’t slept for the past three nights - and am not feeling great. I hope that it makes some sense. 😂

@dani_m08 thanks for your very thoughtful post. I appreciate your democratic input. I am embarrassed by how much I’ve allowed all the intrusive and negative comments about my soon to be new house get to me. Alas, I am a sensitive soul 🫤

@mammienyc

You have done NOTHING wrong. I repeat You have done NOTHING wrong. Please do not be embarrassed. Sometimes text is not conveyed with warmth or kindness. And your open vulnerable response is a reminder to all to be cognizant of how we come across in an attempt to help. Things we would say in text are far different than we would say over a cup of coffee smile to smile. People can be rude when they didn't realize it and have difficulty admitting it. I am glad you spoke up and stayed on instead of running away which is what most do. And I am very thankful that your personal images put up by someone else have been removed.

It always disturbs when a person posts a question with their photos with true genuine vulnerability, openness and the response back by some is flippant, critical and judgmental. You nailed it when you wrote. "....While I did indeed come here to get great advice, I definitely did not expect to be lambasted and made to feel terrible about the house I have been so excited to move into. I have always viewed Houzz as a safe place...."

Glad you stayed to focus on the good and enjoy creating your new beautiful space.

Now back to your house.. I am liking that photo you have showing the floors in the kitchen. Will that be the floors throughout? It looks like parquet floor by the staircase or maybe I have poor eyes. Is that a brick fireplace in the background? If that has a hearth step think about removing it now and having the same wood floors put in. I did not do this and think I should have in my own space.

Saw this image and thought of you...

Living Room · More Info

A few more questions as I might see another fun space to post later. The beams will they be reclaimed dark, bleached or weathered gray? Will the floors stay the lovely medium brown or are you going darker? Trim? I am loving the dark doors and windows in this photo above. Its like a nod to the tudor but oh so much more elegant.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing your beautiful space unfold.

Mammienyc - no need to be embarrassed. I am also sensitive (although, I am going to start calling myself a ”sensitive soul” - labeling myself as ”sensitive” sounds like a personality fault - being a “sensitive soul” sounds more like a positive attribute!)

I’ve called out negative/rude comments at times - and 99% of the time, they were re: someone else’s post (I even had one jerk look up all of my previous activity - and then make a comment about it being my ”MO” - that I come to the ”rescue” of OPs on Houzz - the funny thing was that I had a lot of comments to look through - and only a very small percentage were ones where I responded back to rude comments - guess he had A LOT of time to waste!)

I was only upset one time on one of my own posts - it was when I posted about buying Italian Carrara marble for my bathroom. I opened 75% of the boxes ahead of time - and the last 25% had an unusually high number of ”bad” tiles that had to be culled out (lesson learned = open ALL boxes right after delivery!) A pro basically told me that if I wouldn’t have purchased cheap Chinese marble from a big box store, this wouldn’t have happened.

While I usually handle comments that are directed towards me that are bit rude in stride, I had been in the hospital - and wasn’t in a “happy” mood. Plus, I had spent quite a bit of $$$ on my Italian tile - from a well respected tile supplier (known on Houzz to be fairly expensive and to supply high quality tile - not implying that there’s something wrong with people buying tile from a big box store if that’s how they choose to spend their money - or if it‘s what they can afford).

Other users were supportive of me + the pro (who is a good guy) backed down right away. But it hurt my feelings to be called “cheap” - even though I should have definitely had thicker skin (I didn’t show that my feelings were hurt - I just came back with a very aggressive reply). A few days later, I was more embarrassed about how I let the reply bother me than from the actual comment itself.

I still do become irritated when people jump on OPs and call them cheap for hiring a hack when they post about an issue they’re having with a contractor. It used to happen quite a bit - and 99% of the time, there was NOTHING in the post that supported that the OP had hired the person who submitted the cheapest bid for the work.

What upsets me is that the OP came here for advice/assistance re: something that was a BIG issue to them (and that they had spent a lot of $$$ on having completed) - and then they are told that it’s a complete tear out (these happened most often related to having a shower built) + are BLAMED for the problem because they were cheap. Not fair.

I actually left Houzz for several months because it was causing me stress (= I was allowing people I didn’t know to cause me stress because they were being rude to other people I didn’t know = not smart when you have a serious health issue that is greatly affected by stress!)

I am an attorney - and while I practice business law - I still have this urge to fight for the underdog (maybe I missed my ”calling”— although, I have been able to do that in some pro bono cases over the years). So, I still will offer ”information” (not legal advice) to help OPs out when a contractor has wronged them - but I try not to let the rude comments get to me.

Plus, I feel like it’s gotten better over the past year or so (or maybe I’ve missed the posts with really rude comments 😳). Plus, I’ve also learned that many people are just blunt - and aren’t trying to be rude (there are a few who are just rude - but it seems like many of them have been kicked off).

Another LONG comment - sorry - I had surgery recently and am on some pretty strong pain meds + am bored (can’t practice law on pain meds) - and I have a “word quota” that I feel the need to hit every day 😂

Boxerpal has provided some great ideas - I really am excited to see this room when completed!

P.S. I am renovating my kitchen very soon - but I keep postponing my post about it (I definitely need some advice). I tell mysef it’s because I don’t feel up to measuring + drawing a scaled layout - but it might be because I don’t want to hear how ”messed up” my 90s house is (traditional colonial front exterior + I don’t know what to label the back exterior . . .

maybe a ”suburban 90s mash up!”) 😉

Maybe I have a 90s house mullet!

It is likewise always a fun surprise when a commenter says "Your kitchen is butt ugly." And the OP says, "Yeah, right? I loathe it." You just never know. In the real world, I suspect that the majority of my friends and family do not like my taste. If they did their homes would look like mine, and they don't.

We all have our own opinions, personal circumstances, and limitations. You might hurt or feel hurt along the way. So long as you have the best intentions for others and imagine they have that for you, it often works out. There are rude people in the real world and online. Having tactics for keeping the sting at bay is always handy.

Ok, so getting back down to business! I am starting to get a clearer vision of what the overall room with the accent wall could look like. Before I try to explain it, I should say that the floor will be re-stained for sure to match the kitchen floor - which is not quite as dark and has a very low sheen. Here's a dreaded listing photo again ;) so that you can be reminded of what the floors will look like:

(BTW, @boxerspal you are correct about the parquet flooring in the mudroom off kitchen. It leads into what was described by listing agent as a "nanny suite". That whole back corner area is clearly a part of the house that was omitted from any prior updates and I imagine it will be neglected by us for awhile as well - but for now, the parquet floors will at least be stained to match the tone of kitchen.)

So the vision I'm having includes "Fresh Remodel's" suggestion to white wash the accent wall. In addition, I also like the simplicity of the beam layout in this photo Kendrah sent me the other day - I'm loving the two ceiling fixtures as well!

However, I would still like to do slightly darker beams - maybe not as dark as I had originally envisioned. The only thing I know for sure is that the floors will match the kitchen. The rug that we already own and are going to try to make work in the room is this one from Lulu & Georgia:

And the only piece of furniture that we have purchased for this room is this sofa by CB2:

So in keeping with my original question about the accent wall. Does anyone have strong feelings (other than ripping it out all together) about what to do with it? I do love the look of white walls that are heavily trimmed like the background of the sofa pic above. But I realize my wall is very different. I really don't like it, but for now we live with it. Whitewash or paint? And if painting, what color? THANKS!!!

Sorry, I don't have an answer, only more questions. And they may be for once you get in the house and can take more close ups.

1. What does the wood grain look like close up? How much of that would you see through paint?

2. What are some examples of what what washing this wall would look like? What is the process? Some white washing looks grey, others with yellow tones, some pink. Would you have a few samples done on similar wood or less conspicuous areas of the wall?

3. If you white wash the wall, how do you go about picking a neutral paint for the rest of the walls? And how do you go about picking a wood for the ceiling that doesn't clash with any undertones in the white wash or with the floors?

4. If you paint it, I would do it the same color as the rest of the walls. There is enough accent to the trim pieces I don't think it needs an accent color.

Your rug and sofa are fabulous and will look great in here.

Now that I see your pieces I will double down on white/off-white for the whole wall including the shelves/niche exactly as you show in the photo with your rug. Stunning. Your sofa would look great paired with the curvy white sofa. Actually something with legs to show off the rug.

Thank you to both of you! Once I posted the pics of my sofa and the rug I started to rethink the whitewash. And Kendrah thanks for all the questions because they highlighted even more why it’s probably better to avoid the whitewash idea - it only adds to my design dilemma! If my intention is to have the wall recede as much as possible then I agree with you both to just paint it the same color as the walls! And even further @tracefloyd, you’ve convinced me to nix my idea of painting the backs of the shelves a blue/gray and keep it all the same color - which I keep coming back to BM Paper White because I’ve used it in my last three homes.
I still love the idea of painting just the doors in the room a gray/blue like BM French Toile. The trim around the doors though would be BM Super White along with the rest of the trim. Any thoughts on that?

Thank you so much!

What is on the wall opposite the big wood wall? Is it just a blank wall with the doorway to the room? Do you see many other rooms from inside this room?

Just looked up blue toile and I'm smitten. I can see why you'd use it anywhere you can. However, I'd restrain yourself from it in this instance. Your beams are going to create a nice focal point. They will pop against the white walls. You don't need the blue doors tugging your attention in another direction. Plus, the doors and window in between create an illusion of a wall of windows. I think painting the doors will chop that up. Skip it for now. If down the line you think something is missing in the room, you can always paint them.

@Kendrah - First of all, my husband will be so happy, because he's never been a fan of my blue doors idea. I'm gonna make it happen somewhere in the house though!

And yes, opposite the big wall is a double wide opening into the foyer looking at a wall. There is another opening of the same width on the the adjacent wall (the wall opposite the windows) from which you see the front entrance to the house. So really you only see different views of the foyer from the LR.

The wall of windows is beautiful. Is the middle window taller than the doors? If you don't need shade or privacy, no window coverings at all is trending big time in high end design and I think the look would work in your room.

None of the inspo pics have blue doors. Even though I love blue doors I agree not here. Use blue in your art. Start with a large painting in the foyer facing the LR. Maybe paint the inside of the front door blue...as long as it's not distracting as viewed from the rest of the house or the living room.

@tracefloyd - The middle window is the same height as the doors. The shade and curtain rod does throw the alignment off for sure. We don't plan on putting any window coverings in the room - luckily it faces the back yard patio/yard which is fully private. I LOVE your suggestion of a large painting on the foyer wall outside the LR. Can't wait to start looking for inspo on that too!

I am feeling a huge relief now that a clear vision of this room's potential is starting to take shape. This is all thanks to you fine people.

Side Note: I can relate to @dani_m08's comments about how life's stresses can greatly impact one's vulnerability to having their feeling hurt in general. As I so clearly demonstrated earlier on in this thread, that has been the case for me. We are about to move across the country - and, well, yeah. I would like to apologize to @BeverlyFLADeziner - I see now that I took things WAY too personally and I am sorry for the distress I surely caused you. I wish I came into this from the beginning with more of a fun, embrace the banter kind of attitude, and just appreciate how lucky I am to be given such solid advice for free!! Lesson learned!

@tracefloyd - with regard to the front door of the house - The style of the door is not my fav. I need to live with it for a bit before I get all crazy and change the door entirely. However, now that we will be changing the entire color scheme of the interior, I'm worried the interior view of the door will stick out and not in a good way. Here's a pic as it is now - keep in mind the blue wallpaper will be removed and front entry area will be a cool white (prob sticking with BM Paper White).

And here's pic facing into the house taken from the corner right next to the front door. This pic shows how there's, what I describe as two foyers. I don't quite know what we will do with all this open space, but I know we'll paint it one continuous color - (BM Paper White). I'm showing you these two pics to help you envision the interior of the door being painted blue, as you suggested @tracefloyd. I just discovered BM Normandy 2129-40 which I think I like even more than the BM French Toile I mentioned. What do you think?

First of all the foyer is stunning and I like the areas they color blocked with wallpaper. You could do that with Paper White. I would paint the wood stair rails Charcoal gray/black.

With your big white panel wall in the LR, I keep envisioning a white trellis sunroom or garden room as inspo. The leaded glass is sumptuous because it goes with my vision. Still not sure on blue door but if you do BM recommends Slate Blue as a coordinating color with PW.

Place a mirror where their big bureau is and it will act as a corner window wall. Place a tree there...sunroom theme. A mirror across from the window wall.

The same white paint everywhere including trim, walls, paneling... and the 'parlor'. Except the foyer in contrasting Paper White where the wallpaper was. And the beams...not white....same as new floor but half shade darker.

I think your Tudor home looks lovely. Doing beams that match the wood floors is a good first step.

I agree that getting the floors done before moving in is critical. I also believe you can make a better decision about paint when those two design tasks are completed. I’ve changed my own vision of a “new” house once my floor guy did the wood floors. The entire house felt different (plus it was empty) and it definitely changed some of my previous ideas.

The wood floors and beams may require a different white for your walls, so keep an open mind about that as well.

The wood wall will add texture even if you paint it the same color as the rest of the house. I would keep it.

Save for a new front door. It’s not a priority but you will find a more “Tudor-friendly” style once that project moves up the line.

Congratulations on your new home!

The new rug and couch are great. You might add a touch of that coral/pink in your room once everything gets placed.

Cart before the horse with the front door. I think the wood will pop really nicely against white walls. But, I would hold off on making that decision for now. You can always get a new door in a year or two. Get others things taken care of first.

Some how I suspect the nanny quarters are going to have blue doors! We always have a guest room or some area of our home where random decorating ideas and strange hand-me-down furniture goes to live.

@RedRyder - thank you for all your great input. I'd love to hear any alternative whites (or any other light colors) that you would recommend for the LR (that would go better with the wood beams/floors . Also, you've nailed it with adding some coral/pink to go along with the rug. I would love to do an upholstered chair, but at the very least some throw pillows/blanket). Thank you!

@tracefloyd - So when you say . . . "The same white paint everywhere including trim, walls, paneling... and the 'parlor'. Except the foyer in contrasting Paper White where the wallpaper was. And the beams...not white....same as new floor but half shade darker.)" Are you saying that in the living room and "parlor" (ok, do I really have a parlor?) I should use a white that's not PW, but a white that's a good contrast to PW? Like what kind of white? @RedRyder also suggested using a different white in the LR - something that would work better than PW with the dark floors/beams. Would love to hear your suggestions. And if using the same white on walls/trim/accent wall, do you suggest using different sheens for trim v. wall?

I create concepts that visualize color and where color could go but I'm not a paint color expert so I sometimes play it safe with what the paint makers recommend as coordinating colors.

And only you and your painter are in the room and can see the actual paint samples on the actual walls.

The palette you have with PW is very cool and BM pairs it with other cool tones that should work with your neutral wood floors in the Kitchen color.

To answer your questions, I see the LR and parlor in the same white to tie them together, and the color-block foyer in a contrasting shade will help with that.

So-- if you go with PW in the foyer, then as BM suggests White Heron and/or White for the LR and Parlor and you could use them both for a two-tone panel wall for instance....white on white. There is a two-tone panel in one off my inspo sunrooms.

Yes, walls should be flat paint and trim a semi-gloss enamel, regardless whether they are the same color or not.

The dark floors and beams make me think you should add an ivory to the mix. It’s impossible to know which white works in a house when just seeing the space on a monitor. I had a decorator pick the white for my house, which has A LOTTA WOOD (including a wood tray ceiling in half of the great room) and we went with SW antique. In this house, it looks pretty “white” since I have so much wood. Hence, my suggestion to hold off on buying any specific white until you’re in the empty house with the dark floors and new beams.

The amount of light coming in is also a factor.

I don’t think this is an urgent decision.

I am thinking you are not living there yet. Is that right?

@RedRyder - first of all l, I love a tray ceiling! And, you are correct about us not living there yet! I thought we could get floors stained AND painting done before we moved in, but I think you and others are right about needing to physically be in the house to get an accurate feel for colors. I'm so excited and it's all I can think about though! Thanks to the solid advice I am receiving on this thread, however, I am at least feeling confident about painting the entire living room the same color, accent wall and all!

@Kendrah - I laughed about your prediction that the “nanny quarters” will become my creative outlet area, because I’ve already had that thought! I’m going to do whatever I want with it and no one can stop me - not even my husband 🤣

Following. I saw the posts that remained . . . thanks for sticking with us! I like the direction you are going and can't wait to see what you do with it!

Was the final decision to paint or to wait on the paneling?

@drblount10 - The final decision is indeed to paint the paneled wall. I am loving @tracefloyd's sunroom inspo pic with the white-on-white idea. As suggested, I'll go with BM White OC-51 (which is also called Intense White I discovered) and White Heron OC-57. I'm guessing the placement would be Intense White on walls and paneled wall in matte finish and all the trim/doors would be White Heron in Satin finish. If anyone out there disagrees with that, let me know. Thank you!

@tracefloyd - Oh man, I may have exceeded how much I'm allowed to bug designers who have already been so helpful, but here goes . . . With regard to white on white: I'm taking a closer look at your second sunroom inspo pic (the one directly above the trellis pics) and I can see there is a method to placement of the different whites on the paneled areas. It appears the brighter white is placed on the raised panels and the darker white on the sunken part among the panels (sorry, weird layman's terms). I like it, but will want to make sure my two whites aren't too different from one another in order to keep it subtle. Gah, I know what yer gonna say . . . "move in first!"

I'm not a pro so this is fun for me. Yes, I like the lighter white on the raised pieces of panelling.

But speaking from experience, paints have undertones that can take on weird hues once they go up. Light and context are everything.

Do you have a piece of flooring to compare the paint to? Keep that in mind. Do you have the paint chips in hand? Your fabric samples? One can work with those. You really can't go by your monitor and a guess.

I made a grid from screenshots from the BM site and pieced them together. Are you sure you want such cool tones? The inspo photo you love is a very creamy white and the difference in light and dark here is too much contrast and almost blue. The LRV's of 86 and 73. Find numbers closer together...you don't want a checkerboard look.

With one overall color, the natural shading will be enough contrast for such a large wall..that inspo wall is small. See the contrast with one color..... This is White Heron. It brings to mind a white trellis.

You could try using their room visualizer.

I just found this great article:

The Ultimate Guide to White and Off-White Paint Colors

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/color-palettes/color-families/white-paint-colors#:~:text=The%20most%20popular%20Benjamin%20Moore,clean%20and%20classic%20white%20hue.

Here's more thought...I love this house.

Paint all the trim, doors, windows and panel wall and ceiling the same crisp white. Then all the walls off-white. Then the floors and beams matching woods.

The bones of the space are three colors: white, off-white and wood. Simplify simplify simplify, works every time.

Get this...paper the parlor in a green botanical like a garden room, but the REAL garden room is the white living room with green plants. With those windows and that wall? Go for the vision to the Nth degree.

Put plants in the foyer and a mirror that reflects light... try to unify the look everywhere. Then you won't have to swap out the door either as it will be part of the theme...and look at that light coming in. White flowers and needlpoint ivy overflowing a big garden urn on a big round entry table. That's what I envision looking at those intricate sunlit patches. See my vision? Center the table under the light fixture.

Downplay the cutout in the ceiling for the stairwell by painting the upper hallway walls and the stairway walls the same white as the ceiling and other trim. Remember, white spindles and painted, black handrails and newels post instead of wood...you'll have a black chandelier and other black wrought iron.

I would leave it for now. You might grow to like it. I think what the issue is is that the room is out of balance somehow. Bamboo shades on the window or oak furniture in the room could balance it if placed right. Another thing that might help is crown molding on the side walls (paint white) - walls looks so funny w/o crown molding at the top. And paint the white walls a very light warm color of your choice to blend with the oak better. A light yellow or beige could work - there are so many shades of any color tho, so paint squares with a sample before buying gallons. I would remove the carpet and put in real wood floors - even the cleanest of people cannot clean UNDER the carpet and keep it clean - it absorbs dust. Have fun and enjoy!

And stay away from GRAY and black! Not even counting that it is FINALLY going out of style and not trendy anymore, gray is ugly and depressing except as trim on the outside of a white house to be a contrast. Leave the oak parquet - OAK is coming back into style and never really was out and never really will go out.

This is one of the most interesting, and rewarding, threads I have read on Houzz for a while! I, too, was (long ago) stung by a very unkind post - on a very trivial topic that was meant to be just a "fun" thread. It caused me to change my alias on Houzz, and refrain from posting anything at all for a couple of years. But the things I learn on Houzz are invaluable, and I just could not stay away.

One thing I learned on Houzz had to do with house "style". Many designers, as well as ordinary folks, encouraged me to not be concerned about being too matchy-matchy when it comes to house style, especially since my house is pretty bland anyway. It's good to consider the overall picture. But what I was told is that if you use things you really, really like throughout your house, your taste will organically create a predominant look that will ultimately be cohesive. I'm not sure I am saying that right, but I think you get the picture? There are probably exceptions (perhaps full-on midcentury modern, or perhaps Victorian, might be examples) but even those, when thought out carefully, can benefit from an unexpected design idea from another style or era.

I love the whitewash idea for your accent wall. Especially because oak has a particular grain that can sometimes have unexpected results when painted, unless you use a grain filler. I think the extra subtle texture would look fabulous with whitewash, and be a star f the room.

A quick further comment: thank you to all the professional designers, and people with a "good eye", for all the time you spend helping us novices with design questions. This place is such a wonderful resource because of your contributions!

Definitely do the floors and stained beams before moving in. But the choice of paints is too hard to do on a screen.

Whites get tricky so being in the house, and seeing the natural light, daytime and nighttime light will influence your paint choices. Not fun living with the painters, but you need your white samples on the walls before you pull the trigger. Undertones can sneak up on you.

Your house is going to be lovely!

Please remind me, when do you move in?

I saw this articlw and thought of your big panel wall...ti would be so gorgeous in this color.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/what-color-is-replacing-beige

Glad to know that taupe is back in vogue.

I hope you have had some progress on the floors and beams. I’m curious to see what stain the floor people choose to work with your kitchen floor.

We just Face Timed with our contractor who showed us that the floors have been stained throughout the house. They sanded the kitchen as well and restained so that everything is an exact match. As far as I could tell it all looks incredible and our contractor was very happy with the ressults. @tracefloyd had suggested the hand rails and newel posts be much darker, so we did a black stain there as well as the interior side of the front door. It looks AMAZING! Will get a black lantern style light fixture to hang in entryway. Now we need to finally move across the country (just a few more days) so we can get down to business with paint colors!

Yay!

I’m so glad the floor staining made you happy! And the black stain on the staircase hand rail and newel post. Very exciting!

Fingers crossed the move goes well. We moved from north of Manhattan to outside of Nashville 10 years ago (with three horses as well) and it was challenging but actually went smoothly.