Paint the walls and the paneling the same color. Does Natural Linen go well with the brick? You might be surprised once you paint the paneling and walls how much brighter the rooms are. Double check if the poor lighting is partially due to trees close to the windows. They might be responsible for the green cast that you see. If trees are the problem, trimming them might brighten the place.

Have you taken up the rug yet? Is there hardwood underneath? How about the popcorn ceiling. Are you going to remove that?

Are you going to update the lighting? Recess lighting with LED bulbs will affect your perception of color, so I would do that first.

I like the brick fireplace and planter. So I would leave them alone, at least for now. I would also leave the dark beams. I'm not sure about the dark trim. You could leave it until all the other painting is done before you decide.

You could update the planter with slats along this line.

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Look at Soft Chamois by Benjamin Moore. And I would paint the same color on upper and lower walls as you mentioned. I would paint the trim a true white (not stark cold white) and leaving the beams as they are should be fine.

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/oc-13/soft-chamois

Here is Soft Chamois in a bedroom of my still unfinished new build. It plays nicely with wood tones.

Yvonne Martin - the trees are not really close to the front windows - we are going to paint the brick on the fireplace and the brick wall across from the fireplaces as well - not really excited to do that but the grout is gray - it looks like cement

What is underneath the rug? Have you peeled back a corner to see? Are you planning on painting and doing the linoleum before you move in? What is the order for your temporary, stop gap plan?

Have you priced the difference between linoleum and something else and will gluing down linoleum be hard to rip up when it is time to do your something else? Just wondering if you are creating more headache and cost down the road and if the actual flooring you want could be put down now.

If you can, I'd do the floor and lighting first, then pic a paint color. Your rug is absorbing all of the light and not bouncing it back the way a hard floor surface would. Once you get the rug up and add more lighting, your wall color samples will look very different.

I'd take a slight nod in style to a Spanish mission vibe and use black, circular, multi-tiered lighting to get a lot of brightness in there.

Will you keep the brick unpainted? If so, you will need to consider a white that looks good with the brick and doesn't make it yellow. I'd paint all of the wall the same white, including your wood paneling.

Keep the spindles up for now. Once things are painted white, you might be surprised and like them. I think them moment they come down, you are going to start wondering how to make the entryway feel more separate.

Congrats on your new home. Remember to save a stash for unexpected repairs - something always breaks or goes right after you move in. Murphy's law!

regardin

@houssaon - the carpet has been taken up - it is particle board; the ceiling will be painted but not redone.

Plan on some recessed lighting in the dining room, kitchen and family room - those rooms have regular ceilings but -

had not planned on recessed lights in the living room because of the type of ceiling - we do need a new light fixture in there though

That's a great idea for the planter - thanks - what should I actually put in the planter area? nada?

Remove the spindles and install a wood ledge on top of the planter with a pretty dish for keys and a tray for mail, etc. Hard to tell if louvered closets match the other wood elements, but they should - or paint them to match the wall color. A dramatic entry light will define the entrance. As far as flooring - if not ready ro address with permanent solution lay carpet in a flat or berber. Much less hassle to remove whe the flooring issue is to be resolved. Ruffle curtains are leaving I hope.

Would suggest you get some new lighting in the room. Until you do don't really think it's possible to wisely choose a color as colors as so dependent upon the amount of light walls and other elements receive.

@kendrah the carpeting has been taken off it is particle board - there is a crawl space underneath this level - we are going back and forth as to what - we have ceramic tile that we like in our house now ( see below) but LVT and engineered wood - are also in the running for the main level we are pricing - we are considering linoleum for the kitchen - the upstairs we are carpeting

we also are going back and forth between doing the flooring or the paint first - - I would hate for the flooring to be messed up when the painting gets done- BUT I also see how the flooring will influence how the paint looks - my husband is retired and he is anxious to get started doing "something" - I would LOVE to have a professional just come in and help us choose - but the man is chomping at the bit - LOL - and paint will be the easiest to redo later

I love the lighting fixtures you suggested, especially the middle one! Would love to echo the style in the dining room and family room so will need smaller ones there - perhaps along the lines of the last one suggested.

We plan on painting the brick wall and the brick on the fireplace - I love the rough unpainted texture - but it looks really dirty after 45 years and the grout color is so gray .

I do like the separation of the foyer - but still not sure about the spindles

Need suggestions for paint from SW as that is what is local where the house is

I’ve been looking for white/cream/off white SW paints too. I’ve had very good luck with SW Fragile Beauty. It seems to look nice (though slightly different as expected) in every direction in my home. It’s a warm color, not too far from Natural Linen. Doesn’t turn green, purple or blue. I also ordered stick on samples of: Ivory Lace; Reliable White; Casa Blanca. I gave Casa Blanca now on cabinets and it does lean yellow in a darker room. In natural light it’s actually nicer than I expected. Good luck!

Look at SW Creamy, Greek Villa, Natural Choice. But I would put down the new floors before choosing a paint color. I like all the dark wood. I think once you paint and have new floors it will look good and it sounds like it is in keeping with the style of the house. If you buy LVP or engineered wood (I vote for EW as real is always better than fake), buy enough to do the whole house even if you don't lay all of it right away. Flooring is constantly discontinued, so don't expect to be able to buy more of it a year or two from now. Buy enough to have extra, don't try to guess at the exact number of boxes because you will be wrong. :-) Whether you put wood in the bedrooms is up to you, some people still like carpet in bedrooms. But be prepared to do the kitchen, dining room, living room and family room (if you have one) in wood. Probably the primary bedroom too, as that is usually an exception to the carpet is OK in bedrooms rule.

Your question was "Can I get some suggestions for a transition color we can paint now (we will live with it until we decide what we will be doing eventually no rush) also need some advice on what to do with paneling and trim?"

Each paint company has two or three "white" paints that are in stock because they are classic colors that go well in most houses. Usually they are warm colors because most houses were built with warm permanent fixtures such as wood flooring and brick fireplaces. Choosing one of those two or three colors from your favorite paint store would be an excellent, long lasting choice. Since they are in stock, you can pick up an extra can anytime.

I would start with changing out just the light bulbs in every single fixture and washing the dust off the glass shades. Then you can see what color the paint samples look in your house. You can narrow down the choices to two or three after the new bulbs are in. Then prime all the walls with white primer. After that's done, you can make your final choice. Keep in mind that there is no one and only perfect choice for paint color.

Before spending hundreds of dollars on new fixtures that may get paint spattered on them, get the house painted with the old fixtures still in place. Painting is easiest when you have extra lighting: you can buy one box each of 24 dimmable LED bulbs, 100-watt equivalent, in "soft white" and "bright white" for $105 each at a big box store. Try them out and see which color temperature you prefer. Return the ones you don't want. once you are finished with painting and installing new flooring, you can decide which new or old fixtures are fine with 100-watt equivalent bulbs and which are fine with 60-watt equivalents. Keep the unused ones for spares, of course.

You need to pick your floor first before you choose your paint. It'd be best if floor is installed when you decide on wall color. But if you want to paint before floor installation, I would get samples on the floor and test different whites with samples on the floor.

I know it’s extra $$ to remove popcorn from ceilings but I would at least price it out. It makes a huge difference in the overall “ updating” appearance as well as ceiling lighting & reflection, and also painting a now-smooth ceiling. Even your furnishing choices will be dragged down by the popcorn. We re- did our former greatroom, but never got around to the upstairs rooms, and could really tell the difference.

Why white at all not every home looks good painted white I use this cut 50% often where a light wall is wanted but white is not theanswer it is a BM color I do agree flooring first then wall color and the lighting Kendrah shows is lighting the ceiling not the space I usually do pot lights for some overall lighting then floor lamps and table lamps to fill the gaps in the lighting this takes time to get right and IMO in a new home take your time . If you can't afford new flooring right now paint the floor .I would keep the beams dark but paint all the rest one color but really wait a bit start with the pot lights and honestly spend the money right now to remove the popcorn ceiling you will never regret that choice .

A suggestion for future ceiling work….If you choose to install recessed lighting in your dining room or kitchen, you can have the thinnest drywall installed over your textured ceilings to hide the patching that will be required. I note the natural break point of your dining ceiling, and your kitchen is contained, too. Taping the seams, priming and painting the ceilings will be all that is required without major demolition having to take place. We did this in one of our bedrooms when an acoustic tile ceiling was glued with thick black adhesive on our plaster ceiling. The glue would not come off. So, we had the ceiling drywalled with very thin drywall and it looks perfect!

the ceiling is not true popcorn - it's kind of brushstroke swirl not as rounded or busy as this

I agree a skim coat could be the right choice for the ceiling just do it after all the lighting is in.

Just so you are aware, even if you do painting on the walls before flooring, those walls have a good possibility of getting dust and dirt and even a gouge or two on them. I would do the flooring first, and then cover it up with paper, and paint afterwards.

I think the brick is such a feature of your house. Try cleaning it with warm water and a masonry sponge to remove a lot of grime. Adding dish soap or vinegar also work well. Less is more when cleaning brick. Stick with gentle DIY cleaning methods.

I like your idea of linoleum in the kitchen. It is a natural product and also is in keeping with the time period of the house. You can get it in tiles or sheet.

Have an electician look into installing recessed lighting in the living room. There are low profile options available. So it might be possible. Otherwise the fixtures that have been recommended with floor lamps might be all you need.

Before you decide on linoleum, look at the recommended cleaning method, using a rotary machine cleaner. I have Marmoleum in one room and it is a big pain. It scuffs easily. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://forbo.blob.core.windows.net/forbodocuments/21697/Forbo_Floorcare_instructions_Marmoleum_EN-ISv2.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiO6PqBgOGHAxV6kokEHT2QLLIQFnoECBUQBg&usg=AOvVaw0Fpe4Dm6GjAsG44ygfuHK9

Or maybe you mean sheet vinyl which is something totally different.

I would take full advantage of your husband's eagerness to get started by having him prime everything while you are working out the details of flooring. Then put the floor down. Then paint.

Whomever puts the floor down - you or someone else, the walls will get dinged up in the process. Prime. Floors. Paint.

Narrow down your whites to a few colors and have your husband paint them on large poster boards that you can move around the room, look at them at different angles, and different times of day.

@kendrah - like your idea for the process! It mine even get us away from white/off white dilemma - the color Patricia Caldwell recommended reminds me of SW Sea Salt -

@partim I have no idea what they used in the kitchen back in 1979 - it is some heavy duty sheet flooring - which I assumed is linoleum - at least that is what geezers like me call it - it is not worn, scratched or torn and really hate to see it go - quality wise - the print is just too much for me - if I could dim it down I would keep it

@houssaon - is there a faster way to clean the brick wall without damaging it - the masonry sponge and water is most likely not going to happen - even before it gets painted

You can paint the wood wainscotting white and walls above in SW Natural Linen, here's the look! The picture also shows a darker beige door with white trim which gives a nice look. Note that you wainscotting is lower than what is shown in the picture but that just gives you a bit more of the Natural Linen colour you like.

In your entrance, I suggest you remove the spindles and replace with wood slats (usually sold in panels) that will act as a more contemporary version of divider. I would stain the same colour as your flooring, here's the idea...

You ar right Sea Salt is SW and Healing Aloe BM I just ike BM quality better and they are different but cutting them 50 % porbably would yeield close to tsame hint of color IMO youa re along way from painting so why not do the ceiling the floor and then come back . I do like the idea of primer on everything too since you will probably have no idea what is oil based so a good primer is a must .I do not think beige is neutral that is why I do the one I mentioned for a real neutral.

I just looked at the kitchen photos on your previous post. Your existing flooring is sheet vinyl, not linoleum. My mother always had sheet vinyl in her kitchen. It's a very practical flooring. I agree with your husband - I like your retro pattern too and would definitely be tempted to keep it. When we bought our house, our 1973 kitchen had a similar pattern.

@partim - ahhhh sheet vinyl ... but how could I refresh the kitchen if we keep it ? THAT is the question ...

My wonderful father painted our cupboards white shortly after we moved in (they were very much like yours). Although my sister in law once said "How can you live like this?" we were just fine until we had the money to reno (10 years later).

Wow! I wish the paint guru, Kylie M Interiors, joined us on houzz more often. If Kylie says go with White Heron, go with White Heron.

You can apply inexpensive peel and stick vinyl tiles over the high quality very old sheet vinyl in good condition. Remember to have the sheet vinyl and mastic tested for asbestos ($75 or so) before removing it, since it predates the end of asbestos in flooring.

@Kylie M Interiors - do you suggest SW White Heron for the brick and paneling as well?

I am SOOOOO happy that you guys helped and I listened when you said do walls first and then pick floor and to spend some time in the house before making choices!!

We changed the light bulbs, still kinda dark in the living room but we brought in extra light to paint. After trying all the whites suggested we ended up settling on SW Shoji White which was a tad too light, so we darkened by 25%, on the dining room and living room walls - it looks warm and creamy without looking yellow (to my old eyes). Love the way it looks with the darker woods in the photos below - we will be leaving the trim on the casement windows and doorways as is - lower trim will be painted a lighter color - trying to decide what color trim as the brick fireplace and wall may end up the same color as the trim -

NOW the house has sort of a "hacienda" look and feel to it which we LOVE and we decided to go darker on the floor to echo the ceiling beams! We chose Pergo Laminated Wood product with Pet Protect in Chester Ridge it looks darker IRL than what is in this photo from the Pergo site below - now we just need a Fireplace and Brick wall color - YIPEEEE!!!

oh, and I misspoke - the ceiling in the living room is popcorn but comes right off when touched - so it is coming down - the ceiling in the dining room is swirled - we're leaving it alone

Any new photos?

@apple_pie_order not a huge change yet - was waiting on the floors to get put in for new photos