I would not paint the columns and beams but you could paint the doors and trim.

Yes, in a heartbeat!

I love that photo you posted! Thank you, that’s a good idea

I think painting a lot of the wood would be a definite for me. I would start with the trim on the skylights… the opposite to the hat Beverly suggested is to paint everything except the doors. Hard to tell from one photo. Is it a post and beam house where that’s a strong element to emphasize, or is that the one post and it would be better to make it blend?

100-percent yes. Start with the skylights then keep going and going.

Looks like it was built in the 1990's?

I would paint it.

IMO we need to see alot more of the house and your style. I am not alover of a ton of wood and for sure not 1990s oak everywhere but I need a bit more context.

If you paint the doors and trim, it could open a can of worms as the adjacent rooms will have to be done as well. I’d suggest painting the staircase only if anything and if doing yourself be prepared for a big and disruptive undertaking. Would the look below suit your home?

Nope. I'd leave it alone. As mentioned above, it opens a can of worms, and I think what you have is quite nice as-is. A more interesting wall paint color can really jazz things up and bring the wood to life -- the nondescript white walls aren't really doing the wood any favors.

Thank you!

I’ve added more photos for context. Our home is a barn conversion. The barn was built in the 1850’s and converted to a home in the 1990’s. We moved in less than one year ago.

Gosh I’m torn. There is something visually soothing about it right now and once you start chopping it up it will create a lot more visual activity. It would be money well spent to have a few photoshopped images of your place done with a number of different combinations. But once you develop a philosophy then be consistent with it throughout.

In seeing these additional pictures, I wouldn’t paint anything other than perhaps the wall color.

What a beautiful home! I love that they left the ladders!

There is a lot of wood, but it fits the nature of the house.

After seeing the pictures I'm 100% pro-painting the new wood and leaving the old original beams as they are.

The 1850s wood is incredible - the beams, the ladders. They have so much character and charm. The 1990s wood is pretty cheesy and brings the look of it all down. I actually thought it was just a bad 90s build, didn't know it was a barn, and was wondering about why there were ladders. I'd try to either:

A. I'd find a beautiful wall color for all of the open interior space, paint the 1990s wood a grey-black, and leave the old wood as is. Or,

B. Paint your railings the same white as the walls so they kind of disappear and the only wood left to look at is your historic wood.

Also, can your remove some of the popcorn/textured ceilings?

Cool house.

WOW cool house maybe not paint at all on that wood now that I see it . The old stuff for sure IMO stays as is and maybe some of th e 90's stuff can be toned down to work better with theold wood.

Oh my the original ceiling fans. I also could leave it (except the trim on the skylights) or I could paint everything except the 1850’s wood. And new white ceiling fans!

That's a lot of wood to paint. Everyone is interested in a whole house wall color. Whites/off whites are a simple solution, but if the wood was left as is, would you consider painting the entire first floor walls something else? This color is SW Rain.

Use it as a neutral. To make it work with what you have, add throw pillows, a rug, into your present scheme.

etsy.com

Very nice! Thanks!

Im in the no camp as well. Well, maybe paint out the cheap skinny trim that around the skylights - the light that comes through them is only emphasis it needs. Otherwise - so its 1990s wood, it still looks to be fairly decent quality and wholly in sync with repurposed 1850s barn esthetic. Instead, think about using COLOR on the walls instead of white. Of course white has its place in interior design, but here it just reads as a blah non-color. Using rich substantial COLOR (and it can be a neutral) better stands up to the strength and heaviness of wood. SW Rain illustrated above is a good example of this. Greens, blues, grays, violets are good choices as they are colors of nature - they contrast with brown but work well with it.

One thing that rarely gets mentioned in these "paint the wood" threads is the sheer massive effort and cost involved to do it RIGHT. Is it really worth it? Secondly - even assuming that it was, why on earth does it always have to be WHITE? Which looks good for all of 10 seconds before chips and grungy hand prints mar whatever pristine beauty the white had. AND, more importantly, painting the wood a color - perhaps a nice ashy green-gray midtone? - better blends with/ brings out the beauty of the vintage elements. Painted wood was actually a mid 1800s thing but it rarely was white. White painted wood was more of a 1920s thing, a reaction against the heavy dark victorian interior.

Go paint the walls instead. Think that what making it feel old 😄. That wood is too nice to paint over. If stairs carpet I would get rid of it. Fans and lighting I would change that instead.

wow, that is a very interesting and cool home. I wouldn't paint any of the trim/wood. WAY too much work, and it's not clear where to start/stop. Even the stair balusters would be difficult to paint with the way they are installed. I would definitely change out the stair runners and add more lighting.

I wouldnt paint any of it. It is an old barn, and it should keep some of its character.