Paint it all....

Think about whether you really want to paint over it very hard. If you do, I would not go the paint route but rather a white wash look. Stain, not paint.

I think I would replace the diagonal paneling with wallboard. Then decide on the ceiling. With the diagonal wood removed the knotty pine might not be so overwhelming.

I would start with only painting the darker trim pieces white. I think that alone will update the area and brighten it. If it still does not acheive the look your going for after that then you can always paint the rest of it later.

Use a good primer to cover knots (they will bleed thru) and paint it all... It will even help the view become the focus.

I like the colors in your kitchen. Paint the lighter wood the tan color and the darker wood the same white as your trim. This would pull together both rooms instead of looking like an add-on. Think about painting those kitchen cabinets as well. I had a friend who was facing this same decision. She painted and loves it...her whole house looks much lighter.

I love the knotty pine. I would paint the kitchen cabinets and the trim a light color and go with a lighter more neutral carpet. Might try to break up the sectional, too.

I would paint the walls white and leave the trim the same stain as your ceiling beams and leave the ceilings as is. A new hardwood, manufactured wood or laminate flooring in the same stain color as the trim to tie it all together. Love the cathedral ceilings, open concept and window! The white walls will highlight these fab features. Wonderful room.

If you do paint the pine, follow the pro's advise.

Our house had the same issues. Leave the ceiling and exposed beams.. You don't have to rip out the knotty pine, you can cover with 1/4" wallboard, but will have to extend all of your electrical outlets/switches. Not too difficult and inexpensive. I would first paint the trim(or exposed beam) white above the kitchen bar. Also it would be helpful to add trim on each side of this area, since the beam looks bulky. Side trim (also painted white) can help frame this area out. Then paint the wall (whether wallboard or pine) a lighter tan color than your kitchen walls, but not white. That will likely brighten things a lot. Don't paint the window trim until you've lived with your changes for a week or so. If it's not in the budget to change the floors, add a light area rug with a touch of blue, white, wall, countertop and trim colors.

Re: painting your knotty pine - Be aware that this solid wood will shrink and swell somewhat as temperature and humidity conditions change. In a cooler, drier time, your wood will shrink a bit, and you might be surprised to see unpainted "stripes" start to show up in the joint grooves. So it's best to paint in coolest, driest time of year.

Also, as Marilyn says, knots and pitch pockets will often ooze - even many, many years after installation. While you can seal these somewhat, you should expect that you will have a "rustic" paint job on this material - with knots and pitch pockets always having at least some textural presence. That is why a semi-opaque "washed" finish that celebrates these characteristics of the wood is often chosen over an effort at a smooth, opaque look.

Have fun! Mark

I was just thinking what Lily Rose wrote. Paint the darker wood white! I think that would change everything. That would lighten up the room and give the other wood a grater value. It would be a shame to cover up the rest.

Have you considered a heavily textured vinyl wallpaper? Like a thick, ivory-on-ivory 2"-wide herringbone, with varied beige-tones to it... First, you'd "railroad" a wallpaper LINER on top of the knotty pine. Don't know if you're familiar with this technique. "Railroading" is running the wallpaper horizontally. Doing this with the liner would help hide the wood's texture, as does the thick and luscious patterned vinyl. I've seen some papers that remind me of Irish cable-knit sweaters. It's an option. And, ideally, the pine would be preserved behind paper and water-soluble glue. It would be more costly than paint. But perhaps less costly than removal of the pine and dry walling. A complimentary pattern, or the same pattern painted a vibrant color, on your ceiling could be smashing, especially if you leave the beams exposed. M

Added comment;) Keep thinking about the dark beam at the kitchen pass-through... If possible, you might want to consider removing that piece. It's distracting. The view is spectacular!! I think the pine distracts from it. Would a deep moss green ceiling work with textured, solid, vinyl paper walls? If you paint the lower woodwork to match the paper, it might seem to "blend" away...

Your beams are gorgeous. I wouldn't paint those. On first glance I imagined painting the cedar a warm white tone, but definitely find a photo of someone that's painted diagonal wood.

I agree with Marilyn Wilkie. Whitewash/translucent white stain, not opaque paint. Consult a good paint store on how to handle the bleeding knots. You don't want to paint them with an opaque primer like Kilz, because you'll get very uneven results after the whitewash application. But you want to stop the brown sap which will bleed from the knots and discolor either stain or paint.
I can't imagine wallpapering over this or any wood..... ;-)

I'd rip it out or install drywall on top as others have suggested. Painting over it, you will still see the diagonal pattern, unless that is something you want to keep.

what did you decide to do eoharvey?