Grasscloth is high end enough to smile and proudly show it off - painted or no. Nothing to do for the seams except elmers if they peel.

Grass cloth was very popular in the 60's and 70's and then feel out of favor. Because it was so difficult to remove it was very common for people to paint over it, making it virtually impossible to remove without major repair work. The seams are an inevitable element of grass cloth. It's back in a big way. How about painting the dining room a bold color and the hallways a soft neutral.

Grass cloth is beautiful and adds a lot of texture and character to ordinary drywall. Just paint it the color you desire.

We definitely need to paint it - it is very stark white now so we are thinking to go with a softer look like the photo Old Village. We are going for a west coast feel (thus the mask). Unfortunately there is no way to do a different colour in the dining room as the dining room wall and the hallway walls have no natural break. Good and bad of open concept. Thanks for the feedback. Any other ideas? I am open to it all!

Here are some warm neutrals - ben moores shaker beige, mansfield tan - sherwin williams blonde (proven shades)

We have painted a few rooms and then lightly glazed them to create a soft textured look.