I think if you are doing white on the trim, white would also look great on the wood portion of the wall. I'd LOVE to see after photos when you are finished.

Hi -- if you can -- remove the angled boards and or paint every thing white. Then when you have the funds change out the railing to the modern tempered glass and metal that is perfect for a modern home. I think this kind of room looks better in white.

You might consider staining the wood a darker color to complement the lighter colors.

I agree with Emily, if you're painting the trim white I would go for white on the railing and paneling. If you have the funds, dry walling over the paneling in the future might be better. It looks like you have a little area under your railing where drywall would meet with the edge of the wood under the railing. Are you going to paint the mantle white too? I think that would look good against the stone, it would really pop. We removed paneling from our family room (our house was built in the 70's) and then had it professionally sanded and repaired in some areas, however we had an entire room of paneling so it was a lot of work. Can't wait to see pictures!!

I hate to buck the trend here, but I wouldn't paint the wood. It's consistent with the style of the house.

Sorry to say, a lighter yellow on the walls doesn't sound "right" with the FP.

You don't mention the carpet, so I assume that stays.

I'd paint the walls AND ceiling the same shade; I'd look for a light gray with warm undertones.

I would put a reflective (glass/mirror) object (CB2 has some cool stainless steel reflecting balls) on the mantel - instead of art. The smooth reflective texture would contrast beautifully with the rough stone.

Consider that one whole wall is window/art= nature. Work with it as part of your design plan...

The white paneling would look good if you're painting the trim white. A nice fresh, airy beach feel.

Sorry, B Fien - I disagree with you saying not to paint the wood railing . In this case it's not architectualy precious and if we followed that then nothing would ever get improved. It's just dated and and needs to be changed .

My preference is not to paint over any 'quality' wood trims as they are expensive to have this feature nowadays. I do agree the honey stain is outdated and you could staining them a mocca brown color to give a more contemporary feel. The handrail should be replaced when budget allows.

I would love to swap out the railing to a modern glass/metal railing - does anyone know how much they cost on average? I tried pricing them online but it was difficult for me to figure it out with all of the peices. As for the color, I would like something other then white, and the wall extends the entire length of the house into the dining and kitchen area. I wanted one consistent color throughout. I am open to try the light grey since that would keep with the more contemporary feeling of the house.

I really like the wood stained darker but I'm thinking the mantel color would need to change as well. Not sold on the wall color. I have a lot of bright oranges, yellows, and reds in my dining and kitchen area that are just to the right of this railing. What if the back wall was a brighter color like orange or red?