If they are structural you should leave them alone. If not you'll want to talk with a contractor or lumber yard. You have another alternative too. Paint everything including those beams White.

Those could be but don't appear to be faux - only way to remove them is to replace them and pay a lot for structural engineering, a permit, re rocking the ceiling, and more and more. Best use paint on them (on the paneled wall especially!!) you can paint the wall a cream tone and then water the paint and wash the beams instead . . . interesting lighting fun. .

Thank you both very much! It's real solid wood. I would love it if the ceilings were 9-12 feet high. To stay economically safe, painting is probably my only solution...I just had to ask. :-)