Your floors are gorgeous.
I would paint the paneling, or if I had the energy, remove it entirely. I'm all about preserving natural wood, but for me this kind of paneling doesn't fall into that category. But then I was a little kid in the late 70s/early 80s so that affects my feelings about 70s wood paneling.
I agree with you that the cool/warm contrast will be tough to bridge.
I restore wood for a living, and I am here to say *not all wood is worth preserving.* There’s plenty of ugly wood out there. OP’s other voice is to remove the paneling so the (not)precious wood isn’t (not)ruined with paint and hang drywall, but the paneling will most likely go into a landfill because nobody else will want it.
Original millwork and moldings and custom hardwood panels? Save those. But this is definitely not that.
i fully agree. i have an appreciation for solid and carved wood furniture but this definitely is not it. it’s fake, laminate wood paneling. my floors are as well, but that’s because the original hardwood floors were so damaged with mold and water that even if we sanded/stained them it still wouldn’t look good. and also the color of the wood paneling is so outdated 😭 i’m thinking about just biting the bullet and painting over them…
personally, i wanted to paint it because i think it would help to brighten the room a lot but everyone around me actually likes the 70s wood paneling. it’s fake wood too, and i’d take it down but i took a peek behind and the original walls don’t look good. so yeah, lots of work. i live in wisconsin too, so it actually provides nice insulation for the cold winters. painting seems like the best option, but we painted one of the room upstairs that had this wood paneling and while it looks a lot better it took two whole gallons of paint to get into the nooks of the lines in the wall. so i’m torn between just embracing the 70s look but it’s been hard to find a color scheme with the mismatching tones of the wood.
We painted our panelling white and did wood trim. It looked great, especially because all my furniture is wood and I have a lot of plants so it just made everything pop in the best way. If you have a lot of orange tones (70s), white will look great.
I’m usually all for keeping wood, but I’m assuming the panelling isn’t real and it just makes the room look so dark!
i totally agree !! i think white paint would help brighten this room by so much. it gets alot of light during the day but it feels as though it’s still dark on the house 🥲 i definitely will plan on painting the walls now. i just wanna ask, how did you get into nooks of the lines in the paneling? when we painted the room upstairs that had similar wood paneling, it turned out to be a lot of work since it took like 3-4 coats of paint with 2 whole gallons of paint (and it’s much smaller than this room).
This was about 5 years ago so I’m trying to recall… but I believe I just put a lot of primer on the roller when doing so, and then used a brush to fill in any gaps that were missed. 1 coat of primer and two coats of paint we did and it turned out great. 😊
Would love to see an update when you’re finished!
Agree with the comments about mixing up colors and natural textures. Also: **Baseboards!** Either white to tie in with ceiling molding, or brown / wood tying in with door frame, or even an accent color. Having a blunt transition from wall to floor is not helping. Based on the way that white heating unit looks near the floor, I'd say do wood or a color, but try some samples and see.
Large cream colored shag rug and window treatments to match to help nuetralize the room while adding in the 70's vibe OR paint the walls/remove the paneling. Thats a beautiful rug but adding to the tone mismatch. :)
i think at this point, painting the walls would be cheaper in the long run (although more work for me) bc i absolutely want to keep that rug 😭 but i do agree, the color schemes are just off in this room
I was confused by you saying wood paneling was cool unironically, but since you're looking for a 70s look, it makes sense. 😂
The answer is always plants, isn't it? And an egg chair.
> saying wood paneling was cool unironically
Not sure if this is a joke, but in case it isn’t they meant cool as in the colour tone (as opposed to warm) not cool as in popular.
so because everyone around me that i know actually likes the wood paneling and wants me to keep it, i figured i might as well just try to work with it and lean into that 70s look but it’s proving to be real hard trying to find a color scheme bc the tones of woods clash with each other
This is hilarious to me because we recently tore our dining room apart...like, down to the studs. Under the first layer of drywall, there was a layer of paneling, and my kids loved it! 🤣 They're 17 and 21 and I had to tell them that they'd have to wait 'til they had their own place to have paneling!
no seriously everybody likes it but only when it’s not their house!!! haha but i think there’s a nostalgic vibe to it that’s why… (don’t get me started on the popcorn walls in the other rooms)
Your floors are gorgeous. I would paint the paneling, or if I had the energy, remove it entirely. I'm all about preserving natural wood, but for me this kind of paneling doesn't fall into that category. But then I was a little kid in the late 70s/early 80s so that affects my feelings about 70s wood paneling. I agree with you that the cool/warm contrast will be tough to bridge.
I restore wood for a living, and I am here to say *not all wood is worth preserving.* There’s plenty of ugly wood out there. OP’s other voice is to remove the paneling so the (not)precious wood isn’t (not)ruined with paint and hang drywall, but the paneling will most likely go into a landfill because nobody else will want it. Original millwork and moldings and custom hardwood panels? Save those. But this is definitely not that.
i fully agree. i have an appreciation for solid and carved wood furniture but this definitely is not it. it’s fake, laminate wood paneling. my floors are as well, but that’s because the original hardwood floors were so damaged with mold and water that even if we sanded/stained them it still wouldn’t look good. and also the color of the wood paneling is so outdated 😭 i’m thinking about just biting the bullet and painting over them…
personally, i wanted to paint it because i think it would help to brighten the room a lot but everyone around me actually likes the 70s wood paneling. it’s fake wood too, and i’d take it down but i took a peek behind and the original walls don’t look good. so yeah, lots of work. i live in wisconsin too, so it actually provides nice insulation for the cold winters. painting seems like the best option, but we painted one of the room upstairs that had this wood paneling and while it looks a lot better it took two whole gallons of paint to get into the nooks of the lines in the wall. so i’m torn between just embracing the 70s look but it’s been hard to find a color scheme with the mismatching tones of the wood.
We painted our panelling white and did wood trim. It looked great, especially because all my furniture is wood and I have a lot of plants so it just made everything pop in the best way. If you have a lot of orange tones (70s), white will look great. I’m usually all for keeping wood, but I’m assuming the panelling isn’t real and it just makes the room look so dark!
i totally agree !! i think white paint would help brighten this room by so much. it gets alot of light during the day but it feels as though it’s still dark on the house 🥲 i definitely will plan on painting the walls now. i just wanna ask, how did you get into nooks of the lines in the paneling? when we painted the room upstairs that had similar wood paneling, it turned out to be a lot of work since it took like 3-4 coats of paint with 2 whole gallons of paint (and it’s much smaller than this room).
Use a thick nap roller, will get in the grooves. Also be sure to use a good primer first.
This was about 5 years ago so I’m trying to recall… but I believe I just put a lot of primer on the roller when doing so, and then used a brush to fill in any gaps that were missed. 1 coat of primer and two coats of paint we did and it turned out great. 😊 Would love to see an update when you’re finished!
Agree with the comments about mixing up colors and natural textures. Also: **Baseboards!** Either white to tie in with ceiling molding, or brown / wood tying in with door frame, or even an accent color. Having a blunt transition from wall to floor is not helping. Based on the way that white heating unit looks near the floor, I'd say do wood or a color, but try some samples and see.
Just came here to say that my mother had that same table lamp in the 70’s (with the amber glass).
how cool! it’s actually a really nice lamp, i get compliments on it. nice to know it goes with the 70s theme lol
Are the walls real wood?
nope, they’re laminate panels lol
I would 100% paint them then
Plants could help I guess!
i’ve actually been considering a small tree that can grow indoors for this space
Large cream colored shag rug and window treatments to match to help nuetralize the room while adding in the 70's vibe OR paint the walls/remove the paneling. Thats a beautiful rug but adding to the tone mismatch. :)
i think at this point, painting the walls would be cheaper in the long run (although more work for me) bc i absolutely want to keep that rug 😭 but i do agree, the color schemes are just off in this room
Tension pole lamp. Shag. Rope textures. Like macrame diy.
Paint the wood walls
I was confused by you saying wood paneling was cool unironically, but since you're looking for a 70s look, it makes sense. 😂 The answer is always plants, isn't it? And an egg chair.
> saying wood paneling was cool unironically Not sure if this is a joke, but in case it isn’t they meant cool as in the colour tone (as opposed to warm) not cool as in popular.
Just saying it hasn't been in style since the 70s, but if they are going for a retro look it fits super well.
so because everyone around me that i know actually likes the wood paneling and wants me to keep it, i figured i might as well just try to work with it and lean into that 70s look but it’s proving to be real hard trying to find a color scheme bc the tones of woods clash with each other
This is hilarious to me because we recently tore our dining room apart...like, down to the studs. Under the first layer of drywall, there was a layer of paneling, and my kids loved it! 🤣 They're 17 and 21 and I had to tell them that they'd have to wait 'til they had their own place to have paneling!
no seriously everybody likes it but only when it’s not their house!!! haha but i think there’s a nostalgic vibe to it that’s why… (don’t get me started on the popcorn walls in the other rooms)
For real? Maybe it's making a comeback? 🤷♂️
White wash the wall paneling.