On 2/18/2016 6:27 AM, SeaNymph wrote:
On 2/18/2016 2:49 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 2/17/2016 11:38 AM, SeaNymph wrote:
Seems that everything in this house is maple, the floors, the
cabinets, the
window frames. There is a lot of maple in this house and that's the
way it was
when we bought it. The walls are painted in nice, rich colors and
while that
helps, it's not enough, imo.

Be thankful. Here, most interiors are textured wallboard, ceramic/saltillo
tile floors and cabinets that don't seem to "fit" with the rest of the
decor.

We opted to go with hickory (though I much prefer aged knotty pine or
maple -- but not birdseye) throughout the house -- so you are reminded
of it instead of just encountering it in the kitchen. Tries to counter the
"stoney" aspect of the stucco, textured walls, etc.

Currently deciding if we want to surround the rooms with hickory crown
and/or replace the drywall corners with hickory 2x2's.

We've already changed the countertops and the downstairs wood stove
surround is
next.

Removing the beehive fireplace will be the next interior "project";
before I lay the tile.

My husband does wood working as a hobby and I'm a big fan of natural wood.
That being said, it's rather overwhelming sometimes. The maple is not birdseye
and it's beautiful wood. But a little more contract is what I'm looking for.

This house has no drywall "corners". It was one of the first things I noticed
and I would imagine few people notice that sort of thing.

I grew up with a "country kitchen" (knotty pine cabinets and wainscotting),
mahogany tongue-groove paneled living room (ditto for the full basement),
natural finish on all interior doors, stained wood trim around wooden
windows, hardwood floors, etc. It's a much warmer feeling than the
tile and (white) textured drywall + ceiling, here.

However, different architectural style (and different building techniques)
makes it hard to effect many changes.

E.g., frontier style home means roof is ceiling. Roof, of course, can't be
"flat" as it needs SOME pitch to prevent ponding. That translates to ceilings
not being "flat" (parallel to ground).

As a result, anything you put up near the ceiling highlights the fact that
it is not flat!