Ideas For Decorating A Knotty Pine Cottage

Old knotty pine planked walls

Complete with lots of grooves and details
and loads of old wood wall character

I love them.

Covered in creamy white, they just say cottage perfectly
Paired with hardwood floors and bead board and beams on the ceiling
it's love when I walk into a room and see them.

But I didn't always feel that way.

Post disclaimer time:

If you are against painting over wood- you might not want to read any further.

Our home has tongue and groove knotty pine walls in almost every room
and when I first walked in- I felt a little overwhelmed and claustrophobic
like I needed to turn on 150 lights

Those dark walls made the rooms feel like caves
even with the windows and doors open.

They were so cold and dreary.

Even though the rooms were all very large- they felt so small and closed up.

Of course ~in the above photo~
the 1 light bulb hanging from the ceiling and small window in the dining room

did nothing to help

Those planks were everywhere.
In the kitchen. In the bathroom. In the hallway. In the bedrooms. In the cottage.

Even on the only finished ceiling in the house and in the cottage.

(Note the beer bottle pull on the fan in the kitchen- nice touch don't you think? 😉 )

I know the look of the house was meant to be more cottage or cabin
with those wood walls

but to me
the look of that knotty pine was taking over.

So it's safe to say that I didn't love them when I saw them…
but I didn't hate them either.
They were beautifully detailed with patterned grooves
and they are thick- thick- thick pine-and original to the house.
So even though there was no insulation behind them- the boards are nailed directly to the studs
and even though they were dark and dreary

they were a favorite potentially beautiful feature of the house right away. I knew that a few (gallons) of paint and primer would take them from dreary to delightful.

It took several coats of primer and several coats of good quality paint
brushed on by hand to fully cover but

when they were done-
the rooms felt 500 times bigger, brighter,
warmer and welcoming.

The office walls are one of only 2 rooms with simple planks- not extra grooved

though-they are thick and wide- probably 8-10″ each

I added a wainscot to these since they were more simple

and painted the planks a soft warm white with a peachy pink undertone

If you are planning to paint your wood walls- just remember do not skip the primer.

If it is knotty pine wearing that old stained and glossy finish that you are covering

you probably need a heavy duty primer to cover it

I would ask at your local hardware store for a recommendation.

Here are a few favorites of rooms
with wood walls wearing a coat of paint that I have pinned
You can find all the links and more at my pinterest board~ Architectural Love

This room reminds me so much of our house- the walls and the ceilings

in planks of grooved pine.

Even planked walls with some color

they are random sized boards as well which is different

I know that painting over dark wood walls is not for everyone

and some of you are probably cringing at this post

but for me – they are perfect and in your home
you have to go with what makes you happy.

In our dining area~ where the single bulb, tiny window and dark walls once were

there is now bright and light that greets you

Creamy white walls, french doors and double chandeliers.

and that definitely makes me happy.

The living room will be getting a fresh coat of paint soon

so I am feeling an inspiration post about choosing the 'perfect' white paint coming up.

White paint is one that always seems to be a color that is harder to choose since there are so many

beautiful whites with different undertones and variances.
I'll share some favorites and the color I go with once that project
moves up to the front of the list.

Happy Wednesday

sharing at wow

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