There are several different approaches here -- depending on how invasive you want to get. I think the definite solution would be to gut the paneling. You simply have too many patterns and colors -- the paneling and the parquet clash; there's brick on the fireplace, etc. Start fresh, with a nice light and warm coat of paint on everything, including the fireplace. I think that white would work nice in this space, which you can then "cozy up" with plush throw pillows, textured rug, etc.

Going to the other extreme and trying to do as little as possible, I think a lot can be achieved if you bring more light to the room with more light fixtures, lighter upholstery on the couch, and a new, light rug. Also de-cluttering the shelves would give the room a more calming vibe.

Somewhere in the middle would be addressing the furniture and lighting, in addition to figuring out what to do with the fireplace, the shelves, and the paneling in the back of the shelves. I would get rid of the existing shelves and build new ones, more modern looking, preferably in white. Then I would paint the paneling behind the shelves and above the fireplace, as well as the brick around the fireplace in white, which would provide nice contrast with the paneling on the side walls.

Those would be my suggestions -- of different degrees of overall effect and "invasiveness". Hopefully you find it helpful.

Paint all the panelling! You can still achieve a cozy feeling with a lighter color that will help brighten the room

If it was my room, I would paint all of the paneling and built-ins white, maybe with the back walls of the built-ins painted in a darker color like grey or blue (dark or light, depending on your taste) to create interest and make them into cool design elements. Then I would paint the fireplace in a different color, probably grey or black, and I would replace the hardware on the built-ins with something more modern. Or I might paint the backs of the built-ins and the fireplace in the same color. I would leave the shelf above the fireplace unpainted at first to see what it looks like. If it doesn't look right, I would paint it white like the rest of the paneling. Either way I would try and find more modern-looking brackets for it.

I may invoke controversy here, but I would keep it all and work the "50s camping cabin" aspect of the room. It is just so cozy. Not every room has to be light and airy. I would love to have a place like this to curl up with a good book on a stormy night.

All great ideas. Additional info on the room: above the couch is a large window that opens into our sun room. So, there is a source of light from one side of the room. We are also most likely knocking out the back wall (not pictured here) which opens into our kitchen.

a quick idea would be to put a pale color behind your shelves. Before you commit, try covering foam core with some fabric and pop it back there. It will lighten up the shelves and add interest. I think the idea of "camping cabin" is a great one. The reality is, most of us don't use our rooms in the day time so play up the idea of evenings by the fire. A Pendleton blanket and some hot chocolate, and this room is perfect as is

I would paint the panelling for sure. Do that first and see if you like the way the fireplace looks then. It might look different to you in a different setting. I would also try painting the walls behind the bookcase in the same color as the panelling and again seeing if you like the bookshelves then. If not, paint them, too.

I'm not a fan of the all wood look having seen too much of it in the 70's. Several friends have painted their pine paneling and it looks great, still cozy but less the inside of a roll top desk look. You could also paint the back of the bookcase, but leave the shelves and doors wood. I would never paint a fireplace because I've never seen one that didn't look cheesy.
Like other people have said, play up the warm and cozy aspect and add some more light.

I personally really like the look and feel of your room. I understand your "dark" concerns. My husband and I just purchased a very small house that has a dark cedar ceiling, wood paneling on the walls, and dark wood floors. We painted the paneling, and it really brightened it up. I would maybe try it in phases...try painting the paneling and see if you really need to change the fireplace? It is a very cozy and charming little room, and you have it decorated very nicely. Baby-steps to change...

I dunno. Painted paneling just looking like you're trying and failing to hide something you don't like. Plus it would still look dated because the fireplace has those weird angles. I'd remove it and square off the bottom of the fireplace. I'm not a fan of parquet, so I'd get rid of that also.

I think if you want to keep the warmth you could keep the paneling and put in a lighter/brighter floor. The floor and the paneling are a little too much together. Another option would be to paint the built ins like they were added after rather than a part of the same wood paneling. That might brighten up around the fireplace without taking away too much of the warmth. I guess I would choose the thing that most says warm and cozy to you and keep it. Change the thing that says that the least to make the room brighter.

Hi Sherri,

I can tell that you are comfortable with mixing different patterns and so I would actually encourage more of that but in a way that balances. My suggestion is to treat the fireplace wall as a single unit, like a piece of anchoring furniture rather than a wall. Since you already have a cream color in the chair shown, I would choose something similar to that and paint the entire wall, bookcases and brick included. And then I would continue that lighter color as a single, large, horizontal zigzag stripe on the remaining walls. I am picturing a 12 - 18" wide zigzag about two thirds of the way up from the floor. You have to be bold with it in order to balance the other patterns - wall, artwork, rug. Plus, it becomes a great background to coordinate mismatched frames. Since it is about balance, I would suggest replacing the mantel with something the color of the paneling. The existing one is too small for the space and will look even smaller once that wall is all cream. The mantel can be as simple as boxed in trim boards painted a caramel color. If you have the budget, I would also suggest adding recessed downlights to the top shelves.

As a word of caution, I don't think you would be happy with painting the backs of the shelves in a different color. Unless you plan to add a strong horizontal stripe somewhere else in the room, they are going to appear as stripes that fight with the vertical paneling. The horizontal zigzag is different because it touches a lot more areas within the room and expands that end wall visually.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

If you're set on keeping the parquet, I think your best option is to paint the panelling. I think you should also beef up your mantle when you get a chance to balance out the hearth. Then avoid adding more patterns to the room. Parquet can definitely look good, like in this photo: http://bit.ly/QPRp1f

However, DO NOT choose white. White vertical panelling has a tendency to look beachy (like white beadboard!). I think a sage or grey-green colour would look nice with the honey-coloured floor. Or a nice grey-blue : http://bit.ly/TKvCmi

Another more daring option: http://bit.ly/XRfNlb

We definitely want to update the mantle, and recessed lighting is something we also have on our to-do list. These are all great ideas, keep em coming!

katpack- love that first link for reference, thanks. and the parquet is staying. we dig it.

Personally,I liked the idea of just painting the fireplace wall and shelves,and leaving the paneling as is.Maybe even put glass doors on the shelves,give it a vintage feel.Change the hardware too.That looks like good pine paneling,not the cheapy stuff,and you can freshen those up like you would a floor.Its amazing what a light refinishing on that paneling could do!Theyd just GLOW.Also,I love the parquet floors! I think they get a bad rap in the design world,more interesting to look at than yet another gleaming expanse of hardwood in my opinion.
I like the art as well,but I would take the 2 small ones and move the one over the fireplace to the right and hang those next to it just like they are .Then Id put a big old mirror on that wall to reflect the light from the opening above the couch.The furniture is fine,but the rug could be more colorful,a nice bright dhurrie.Or a gorgeous rag rug.A couple of throw pillows,a few accesories,your good to go.

I would remove the paneling from all walls BUT the fireplace wall. I'd replace with drywall and then paint a warm gray/green - say Duxbury Gray (HC-163) by Benjamin Moore (US Color). Keep the fireplace wall in its original state but wash the wood and brick really well. This will keep the warm, cozy den feel you are looking for but bring it into a more modern era. The gray of the paint will keep the wood from looking too orangy.

My mom painted the paneling recently in my childhood home. It's been something she's debated for, I don't know, 15 years.... It looks amazing! We all loved the room before (it had lots of windows and a sliding door, so it felt more open than this one) but really love it now. She doesn't regret it at all!

If you paint the paneling, I would wash it with TSP and use a really good primer. If you can, use an oil based paint primer and paint, it works so much better on wood although it's a much tougher job. Many latex based paints flake off of wood in a short time and you will be able to peel the paint right off. You can always use a stain too! Good luck!

Wall to wall curtains(or even just one wall) in a lighter color if you want to brighten it up. You can change the curtains as your mood/season/styles change but gutting or painting the paneling would be something you can't undo if you change your mind later.

there is imitation tsp available, as real tsp now is illegal in most states (phosphates wreck the watersheds). maybe paint or dump/drywall all panels except the fp wall to reflect light & keep focal point if fp matches rest of house style. a big area rug (western/traditional/abstract/bloc) will affect feeling of room & tone down fp wall, consider bigger pic/mirror over fp in similar style to rug to pull it together.

Your paneling and fireplace are gorgeous. Why have natural materials if you are just going to paint over them?

Consider updating your lighting first. All you have is one puny lamp on the mantel. Then consider bright colored slipcovers--or new furniture. I'm thinking bright blue or teal. Put a big mirror or very large bright painting over the mantel. Put a coordinating rug in front of the fireplace and you will be surprised at what a difference it will make.

The recessed lighting will help a lot, I think, too, and painting just the mantle and maybe some trim around windows/doors white. Another thought: bring in some wide, white baseboards or a white trim around the top of the ceiling, especially if it's a decent height. Instead of the black grate in front of the fireplace, can you paint it or get something that is silver or light colored? Even a lighter gray would help brighten that up some. Finally, maybe get a white slipcover or some large white throws for your couch and some white throw pillows. Bringing in bright accents will up the contrast against the darker ambience of the room and don't require as much commitment.

Like the parquet. But your floor needs a big old rug or two. Cover much of the parquet, leaving it peeking out at the edges. I'd even think about having a rug remnant custom cut and bound to make a rug that covers a few feet in front of the fireplace and shelves on the sides - kind of a long, wide hearth rug, that also functions as a rug in front of that doorway. Would make a cozy place to sit in front of the fireplace, and keeping just a few inches of parquet showing uniformly along that wall would reduce seeing so much parquet side by side with the pine bookcases and the fireplace. Then put a bigger rug that coordinates in color with the custom cut hearth rug, a foot or so back from the hearth rug, covering the bulk of the rest of the floor, with bigger, like a foot, areas of parquet showing at the sides of the bigger rug around the room.

Definitely replace the mantle shelf with a larger, bulkier wood shelf, painted dark, something like black maybe. With helftier wood brackets supporting it,

Agree - using something simple (but fumacious, use ventilation) on pine paneling like Howards Restor-a-Finish (I did this on my pine kitchen cupboards, and they came out great) really does make the wood shine. I would do nothing to the shelves and paneling than this. Except also change the door and drawer hardware.

I have seen painted fireplaces that look great - but not in white, off-white, tan, or grey. I've seen nice ones in brick red. Remember that the brick will no longer be maintenance-free if you paint it, but I can see why the starkness and frankly not-interesting brick there appears cold. I'd experiment with mid-range colors - bricks, salmon, sages, olives, etc. to see what would look best on the brick with the pine. I think the greens would go well, as the opposite color in the color wheel to the reddish color of the pine. Then choose rug colors to coordinate with the brick color. I'd go with more colors in it, and with smaller patterns in it, than the rug you have in there currently. The point would be to add a lot of color with the rug. Not necessarily light color - just rich color. I'm thinking oriental rugs, especially tribal-type rugs, but more modern rugs with colors and patterns could look good as well.

Also, if the pine wall is just too much still, don't paint it, just hang larger, colorful things on it so less of it shows, and it becomes more of an art backdrop. I did this with rooms I moved into painted a rather dark-ish brown (stylish these days, but I didn't like it, and didn't want to paint.) It works, try it. Colorful woven rugs hung on the wall also work to bring color, as artwork.

I really like the color of the panelling, and think it goes very well with the fireplace. It's the parquet that clashes in my opinion, both the pattern and the color. I'd consider a solid color floor so as not to war with the geometric lines of the panelling and the brickwork. Carpeting seems frowned upon, but I think it might look good, and add to the warm ambience. I wouldn't want my whole place to look like this, but it seems appropriate for a den. The very word conjures up cozy and warm.

If you just don't want the panelling, I'd remove it and paint the walls a lighter but not too light color. That would give you more flexibility for the future.

We have painted panelling, although it's just one wall. I really like how it breaks up the plain walls.

Would hate to have stained pine panelling.

Here is a AT paint over version to help you visualize: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-aftermollys-fireplace-a-156668

As a wood heat enthusiast I would check on getting a new insert during all of the remodeling hullaballoo. Then you could heat your home with cozy, renewable energy.

What would changing the sunroom window to a sunroom French door do for the light quality? Just a thought.

Can't get much more beachy than the lighthouse, sailboat and whale in the grey-blue link. But oh how I do love that color!

I do love the grey-blue color minus the lighthouse, sailboat and whale!

Yes, paint or whitewash for a more subtle effect. The walls, floor and fireplace offer no visual interest because they all blend together in color but clash in pattern.

I would paint the paneling a soft gray-blue and the fireplace brick white. You could paint the backs of the bookcases an accent color, or paper it. That would be fun!

These ideas are all intriguing. We are leaning now towards painting the fireplace and above paneling white to start, inspired by this photo: http://pinterest.com/pin/139330182193119595/

We will be adding recessed lighting in the ceiling, changing the hardware on the cabinets/drawers and changing the rug (and eventually sofa). We will be moving the tv to a long, low console on the left paneled wall. And perhaps add a billy bookcase next to on one side. I like the idea of using lots of art on the other wall or a tapestry as one person suggested. I will lessen the book overkill and tidy up the shelving as well. Still open to ideas, this has been so helpful!

I would definitely keep in mind that you don't have to do everything at once! You can slowly make changes, to see when it crosses that line into 'ok' territory.
That being said: I would start out by replacing the mantle, painting the fireplace, painting the backs of the bookcases, and changing out the doors under the bookcases to a non-paneled door of the same color wood (I think the paneled doors really take it over the line to WAY too much paneling).
I would also increase the size of the artwork over the fireplace to take up more of the surround--if you want to keep the current art, either turn it 80* so it is visually wider, or get a large, plain white canvas from Hobby Lobby/Michael's and mount the current artwork on top of it. This would be an easy way to add some white over the fireplace without having to paint the paneling!
With those simple modifications, I think you could change it so that whole wall is a 'break' from the paneling. I might also consider getting a wide trim and painting it white, or whatever color you do the bookcase backs/fireplace in. That will create a visual break between the paneling and floor, which would make the difference in the colors of wood not quite as obvious. Also, personally, that super thin wood trim at the ceiling drives me crazy, I much prefer a wider trim!

I agree with jeannemarie. If it was my main room, I'd remove the paneling and floor and do something bright and airy. But sometimes you want a cozy dark place to hide in with a book and glass of wine. I'd instead play up the existing aspects of the room.

It's an approach that can work well surprisingly well and with less investment than you'd think. An old apartment of mine had an avocado toilet, tub, and sink. I wasn't allowed to replace them of course, but they said I could peel off the 20 layers of wallpaper... so instead I painted and put in rugs and wall and a shower curtain art that played up the retro vibe. It wasn't what I'd normally do, but it turned out great. Guests thought it was fun and playful and it looks a million times better. I ended up liking its personality so much I was glad I couldn't do my usual white/grey/blue bathroom shtick. You might also find bringing out out the existing personality of this den to be more appealing than a modern update.

Paint all paneling a very light blue grey. Someone wrote that painted paneling looks like it's trying to hide something but, at least here, paint is actually the traditional way and unpainted wood is a twentieth century fad.

https://lh3.ggpht.com/_xzFG8w6RqVU/Snc6JmtIXEI/AAAAAAAAACc/k1dUSSqBZic/s1600-h/IMGP3097.JPG

http://www.gardochtorp.se/fore-detta-skola-ljusdal.aspx?article=8643

I haven't seen any windows pictured, and you don't mention natural light. Therefore I would not use any blue-gray- "cool" colors. I imagine you use this room mostly at night. I have painted many a panelled room in houses. Removing paneling is very expensive and you are left with a very rough wall. You can't just pop dry wall on top of it that easily. So paint: I like a warm white. In years past I

rubbed the paint with glaze and rubbed it off, and then waxed it. Probably wouldn't bother now. The "parquet" floor is a recent fake kind of par-kay, and I would not hesitate to cover it with a lot of rug. The fireplace surround brick could use a wash of white paint. That tricky little hearth is a weird shape, and it could be expensive and messy to rip it out. Maybe fit something honestly rectangular over it? If you can rip it out, just lay a piece of slate flush with the floor. I can imagine the little children who use that table & chairs might trip over that present construction.

Don't center a painting that size over the mantel; put it on one side, and balance with some tall things on the other side, candlesticks, a skinny lamp, etc. Or add more art to that lone piece.

Change the hardware on the drawers and doors. This looks like such a useful room, and I think a little paint will make it more so.

Can the sofa face the TV set? Possible to put it perpendicular to the wall, with a sofa table behind? I also see the white chair sitting alone - no lamp, no side table. I'm curious about what's behind the camera angle- not just the fireplace wall. Also what windows there are and how they are dressed.

I agree with B from Stockholm. Painted panelling is beautiful and traditional. I was in a home recently with a living area very similar to this; they had painted all the panelling a nice warm shade of white (contradictory? Maybe, but it felt warm), very cape cod but still super comfortable and inviting. If the brick fireplace looks good with the painted wood then I would leave it, but play it by ear and paint it last. Really great room though, I'd work with what you've got, it could be gorgeous!

Definitely paint the panelling a light tone (a soft white or almond color would sit nicely with the other warmer elements)! If the floor is your favorite part, make the other elements of the room fall back a little bit so it can stand out on its own! You could even white-wash the fireplace brick if you don't want to preserve the brick's color - we did this to our pink-ish brick fireplace and with just one or two coats of watered-down primer it was a new room!

Paint the paneling, but do a lead test first, and be aggressive in preparing the surface so the new stuff will stick without peeling and flaking. And if you hate it? You still have the option of taking the paneling out.