This week,
I was working and playing for a couple of days on location with
Balsam Hill in a gorgeous old antique house that was majorly talking to me.
Old plaster walls,
2′ high baseboard details,
original wood floors and banks of windows and built in bookcases.
It was an original condition antique house lovers dream house.
As I was working surrounded by all that architectural charm, I was noticing how much that detail of the wall and trim were adding to the overall charm of the photos.
And I started thinking about our wood planked walls and the charm they bring to our home.
We have a house full of wood planked walls. As in-Every.Room.
The kitchen, the bathrooms, the hallway, everywhere.
Truth be told- it was one of the things I absolutely fell in love with when I first saw the house.
Yes, even in that lovely shade of orange state.
And of course, I knew that those orange knotty pine walls would be painted with several layers of creamy white.
Before anyone yells at me about original wood…
I know that painting wood walls and trim isn’t something that everyone loves and will agree with-
it is an individual choice for sure- and you have to choose what works for you and makes you happy.
The dark dreary look the rooms had with those dark walls
was not working for me.
Fast fact about knotty pine:
Back in the day when these walls were put in- apparently they were not expensive and considered to be something ‘basic’ to go in a house. If you had knotty pine walls- it meant the house was on the cheaper side. But now, if you want to put knotty pine in- you will pay pay pay for it. Those grooved plank pieces can cost a pretty penny and are definitely way more expensive than your average wall material.
I know shiplap walls (horizontal wood planks) are all the rage right now- but I will take my pretty grooved vertical knotty pine over shiplap any day of the week.
And for this weeks Friday Favorites- which is all about what I am crushing on or favorite pieces/posts – I am sharing all about wood walls.
3 reasons I love wood walls
1. Planked wood walls make a space without overwhelming
I love the look of a vertical plank on a wall- it makes the room feel taller and more stately and the grooved details are almost like a subtle wallpaper –
they add so much and are so charming but not overpowering.
#2. Architectural details are a good thing
Yes, they are.
A room that has architectural details such as beautiful trim work
and abundance of windows and doors and walls that are far from basic
is a room that has character.
And character in a room warms it up and gives it a personality.
#3. Wood Walls ROCK
You can just pop a heavy mirror or something else on the wall with a screw
and not have to worry about using a wall anchor.
And I can’t tell you how many times that has been amazingly handy.
If you are thinking of adding wood walls to your home-
but catching your breath after figuring out the cost – there are some less expensive alternatives that have a smaller groove or no detail-
or you can even just use 1x pine boards and cover your walls that way too.
It would be a bit more ‘rustic’ but it works.
In my opinion, those wood walls add such an abundance of charm- they are well worth the money to put them in or fix them up.
I get so many questions about the wood walls, how to paint them, how to put them in, etc. I am sharing a few popular wood planked wall posts today
While most of our wood walls are original- we do have a few rooms where we added new to look old. Like the bathroom–
And out in the cottage– we created a wall to divide a 500 square foot room and create an entry area.
That meant trying to find a plank that semi matched the original planks out there.
Because..
my love for those pretty wood walls is real.
😉
Ingress up in a British Colonial cottage . Wood planked outer walls and inner walls. Exposed beams on the ceiling and some of the walls. At the time it was just home. ???? Filled with English and French colonial pieces in mahogany furniture and deep brown mahogany wide planked floors.
today, it'd LUV to get my hands on some of that sweet charm. Wood rubbed to a wonderful patina by wear….
doors with authentic chippy paint… sigh
Happy weekend.
Hugs, Gee
Well, anytime walls look as charming as yours do, Courtney, what's not to like/love? Hope you have a fabulous weekend, Ardith
I have happy memories of knotty pine walls. My Grandparents' house was all knotty pine except the bedrooms. So every time I see it, I think of them. We have it going down the stairwell to our basement, and however much I want to paint them, I just can't because of that memory. Now, I did paint all the paneling upstairs, and that looks wonderful, but it wasn't real wood like the knotty pine. Still…I got the planked wall look, which is very cottage-like.
Love your planked wall., they look great.
I don't have knotty pine, but my house does have Phillipine mahogany in the family room. I have struggled with the decision whether to paint or not to paint. And for 40+ years, I have not painted. I have, however, decided to take the plunge and paint the walls this year before the holidays. My family will gasp at the sight of the painted boards, but I know it is time! Thanks for the inspiration.
I like the mirror.
In my case I would take wood walls over most finishes, yet brick walls really do it for me along with French stone walls. I am planning to do a bit of wall treatment to a home that lacks all the luster age and authentic history your home exudes.
Oh to be able to take on a challenge as you did here, seeing the beauty most investors would have torn out and down to build something new in its place. You my dear have created a home to love all over again.
My grandparents home guest cottage was covered in cedar tung and grove and boy so many times I had wished I could have painted that cottage white and move in.
As far as shiplap, or vertical pine tung and groove, stones, or stucco it's the calling of the home that tells you what it wants to become….it's wonderful that you listened to your home and allowed it to show off its new old beauty.
Love all the life that your home lives.
Inspiring
Bisous
Doré
Very Impressive post. I love second image of exterior front door it gives exotic look.
Thanks for sharing & keep going 🙂
What color is the paint I have vertical barn wall planks and I'm thinking of changing the color of them there a beige color now.thanks
I love-love-love what you did here. Girg!
We sold our home recently, and one realtor (we interviewed more than one) said to tear down the wooden plank walls before we listed. I wondered if he’d been under a rock? We did not hire him. Yes, wood walls are wonderful, mine were painted white, like yours. In the end, the woman who bought our home (after 1 day on the market) said it was her dream home! I continually love to see what you do with just white, in decorating…..just amazing!
I very much like the reflective quality of the LIVINg room ceiling. What brand, color and most importantly what finish is the paint?
Hi there,
I use a semi-gloss for most of the wood in our house- I find it far easier to clean and ‘brighter’ than an eggshell. This color is Simply White and the brand is Benjamin Moore.
I am in the process of trying to restore replacement knotty pineto match the old stuff in my father’s 1930’s Craftsman style home in Placerville, CA. It’s hard to get that old yellow color and the finish carpentry was never done so the planking is there but the chair rail is missing, molding around windows is there but the window skirt is missing, you get the idea. I’m just finishing Dad’s work here on earth and happy to do so.
Loved this post! I too grew up with knotty pine walls in my bedroom! We live in a 1947 beach house that needed some windows added when we moved in. The thin paneling came down and my husband added vertical tongue and groove. we also took the dropped ceiling down to expose the beams. Everything got a big dose of white paint! When we were recently thinking of moving, the first realtor that we interviewed asked how we were going to fix the ceiling so we knew she wasn’t the person for us! We decided not to move!
I have been right there with you painting orange pine planked walls. Not for the Faint of heart. I would do it again and again. BEAUTIFUL job!
Before the house i live in now, i rented one with regular wAlls in the bedrooms but knotty pine ceilings. I loved them.
I love our original Wormwood walls painted in a creamy shade of white! Lol, when we bought our house, the owners said, we will sell you the house if you never get rid of the wormwood walls! We have made many changes and gone through extensive renovation, but we have maintained several areas with the wormwood walls. We designed our kitchen island from unused wood, adding heavy antique corbels for more character. We are currently redoing our cottage after our oldest recently moved out, and I think wood is precisely what those walls need! Thank you for the tip!
ABSOLUTELY beautiful!!!!
I am going to try a wall …. Or two… 😍
I love the end table shown to the leFt of your Sofa. Is this also from french heritage? WoulD love yo order one for my living room.
Thanks For sharing and inspiring us!
When first married, we rented a tiny cottage that was knotty pine everything!!! Including the bathroom, closets, ceiling, walls. We were there several years and knotty pine became my least favorite design choice. I’ve lived in 20 places since then and never, never, never used knotty pine!!!