We are renovating our 70's cedar clad pole house. My husband painted between the ceiling beams in the kitchen/dining/living open space. He has just finished laying parquetry on the floor. We felt it was in keeping with the wood but felt the ceiling needed lightening up. It definitely brightened the place. I love it. I also sprayed some light fittings that were green fake verdigris with white paint. That also updated without detracting from the retro feel. Our kitchen has cupboards painted white and some drawer fronts in a wood finish.

Rebecca - try oiling the timber and see if this brings it up. Rub it in with some steel wool and it can do wonders to bring life into the timber again and it is quite quick to do. The worry with painting is once that is done, you can't go back. I'm assuming you live in an area of similar homes so for selling purposes, I would check out all homes currently on the market in your immediate area, go to open house days, see how they have been renovated and gauge potential buyer's response to them, ask questions as to just what they are looking for in a home. Agents will help you with this too. I spent a year doing this before I sold my home and learned a lot from it. There are just as many people out there who want to put their own stamp on a home as there are those with no vision who just want everything pretty. Your front door, while it doesn't allow much light, could well be a significant heritage piece for the home so a solar tube or 2 could be the answer to bringing light into the space. Colourful artwork on the walls will then help detract from all the panelling too. Good luck with it all.

Hi Julia, A similar colour I have found is Taubmans Amenity / T12 3.C9 https://encycolorpedia.com/d3cdbc Have a look at the link and see what you think. Hope this helps.

I like the colours you’ve suggested. I find neutrals restful. Do you have a sample of your cabinetry? An easy way to get a coordinated look, without whites clashing, is to have the white colour matched at the paint shop to the cabinetry. The colour match will tell you if White Beach is on the right track. I’d consider a more plainer white for the trim ie Natural White as suggested above or Berkshire White. For your splashback - could the budget stretch to the benchtop material? If not a tile colour that picks up one of the benchtop fleck colours will give you a coordinated look. Sounds lovely. Come back and post the completed pics.