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1953 knotty pine den — with 1953 wallpaper on the ceiling

pam kueber - April 9, 2012, Updated: January 17, 2018

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

Yes: A 1953 knotty pine den with an original wallpapered ceiling. This is so inspiring, it takes my breath away. When they first moved in, Brian & Keri (of the the 1953 retro kitchen remodel) were not thrilled with the wallpaper. But, they waited a while before taking it down — and now they love it. Brian explains:
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Hi Pam-
Our den is small, with alot of furniture in it, so these were the best photos I could get for you.
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When we first bought the house, we were less than crazy about the wallpaper ceiling and planned to remove the wallpaper. However, over time the ceiling grew on us.  The wallpaper on the ceiling makes the room darker and appear smaller, but gives it a cozy feel.
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Most people paint over the knotty pine.  We love the honey color of the wood, so we plan to leave it alone.  We were told the original owners who lived here for 50 years smoked like chimneys, which may account for that lovely dark honey knotty pine.  The only thing the room is missing is a deer head mounted on the wall.
 
– Brian
Thank you, Brian, for fulfilling my request to, like, go lay down on the floor of your knotty pine den and take photos in which we could see furniture+walls+ceiling. Did Keri laugh her head off? Gold star!
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Vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! Vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! I want vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! Cozy is good.

One of the most important lessons
of Retro Renovation:

And, here’s a repeat of that super duper important Retro Renovation principal: LIVE WITH YOUR HOUSE A YEAR, at the least, before you go rippin’ vintage things out (unless there are environmental or safety factors, of course.) Save the regrets by taking it slow. Learn the house you’re in; Love the house you’re in.

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  1. Robbie Kendall says

    As it turns out, the house on which we had placed an offer was withdrawn from the market directly after we placed our bid – so no knotty pine den. However, we placed an offer on another house this last Wednesday with a large knotty pine study over the garage and, Yippee!, our bid was accepted; the house is by the architect Benjamin Franklin Olson and built in 1934. I’ll be back again after we close on it.

    In the meantime, I’d like to quote a passage, which I owe, truly, entirely to you, from the e-mail I sent today to friends and relatives announcing the news. “Also, we plan to live simply, frugally, and appreciatively the first year(s) that we are there. We will have a warranty on the house for the first two years or so and will only make changes after that time. By waiting, we will be able to experience the house through the cycles of seasons. We will watch the light change over the course of time. We will hear the house creak as we move through it and as it is buffeted by the weather, and we will feel the changes in temperature. In short, we will listen to the house tell us what it needs.”

    Bless you and thank you!

  3. Robbie Kendall says

    Thank you for your site, Ms. Kueber, which I just discovered today. I have learned so much, truly, from this one post: 1) Love the house you are in; 2) a house that we hope to move into has a fully knotty pine paneled den, one wall of the living room as well, and, it only today occurred to me as I read this post that the badly painted kitchen cabinets are probably knotty pine too if I strip away the paint; 3) At one of the wallpaper websites that was recommended, I found eight rolls of a paper that was put into my Grandmother Kendall’s house by the previous owners and she moved in in 1947; 4) I grew up with a knotty pine “Club Room” at the same grandmother’s house (ceilings, too) and didn’t even realize it as the pine was very ‘white’ (untreated) and barely darkened over the years; 5) Same grandmother had brown marble kitchen countertops (she was ahead of her time) and I wanted to ask, is there any other stone at all that might work with knotty pine kitchen cabinets?; and, finally, 6) What kind of hardwood floor goes with a knotty pine den? I discovered this site by Googling this question and am still uncertain what will work best. Thank you, so much!

  4. Lani says

    So happy for all the wonderful comments about keeping the natural pine walls! It is beautiful. I get upset when people paint over it. I think someday, they too, will regret it.
    Congratulations on a beautifully warm and welcoming home!

  5. Misty says

    We have a knotty pine library. It’s the room that sold me on the house. I walked in, saw the pine and the 2nd fireplace, and was in love. The somewhat crazy part of me feels like living in this house forever because some fool after me might paint over all that beautiful wood!