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.
.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.
.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.
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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.
Laura says
I love the coziness of that room. So glad they are preserving it! And the advice to ‘live with it’ is a great piece of wisdom. After almost a year in my house, the VCT flooring is definitely staying.
Tasha says
What a den! I loved their kitchen, as well. The knotty pine is just gorgeous. And Pam, what a great reminder to live with what you have for a year. We just moved into the 1950s ranch we bought about a week ago and that’s exactly our plan. We’re going to live with everything for quite some time, and just enjoy decorating and some paint and window treatments.
Although any of the elements we -do- change eventually will probably be to un-update the 80s and 90s changes back towards the 50s. But even that probably won’t happen for quite some time. We love it already and are in no hurry for big changes. 🙂
pam kueber says
Congrats, Tasha, and welcome to the Tribe!
nickarmadillo says
Killer rug! I wonder where they picked it up. Yes, I’m still suffering from a severe case of rug envy.
Olivia says
We have a wall of the same knotty pine in our living room and I love it. The best feature of the house. It’s also a dark honey color.
Eartha Kitsch says
LOVE it. Love the whole room. There is just something about a knotty pine room with a fireplace.
Beth says
Oh, and in an alcove of the room, there was a fan — like you’d see in a kitchen or bathroom — for the cigarette smoke!
Beth says
We too had a knotty pine den. However, probably in the ’70s, the knotty pine was ‘antiqued.’ It was too ugly to keep. How I wish they had left it alone.
Laura says
My boyfriend and I just bought a 1961 house with lots of original elements left intact. (pink bathroom, original kitchen cabinets, jalousie windowed screen porch) We are both in love with the knotty pine family room! It has funky fluorescent strip lighting with colored panels, a great stairway and best of all a fabulous built in knotty pine wet bar. The original bar stools with orange seat cushions are still in place and in amazing condition!
I love my funky period piece home… we are the same age and hopefully I am aging as gracefully as it is!!
Darlahood says
*nods* yes indeed the honey color is due to nicotine. I’ve got it in my place, too (Papa smoked like a chimney). I’m surprised the room pictured here has wood flooring. I’ve got cream tile in my knotty pine covered Florida Room and couldn’t imagine it any other way. I have fabric draped between the beams in the ceiling… kind of gives it a hippie/Moroccan vibe. I do love my deer on the wall. We call him Sydney.
pam kueber says
I think the honey color fundamentally comes from the amber shellac glaze that was used back in the day. I *think*. I am sure the smoking added to the patina, too!
Lani says
Yes, I have a 1952 knotty pine interior walled cottage. The color is from the shellac. I come from a non-smoking family. 😉
Jenny A. says
Oh, yum. I love this room. My son’s bedroom is paneled in knotty pine like that and I have plans for his room one day, similar to what you’ve done here. But, that wallpaper on your ceiling is just to die for! (I didn’t comment on the kitchen post, but I love that, too. You have a great house.)