I hate the colonial early settler furniture of my husbands - heavy chunky and darkens everything.
Leave plain or add more interest to a feature wall?
I have an old home with VJ panelled walls and 13 foot ceilings and there is a large flat area on the lounge wall (approx 4m x 2m) above a wide daddo rail that originally had a 1950s wallpaper mural that I tore down to replace with a beautiful textured, paintable wallpaper i bought from the US in a large geometric pattern not unlike pressed metal however, once this is up, it will then still be quite bland. I can’t decide if I should leave it blank or add some extra decorative feature. I should add that below the thick daddo rail is our Flat screen flanked each side by a chunky bookshelf. Sorry about the clutter - I haven’t given this area much love because this chunky furniture is my husbands taste - I hate pine colonial and I always wanted to paint the bookshelves white. They just darken the whole area. Should I risk it and paint them when he’s away? He he. I’m not a fan of those huge French farmhouse clocks either sorry.
I would start painting that dark would in a country white or any light color not pure white. There are gels you can use to stain but that means sanding. I had a huge living area with dark paneling that I painted and it transformed the area from a cave look to a bright but warm den. I added built in bookshelves, etc. If the the space is large enough you could always buy a 2 or 3 cubical, turn it sideways and add things you like to brighten the area. Just a few ideas
Perhaps you could hang a decorative wreath or a large pretty wall clock in the space. Or maybe add a decorative shelf with some pretty decor items you like.
I would fill that space with some artwork or a large clock.