disclaimer: if i owned such a home or a home like 90% of the homes featured here, i would NEVER EVER, NOT EVER paint or otherwise alter the extensive dark wood, including the floors. the only alternation i’d make is refinishing/repair where necessary. i might even not refinish floors but only buff and wax. are we clear? i respect it & often find it beautiful. but why is it the norm all over the country? why didn’t any builder choose a lighter wood? or painted wood? did a handful of influential architects and builders decide dark wood is the ideal and no one deviated? if i owned such a home, i would paint every plaster/dry wall surface in pale, airy grays, creams, whites, blues, and greens. same with rugs and furniture and window treatments. i’d feature textures and styles, rather than strong and/or dark colors & furnishings. while the velvet furniture and omnipresent oriental rugs and red/rust/olive green paint and heavy window treatments are appropriate to the time, i couldn’t live with so much visual weight around me. it feels crushing. my color concepts would make the grand spaces feel light and airy…almost like the space is floating. *sigh* back to reality.