Cat's Weekend Project...

Here's the dining room pre-paint. Dark, dark, dark. Our dining room table top almost blends in with the walls, ceiling, and floor. It's definitely in need of a makeover. The window you see looks out on the front yard. This room is directly next to the kitchen---the wall with the buffet actually backs up to the kitchen wall. I'm standing in the doorway that goes out into the hallway/foyer. Again, the paneling is gorgeous, just SO cave-like. I already have white/black draperies and rugs for in here, so once the paint goes on and we can put out the rugs and drapes, and it will feel much more done. The exact paint color hasn't been decided, but I'm going with a coral. Also painting the ceiling in here---possibly just a glossy white, but I love the thought of going gold. Ralph Lauren has some neat metallics. I think one is called champagne. A possibility.
I'm now standing in the doorway that goes into the kitchen area...
Painting the grooves in the paneling---a LONG process. We use Zinsser Bin primer. A good tip for anyone that has paneling and wants to cover stains (and knots in the wood). This is better than Kilz because it's shellac based and we don't have to do any sanding to get it to stick. A bit more expensive than Kilz, but worth it (again, worth it if you have paneling---otherwise, go with Kilz).
And, again, finishing up the grooves and the trim pieces. Hopefully we can get the rest of the primer rolled on the walls this week so that it'll be closer to being ready for paint.
Another view---also notice the chandelier. Tiny and usual. I'm looking for something over-sized and unusual. I found a very contemporary chandelier at the Ballard Designs Outlet last week, but I just wasn't sure---it was 4-armed and had white with black trimmed shades that fully encased the lightbulbs. Very NYC looking. I'm very traditional but at the same time really like the unusual, so this will be an interesting search for the right chandelier!