GOLDEN DELICIOUS

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions regarding the wood beams in the family room.

I like the look of dark beams better too BUT...

stripping and staining them is a huge job(that personally I don't want to tackle)

and

all my doors(28 of them!) are the same orange color!  Staining the beams darker would be opening up a whole new can of worms!

So,  I decided to leave the beams as is for now.

Instead,  I painted the backs of my built-in bookshelves.  I have to thank "Anonymous" for that.

She wrote:

I just popped over from Emily's blog. I would not paint those beams, they are really adding some architecture to the room. If the color bothers you, then stripping and staining them is possible, however, that is a HUGE job, and the current color matches the floors and is a natural warm tone, so I would make my peace with it if it were me. Here is my suggestion: paint the backs of your built in shelves in a color that coordinates with the beams. If you don't like the 'orange' tone in the wood, you can minimize it by choosing a paint that harmonizes, but 'pulls' the color a direction that you like more. Olive-gold, lemon yellow, soft yellow-green or bronze would work. Do not go indigo, kelly green, red or plum, as these would contrast the beams and make their color appear more orange. Honestly, it would make all the difference, and painting the backs of the shelving is going to take an afternoon so it might be worth it to try that first before you decide to go after those beams with a can of paint.

A couple wooden objects (a bowl on the table) that work that beam color into the rest of the room would be a nice touch.

{ The paint color is golden delicious by Benjamin Moore}

Whoever you are, thank you!  It does make a difference.