B&A: Judging panels

Wood paneling gets a pretty bad rap, and deservedly so. It calls to mind tacky family rooms and dens from the 70s and 80s, the kind with shag carpet and an avocado-and-orange color scheme. There's also something kind of creepy and porn-y about it. When I think about a dude who lives in a home with wood paneling, I imagine that he also drives a windowless van with a crappy paint job and tries to pick up high school girls by telling them he's a photographer and would love to shoot them in his "studio." Ick.

But Design*Sponge featured a room makeover by Frugal Farmhouse Design that transformed a dark and out-of-date enclosed porch, complete with wood panelling, into a bright and breezy place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee.

All it takes is some primer n' white paint, and voila! A room that wouldn't look out of place at Camp Crystal Lake now has a breezy, Hamptons-y vibe. Far from being boring, the monochromatic color scheme is natural and relaxing. The look is especially fitting for a beach house; one thinks of bleached driftwood when looking at the rustic room. Even the vintage-industrial pendant lamp, with its brushed-metal finish, calls to mind a bucket used to make sand castles.

Notice how every surface -- walls, floor, ceiling -- were painted over with a lighter color. Now, even on a foggy morning the sun's light can be reflected throughout the room, making it feel open and spacious.

The room in the "after" pic looks like a place where you'd inhale the smell of the ocean and the fragrance of lavender when you breathed in. The wood-paneled version is a little more Axe body spray and stale beer. I know where I'd like to spend my vacation -- and it ain't in the den of a skeevy, aging hipster.

Via Design*Sponge and Frugal Farmhouse Designs.