1930's Semi, is wood paneling in hall worth keeping?

[Compact]

Gutting my 1930's Semi and unsure of wood paneling in hallway.

I'm not sure it's 100% authentic, but it seems as though it's been there a long time.
For: Painted white then off white, could be interesting, better than plain wall
Against: Might not be to all tastes, I could insulate inside of outside wall as only have second skin.

So thoughts?
I am very much 50/50 on it
(hopefully these flickr links will come out)

Paneling
Stairs Panels
Front Door
Hallway to Kitchen

I don't like those tiled 1930s fire places at all. In some places there are only 1930s houses to buy and I don't hold with this just because it's original, you have to keep view. Be sympathetic but if you hate it or its use is redundant, then it's fine to get rid, I think.

I like the front door. Personally, I'm not keen on the panelling - a chum of mine has a 30's semi with immaculate wood panelling, it's in very good condition but the dark colour makes a small space feel even smaller. Keeping it but painting it a pale colour makes sense to me.

Keep it. Paint it off White or cream. I have panelling in my hall that I was going to rip out but decided to paint ur and keep it and now am pleased as it's very hard wearing for high traffic area of the house. If you still don't like it in a few years then gut it but not without giving it a whirl first. Front door stained glass is great too.

My DS has a pinky cream 30s fireplace in his room. My DH restored it as some idiot body had painted it white. I would never get rid, I am sad the fireplaces downstairs have gone.

I love it all keep it! The only thing I would change is the radiator

Well i personally think you dont have to religiously keep every feature- just because it is original doesnt automatically equate to it being gorgeous- just because it is old doesnt make it better...

my new house just happens to be 30s- i certainly didnt buy it because i love all things 30s! it is catchment, we could afford it, v little else on market, big garden were all factors much higher than the style of the house which, tbh, hardly factors at all....

I am veir off that door....stunning.

No you don,t have to be religious about it but when the features look as good as hose in the op it is a good idea to try because a lot of windowns panelling and doors like those have moved and weathered with the house over time and just sit right. Sometimes when you remove them not only do you find horrors beneath but everything else somehow doesn,t sit right.

Period properties appreciate because they contain features that cannot easily - if ever - be replicated. Please don't do it - it would be an act of vandalism.

The panelling is almost certainly original and if not would have been installed up to about 1937 because of arts and crafts fashions.

It's fine to paint it - use a waterbased eggshell. That way, you preserve it for future generations but can keep it light and clean enough for modern tastes.

Remember Georgian and Victorian houses were considered gopping and old-fashioned once - the 1930s are going to go the same way. This period of house lends itself very well to a utility, schoolhouse, or retro look and I think your wall panels could look incredible once your project is finished.

please don't get rid its lovely. i would paint this a lovely pale green or grey. keep keep keep.

I'm keeping the small 1930's fireplaces in the bedrooms

1st Front
1st Back
Though the huge concrete and tile one downstairs wasn't to my taste,
Ground Floor back room they've been taken out to be replaced with a contemporary nordic style log burner

Again thanks for the comments, will drop a few pics along the way as the work continues.

I love that 1st one. 1930s houses becoming v desirable as victorian/edwardian have teh wrong shaped rooms for large contemporary furniture eg sofas etc. The squarer rooms are also easier to furnish

I agree with noddyholder - houses/apartments built in the interwar period are much easier to adapt to contemporary living than pre-1914 homes and are increasingly desirable. I love original features and we have masses of them in our 1929 Paris Art Deco apartment but I do nevertheless think that decorative features (panelling, mouldings, stained glass windows etc) are much easier to hold onto and restore than functional features such as fireplaces. I don't like reviewing floorplans/moving walls as this mostly destroys light and circulation patterns (which were generally very well thought out at the time) but I am pro quite radical solutions when it comes to updating functional features that are completely outdated such as fireplaces (and indeed the whole heating system, as well as lighting systems and plumbing), bathrooms and kitchens.

Loving the panelling. Paint it a lovely satin/eggshell neutral.

I think it's lovely!

I'm intrigued about the door: is it all original? The side and top panels look exactly like what you find in my area (SW London, around 1910s and 1920s). The door itself looks quite different in style to me: more truly 1930s/art deco, which imo seems really in keeping with the panels, with that lovely pattern.

All looks original to me and I would pay a premium for those features - lovely, lovely, lovely.

I'd keep it. But I'd think about painting it another colour than whte here's one before and after and here are some in other colours which look lovely.

We have original Edwardian anaglypta under a dado rail in our hall. We were persuaded to keep it as it's very hardwearing (painted in eggshell) and after 7 years of small children trailing up the stairs it still looks good compared to the wall higher up the house which are just paint. Although I am planning on having it all repainted in one colour throughout as I think that will look more contemporary than the currect white dado.

Love it! I'd paint it a lightish colour. And definitely keep the door glass.

I refuse to even look at the fireplaces; would be too jealous

I kept our oak panel bit painted it white as I found the wood colour a bit oppressive. It looks fab and actually v modern. If you do paint it white make sure you don't use the stuff that yellows with age of gloss as that would look grim IMO. My neighbours painted theirs light grey and that looks stunning.

Can pm you some pics if you like.

If you don't love features, it pays to find a way to cover them up/minimise them without removing them. The reason that we can pull up carpets and discover tiles or parquet floors is because previous generations did this. There was a tv DIY man (not sure what era) who encouraged people to 'modernise' what they had rather than rip it out - including putting sheets of wood over victorian doors to cover the recesses! He helped to preserve a lot of Victorian features that are now prized again.

I'm afraid the door and the windows, although both period, do not belong together as a set.
I would keep the panelling and the windows and try to get hold of a door to match the windows.

Oh yes, Narked - our internal doors had been covered up as you describe. Professionally by the look of them as it was such a good job. This meant I could remove the sheets and expose the recesses - classic thirties-style, ie one squarish section on the top third and three narrow vertical sections underneath. They were layered with decades of paint so I had them acid-dipped and they came up really well. The wood is beautiful, of a weight and quality you can't obtain now.

I agree, keep the panelling, it looks authentic.

However, I would remove and sell the door. It is original but does not match the surrounding windows. Find a reclaimed one that does...

We have a 1950s semi. Try finding some original features in that.

We sold a Victorian semi after we had spent 13 years lovingly putting original features back in. Purely for the love of it. It worked in our favour, we sold it above the asking price after a 3 day bidding war between 5 interested parties!!

We moved into an Edwardian house when I was little which had all the doors and the bannisters covered in plywood. Dad went round the house the day after we moved in and ripped the lot off (carefully), revealing doors in perfect condition and a mahogany (!!) newell post.

Roxy - we have doors just like that in our 30s house. Lost the original doorknobs so I bought some repro ones from Ebay.