We are from Cape Cod and love wainscoting. We have put it in several homes, including our new condo in FL. Where is your home going to be?

I like having just touches of wainscoting here and there better than in every room. We just put chair rail w/ beadboard below it in the angled entryway from the front door into the family room there. The kitchen will be open to this area and the family room with dining area after renovation, so we will use some beadboard there, too, but not in the dining area. The upper cabinets will have white Shaker recessed panel style doors. The lower cabinets will have beadboard inserts. Having none on the living room and dining "room" walls provides nice contrast.

Anyway, I think beadboard here and there would give your home the casual, light and beachy feel you are looking for. Having said that, I think you do need to be careful not to over do it. As much as I love it, I think I'd be tired of it if it was in every room.

Have fun and good luck as you plan and build your new home!

Sarapamela: what a small world! I grew up in CT but spent every summer on the Cape as my grandparents had a home there (S. Yarmouth). I miss it there so much as we are now living in the Pacific NW for my husbands job.
Thanks for the insight on the wainscoting.... still undecided but now at least I know there are others out there who love wainscoting as much as myself! Maybe the white wainscoting will brighten up some of the dreariness of the PNW! Thanks again...

We have a home on Cape Cod as well. We also wanted the right mix of wainscoting without going overboard so we did our ceilings in beadboard and and painted them glossy white. The only wall we did was our mudroom and we went about 3/4 f the way up with it. We did our bathrooms 3/4 of the way up too and we have some built-ins so we did the back of them in beadboard. I'll try to upload pictures of the ceiling later if I can find some.

Looking forward to seeing your pictures, Chris! Can't wait to do our bathroom and I like your idea to make the ceilings bb...Might have to consider that, but it won't be until after the dust settles on our kitchen remodel!

BTW, what part of the Cape are you on?

I think there could be an argument for wainscoting throughout the main living areas for consistency, but also saving it for special places. If it's thought of as a 'dress up,' I suppose it usually wouldn't have been used in kitchens.

Welcome to the forum! I and many others here on the forum are 'neighbors' of yours in the gray and rainy... and lately, COLD, PacNW. ;-)