Natural pine or whitewash

So I think I've narrowed down my home choice and the interior will be finished in pine paneling. I really like this idea of being surrounded by wood, but there's also a part of me wondering if that's just novelty and soon enough I'll wish to have white walls. I've lived my whole life with white walls and I enjoy the way they reflect light and the minimal canvas it gives to decorate with. I also enjoy warmth and warm lighting and the pine does add quite a bit of that feel. So for those of you who have lived most of your life in drywalled homes, how was it switching to a pine paneled home? Here is a picture of the home without whitewash and one comparing the two. The builder does offer white shiplap which looks beautiful too but maybe it's too perfect looking, not sure.

Natural all the way for me.  But I live in tree and lake country and that's the "cabin look" that we all tend to love around here.  It is darker but much warmer and more comforting (for me).

I'm with Mike. Natural looks so much nicer to me too.

Thank you for your replies.  I'm curious how long you have lived in white wall environments and how long you've lived in natural pine.  I'm sure I'd thoroughly enjoy it the first year but may eventually find design styles limited with such a colorful canvas.

My sister-in-law did some refinished furniture in the white wash effect.

I liked it though it is not my style I like the look of real wood.

We do use Old English Furniture Oil to preserve the finish.

I lived in drywall and off white paint for 17 years as an adult before moving to a house with plastered drywall and warm Tuscan colors with a natural pine basement.  Plus had a natural pine cabin for the last half of the 17 years.

Whitewash originally had several specific uses. Primarily used inside barns, it reflected more sunlight in the barn, before electricity. Thereby giving more light for animals and chores. Whitewash offers some protection from bugs, discouraging them from borrowing into the wood. And it also deters some moisture. Barns simply worked better and lasted longer when you used whitewash. And it was/is simple and cheap to use. Just mix hydrated (not regular) lime with water, for me warm water works best, and "paint" it on. For longer lasting ww, add some (unmolested) whole milk.  

So to your "problem". Are you trying to mimic the look of a whitewashed barn? Help preserve the wood a bit? Add light? Or is it just an esthetic question? ~For me, in Ohio where we have winter, I like the warmer feel of natural wood. White walls just don't feel warm to me. We have some 40 buildings here, some are paneled, some are white painted plaster board, many are painted with colonial colors. Darker shades of paint or wood tend to show less spider webs, and wear and tear, and dirt/fingerprints.

~~I'd go natural wood. Start with natural wood and you'll always have wood. Start with painted or stained wood, and you'll have a heck of a time going back to natural.

Hello Jim, that's a very thoughtful and informational response.  I had no idea all the benefits of it and it was interesting to learn.  Mainly my questions is esthetic and wondering how people have felt transitioning to natural wood from spending a good part of their life surrounded by white.  I enjoy interior design and wood working and I am concerned I'll feel constrained by the darker wood in these aspects.  I enjoy a lot of contrast between certain aspects and objects.  Of course there can be some contrast in wood only interiors but not the same as ones with white walls.  Such as a beautiful handmade hickory table surrounded by less busy and less colorful environments is a different story than setting it inside this cabin.

I don’t know if this could apply to your situation, but in our house we painted some of the pine paneled walls and left some as it was.

We have a mostly open layout, the previous owner took down some walls and combined 4 rooms into one. Painting some of it (although with colour, not white) divides the space nicely. I wanted to leave some natural wood as it was.

Just a thought, does it have to be one or the other?