There are many ways to paint interior trim. For many years the convention has been to use a white that complements your wall color and use it throughout the house so there is visual continuity. Read below for some new ideas on this subject.
Use Warm Trim for Cool Walls and Vice-Versa
I like to use a warm color if the majority of your wall colors are cool and a cool color if wall colors are warm. Never underestimate the ability of warm and cool colors to amplify each other. Although, in general I favor warm colors to live with. However, since this will be a throughline in the house, it is best to love the color! It will be thematic for the home, your identity for a while.
Combine Wall and Trim Colors
Combine baseboards and crown molding (if you have it) with the wall color. A YouTuber I follow did this in a 1000 sq. ft. northwest cottage to great effect. By simplifying the trim it reads as less busy and more expansive. You will still need to break up the wall color with some contrast trim, such as doors, and door and window casings.
Pick a Darker Trim Color
Another idea is to go darker with the trim. I plan to do this in my upcoming paint job in my living and dining rooms for all trim and doors, and eventually throughout the house. I’m in love with some murky colors like Sherwin Williams Lambs Ear (LRV 50) and Benjamin Moore (BM) Hazy Skies (LRV 58) or even BM Lenox Tan (LRV 43). LRV is light reflectance value, with 50 reflecting half of available light; a high value is a lighter color. I’ll have a very light wall color, probably BM Pale Oak (LRV 68).
That brings us to ceilings. There are many interesting ways to handle the ceiling than using white. More on this in a future blog. Contact me for help with your paint job in the California counties of Contra Costa or Alameda.
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