We did -- And I heard the other day that 'it's the new trend' (sheesh!) I really like the way it looks, but have to admit that it does make it harder to coordinate a houseful of sometimes-different room colors.

sweeby and anyone else who has done this--do you remember what colors you used--especially for the main living area?

Thank you!

here's a link to a model home we toured - it was 2-3 million dollars (hated the furniture!) The trim is a darker color, it looked nice! I was too chicken to do this, and planned on painted our trim a 'heavy cream' color. Our builder discouraged us saying it was too dark, and we went with a 'light' cream/off white. I wish I didn't listen and painted it darker.

While touring this home, we saw a couple other high end homes with the darker trim. I think it can look very nice!

Here is a link that might be useful: tour model

should say - I hated the family room chairs!

{{gwi:1429909}}

should have said... - I hated the family room chairs!

{{gwi:1429909}}

I'm thinking of darker trim too, perhaps even stained. I currently have a creamy white and it is soo hard to keep clean, esp. with the kids.

In my file, I have a Donald Gardner home that has trim colors that I like. They may be too dark for some, but I like it. There are several pics of this house that show the trim color.

Hope it helps!

Here is a link that might be useful:

The apartment I have been living in since hurricane Katrina has dark trim. It has that New Orleans style where the trim is on the wall a foot or so below the ceiling. I forget what its called, maybe a picture rail. But anyway, all the trim is a dark stained wood. Most older homes in the city have the same look.

I don't have painted trim, but have dark stained trim throughout the house and I really like it.

Are you thinking of doing the same trim color all through the house? If so, be careful since it will dictate how the rooms are decorated.

I'm a big fan of darker trim, be it stained or painted.

White trim has become so common that its almost invisible. You have to really be paying attention to see it at all.

Our crown moulding, baseboards, and window frames will be Douglas Fir with just a thin varnish on them and the walls will be a cream white.

When painting trim a darker color, does the material underneath have to be a better grade than if it was being painted white or cream? I remember someone saying once that if you paint trim a darker color then every imperfection would show. Is that true? Sorry to hijack your thread but I figure someone here has an answer :)

Redlodger, there's really no need for a better grade of wood when painting trim darker. This usually applies if the wood is being stained. I once built a house where doors/trims were all Manogany as we wanted very little graining. The opposite would be true if you were to use Oak. Unfortunately, in today's market, using one or the other is a great expense and IMO the reason trim/doors are painted.

curviesailor -- The wall moulding you describe is called 'chair rail'. It was meant to keep the backs of chairs from marking the wall, so is often seen in dining rooms.

I just saw a model kitchen painted cream with mahogany stained ceiling mouldings and baseboards. The island and one wall section were also mahogany.

I am building what I hope will be a "new old house". I am planning to do exactly what you are considering in painting the trim a darker color than the walls. I am just starting to decide how that will work. One of the resources I am using is books of older colonial homes, where this style was common. I also have the "Williamsburg" paint deck from Pratt/Lambert and Martin Senour which features paint colors from Colonial Willimsburg. Let us know how you decide to proceed!

My trim is a bit darker than the walls, but in the same general color group. Here's the best photo I have of it.

Ok, one more. You can see there's a contrast, but it's on the subtle side.