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Can I see what paint colors you chose with dark wood trim?

17 years ago

Our 1890's house has gorgeous dark wood trim throughout the downstairs. It has never been painted (miraculously!), and we'll definitely keep it that way! However, I'm having a tough time picking out any colors for the different rooms downstairs--upstairs, the trim has been painted white, so darker colors really pop and look great. But downstairs, I'm afraid anything other than white/beige will make the trim fade away or just look too dark in general. I know this isn't true--but I'm too chicken to try anything else without seeing it first!! We have 7 rooms on the first floor to contend with, and I can't bear to see them all white!! Kitchen, dining room, playroom, bathroom, living room, parlor and entranceway/stairwell.

Anyone have pics of the colors they picked with dark wood trim?

Thanks in advance!

Sarah from NY

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Comments (3)

aprilwhirlwind
17 years ago
Dark colors can look great and dramatic with dark trim, just match up the trim and paint colors in a pleasing fashion.
An 1890's issue of House Beautiful made the following suggestion to a reader's letter on how to paint her hall.... India red walls and ceiling,woodwork stained dark.
Some other decorative notes on combining paint and stained woodwork from the 90's
mahogany...good with deep blue or orange-yellow, never red.
maple with old pink (which we'd call dusty rose), or gray
walnut with golden yellow
chestnut with reddish brown or tan
light oak with gray-blue or pale olive
sarahandbray
Original Author
17 years ago
Wow...that was a really neat list, kennebunker! Thanks for the response. Now if I only knew what kind of wood it is...I think it's cherry, but I could be wrong...maybe walnut? I know it's not oak/maple/birch/hickory...that's about all I've got! It's a dark reddish color...
:)
sarah
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We are currently doing the same thing! Just as the other poster suggested, we went with yellows, oranges etc. I never thought I could be brave enough to use so much color (I'm an antique white girl) but I am loving the contrast of walls and trim. We went with the SW HGTV palette called color pizazz I believe. No messing up, just choose as many or as few of the colors you like and go for it! They all work and compliment each other beautifully. GOOD LUCK!
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I used to do all white trim (I get bored with too much wood) but I have sort of slipped in the townhouse into dark painted trim. Mine is a deep coffee bean color (it's 50/50 black and brown). I adore it. I would use it again in any home verses going with white...ok maybe not every place, but the next 1980's townhouse I own :) It is so rich and elegant...I just can't imagine white in comparison being half as cool. That being said, I favor rich deep earth tones in my decor so the deep trim fits that. If I were a pastel beachey girl, my dark trim would give out to white or off white in a heart beat. I also change trim to suit the room. In the victorian we are going to paint my son's already painted trim (someday I'll strip it) in a deep navy tone. I'm doing that because the white trim now looks terrible against the mahogany doors. In the nursery I'm going to probably leave the trim white, but it may go into a soft tan or light brown even to compliment the decor. If you are going to use more than one trim, I'd keep it even in the rooms it's used (white trim white frame, not white and another color) but I'd also be sure to make changes in other rooms in the house so that the new part does not scream "ADDITION" because it's the only room with painted trim.
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If you have an 80's home, that stained trim may not be anything special. You might just be better off painting it too and giving the house a lighter look. As far as color everyone always suggests beige because it is safe. There are other 'not in your face' colors that will work. A light yellow might work with your house, particularly a vanilla or something that would compliment the gold in the room. You can paint darker colors, but that tends to make a room look darker and smaller. If you truly want something a bit darker, I might go as far as a medium color, but wouldn't go any darker than that.
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I think all the medium, outdated brown wood of the doors and trim bothers me even more than brown windows. And with the walls, outlets and switches in the house being bland almond, I am in desperate need of some color! I think I will be able to live with the contrast of the windows and trim, since there is no easy fix for any of it that I can find. I'm just hoping to find the look that is easiest on the eye and blends the best that it can. Many have recommended BM White Dove and I've used Simply White in the past.
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lisa98112
17 years ago
We have dark wood trim in this house and our previous. I tend to stick to more earth tone colors rather than darks. Our current living room/dining room is latte from Restoration Hardware. In the old house our dining room was a turquoise blue and it looked great with the dark trim and hardwood floor. We are also painting two bedrooms and keeping the dark wood trim. One will be a pastel blue (Atmosphere Blue from RH) and the other a very pale pink (Petal from RH)

Any contrast will be enough. I would just stay away from dark brown or red shades.

The trim could be a stained oak. Ours is mahogany.

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