We ended up matching our trim to our cabinets which are Nordic White and not only using it in the kitchen, but throughout the house. This was the advice of a certified color consultant/designer I met with to choose paint colors for the house. So far, only the upstairs is done but it looks beautiful.

For all of our trim and doors, I chose to use a soft creamy white that has a slight yellowish tint to it. I love the way it looks. The one we used is Behr's Pot of Cream and IMHO it's perfection. While refurbishing the foreclosure home we bought a couple of years ago, we've added crown molding and replaced every door and piece of trim in the house. Everything is now painted with this same white and I'm tickled with it. It's not something anyone else notices, but I love how it's nice and crisp but easy on the eyes.

There are hundreds of whites and when you put them directly next to each other, yes, you can see their differences, but once you pick one and put it on the trim and doors, it will just look white and really only you will probably notice.

Our floors are walnut and oak and I've used cool colors and warm, regardless this Pot of Cream white looks great with all of it. I've even painted furniture with it and plan on eventually painting our kitchen cabinets with it too.

In regards to the switches and covers I have just used standard white of each. None of them sit next to the trim and they all blend, but there are light switches you can paint to match. The vent covers I'd leave alone.

If it were me, I'd never opt for builder anything. Take the designers advise and pick a soft creamy white.

All my walls(2610 sq ft home)are painted a warm medium tan, w/trim color, doors too, being 4 shades darker. I knew I didn't want the standard white or stained wood, and had seen a very expensive home in Wilmingtom, NC with this done and loved it. The house was under construction, and the paint cans were setting in the garage, so I 'took' a sample of each on a piece of cardboard and carried it around for 5 years. I finally got the chance to use the colors 2 years ago when I built my house. The builder and everyone else loved it! ;o)

I can identify with your dilemma! It would be difficult for me to see cream colored trim with stark white switch plates but as the others have said you can paint over them.
I think the cream colored trim would look nice but I think the white would too; either way it will look beautiful!! You know you could choose an off white which would be just a little lighter than the cream but not white; tough decisions :)
Good Luck!

Thanks everyone for your replies.

lukkiirish - there will be some areas of the house that have that "picture frame" or "shadow box" trim below the chair rail where the plates and trim will be together. Can't move the electrical although the builder probably would do away with the picture frame trim if we asked him to.

Patty cakes - we talked about doing dark trim and doors as well. How did you address the ceiling? Did you choose brown or black switches and outlets?

I'm on my way to the store this afternoon to paint swatches on sheetrock, buy some outlet covers, and take it over to the house and see how it looks. I'm glad we did this production home before we tackle a custom home! So many things to learn!

SW's Dover is quite nice. As is BM's White Dove. I like White Dove if your walls are pale, but prefer the Dover with really strong wall colors. Whichever paint place you go to, they should be able to match the other company's paint colors w/o any problem.

I come from a very different mindset than Lindac, I believe that though beautiful and great for inspiration, magazine photos for the most part are for show and do not typically reflect real life. Switch plates and vent covers are just part of every day life and it is acceptable to have them in white. I actually prefer them that way. I think it's a crisp and clean look and does not interfere with the design of a room in the least.

Jhn, If you like the frame trim, don't do away with it just because of a switch plate! It will add character and interest to the room. Honestly, when is the last time you ever went into a house and said, "Oh my, would you look at that! They painted their trim a different color than their switch plate!"?

IMPO you're struggling over an issue that realistically should not be an issue at all. I would grab some sample cards for a few nice creamy whites, take them to the space and choose the one that looks the best in the lighting of your rooms and not worry about the covers at all.

Here's a sample of ours with the Pot of Cream, as you can see, it's soft, but definitely white, the walls are Modern Tan by Ralph Lauren:

Good questions! I have wrestled with them myself.

We have warm wall colors and opted for a creamy white. As others have mentioned, it still looks white, relatively speaking. I do like the creamy color, vs. a bright white with the warm tones. Many of our rooms are painted in BM historical colors, so the creamy color looks great. In rooms with clearer, brighter colors, a brighter white might look better. Don't let the switch plates dictate your choice, though. We used off-white for our outlets and switches, and the toggles and outlets are all the same off-white color, it's not a combo white/off-white situation.

I hope this helps. It sounds like your home will be beautiful. Enjoy!

Jan

Thanks again everyone. We wound up with a "bone white" trim and light almond switch plates and outlet covers. It looks stunning for having been such a last minute decision. It's very subtle but so warm. The bone white trim really softened the wall color.

lukkiirish - the pot of cream is really pretty. Maybe in our next house. :)