I don't like dark trim at all. It's dated to me. I'm a fan of white and ivory. It's classic and timeless IMHL. I have a friend who did colored trim and it looks gorgeous.... teal blues and yellows with walls in lighter shades of the trim.

What's the weather like where you are? Up here it's grey and rainly nine months of the year. I had dark woodwork and floors when I moved into my new house in 1970. I came to absolutely hate it, it was so grim and depressing. BTW, dark floors show everything light colored. I replaced it all with lighter wood, and sanded my floors and restained them lighter. That lightened up my moods like a huge heavy weight had been lifted from me. Now I have medium floors and white woodwork. Nothing sets off the colors of your walls like white woodwork. Besides, if you have it done white from the beginning, it will save you money.

I also agree that so much dark wood would look a little heavy.

We are also building a new home, and we have decided to do painted trim which will be off-white in color, but we will stain the doors in a medium oak stain. Our doors will all be oak, as will our hardwood floors. Our kitchen cabs are maple in a saddle (medium) stain.

We also have our main living areas facing south. We are looking for a stain color for both the doors and floors in a medium, true brown (no red or orange hues) color...the color of darkish toffee comes to mind.

In our last 2 custom builds, we always stained EVERYTHING, and this time, I'd like a change! I have seen pictures on these forums of some really gorgeous looking homes that have mixed painted and stained with very elegant results. Some of the stains used were darkish, but they were really well coordinated with painted trim that gave a bright, elegant look.
I hope that painted trim will be easy to keep clean!

Hope this helps, and good luck with your new build!

I have dark stained wood throughout my downstairs except the kitchen where it was painted white. Upstairs they painted everything white but left the doors dark.

I started to paint the doors white but never got around to finishing them and w/in the past yr. began painting the trim a rich creamy ivory. I love this look of creamy trim w/ the dark doors and am goinf to beg DH to refinish the doors that I started to paint back to the original dark wood.

In the kitchen I hate the white doors. Between DH and all of the kids I have to regularly wipe them down around the doorknob because apparently they think that the knob is ONLY for opening and that one must always use their grimey dirty hand to push it closed.

I guess that puts me in the camp of a mix of wood and paint.

I have some of each, painted where the walls are and stained around the cabs. We don't use white though for the painted trim, but a rich cream. It seems to warm it up a bit.

You've got such a tough decision here. While light doors and trim brightens up everything, it does show stains and scuff marks. I think it depends on how neat and clean you are and how much things like scuff marks and handprints bother you. I think it also depends on your inspiration pictures for your home. What do you get really excited about when you see pictures of other homes? How are you inspired? We lived in a 70's home with painted trim and hated it. We lived in a 90's home with stained trim and doors and loved it. I'm sure the dirt was there, but you couldn't see it. The scratches and knicks just seemed to add character to me. We now live in an 8 year old home with white doors, trim and cabinets. It always looks dirty to me. I am constantly cleaning and never done. We have three kids. As I get older, I just kind of give up. I just get to what bothers me the most in the public rooms. However, it is the brightest home we have lived in. Just remember, if you're worried about it being too dark, your fabrics, wall colors, drapes, ect. can all be light in color. We will down size in about 10 years (hope to), and it will be to a one level house with stained woodwork and a beautiful fireplace, something I don't have now. (aahh, now I'm off to daydream!) Good luck. Whatever you decide it will be beautiful I'm sure. Floors, cabinets and open floor plan sound wonderful.

Dissenting view, here.

I'd kill for real wood trim and doors rather than paint grade.

You stated you have a VERY open floor plan, so I'm going to have to agree with Parma. If the rooms were closed and small, I would suggest mixing paint and stain, but it sounds like you have wide open, light filled space. Stain grade wood can always be painted-if you start with paint grade, you have no options

I also have an open floor plan, European cottage, dark wood floors, windows, doors, trim and cedar beams. Lots of windows, veranda overhangs on front and back. Face south. Lot of light when it's sunny. Still fine when it's cloudy. Most of our walls are painted a warm white. A few rooms are F&B French Gray and one is F&B Light Blue.

I don't think you can go wrong as long as your wall colors stay light to medium.

Kitchen below, with some older pictures of great room beyond. Kitchen/breakfast room does have light color stone flooring, but great room, DR, foyer and MBR are wood.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Kitchen

Thanks for all the feedback! I think I'm going to stick with my initial idea and go with a medium to dark trim. I just love the warm feeling the wood tones give. We might do a cream color in the bedrooms. If I don't like it I can always paint over it, but I won't be able to change my mind if I pick white. Now I just need to find a stain color. Ugh!

You'll love stained doors and trim. I have light doors and stained trim.
Our daughter just replaced all her white raised panel doors in the bedrooms and closets to raised panel Cherry doors and cherry trim, it's gorgeous. Our son was the lucky recepitent to her nice white doors.
Our other son has medium stained oak doors and trim, very pretty as well.
Hey, you can always paint them if you don't like them, however, I think you'll love them.

Joann