Nice home! The color and areas seem a bit dark I would suggest a blue to open the space. "Spin Drift" by Sherwin Williams is a neutral light blue/grey. I know youre not a fan of grey but if not changing the wood trim your options may be limited. Hope this helps and good luck!

Warm white.

Hi Horace! I checked Sherwin Williams and do not see a color called Spin Drift. Does it go by another name? Do you have the number? Thank you

You sure you won’t reconsider painting the trim? It would all the difference in what colors you can choose from for the walls and brighten the house up beautifully.

My husband does not want to paint the trim although I agree with you. There are dressers that are built into the wall in each bedroom as well as a large built in cabinet in the living room. I may consider it in the mud room. I also just posted with photos needing advice in the mud room. I wanted something different in there but tried several and struggling.

We we are going to paint the fireplace. I also have considered painting just the island in the kitchen another color.

Wow! I always wondered what that color is called! I've painted over most of mine, but I still have it in in my long dark spooky hall. Your builtins are quite nice.

I've successfully used light yellow and a light peachy-apricot with my orange trim. (I think the peachy one is SW "Gardenia" but can't think of the yellow one.) These are colors taken off the "white" lineup of colors and most people think they are just warm whites. I would paint the walls and assess whether you really need to do the fireplace--I don't think it's bad at all. It's just hard to get past the feeling of gloom from that paint color. The bricks should look really good with a light color on the walls. Plus, they're hard to paint and make look good.

Get good paint, not the cheap stuff. The fewer coats you have to do the better.

I love Sherwin William's Canvas Tan. It is a light warm white. And it works well with many wood features. (I agree, I don't like gray, except as accents. Grays don't perk me up on overcast mornings... which is when I especially NEED the perk-up!)

Canvas Tan: SW7531.

You might also take a look at SW

I have oak doors and cabinets too. My trim is white - it was never oak but I have a soft cream with a touch of beige for my walls. My mother's home has the oak trim and she has a light white/cream with lots of blue in her decor. Her bedroom walls are blue. My main rooms are Valspar Savory Beige, but there are several similar colors made by other companies:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854052

Another color would be a light sage green. Some ideas for that type of color have been posted on this thread:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/fresh-paint-color-with-these-cabinets-dsvw-vd~5160781

Just a note on major paint brands. The big box stores do not have the "recipes" for all the paint colors available in a brand. Example; you can't get Sherwin Williams "Whirlpool" from Home Depot unless you provide them with the sample card gotten from a SW "store".

You definitely need some color, personally whites, creams and anything in the brown family is drab. Try a matte mossy green, or light olive tone. The lighter greens go well with your trim, add color, and a welcoming feel.

A creamy white, beige, or tan will work well to add some brightness to your space. It also looks like it needs more light, so maybe when all of the can lights are on it will feel brighter once you paint.

Transitional Home Design: Fireplace · More Info

Luxury Home Design: Living Room & Staircase · More Info

We just finished scraping popcorn off the ceiling and repainting it. We added more can lights but they are not all on yet. What a mess!!

Thank you all so much!

I will! I’ve been struggling for days and am ready to move forward now with confidence.

I think that medium oak tone is one of the more forgiving colors to coordinate with. It is going to look nice and fresh. Once the smell fades. :P

I'm dying to see pictures of the finished project--especially the wall color against the warm wood. I'm sure it looks really good!

I was also looking for the "Spin Drift" pain color by SW. The only one I could find is Spin Drift fromSerena and Lily. Did you mean this one ?

I ended up painting my living room SW Drift of Mist.

Definitely a white color, the space seems a bit dark.