I know this isn't really in the Craftsman tradition, but what about white trim and woodwork? Our house is 150 years old and the original trim is throughout--I thought I would prefer the original, dark stained trim that is downstairs, but I find it MUCH harder to pick pretty paint colors (anything other than creams/beiges) with the dark trim. Plus, the dark trim shows claw marks from the dogs, dings on the edges from moving things, dust, etc. Upstairs it had been painted white already (much to my husband's chagrin and my pleasure!) and it makes everything so bright and cheery. Plus, you can pick darker paint colors and they look great with the thick white trim. If I were you and had wood tone floors and hickory cabinets picked out, I would do white trim. If I were doing white cabients with the stainless/black countertops, I might consider a dark trim color. I'm not much for the in-the-middle wood tones. But that's just me--I really grew up in the 80's and if I see anymore honey oak or that whitewashed oak color, I might have to hurt someone!! ;) Sarah from Albany, NY

Thanks for the very nice compliments on our home. The majority of those photo's were mid-decorating & 3/4's of the colors I've painted or sampled aren't even posted as it was pre-digital camera days for me. Someday soon I will have photo's of the completed rms. The 1st pic is the only wall color (BM Baby Turtle) that has remained out of all of those pics). I must admit that I am toying w/ going back to the black DR though. Maybe some of us should co-author a book called 'Confessions Of A Serial Painter'. I painted waaaayyyyy to much. I have nearly nearly 3 6' shelves in the basement full of cast off gallons, test qts. & sample cans & you know what I came down to? Richly saturated neutrals (EB Alabaster) & earth colors (BM Baby Turtle) w/ the dark wood & clearer versions of the same colors upstairs w/ white trim. That's just what I gravitated towards - dark wood can also pull off bold colors & look smashing, HOWEVER, I think the big mistake when picking the bold colors is the following: Quite often dark wood is found in older homes & many bright colors are new colors & weren't manufactured when our old homes were built. There is a certain level of 'fakeness' to many of those bright colors. There is a difference between bold & bright. If you look at the more historical palettes there is a livability around the edges. If you look at colors from Farrow & Ball who have been manufacturing paint the same way for 100yrs or so, you could conceivably close your eyes, point to a color & in general it would look good. Personally I think bright works better w/ white or off-white trim. I think brown looks wonderful w/ dark trim - I would just stay in the mid-tone range so that your woodwork doesn't get lost in a sea of brown. The 2 worst browns I tried in our home were RH Flax (got some funky clashing undertones going on when combined w/ my trim) & BM Classic Caramel - had too many reddish/clay like undertones but looks great at night when the yellow from the incandescent lights showers the room & counteracts the undertones.

I'm totally forgetting about trying to create a modern aesthetic. This kitchen will be what it is. We're quirky and I guess it'll be the same. We ordered this light fixture for over the seating island: Fireclay sent me samples of Tusk and Gardenia tile and Supernova, Cotton, Vintage Blue, and Snow brick samples earlier this week. I love the brick! It's thicker than regular tile. I'm guessing that it's ~ 1/2" thick. I'm not sure if that's a concern or not. As with anything I'm sure there are pros and cons. My Fireclay rep offered to send me a full sized brick and was gracious enough to agree to send me two, one in Cotton and the other in Silk. FYI: Brick is 2.5" x 8" Cotton: With its hazy fine-spun finish infused with the slightest hint of gray, Cotton offers a soft and cloudy white. Silk: A creamy white glaze is infused with a warm ivory undertone for a soft and inviting backdrop, flecked with hints of texture. Here is an inspiration pic from their site where they mixed Cotton and Snow. Cotton has gray tones and the Snow is on the whiter end of the spectrum, so I thought maybe bringing in the warmer, creamy white of the Silk instead of Snow would be a good move. I'm unsure about the two-toned look, but thought I'd get input from you all. Other considerations are using Ceres and Silk. Ceres: Named for an asteroid barely visible from earth, this milky white glaze resonates with the same subtle beauty. So, two-toned look yay or nay? If yay, which two? If nay, which one? Because of townlakecakes' collages, we're going to revisit the color options for the LVP. Our GC sent out an email connecting us with his flooring guy this morning. Hopefully we'll be able to meet in the next few days to look at other options. Taken this morning: the rough plumbing is in. The window is boarded up for now. Starting to think I may have gone a tad too big with that window.

Here is an interesting article from Kylie Interiors (no affiliation) about what colors to pair with brick and I like her approach. It may be that the best colors with your woodwork are not the best colors with your fireplace, but there might be some overlap that would work. See what you think....for your color brick (from what I can see) she recommends: Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray Are you feeling brave? Chelsea gray is a beautiful rich charcoal gray. This gray will tie nicely into the mortar/grout of your brick and help to neutralize things. You can consider Chelsea Gray as an ‘accent wall’ colour and pair it with a neutral or use it on all of your walls. Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan This is a fabulous neutral tan colour – it’s like slapping your nicest pair of khaki pants on the wall! Canvas Tan is slightly warm, but overall is a relatively neutral tan paint colour. Benjamin Moore Simply White With its fresh warm undertone. Simply White is a great way to create a fresh and bright look, without the starkness of a regular ‘white paint’. Colours and undertones to avoid on your walls…. If you want things to stay low contrast with the hopes that your brick doesn’t look any more red or orange than it already does then you’ll want to stay from greens and blues on your walls. Green and blue colours (and those undertones in neutrals) will accent the brick. This will bring out the colour not only in your brick, but in your paint colour as well. Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige With its beige base and slightly grayish / taupe undertones, Accessible Beige can work nicely with a pink toned fireplace. While it won’t necessarily look ‘exciting and stimulating’ it might help to tone down the pink and neutralize your space. Benjamin Moore Natural Linen Natural Linen is a lovely light paint colour with neutral/beige, almost grayish pink undertones. PLEASE don’t let the word pink scare you. The pink is more about the ‘softness’ of this colour – rather than a dominant feature of it. Plus, when you have something that isn’t ‘ideal’ (like a pink brick fireplace) you can help to subdue it by choosing a Neutral that has ‘subtle’ undertones in the same colour. Benjamin Moore Whitall Brown For a look that’s more rich and exciting, consider Whitall Brown as a feature wall colour. When paired with a neutral toned cream, Whitall Brown will add depth to your space and sit nicely with your pinkish fireplace. Or be brave and paint the whole damn room! Colours and undertones to avoid on your walls…. Because that pink is hiding in there, you need to avoid greens and blues. Greens and blues can accent the pink and bring it out in it’s full glory. Unless it’s in a baby’s room, pink and yellow are a completely nauseating combo. Best paint color recommendations