Well hey if its not original, if the wood is not good quality, if the craftsmanship is crappy then have at it, youll get no argument from me. Could we get a close up of the wood of the trim/doors - looks like pine or fir which if in good shape should be kept IMHO. During late 1800s/early 1900s the vast old growth pine forests which blanketed much of the eastern half of north America were cut down and our old houses from that era are what's left of thoses forests. That old growth wood is amazing, nothing like the soft splintery farmed wood of today - hard as nails and beautiful tight grain. Theres still this idea that pine is a "cheap" or inferior wood, so sometimes people dont realize or appreciate what they have. That may be true of modern farmed wood, but not vintage reclaimed old growth wood. As anyone who's shopped for salvaged wood lately will tell you! Finally it should be noted that as your house nears 100 yrs old (happy birthday!) it is very much "historic." Historic doesnt have to mean grand or imposing. Where I lived there was a whole cluster of Dutch colonial houses that were built around the same time and there was some talk of making them a small historic district. Dont recall what happened to that idea - they did look really neat, all grouped together in a picturesque kind of way.

If this picture is your house, I wouldnt be adding the wainscotting. You dont have tall enough ceilings, and with the coffered ceilings, its going to make your room very squatty looking. I would go with one white only, either paint it all white, or paint it all the creamy color you already have. Two different whites, just do not look good.

Have you looked at pictures on Houzz of coffered ceilings? There are a lot of examples of different ways to paint them. I have one in my bedroom so I was researching them about six months ago. As Patricia says, it's hard to make a suggestion in a vacuum. Pictures would really help.

We were in a restaurant last weekend and remarked how nice the atmosphere was. There was dark gray wainscoting on the lower part of the walls with brick above, and a tray ceiling painted black. Contrary to what you might think, the ceiling resembled the dark night sky, and it felt expansive, not closed in. Not sure what it would look like during the day, but it's something to consider. If you want to draw attention to the ceiling, a darker color in the squares would do that. Painting it all one color, especially white, won't be as dramatic.