I was reading the newspaper awhile ago and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I should share what I did in my library room back in 1990. In this room the crown molding was stained as was the baseboard and trim (my dad insisted on staining the bookcase oak however(!)). I tried to take photos that would show the paint colors more clearly. Ceiling is yellow ochre as are the two end walls. Side walls in the room are a deep green. The wide border under the crown molding was one of those "got to have it" moments. It lowered the ceiling some, which wasn't my intention, it was just so beautiful I had to use it. ha. Anyway, just wanted to show that the crown was not painted the same color as the ceiling and turned out alright (to me).

The problem encountered when using stain is color differences. The same stain on three different woods(example: pine trim, pine doors, and pine base molding) will look different. Plus, woods like pine are problematic to stain evenly, since the differences in grain absorb stain differently and often look splotchy. So, using a pretreatment is necessary to get an even color. And tinting or shading (darker---since you cannot stain lighter) often needs to be done. Gel stain (really a transparent paint more than a stain)does not have the same difficulties, but lighter gels can still look different. The only way to be sure is to choose a stain and test.

Like jlc says, your plans don't seem to jive with the actual house. I would embrace the look you have and definitely don't make any decor plans until you've lived in it for a bit. Especially if the style is different from what you've been used to - it will take a while to adjust your thinking. If anything, I would consider painting out the doors and any window trim there is. The style of your house seems like it would make a great blank canvas for a wonderful eclectic look. But as I said, live with it a while before making any major plans.

What quality wood type would you recommend to stain and replace the trim and baseboards if our floors are oak? If we are going with stained wood I don't want a grain that is too busy that fights with the grain in the floor. Also, what color? Should we go with a dark java colored stain to pull out the darks in the wood floor or a color that is close to the floor color?