Well, Missy........you already know the mantra.....you can do anything you want, and you should do what works best in your own home for your own lifestyle. I leave my toaster and my coffeemaker and my knife block on my very small kitchen counters, even though decorating rules state very clearly that these things should be put away for beauty. I need my coffee, to reach for a knife, (to kill the rats in my kitchen!) and DH only cooks toast, so he needs that toast-cooker out! But there are quite a few paints that clean up quite nicely in lesser sheens than semigloss. I have satin on my bathroom walls and really would rather even have eggshell. Love the flatter finish and would rather cope with the cleaning. I don't think you have to do the semi to get a good wall finish. I even like the Ace Sensations Matte flat finish, it is now in my kitchen and wipes off nicely. Of course, I have a real backsplash so don't have to worry too much, but over by my trash can, there can be some cleanup issues where I think my DD probably throws coffee grounds against the wall! Keep in mind that you have a mess on a flat finish. Even upgrading your finish just a little will relieve that. And you are using mascara. Good for you! I think all is forgiven in pursuit of facial beauty! Red

I have never, ever used flat for any exterior work, satin at the very least

We had a condo (although not contemporary). I painted the walls, ceiling and woodwork all the same white and all the same finish (matte). But, my reason for not doing a semi-gloss on the trim was the trim was dinky…and I didn’t want to call attention to it. It worked! If the woodwork is something special, would you like it to stand out? It won’t be an in your face difference, but a difference none the less. One other thing…what ever you decide …there is still that shadow around the raised trim which falls back onto the walls, so I don’t understand how one finish will make the space feel bigger. Looking at inspiration photos doesn’t help because the rooms have been professionally lighted to perfection and there are no blemishes. This room looks like all is in white matte…maybe Why not try the matte walls and on one area of the woodwork do a sample of gloss and the other of the matte. I really am interested how it all turns out.

It depends on the look you want. When you have level 5 walls you can have any finish you want! Not knowing what the design of your home is and what your designer wants the look to ultimately be it’s hard to say you should do a certain finish over another! I generally don’t like shiny walls unless it’s part of the overall design plan. Matte can be a great choice instead of flat as it is a bit easier to clean and has a soft velvet finish.