If you have an 80's home, that stained trim may not be anything special. You might just be better off painting it too and giving the house a lighter look. As far as color everyone always suggests beige because it is safe. There are other 'not in your face' colors that will work. A light yellow might work with your house, particularly a vanilla or something that would compliment the gold in the room. You can paint darker colors, but that tends to make a room look darker and smaller. If you truly want something a bit darker, I might go as far as a medium color, but wouldn't go any darker than that.

I toured a 1913 house museum last weekend, and there were at least 3 pink rooms: the master bedroom (redone after the husband died; I wonder what it looked like before?), the daughter's room, and the drawing room (with dark wood and silk paneled walls). I've never been a big fan of pink, but every now and then a pink bedroom will just tug at my heart! Maybe someday if I'm a widow or divorcee. :p I could envision a mauve dining room, particularly in a historic home, but I'm not sure about diaphanous pink...a laundry room or powder room might be your best bets, but I don't think a guest room would be out of the question. On the other hand, if you don't have a clear vision of the spaces yet and are using furniture you already have, your best bet is probably to pick a few neutrals (check out Benjamin Moore's Affinity line) that go with your current things and are flexible enough that you can imagine them going with future acquisitions. Once you've lived there a while, you'll be less overwhelmed and have a better idea of what you want the rooms to look like. At that point you can repaint a room at a time if need be, and you'll be in a much better position to judge how light affects the colors.

And what color are you painting the house? How can we offer you some suggestions if you can't tell us what color you're painting the body of the house.

The current white is too stark, but I think that a creamy- or off -white that works well with the siding would be a great choice. . From the way the house appears on my monitor I would have guessed that Hawthorne Yellow would have been too yellow. ( Shagbark Hickory appears to have a lot of gray, so I would be looking for a darker cream/off white that also has gray undertones) Since it looks great though, perhaps a shade a bit paler than Windham Cream would be good. Weston Flax seems closer to what I have in mind. I would go back to the SW store, and start by finding Shagbark Hickory amongst the color chips. Those chips should be arranged with colors with similar values (such as undertone) which is a good way to narrow the choices down. Be sure to take several that look like they have potential, and view them outdoors with the Shagbark chip. On my monitor, Accessible Beige seems like it could be close - the right amount of lightness, if the undertones aren't perfect. Ben Moore might have a very similar color to Shagbark, so you can do the same there. ETA: SW offers virtual color consultations, that might be a help!