To paint your trim or not to paint your trim, that is the question…

Well actually, if you’re reading this you’ve probably already decided to keep your wood trim wood - and I applaud your decision!

Yes, I still love white paint and preach it far and wide. And yes, I sometimes paint wood trim white when it’s called for.

My heritage apartment with beautiful wood doors and trim: Sherwin Williams Ice Cube on walls

However…

Natural wood is just so incredibly rich and beautiful and organic. It’s beautiful in historic homes and modern ones and everything in between.

Paired with white walls (my favourite with wood trim), wood provides a natural, warm and modern look and feel. It creates an organically neutral and calming space - but with depth and character!

If you’ve got beautiful rich and natural wood in your home on the doors and/or trim, I encourage you to think about keeping it - or at least some of it - instead of painting it out white.

That said, if you’ve got a ton of wood and it’s making your home too dark, consider painting out the ceiling and floor trim but leaving the rest. Wood trim at the top on ceiling moulding can feel too heavy and bring the height of the room down. Just be consistent - if you paint baseboard floor trim, do it all, not just some (see this blog post on consistency).

The key to making wood trim and doors work is to choose a wall colour that will either play up your wood or tone it down so you get the right combination that works well together.

• If you have very yellowy, orangey or reddish wood, neutralize it a bit with a cool tone paint colour on your walls (like I did by using Sherwin Williams Ice Cube in my apartment photo above).

• If you’d like to play up the warmth of your wood, use a warm colour on the walls, like a warm green or beige.

• Or, as I most often suggest, you could go with a light neutral white or off-white paint colour on the walls that will complement the wood but also feel bright, light and modern. This is the most popular updated look right now, but I also think it’s a classic and will always stay on-trend. If you want more colour, add that in through accessories like pillows, curtains and artwork.

• Note: I’ve referred to Sherwin William's colours and paint quality here, but if you prefer another brand, simply have them colour-match for you.

GO-TO PAINT COLOURS THAT PLAY WELL WITH WOOD:

Category 1: White and off-white colours that go with wood trim

As you can see, whites and off-whites work so well with wood trim. White is my favourite colour choice with light wood trim, as it's natural, fresh and a beautiful light backdrop for life. White even works with dark wood trim; it will be high contrast, but that's a modern look that can work if you dig that kind of thing. And you can soften the contrast with layers like curtains, rugs, pillows and artwork.

Good whites for walls with wood trim are Sherwin William Pure White (soft neutral), Sherwin Williams Extra White (true bright white (ie. Scandinavian design) and Sherwin Williams Paper White (slightly warm). If you wanted to go even more creamy warm, try Sherwin Williams Lily. 

Category 2: Grey and greige paint colours that work with wood trim

Neutral and cool greys and greiges work really well with wood trim to neutralize their warmth- which can sometimes be too much when you have a lot of wood in your space. Grays and greiges will make the space feel much more modern, and if you stay on the light side it will still brighten your space.

Good options are Sherwin Williams Ice Cube (cool, slight blue undertone) and Sherwin Williams Aloof Gray (neutral). Sherwin Williams Repose Gray (slightly warm but quite neutral) is also a great paint choice to go with wood trim. 

Category 3: Dark and Deep Paint colours that work with wood trim

If you're not digging white or grey walls you might go for dark and dramatic with black, dark slate or midnight blue. They're stunning with dark wood trim, and will create a cozy moodiness, especially good in bedrooms and dens. Get some light bouncing into the room in other ways by using light curtains and decor, and hanging a mirror opposite the window.  

Nice options include Sherwin Williams Inkwell, Charcoal Blue, or In the Navy. 

Category 4: Blues or Greens that go well with wood trim

Finally, if you feel a little bolder and want some colour in your life, choose something that will contrast with the wood, but stick to a natural vibe. Muted tones found in nature like mossy green, sage, cool blue-grey and seafoam green work well.

To keep it simple, I'd stay away from vibrant yellows, very yellowy beiges and reds - these are hard to pull off with all of the warm tones already in the wood.

Try Svelte Sage (warm), Breaktime (cool) or Rain (cool) as beautiful colours to go with wood trim. 

We all want updated homes that are peaceful, comfortable, and inviting, without being too dark and heavy. Keeping your wood trim just means pairing the right wall colour to achieve this. Now you can do it without the head-scratching! Happy painting.

WANT TO TRY WHITE WALLS WITH WOOD TRIM BUT DON’T KNOW WHAT TO CHOOSE?

Download my Simple Guide to Choosing the Right White Paint and choose a colour you’ll love.