Painting your trim a darker shade than your walls is a trend rooted in traditional design that adds warmth and interest to your home. Read on to learn about how to choose the right color and tips for painting your woodwork.
DESIGN + STYLE | Published January 16, 2025
PHOTO CREDIT: Park & Oak
The trim in your home does not have to be white.
For quite some time, home decorating trends have led to most choosing white baseboards and mouldings as an accent against painted walls. It is a safe choice that looks stylish in most situations.
But adding color to trim, whether bold or neutral, can be a timeless update dramatically changing the look and feel of a space.
Read on to learn more about what contrast trim is, why it’s a design trend worth considering, and how to choose a paint color perfect for your home.
For more inspiration, have at look at over 150 images showing contrasting trim that I've saved for you to look through.
What Is Trim?
Trim, also referred to as moulding or millwork, is the material around your doors, windows, ceiling and floor. It is used to create a transition between surfaces while lending style and a finishing touch to a room.
This decorative framing includes baseboard that rests on the floor, crown moulding at the ceiling, and the casing around doors and windows. Features like wainscotting, board and batten, and custom cabinetry can also be painted in the same shade as trim.
What Is Contrast Trim?
Contrast trim is the concept of painting woodwork a darker color than walls, a reverse of the contemporary approach to decorating. Walls are typically painted white, cream, or another light color while the trim color can range from beige (a subtle, neutral look) to black (eye-catching and bold) and all the colors in between.
While it may be considered a “trend” at the moment, the concept is actually rooted in early decorating and could often be found executed in older homes. At one time, dark trim was a signal of wealth and sophistication as only those who had money could afford to paint their trim. Later it became a practical way of hiding dirt and allowed more budget-friendly wood like pine to be used over stain-grade choices.
Why Add Contrasting Trim?
Good design is all about taking chances and doing something out of the ordinary to put your own personal stamp on the way your home looks and feels.
- Painting your trim a darker shade adds depth and the feeling of warmth and coziness to a room.
- Color can be quite a commitment on walls, but painting trim brings the same palette to the room without feeling overwhelming or dark. Not many are willing to paint their room charcoal, but it can be a striking and unexpected trim color, for example.
- For rooms without a lot of natural light, painting the trim allows you to enjoy color while maintaining white walls that will better reflect light.
- If you are doing the painting yourself, you can completely transform the design of your room without spending a lot of money. Hiring someone to paint just trim will likely cost you more than painting the walls, however.
- It’s an elevated, timeless look that will add character to your home. And because it is an unexpected choice, the darker trim will set your room apart from all the others framed with basic white.
- Architectural features like antique mouldings, chunky baseboards, or decorative panels are highlighted.
PHOTO CREDIT: Park & Oak
How to Choose the Right Color
Start by looking at inspiration photos online or in magazines to see how much contrast you are interested in adding. Do you lean more towards a soothing neutral look of gray and beige or does high contrast and bold fit in better with your home?
After you’ve determined how dark you’d like to go, here are a few things to consider when picking a trim color:
- If possible, choose a trim color before the wall paint.
- There should be no more than three colors of paint in the room for the ceiling, walls, and trim. If you don’t want all of the trim painted in a darker contrast shade, choose one of the other two colors for a cohesive look.
- Stay away from overly-saturated shades and instead stick to muddier colors muted with gray or black for a more sophisticated look.
- Choose colors from the same tone family. All colors, including white, either lean cool in value with a blue base or warmer with a yellow base.
- Consider painting the walls and trim in two shades of the same hue. Something lighter for the walls and a deeper shade for the trim.
- Choose a lower contrast pairing if you have white vinyl windows so that the white doesn’t become the focal point. There are tutorials for painting and updating vinyl windows, but the finish may not hold up over time so it is best to work with what you have.
- Bold colors can become overpowering in a small space or a room with a lot of doors.
Trim Doesn't Have To Be Painted
LISA STATON
Your woodwork doesn't have to be painted to contrast. In this old house restoration, Lisa refinished the original millwork and the dark stain is stunning again the white walls.
Some Things to Consider When Painting Your Trim a Contrasting Shade
- In rooms with low ceilings, paint the crown moulding the same color as the ceiling to give the illusion of added height.
- Keep in mind that contrasting paint colors will likely look better on chunkier trim.
- If your trim is damaged or has layers of old paint, choosing a color is likely going to make them look worse.
- In open concept homes, you’ll need to commit to a trim color for all of the rooms that open into one another because there is no place to transition colors smoothly.
- Get some paint samples of colors you’re considering to try out the combination before committing.
Source
Tall, ornate baseboards will give the most impact when they are painted in a contrasting color, but they are pricey to install. You can fake the look of height by installing a second piece of trim a few inches above what you already have and painting it all, including the wall in between, the same color.
Trim Painting Tips
- Preparation is key. Sand down old paint buildup and fill in any nicks or gouges in the wood before you paint for a smooth, professional surface.
- Doors and trim are best painted with a satin or semi-gloss finish so that dirt and dust can be wiped away easily.
- Use an angled brush on trim rather than a roller. Wooster makes a short handled brush that makes it easy to get into tight areas.
- For a crisp edge, apply painter’s tape to keep the trim paint off of the wall and floor if you don’t have a steady hand. You can also buy a pre-taped plastic drop cloth to easily cover larger sections or carpet.
- Two coats of paint will give you the best results.
- Paint your trim before the walls when doing a complete room refresh. You can get cleaner lines and touch-ups are easier.
PHOTO CREDIT: Whittney Parkinson
Frequently Asked Questions
What Sheen Should I Paint Trim?
A satin or semi-gloss finish is best for millwork and doors. It can be wiped clean easily and kept dust-free. A shinier paint does highlight imperfections in your trim, however.
Even if you are painting your walls and trim in the same color, you’ll want to choose two different sheens to create depth and differentiation between the surfaces.
Do Window Trim and Baseboards Need to Match?
In terms of design consistency, it is easier to have window trim and baseboards painted the same color, but isn’t necessary. In this case, it is best to stick with painting the window trim in the wall color rather than introducing another hue into the palette.
Do You Have to Have Consistent Trim Throughout the House?
If you want the rooms in your home to have a cohesive look from space to space, then you should choose a trim color that can be used throughout the house. But in individual rooms closed off from the next, it is ultimately your design choice how you will finish each room’s trim.
In open concept spaces, however, you must use the same color trim in each area.
What Color SHould Trim Be With Wallpapered Walls?
Look at the colors in the paper and pick the one that you feel would pair nicely with both the styling in the room and wall covering and that you won’t mind seeing everyday.
You’ll also need to consider whether you want the trim or the wallpaper to be the focal point. When you walk into the room, if you want to see the wallpaper, then you best choose a more neutral shade for the millwork, whereas if you want the color of the trim to be what catches your eye, choose a bolder shade from the wallpaper’s palette.
For more inspiration, have at look at over 150 images showing contrasting trim that I've saved for you to look through.
This revived style can bring attention to your trim in an unexpected way. Whether a subtle taupe or statement making yellow, consider adding color to your baseboards and window casings for an entirely new look to your room.
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