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A:

Woofta, there’s a lot to cover here so let’s start with the first question –

“I’m painting my walls white, should I paint my trim the same white or off-white?”

Truthfully, the answer to this question is mainly personal preference. In our home we chose to use the same color of white on our walls, trim, and doors. It made painting a breeze! Some people may prefer a slightly off-white for the trim. In this case, I would just make sure that the two whites compliment each other since every white has slightly different undertones. Even white paints are made with a variety of colors giving each white a slightly different hue.

If you want a pure white, I recommend Nautica White in the Nautica paint line which can be found at Menards. (It’s the color we used in our whole house.)

What is contrast trim?

Contrast trim is pretty popular at the moment! While most people paint their walls a unique color and paint all the trim white, contrast trim is simply the opposite of that with light colored walls (often white) and darker colored trim (often beige or gray). This revived style is bringing attention back to the trim in a really unique way. And I say “revived” because we’ve definitely seen this concept in the past.

Of course really old homes have their own version of contrast trim with white walls and wood trim. Dark antique wood trim can certainly be a statement on its own so think twice before you grab that paint brush.

What color should I paint my interior doors?

In most cases, I recommend painting your interior doors the same color as your trim. There are a couple exceptions to this rule though –

1. You can paint just your door a different color if your walls, baseboards, and door trim are all the same color. So in the image above, the walls and trim are both white but the door is black which looks absolutely stunning! However, if the walls were one color, the trim was a different color, and the door was a third color…well it’s very tricky to make that look cohesive and I don’t often recommend it. (Although I have seen a few designers do this and make it look beautiful!)

2. You can paint your door and door trim a separate color if your walls and baseboards are both the same color. So again, if your walls are white and your baseboards are white, you could afford to paint just the door and door trim a statement color (like in Jenni Yolo’s image below).

What sheen should I paint my trim?

Last but not least…paint sheens! I typically use eggshell on walls to achieve a matte finish that’s still cleanable. Flat paint does not clean easily. As for trim and interior doors, I recommend painting in a satin or semi-gloss sheen. Even if you’re painting your walls and trim all the same color, I still recommend doing a different sheen on the walls vs the trim because this provides some differentiation between the two while also creating depth within a single color.

Need more trim and paint advice? Check out the blog posts below!

Paint Color Selection Tips
A paint swatch secret that I love plus my fave white, beige, and hunter green paint colors.

How to Install Baseboards Like the Professionals
An easy DIY tutorial for installing your own baseboard trim.