The style of a room is defined by the molding or trim you choose and can often add a great deal of dimension and architectural character to the walls, as well as being a practical and effective way of hiding the gaps which exist in many houses. A unified effect running from one room to another can be achieved by painting the trim in the same color throughout, unless of course, you want to stress certain elements within a particular room. An example of this would be to strip and leave an antique mantel, whilst painting the window and door frames, the crown molding and the baseboard in a creamy white.
Similarly, you could play up to a mantel made of marble or stone by painting the baseboards a matching color, but keep all door and window frames white.
It’s a good idea to buy a small amount of paint and test it on a piece of poster board. This way you can see how it will all fit together prior to purchasing the full amount of paint needed to do the job.
Window and door frames and the doors themselves look great painted in a gloss or semi gloss enamel. It has a shinier result than a flat finish paint; it shows the light shadows with its reflective quality and is by far the most durable paint to use for such purposes.
Classic White
When your walls are colorful, be the shade soft or bold, you can more or less guarantee to enhance them by painting the trim a classic white.
Rooms which have deeply colored walls are lightened and brightened by a white trim which accents the strong colors and brings relief to the eye. Likewise, a cleaner and clearer look to the room is achieved by introducing a slight hint of contrast in light or pastel colored rooms by painting the trim white.
However, white does not have to be a stark white these days as many manufacturers offer a selection of whites ranging from warm to cool. Its worth noting that the lightest shade on the color chart may work as white when alongside your chosen wall color.
In order to choose the perfect white, take a chip of your wall color along to the store and put it against a selection of white or neutral colors to see which you prefer. You will discover that creamy warm tones work well with intense colors and warm neutrals just as clear and cool whites match up perfectly with both saturated and muted colors.
Use Color for Definition
To focus attention on door and window frames, they should be painted darker than the walls and if you absolutely love color, why not think about painting the trim in a contrasting color which matches the intensity of the color of the walls?
Go for the brightest or lightest color for the main surfaces, a darker color for window and door frames and introduce a third element of color for window sashes and the board under the windowsill. You can easily add a source of color by the curtain material, the dinnerware, and majolica you choose.
You can draw attention to architectural features in a pale colored room by painting them in a soft and contrasting hue.
Similar to the way a mat frames a picture, darker trims around windows provide a view to the outside of the house. A colonial style interior can be recalled by painting the trim in grayish blue, muted green, mustard yellow or barn red in rooms with cream or off white walls.
Take time to think about whether your woodwork is worth drawing attention to before painting it in dark colors against light walls.
Stained Wood
Properties constructed during the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially in the Victorian and Arts and Crafts styles, displayed a great amount of oak woodwork which was either varnished or stained to give a honey gold or medium brown effect.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s ranch-style houses were built using simpler, narrower moldings, but the unpainted look was still very popular. The beautiful texture of the wood shone through and warmth was brought to interiors by painting the trim and doors in natural colors.
The impact made on your room as far as color is concerned will depend on whether you simply varnish the wood or choose to stain it a different color first.
The dyes and pigments within a stain will color the wood without taking away from the grain and there are many colors to choose from such as golden yellow, dark or reddish brown, ebony and pickled or bleached.
Your stain color should be chosen bearing in mind the look you wish to achieve. A visually heavier feeling is created by using medium to dark brown stain whilst using a lighter golden or honey toned stain will give a sunny look. Opting to use a stain as an alternative to paint shows the grain of the wood at its best and brings a natural texture to any room. You should test your chosen stain in an out of sight area of the door or molding to make sure it reacts to the wood as expected and gives the color you are looking for. The finished work needs little maintenance, simply a quick clean every now and again with liquid furniture polish to give it a fresh new look.
