If there is one element that can elevate any space, it is architectural moulding and trim. Even if you live in a builder basic home, without any authentic architectural detailing, you can still dress up a room with colorful trim and moulding!
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For the past several decades, glossy white paint has been the status quo for trim. The reason why is understandable. With the proliferation of tract housing, most newly built homes are meant to appeal to the masses. A white room is a blank slate that allows a family to easily picture themselves living in a home.
However, the idea of the cookie cutter home, with neutral walls and white trim, has become so engrained in our collective memory that it seems we have forgotten other options exist.
What came before white?
Like all trends, white trim has waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries. In the Victorian era, wooden mouldings and trim became more prevalent than their plaster predecessors. Paint fell out of fashion as homeowners preferred clear finishes to highlight the intricate detailing that adorned the wood throughout their homes. Everything in this era was over the top, including the hardware they used.
Wood trim in Victorian homes
In my opinion, there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.” Original Victorian woodwork is incredible. However, a home that is clad floor to ceiling in wood can feel a bit austere to me. In the second photo above, I love the way the homeowner kept some of the woodwork as is and painted the rest of the trim. It highlights the ornate wood detailing, without making the space feel too dark.
How can I incorporate colorful trim in my home?
To answer this, the first question you need to answer is whether or not the room will have wallpaper.
Wallpapered rooms with colorful trim
When choosing a paint color for your trim to coordinate with the wallpaper you’ve chosen for a space, you have several options: match it to the primary color of the wallpaper, match it to a secondary color of the wallpaper, or choose a bold, contrasting color. If you need help identifying primary and secondary colors of the pattern, read this.
In this case, the blue that was chosen appears nowhere in the print of the wallpaper, but the colors of the wallpaper were tied into other elements of the room.
Here, a shade of blue similar to that of the mural wallpaper was used for the trim, which serves to visually raise the height of the ceiling in this room.
The color scheme of the wallpaper here is simple: blue and white. Painting the trim and vanity the same shade of blue as the paper establishes a strong, balanced color palette for this space.
In this case, the trim is painted a brilliant green to match the green accents in the wallpaper.
Here is another example of choosing a trim color based upon a secondary color in the wallpaper pattern.
Paint the trim the same color as the walls
Painting the trim the same color as the walls helps give the illusion of higher ceilings. These rich green walls and trim also look incredible against the pop of colorful wallpaper on the ceiling.
High contrast
This one is my bathroom! If you’re uncertain about experimenting with color, small spaces are a great place to start.
This color scheme reminds me of the one I chose for our guest bathroom.
Low contrast
If you found this helpful, check this post for ceiling design ideas.
-Sasha
