Painting trim (baseboards) need advice, pics included!

[beau13]

So..I just recently painted my family room, new carpet, new furniture, new curtains, wall art..etc.
I love decorating, I''m told I''m fairly good at making a room come to life..BUT, I am having an issue with the trim or baseboards.
Might be hard to tell from the pic, but the walls are a taupe color, leather furniture is chocolate brown. There are a couple of doors in this room, that I painted the same color as the wall. Right now, the trim is wood (oak color), and I want to buy new ones (a bit wider), and paint them off-white. Will this look strange? I see it in all the home dec. books, and on home reno type shows, but wonder if it will stand out with the dark furniture. The cushions, and some wall art have off-white strips, and creams/beiges (the curtains too). Thanks for any advice you may have. If you have pics to post that would be fantastic!!

 

[beau13]

You can see a bit of the patio door, and the far window, where the wood trim would be lightened (cream color), or would you leave the trim around windows/doors, floors a wood color? The carpet is fairly light (biegy/taupe color), the walls are more of a cool tone, and the fireplace is solid oak (which I am considering staining darker). Any thoughts??

 

[LadyBlue]

I don''t know to much about decoration. But I can say that your leaving room looks gorgeous

I would not change anything

 

[beau13]

Date: 4/20/2009 4:29:52 PM
Author: gaby06
I don't know to much about decoration. But I can say that your leaving room looks gorgeous

I would not change anything

Did you mean living room? lol. Thanks..it just doesn't look complete or finished yet, and I think it's the trim. This is the family room (more casual), our living room has oak trim, which looks great with the oak hardwood floors, and the dark red walls, but in this room, I'm kind of stumped! I think because the wood trim in kind of honey colored, it's competing with the more cool toned wall. Before it was more of a tan, or warmer color and it looked okay.

 

[lyra]

My reply got eaten.

I would widen up all the trim, including the windows and doors, and paint it off white. It will make your wall colour pop. You should have the same baseboards throughout the main level. I know this sucks, because we have been replacing all of ours *everywhere* in the house for consistency and the nicer look. I wish I had your family room. I hate mine!

 

[beau13]

Thanks Lyra..I hope having a different color trim on this level would be okay, although as soon as you step out of the room (you can see the oak nosing on the step leading into this room), there is oak nosing on the tile stairs, leading up to the living room which just had new hardwood floors and wide oak trim installed. I don''t want to have to change baseboards on any of the other levels of the house, since it''s all been redone recently. So..I like your idea..the wide trim, painted off-white, just not sure if it will look odd, that only one level of the house (out of 4) has this light trim (the rest is oak). ???

 

[bebe]

You also might want to consider painting the trim (wider trim at that) a few shades darker than the walls. Doors as well.
I''ve done this in custom homes for clients who are wanting a cleaner more contemporary look. Of course the white trim with
taupe looks nice too.

 

[beau13]

Thanks BEBE..I thought of darker trim, but then seen a show "flip this house" where the trim was all dark, and it looked so dated..so old and dark. If that house had dark hardwood floors it might have looked different, but there was light carpet, and with the dark trim (dark brown)it looked odd I found. My other concern is that the room is quite large 32 X 19, and I don't want to darken it up too much, with the dark leather everywhere, I thought keeping the rest of the room lighter would be best? No? Maybe I'm wrong. I guess if I seen a pic of a similar room, with darker trim , I would change my mind! Bebe..are you an interior decorator/designer? Do you have any pics, that would give me ideas? If I do darker trim, darker fireplace, won't that be alot of dark for that room? Thanks

 

[zoebartlett]

I don''t have much style sense, so I can''t give my opinion on the baseboards, but I wanted to let you know that I LOVE your furniture! It''s beautiful!

 

[pennquaker09]

Well, what style home do you have? If it''s a craftsman style home, then I probably wouldn''t paint the trim, it''s one of the hallmarks of a craftsman styled home. However, if it''s not, then yes, you could paint it and it would like great. Benjamin Moore Dove White is a great trim color.

 

[whitby_2773]

hi beau! how gorgeous your living room looks!

here''s my dining room in NY - wide painted trim. i prefer painted finishes on trim - i find unfinished trims tend to look more dated than ones that are painted.

my house was built in 1906 - so, just over 100 years old.

hope this helps.

oh - and the color is the ubiquitous ''swiss coffee'' - it''s an off-white, but not an obvious cream. it''s very forgiving and goes with pretty much anything.

have you done wide ceiling cornices yet? trust me - that comes next...

 

[whitby_2773]

a slightly different view - looking in from our living room - gives you a good view of the trim around the doorway.

hope this helps, beau - i think it''s going to look great! love your colors

 

[beau13]

Date: 4/20/2009 5:38:42 PM
Author: pennquaker09
Well, what style home do you have? If it's a craftsman style home, then I probably wouldn't paint the trim, it's one of the hallmarks of a craftsman styled home. However, if it's not, then yes, you could paint it and it would like great. Benjamin Moore Dove White is a great trim color.

First off..thanks for the compliment ZB, I love the new furniture too, it's only 5 days old, so of course I would...lol. Thanks for adding pics Whitby..I love the wide trim, and light colors, your place looks great. What are ceiling cornices? Same as crown moulding?
Penn..never heard of a craftsman style home..we call homes by different names here in Canada, two-story, bungalow, sidesplit, raised ranch, backsplit.
Mine happens to be a four level backsplit. You walk in, there's vaulted ceilings and a long foyer. If you go down a step, you're in the family room (pics shown), if you go down 5 steps, you're in the basement. If you go up five steps from the family room, you're in the living room, dining room, kitchen. Up five more steps, bathrooms/bedrooms. I love BM Dove white..great trim color for sure! I always use Bengamin Moore paints!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I personally *hate* oak. I think it is very dated. I love white or antique white glossy trim. I like lighter trim, bolder wall colors, and then paint the ceilings two shades lighter (in most cases) than the wall. The only time we didn''t was with my chocolate brown sunroom. We painted the sunroom ivory. Makes the crown really POP! Wider boards make a HUGE difference. I know you can cheat (of money is a concern) but installing quarter round a few inches higher and then paint the whole area the same color. I would redo the fireplace for sure. A darker stain would help hiding the grain.

 

[pennquaker09]

Beau, I think your home is cute, but craftsman can be a lot of different things. For instance, it could be a craftsman bungalow, and so on. You''d know it, because there would be a lot of natural wood trim and a lot of built ins and a lot of detailed woodworking in the home.

 

[upgrade]

I''m not a lover of oak either for anything other than flooring... I tend to dislike wood trim except in craftsman style homes (I''m in Canada too- Craftsman must not be big in your area? We have a ton of them, old and new, on the West Coast).

I agree with Tacori and Whitby that oak trim tends to look dated. If I were you I''d paint all the baseboards/trim an antique white... and I''d paint the fireplace too, but that''s just me. I have dark stained oak floors with white baseboards/wainscotting and it''s a fabulous combo- makes the floors and wall colour really pop.

Threadjack- Whitby- I love your house!

 

[Maisie]

I would never let my kids loose in a room like that!!

 

[FrekeChild]

I would paint it white. Also, I think part of the reason the room is looking unfinished is that you don''t have any side tables. Maybe throw in a couple of those would help liven up the room...

Whitby, I love your house too!

 

[musey]

Date: 4/20/2009 8:37:44 PM
Author: FrekeChild
I would paint it white. Also, I think part of the reason the room is looking unfinished is that you don't have any side tables. Maybe throw in a couple of those would help liven up the room...

Whitby, I love your house too!

THAT'S what it is! I couldn't put my finger on it. Side tables on either end of the sectional sofa would help a lot.

Also, if that turquoise bowl/platter is a regular visitor to that room, it may be a good color to echo elsewhere. Maybe it's just the bright sunny california in me, but the room seems to need something BRIGHT going on to balance the sleepy/calm carpet, paint and furniture colors.

I would also paint the oak white. Another non-fan of oak over here.


ETA: The longer I look, the more I feel distracted by the lamp and TV. They seem bare somehow. Could that be contributing to the "unfinished" feeling?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 4/20/2009 8:45:27 PM
Author: musey

Date: 4/20/2009 8:37:44 PM

Author: FrekeChild

I would paint it white. Also, I think part of the reason the room is looking unfinished is that you don''t have any side tables. Maybe throw in a couple of those would help liven up the room...

Whitby, I love your house too!

THAT''S what it is! I couldn''t put my finger on it. Side tables on either end of the sectional sofa would help a lot.

Also, if that turquoise bowl/platter is a regular visitor to that room, it may be a good color to echo elsewhere. Maybe it''s just the bright sunny california in me, but the room seems to need something BRIGHT going on to balance the sleepy/calm carpet, paint and furniture colors.

I would also paint the oak white. Another non-fan of oak over here.

ETA: The longer I look, the more I feel distracted by the lamp and TV. They seem bare somehow. Could that be contributing to the ''unfinished'' feeling?

Ditto musey - I like the idea of adding something else in a bright color like the bowl. Maybe some throw pillows? And definitely a shade of white for the oak. I''ve never been a fan of any kind of dark wood.

 

[beau13]

Thanks for all the imput. It''s hard to tell from the pics, but the one pic seen (on the wall) has the turquoise blue it in..plus the room is so big, I haven''t shown half of it! (Just the one end of the room) The other end of the room has two wall hangings with alot of color in the them, and a chair with colored cushions and a throw (turquoise/blue). The cushions on the sectional have cream/brown and truquoise stripes in them (they''re bright in real life).There are also the same color candles, and vases in other parts of the room. There are aldo end tables, but not near the sectonal, since they would get in the way of the doors (one to the huge jacuzzi tub room) the other door leads to the basment!

. Everyone loves the bug oak fireplace..I wouldn''t DREAM of painting it, but staining it darker is an option. I would want the grain to show..if I paint it, might as well tear it down and do a drywall surround, but that would make it look cheap (in my opinion). All the oak raises the value of our home (oak cabinets in kitchen), floors..etc. Not that I plan on moving..I love my house!! I think I''ve decided to buy very wide baseboards, paint them a soft white (ivory), and see how that looks! Will post new pics in a couple weeks! Thanks everyone!

 

[beau13]

Date: 4/20/2009 8:23:47 PM
Author: Maisie
I would never let my kids loose in a room like that!!

Funny! This is the family room, so the kids jump, play..do whatever they please in this room. The living room on the other hand is for entertaining adults only..the kids never sit in there!

I love the living room, because it''s more open concept, with the dining room and kitchen combined, separated by one half wall (if that makes sense). Reds, browns, orange...very warm colors..with ivory colored leather in that room. I LOVE the 2 red walls in my living room! Everyone that comes over loves that level of the house. Hoping when the final touches are done with the family room, guests will feel just as comfortable in it!

 

[bebe]

the white/ivory will be fine. I''m sure you will like it and it will provide a crisp clean look. Good luck.

 

[beau13]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:53:01 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I personally *hate* oak. I think it is very dated. I love white or antique white glossy trim. I like lighter trim, bolder wall colors, and then paint the ceilings two shades lighter (in most cases) than the wall. The only time we didn''t was with my chocolate brown sunroom. We painted the sunroom ivory. Makes the crown really POP! Wider boards make a HUGE difference. I know you can cheat (of money is a concern) but installing quarter round a few inches higher and then paint the whole area the same color. I would redo the fireplace for sure. A darker stain would help hiding the grain.

That is funny..my MIL said this to me today, when she stopped by to see the new room (furniture). I said "you got to be kidding..why would someone do that, rather than installing the proper baseboards"..she said, "I guess to save money"! I won''t be doing this..if I do something, I do it right!! When people build homes and skimp (in order to save money), it shows!

 

[beau13]

Date: 4/20/2009 7:50:41 PM
Author: upgrade
I''m not a lover of oak either for anything other than flooring... I tend to dislike wood trim except in craftsman style homes (I''m in Canada too- Craftsman must not be big in your area? We have a ton of them, old and new, on the West Coast).

I agree with Tacori and Whitby that oak trim tends to look dated. If I were you I''d paint all the baseboards/trim an antique white... and I''d paint the fireplace too, but that''s just me. I have dark stained oak floors with white baseboards/wainscotting and it''s a fabulous combo- makes the floors and wall colour really pop.

Threadjack- Whitby- I love your house!

Do you have any pics..I can''t picture that combo..but would be interested in seeing a floor and baseboards that aren''t matching (same color family). Thanks

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 4/20/2009 10:15:54 PM
Author: beau13

Date: 4/20/2009 6:53:01 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

I personally *hate* oak. I think it is very dated. I love white or antique white glossy trim. I like lighter trim, bolder wall colors, and then paint the ceilings two shades lighter (in most cases) than the wall. The only time we didn''t was with my chocolate brown sunroom. We painted the sunroom ivory. Makes the crown really POP! Wider boards make a HUGE difference. I know you can cheat (of money is a concern) but installing quarter round a few inches higher and then paint the whole area the same color. I would redo the fireplace for sure. A darker stain would help hiding the grain.

That is funny..my MIL said this to me today, when she stopped by to see the new room (furniture). I said ''you got to be kidding..why would someone do that, rather than installing the proper baseboards''..she said, ''I guess to save money''! I won''t be doing this..if I do something, I do it right!! When people build homes and skimp (in order to save money), it shows!

Um...alright.

I''m sure others wouldn''t mind seeing it completed.

 

[FrekeChild]

You know, something else is bothering me. The placement of the sectional in front of the fireplace is awkward too.

Can we get pics of the rest of the room?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/20/2009 10:40:20 PM
Author: FrekeChild
You know, something else is bothering me. The placement of the sectional in front of the fireplace is awkward too.

Can we get pics of the rest of the room?

Seeing the whole room would help. I like the furniture but agree, side tables/ end tables are needed. I am not as focussed on the baseboards as I am on how the furniture is placed. To me it looks stark, but don''t have the big picture... If you could give us a shot of the whole room, that would help. I think you are off to a great start, just some tweaking, the baseboards are sooo easy to replace paint, etc...

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:32:54 PM
Author: beau13

Date: 4/20/2009 5:38:42 PM
Author: pennquaker09
Well, what style home do you have? If it''s a craftsman style home, then I probably wouldn''t paint the trim, it''s one of the hallmarks of a craftsman styled home. However, if it''s not, then yes, you could paint it and it would like great. Benjamin Moore Dove White is a great trim color.

First off..thanks for the compliment ZB, I love the new furniture too, it''s only 5 days old, so of course I would...lol. Thanks for adding pics Whitby..I love the wide trim, and light colors, your place looks great. What are ceiling cornices? Same as crown moulding?
Penn..never heard of a craftsman style home..we call homes by different names here in Canada, two-story, bungalow, sidesplit, raised ranch, backsplit.
Mine happens to be a four level backsplit. You walk in, there''s vaulted ceilings and a long foyer. If you go down a step, you''re in the family room (pics shown), if you go down 5 steps, you''re in the basement. If you go up five steps from the family room, you''re in the living room, dining room, kitchen. Up five more steps, bathrooms/bedrooms. I love BM Dove white..great trim color for sure! I always use Bengamin Moore paints!

Think early Frank Lloyd Wright (1890s - 1909ish), and you''ll have a great idea what Craftsman style is.

Do you have pics of the exterior of your home we can check out? It''ll give us a few clues as to your home''s style.

 

[hlmr]

Date: 4/20/2009 4:29:52 PM
Author: gaby06
I don't know to much about decoration. But I can say that your leaving room looks gorgeous I would not change anything

Author: beau13
Did you mean living room? lol.
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Date: 4/20/2009 4:59:49 PM
Author: beau13
Thanks BEBE..I thought of darker trim, but then seen a show 'flip this house' where the trim was all dark, and it looked so dated..so old and dark.

Beau13, did you mean that you saw a show 'flip this house'? lol.

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Oh yah, painted, wider trim definitely needed.

Off white would be lovely!