Steps to Picking Interior Trim Colors
June 15, 2022
Congratulations! You’ve picked the color pallet for your home’s interior walls! For most homeowners, this is no small task possibly taking multiple trips to the hardware store and painstakingly examining the color swatch options.
Unfortunately, once you’ve found that perfect wall shade, your decisions aren’t quite finished, now you will need to decide on the trim color. The color palette for the baseboards, ceiling molding, doors, and window trim will all need to be determined before your paint project can get underway.
In the world of design, most experts will recommend considering three main things for your trim hue: contrasting colors, coordinating colors, and the sheen or finish. Let’s explore these main areas that can help you choose the interior trim color that will best suit your style and room.
Contrasting Colors
Interior trim has a dual purpose. On one hand, it has the practical purpose of covering the gaps between the walls and ceiling and walls and the floor. On the other hand, it has a purely decorative purpose, to add detail and visual interest to a monochromatic wall.
When dealing with the latter purpose, many designers like to choose a contrasting color to add dimension to a room. While white is an obvious choice for many homeowners, there are even more contrasting choices that are becoming more and more popular in recent years. Pitch black, medium grays, and neutrals of all shades have become increasingly used in homes.
These color contrasts allow for architectural details to be more visible and details in the room’s shape and size become more apparent.
If you do decide to choose a hue of white, remember that there are all sorts of degrees of white from crisp and sparkling whites to creamy deeper shades of white. Try a few of each before making your final decision.
Coordinating Colors
If contrasting colors are not your thing for the trim in your interior rooms, you may want to try choosing a coordinating color.
For instance, if your room is a pallet of blue or green, choose a lighter or darker hue of the same color. Doing so can accomplish the same goals of letting details and architectural aspects of the room be displayed but in a less “in your face” manner.
Coordinating colors could also mean using an accent color or a decorative aspect of the room as your trim or molding color.
A Word on Trim Sheen
Before you head off to try out your different trim colors, a short word on what sheen or finish may work best on your trim. Most decorators suggest using a semi-gloss finish on trim. It is easy to clean and is more durable than an eggshell or matte finish. Additionally, the extra sheen allows for a reflection on the light in the room to play on the wall color.
Have you recently painted a room and are thrilled with your trim color? Tell us what you did by dropping us a line or sharing your photos!
Categorised in: Interior painting, Jerry Enos, Trim and Molding