Dark Wood Trim: The Best Neutral Paint Colours to Coordinate
While this blog post refers to the wood trims of the 70’s & 80’s, the colour ideas are also FAB for older homes with dark trimwork
With a focus on updating the oaks and maples of the 90’s, it’s easy to bypass the dark wood trims and doors of the 70’s and 80’s. Oh those were the days…shag carpets, avocado coloured fridges and macramé plant hangers (wait, isn’t some of this back in style again?).
Do you think it’s the colour of your trim that is the problem? Think again…
- With its 2″ width, the SIZE is 1970’s, not the stain colour. In fact, some of the most amazing homes have dark wood trim – but it’s thicker, more substantial looking and often a finer quality wood. In other words, don’t curse the colour, curse the size
- There is nothing we can do about the size, however there is A LOT we can do with what is going on around your trim
- Painting your dark wood trim would help modernize your home, just keep in mind it would STILL be narrower than modern styles
- And if you’re reading this blog post I’m assuming that painting your trim is out of the question for financial, labour-intensive and marital reasons (oh those hubby’s…)
So, while there isn’t much we can do about the size of your wood (wink wink), there is A LOT we can do with what is around it (I’d say we could enhance your wood, but that might be crossing a line…)
BTW: I don’t have tons of photos of the 1970’s/80’s home with wood trim, so I’ve used some photos with older homes as examples (passive aggressive way of saying that I’d love photos of dark wood trim if you have them!)
So let’s update that old wood trim WITHOUT painting it!
Before we begin, stop thinking of your trim as a ‘wood/stain’ and start thinking of it as a COLOUR. That’s right, if you blurred your eyes to block out the grain you’d be dealing with a dark brown colour.
And what goes with brown? A LOT! However, just because it ‘goes’ with it doesn’t mean it will UPDATE it, so we want to make sure our paint colour choices don’t date us.
And here is where I’m brutally honest…better get the darts sharpened…I couldn’t find any beautiful photos showing the glorious old 1970’s trimwork in well-decorated rooms. That’s not to say they aren’t out there, however I had to find photos of similar woods/looks so I could effectively show you what you could do.
Medium Toned Gray and Brown Paint Colours with Dark Wood Trim
Click on underlined colour names to view
For a modern look, gray is undoubtedly one of the best choices (along with off-white). Grays are popular because they are versatile and accommodate a wide variety of wood tones, styles and accent colours.
Source – Henhouse
A gray colour like this (in a room with enough natural light) is a STUNNING complement to dark wood trim. The brown of the trim and the gray paint colour play well together, creating a neutral, organic and modern look.
Charcoal/Gray: Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray, Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray
These are medium toned gray paint colours. Chelsea Gray is a bit heavier feeling than Dorian Gray and has a slightly more neutral, charcoal base. Dorian Gray is a bit softer feeling as it has a subtle brown/taupe base.
When it comes to warm tones/browns, you need to be careful that you don’t just blend things right in. You want to keep the contrast up and can do so either with a) a lighter brown colour like tan/beige or warm things up considerably and get out of the ‘chocolate’ range.
Source – Bayer Built
Browns: Benjamin Moore Peanut Shell or Morrel, Sherwin Williams Latte
Peanut Shell is an orange based tan colour. Morrel is similar, but has more brown, less orange. Latte is still warm feeling but doesn’t have the same dominant orange undertone of the other 2.
Keep in mind…
- A room with a medium/dark paint colour and dark trim needs adequate lighting to bring things to life. It also needs to be lightened and brightened via accents and decor so that there is some contrast and interest, otherwise things may fall a bit flat and heavy
- While warm browns like the ones shown above can look awesome with dark trim, heavier chocolate browns can blend in and leave your room without much definition or contrast
Read more: Don’t forget about choosing the best colour for a North Facing or South Facing room!
Light and Neutral Paint Colours with Dark Wood Trim
When using light and bright paint colours, you have to be careful that your home décor can visually support a high contrast look. Without getting into too much detail (as there will be another blog post about this in the future), you need other high contrast items in your room that mimic the look of your trim/walls.
Kylie M Interiors E-Design
While this isn’t the traditional 1970’s look, the dark wood flooring and door help to show you how a soft, light gray paint colour can look beautiful with darker wood tones.
Lighter Gray Colours: Benjamin Moore Collingwood (shown in stairwell above) and Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray in farmhouse style dining room (actual home of Gingham and Grace).
- Light cream colours: Benjamin Moore Navajo White or Timid White
- Off-white colours: Benjamin Moore Simply White or Sherwin Williams Westhighland White
Obviously the above photo doesn’t show not dark wood trim (good pics of it are hard to come by!) but it does show you how lovely a colour like BM Navajo White can be. Soft, warm, but not so yellow that it looks dated.
As Benjamin Moore’s 2016 Colour of the Year, Simply White is also a stunning choice. It is a subtle and warm off-white, but keep in mind that in a room with northern exposure or heavy landscaping outside the window it might pick up a grayish/green tone. Mountain Peak White is similar to Simply White but with a weee bit more yellow in it. Westhighland White, again a nice warm off-white but it has just a tiny smidge more oomph to it (technical term).
Things to think about
- The lighter your paint colour is, the more high contrast your room will look. High contrast can make a room look slightly smaller and more cluttered, particularly if you have a LOT of doorways and windows. While you can remedy this with many other elements, it is something to be aware of.
Being Careful with Light, Neutral and WARM Colours
Light, neutral and warm usually means ‘cream’. Now cream and off-white are BEAUTIFUL complements to dark wood, however HEAVY creams are not. Let me rephrase that, they ARE beautiful complements if you like a more traditional look. However, it can be a heavy and almost murky look if a) your room doesn’t have enough natural light b) if you don’t have modern enough décor and c) if you are going for an ‘overall’ modern style.
‘Colours’ with Dark Wood Trim
You can also dive into the slightly colourful range by choosing neutrals with undertones such as blue, green and purple. This means that you will be working with a gray or greige paint colour that has obvious colours in it.
- Green: Is an earthy, more organic feeling
- Blue: Tends to accent the trim, so they bring out the colour in each other
- Purple: Is more soft, subtle and ‘pretty’ with wood trim. It’s also the most modern choice when mixed with gray
Beautiful neutrals: Sherwin Williams Sensible Hue with Balanced Beige
Source – Henhouse
Okay, so maybe this one isn’t SO subtle, but it was so darn pretty I just had to share it! The blue paint colour brings out the beauty in the wood trim as well as the flooring.
Blue paint colours: Sherwin Williams Drizzle is a wicked colour.
Like the above photo, Drizzle has blue and green in it while still holding onto a slightly earth-toned feeling.
A few more subtle beauties to consider…
Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray – A gray with a strong green/blue undertone
Sherwin Williams Chatroom – A gray with a good green/greige undertone
Benjamin Moore Abalone. A lighter gray/brown/purple blend (not as nice with the dark woods with a stronger orange tone though)
Things to think about…
- Generally speaking, the more ‘colour’ you add, the less modern your room may look. Now this isn’t a bad thing as it can also look more vintage and have more personality than a neutral colour
- The more colour you add, the more you may complement your dark wood, meaning your wood could stand out and ‘pop’ more than you want it to
- Medium tones can be FABULOUS with dark trim, but you will need to add white/off-white elsewhere to add some contrast to the space, otherwise things can feel too dull and heavy. Without the white shown in this photo, the dark wood flooring and doors would just feel heavy and bland with that paint colour.
So there you are my friends! I hope I’ve helped to enhance your wood (a girl can dream!) and lower your stress level!
Want some colour ideas custom-tailored to YOU and your home? Check out my affordable Online Colour Consulting Services!
Kylie M Interiors Virtual Decorating and Design Services (E-Design) Colour Consulting featuring Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams Based in Nanaimo BC Canada
Oh you are too funny lol!! Great, informative post. As usual I chuckled all the way through it. Have a great day. 🙂
Really enjoyed this post! Goes to show how the right paint colour changes everything. The first before and after is incredible. What a difference. We just moved into a house 4 months ago that has all brown doors and trim. I am in the process of painting all the brown with BM Cloud White. An amazing difference already but like you said, a lot of work! The hall down to the bedrooms looked like a tunnel…lol. The white trim really opens it up and it looks so much brighter. Look forward to your next post. Thanks.
Bert
Thanks Bert! If you haven’t already, you’ll want to change out the old hardware too (usually those dark brown doors/trims are accompanied by those old brass style knobs) We had those in the last house and changing the knobs and hinges was a GAME changer for updating the house!
~Kylie
Thanks, Kylie. Right now I’m working on trim. We plan to replace the doors and will definitely be getting new door knobs or handles. Never thought about the hinges so thanks for that. I’ve seen a lot of dark door knobs lately and thought they looked very nice. Do you think the black would look out of place on new doors? We’re keeping our eyes open for sales.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this!!! You are great about explaining the reasons behind the color choices, which is so helpful. Looking forward to the follow-up on contrast!
Judy, you are MOST welcome – glad you enjoyed it!
~Kylie
Oh my…this article may have literally convinced me to convince my husband to reconsider purchasing an old house we’ve been eyeing up! It would be an amazing space for our family with 4 kids, but the amount of updating it requires (and the attached price tag) has intimidated us. Your pictures show that the right paint/decor really can make an older home look lovely. Even with the modern paint colors and furniture, I think the rooms shown maintain a traditional feel, which I enjoy, because of the dark wood. If we do ever pull the trigger on that home, I will definitely use you for e-consultation. Thanks again for the great info!
Wahoo, now THAT is what I’d like to hear! I’d LOVE to help you with your home if you go ahead with the purchase – good luck Steph!
And you know, if you want a 2nd, unbiased opinion on the house, just to look at the scope of the projects I’d be happy to take a quick boo at it if you email me the link! [email protected] I wouldn’t get into too much detail, but I can certainly say whether ‘I’d’ do it or not (I’m a bang for buck gal – nothing too major…)
~Kylie
Great information. ..I was wondering what you would think is a good ceiling paint with Simply White – BM
Hi Amy, when it comes to ceilings, they always pick up a shadowed look anyway, simply because the are kind of upside down and horizontal. For this reason I would use Simply White because it is going to look different anyway! More cool, crisp whites can go even more gray toned and Simply White has that nice soft warm undertone to it which helps to counteract the shadows a wee bit.
Thanks for asking!
~kylie
Kylie- I am about to paint my 80’s style house that jade dark wood trim and moderate light. I am really leaning toward Sherwin Williams Modern Gray. I see many post on Repose Gray and Mindful Gray and others, but no one mentions Modern Gray. Am I missing something in this color, is there some reason it’s doesn’t seem to be as popular as some of the others?
Thanks!
Hi Amy, I’m glad you brought that up! Modern Gray IS such a pretty gay and I am often tempted by it, but it ‘can’ pick up a slight pinkish look compared to some of the other popular grays. Now this does make it look softer and not as cold as many other grays, but it’s a bit more unpredictable I’d say. Now your walls won’t look pink, that’s not what this is about. It’s about a very subtle undertone that may come through. It also has a bit more brown/taupe to it than some of the other popular ones.
I hope that clears it up for you!!!
~Kylie
Also, it IS a pretty choice with dark wood trim, so you are totally okay on that front 🙂
Thank you so much for this post. All I see in decor magazines are homes with miles and miles of white trim. My house is an 1894 tudor with elaborately milled, formal, very dark oak trim. It would be a crime to paint it, but choosing paint colors around it is tricky! It’s nice to see dark trim getting some loving attention.
Hello, thank you for commenting! I LOVE homes with dark trims when it is done well, and with an 1894 Tudor I bet it’s STUNNING! I just wish there were more inspirational photos online with dark trim – it’s few and far between when I KNOW there are some beauties out there!
~Kylie
Thank you so much for giving some attention to dark wood trim! We just bought a new house and the previous owner was retired master carpenter. There is some beautiful work here with really thick big quality wood and wood like to see if I can make it work and remodel my house in a way that is unexpected. I figure worst case senario I don’t end up liking it and paint the trim white. Thanks for this inspiration!
Hi Holly, I’m glad you found some inspiration with my blog post! And yes, I just wish there were MORE photos online as examples help SO much when explaining an idea – and I LOOOVE some of the old, dark wood trim, it’s nice to work with it if you can and yes, if all else fails – there’s always white paint!
~Kylie
What a great and timely article! I have antique cherry stained raised-panel (18″ wide boards!) and painting them is not an option in my 1970’s home…I’ve been thinking a light gray, perhaps Gray Owl just to update this room. You have given me something to ponder…Thank you!
Hi Deb, thank you for the note – I’m glad the info came in handy! And yes, Gray Owl is a stunning colour with it’s subtle undertones, making it a very versatile gray!
Thank you for posting this with such eloquent explanations of why to use one color over another. Very enlightening. I’ve been searching for about 6 months now for colors for our Dutch Colonial built in 1929, with tons of medium colored natural wood, not sure what type of wood it is. But it goes along the side of our staircase and adds a lot of character, but is also distracting for me to settle on a color scheme for my home. Your examples helped me have a clearer idea of the route I should be going. Thanks!
A year ago, we bought a 1916 four-square with Craftsman influence. The entire first floor, as well as the master bedroom and hallways on the second floor, have lots of dark stained wood trim and built-ins. The trim itself is beautiful — especially the fireplace and surrounding built-ins, but the previous owner listened to her real estate agent and painted over her happy wall colors with drab beige. Now, this beige wall color would look gorgeous in a Suzanne Kasler-designed room with white trim. But against the dark wood, it is drab and sad. For a year now I’ve been waiting to repaint, and I’m finally narrowing down my choices. I think I’m going with a really soft pink, a pinky white, and a soft (but not baby) blue. I’m thinking that as awesome as pink and brown are together, that combo will really make the stained wood sing!
Hi Hollie, your home sounds BEAUTIFUL – we don’t get many Craftsman style homes here on Vancouver Island (or at least, not in Nanaimo!). I think your colours sounds lovely! As long as you have just a weeeee drop of gray in them, they should go too ‘baby’ inspired’ and you should be rockin’ – I would loooove to see photos!!!!
~Kylie
Thanks for the article. I did notice that nearly every example you showed was a historic home with built-ins, wide baseboards, multi-panel doors, and windows with exterior casement…or grandiose new homes made to look older. I thought this was meant to show how to update a 70’s look? That is significantly more challenging, like the first photo in this article. I work with clients as a color and design consultant and I’m interested to see someone else’s approach to updated the very dated look of post mid-century modern.
Personally, I have a 1909 home with gorgeous woodwork in the living room, dining room, and hallway. 12 years ago I painted the living room an army green. We have four large windows, a front door with lots of light, and a mirror so it didn’t feel as dark as some would think. The dining room is a warm neutral with a gold tone. People seem to love it. However, I’m ready to make a change in the living room and have been considering Revere Pewter or something else in the” greige” family that has a warm undertone. Our wood has the reddish cast to it so I can’t get too cold with the color choice. That is the one thing I would suggest to others in this situation. Avoid using cools with warm darks, and vice versa when it comes to paint and wood tones. Leave that for the accessories.
Hi Alison! You know, I would LOVE to show more photos of 70’s and 80’s homes but they are SO hard to come by (wink wink nudge nudge – if you have any good ones I’d love to use them!!!!). Of course there are SO many stunning photos of the older homes with the dark wood – but with the 70’s home, everyone seems to paint it or replace it – rather than work with it. And I DO love Revere Pewter, it’s just that perfect flexible warm gray and while the green undertone doesn’t always show up, when it does it’s pretty and would be subtle enough still with the red toned wood for sure!
I am updating a VERY 70’s house which has a lot of light and which I LOVE — but I am really struggling with how to update it inexpensively. Particularly since my furnishing tendencies are not modern, but Victorian antiques and hippie-chic hodgepodge.
I have vaulted ceilings upstairs, and a low ceiling down – and am getting new flooring put in next month (yay!!)
All the doors and that skinny trim are dark — but I’ve been anxious about using gray and cool colors for the walls b/c the trim/doors are reddish. Not super red, but if you put a cool color next to the brown, it looks… uncomfortable.
Also, ALL the cabinetry in my kitchen is the same dark color. They are good, solid wood cabinets and I can’t justify replacing them. Have thought about painting them, but then I’m still competing with all the doors/trim that are still brown. And yes – painting ALL that trim and the doors is daunting. Besides, the sliding glass doors are brown also and then they’d REALLY stick out. Ah, it’s a slippery slope… easier to embrace the dark trim, I think.
And if you really want pictures of 70’s houses with dark trim — I could overwhelm you! 😀
Oh I always always need photos – you can just fill yer boots and send them along if you’d like! [email protected] As a thank you, I’d be happy to throw 1 or 2 colour options your way!
~Kylie
Hi! I love your blog! We just bought a home with dark to med wood trim on everything. Trying to convince my husband that we can have a balance like painting the trim white but leaving the exposed beams, floors and stairs wood. Trying to figure out wall color too! Need some advice!!!
Hi Sarah, YES, you can absolutely do a happy medium – no need to paint it all white! And I would LOVE to help. You can check out my E-design if you’d like – it’s fun and affordable. This way I can take a good look at photos of your home and your questionnaire and come up with some beautiful palette options. If that interests you, here’s the link https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
Hope that helps!
~Kylie
I love your blog! Could Carrington Beige HC-93 work with dark wood paneling? I have paneling half way up the wall in my hallway (1930s) that is mahogany colour (with a red tone in it). It is currently painted Carrington Beige but I’m not sure if that look is too dark and dated. The hallway gets light from the north and the west. Let me know if you would like some paneling photos for your blog.
Hmmm, off the top of my head, i might say it could be a touch murky looking as it does have a wink of green in it…perhaps I could talk you into the slightly more neutral Manchester Tan????
And yes, I’m ALWAYS needing photos with dark wood panelling, absolutely!!!!
~Kylie
Thanks so much! Is there a page on your site where you talk about Carrington Beige or is that a colour you avoid? We have a lot of it (whole basement family room is covered in it!) and I prefer it over similar colours with pink undertones or colours that look peachy in some lights. I painted it 18 years ago though… maybe it’s time for a change. Thanks again.
Hi Christy! Carrington is lovely, but it does have a very vague green undertone, which happens to be a colour that some people want to avoid – they are often wanting a more clean neutral. But it IS a beauty!!
~Kylie