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sunsmile here are additional pictures:

Ramona I would paint some of it, but not all of it. You have a lovely staircase and rail. I would not paint all of that. Generally, I like white woodwork and think it goes with everything. I'd paint the casings and woodwork in the entry way to your living room and living room woodwork. Probably the windows too. Many of your doors are beautiful. I wouldn't paint all of the them. I'd choose carefully though. Some of your casings are not the same color as the door hanging inside them. I'd neutralize those.

But I am biased as I turned anti-brown in middle age.

anitajoyce Paint it all white to help update the space. Or, you could paint all the trim first and leave the doors the way they are. If you like the white trim then you could paint the doors last.

Stefanie Zanow- Kitchens Plus to update the space I would paint all the trim white and possibly leave the doors the wood and see how you like that. Also to make the trim pop...paint and walls. White trim against a painted walls really makes a room shine and updated.

Viola Interior Design Keep it, change the field paint color through-out. If the wood is too red or orange, perhaps I would stain it darker. White is good, but this wood looks nice and that would be a nightmare to reverse. The paint you select can 'force' the wood to pull some of the red out of it.

:)

mzlove agree with Viola interior design.

feeny I'd be inclined to keep the wood trim or at most stain it darker if you don't like the honey tone. I know that white trim is extremely popular at the moment, but styles change and wood trim is pretty classic. Plus oak is not a particularly easy wood to paint over. Most of the white trim you see is a much cheaper quality paint-grade wood than what you have. But I agree with Viola that some strategic choices of wall color would be nice.

pamie1 Paint the walls to compliment the wood.

Revealed Interiors LLC I would paint the trim and window casings, keep the doors stained, and keep the stairs and handrail the way it is. You do not have to go with a bright white take a look at some of the warm whites from Sherwin Williams, Alabaster might be nice. I would paint the walls a darker color, taking a cue from the area rug, possibly Sherwin Williams Camelback. (it is hard to be sure, on colors, with the variance that the computer has with colors)Then get some toss pillows for the couch that bring the colors together. Larger artwork taking color cues from the area rug would look nice.

chelseabeagle Keep the wood trim for sure. Unless you are prepared to strip and paint all the trim and doors too. Small white trim is sad and boring, your wood trim adds warmth.

maryava Once you paint the warm wood trim - you can never go back. Wood adds so much to a home

tennisanyone I think the problem is the paint on the walls not all the wood trim. The trim is beautiful. The walls need color to enhance the trim, not the other way around in this case. I would start in the LR with a color that would be picked up in the rug. I would add lamps on the tables and pull the love seat onto the rug. I might even try the LR rug under the dining room table. I like the DR but feel it needs more to it and maybe it is easier to paint that room first. Maybe a red but I would let someone else choose a paint color but it needs paint and a few accessorises first.

Rosemarie I would keep the wood as well..If its cherry thats the "in trend" If its oak stain it darker , photos dont necessarily show the true colors. Dont be afraid of some darker shades of the colors you like--the contrast well look great, honest. In the living room it might be fun to paint the entire big window wall a deep red to match the curtains, buy an extra curtain and cover throw pillows to pull some color to the other side of the room. Cozy up the room by pulling the furniture up onto the carpet. Gather all those small photos, put together on one wall area. Remember to hang things at eye level, not so high. Bring in a new large framed picture or other large iron or filigree three piece set. Put a large plant(6ft) or folding panels in one corner and blow out with floor spotlight--in front or back. you could place a sofa table behind one of the sofas with two tall thin lamps and some other accessore in the middle.Lamps add ambiance to the room that overhead lights can never do.

Linda Murray Paint it all white, you will love it! If you put a slightly darker color on the walls, with the white woodwork, it will look brand new!

Legacy Design I love spending other peoples money so my recommendation is to add some beautiful crown molding . Paint that and the trim a very slightly off white as mentioned earlier alabaster. I use a color called creamy alot. The suggestion of a richer warmer color on the walls is great , possibly Camelback as was suggested already or blonde or believable buff if you want to go a little lighter. Also look at some sages . It is going to be beautiful,,,,,Also look THROUGH each room when you choose paint and make sure they contrast enough and dont blend.. like one room camelback and the believable buff in the room you can see from that room.

Legacy Design woops I forgot to mention to leave the doors wood stain. I also just noticed your beautiful runner. If there is taupe in it I would look at some darker rich taupes for that entry.

Robert Hazelip We just updated our wood trim to all white and it brightened up our house so much. I was having so much trouble decorating bc of the wood trim. We did keep some wood accents such as our fireplace mantle, wood beams in family room and stair rail. For that we stained it a dark brown. It looks amazing. No regrets painting the wood trim here

perk322 Definitely paint all of it white. Baseboards are not a decorative item so it should blend into the wall. It makes a neutral canvas for you to then decorate as you wish. Also looking at your pics, it draws the eye all around the room instead of there being one main focal point.

angela2557 I would paint it white, doors and trims. I always had the wood stained wood like your current design and bought a home a few years ago with all white...love it. So much more rich looking and easy to maintain or touch up if needed. Good luck, I'm sure you'll like anything you choose.

Sarah Verdegaal White

Melanie Hon Start with one room at a time. The LR stands out as one that is screaming for attention. I agree with whoever said to bring the furniture onto the rug. The front feet should be on the rug, the couches don't have to be against the wall, or even pull the rug towards the furniture and see what that looks like. You need lamps, definitely a coffee table or one those rectangular leather ottoman as I see you have small children, so soft edges and extra storage is a bonus! The rug is beautiful, and you could use the dark beige in there to colour match your wall. Right now your wall looks yellow and it clashes. Some red accent pillows, and larger black and white photos on the wall to help break up the blank walls. Right now the pictures are too small. Maybe a cluster with same frames?

thefinerdesigner Painting (or not painting) wood seems to be a regional taste - the midwest loves their stained wood trim and the coasts love their trim painted white. Your particular wood is beautiful and not dated at all. It is a lot of work to paint it all (and with kids, the trim gets beat up and dirty which shows up quite obviously when it's white) so I say adjust your wall colors to counter the dramatic contrast of wood against white walls. Bring in more tan/taupe. For rooms that have a lot of wood, use a cooler paint color to temper the warmth of the wood. Get a nice rug for the dining room to break up all the wood tones (and replace the table/chairs with something in either a darker wood or metal/glass if budget allows). Good luck!

originalmoose I love white trim, however in your case, you need coloured walls to accent that beautiful wood trim and flooring. I would recommend rustic historical colours on a few walls or one colour throughout, but not white.

jdittmar327 keep the wood trim

Kim S As a midwesterner, I am with thefinerdesigner, keep the wood trim.

anthip Oh no. Do not paint the wood trim. I agree with others who have suggested you paint the walls. You've got beautiful rooms but I don't think you're making the best use of all that space!

Andrea Prasch I say whatever you like goes. Personally I like white. But wood can work and be gorgeous and timeless if the paint and decor is right. Check out Potterybarn catalogs and online rooms for design ideas on how to design around rustic woods it can be quite beautiful when done correctly.

Andrea Prasch Heres a little photo inspiration

Natalie Hi---usually I say paint it, but not in this case. I suggest staining it dark and painting the walls a medium to dark hue. Pics for inspiration. Good Luck!
[houzz=Dining Room][houzz=Kitchen]

luna306 I said white is better

angiesays Although your trim is simple, it ties in with the flooring color. To paint it white would require tons of effort as all the windows would also have to be done. Also, with the trim being narrow as it is, you would have a white stripe effect along the floors and doorway which may not be desirable as white along with all light colors "pop" while dark colors "recede" and with the woodwork being simple as it is, there is no real reason to want it to pop. I would try to lightly sand and restain/seal the staircase to more closely match the color of the existing woodwork, get the stark white off the ceilings and redo them all in an antique white or cream and choose a color palet of complimentary colors for your walls. As stated in an earlier comment, crown molding would be a great addition in all of your rooms and should be painted in a color to match your ceilings.

lorethor At the very least, paint the baseboards the same colour as the walls. I had similar trim in two houses and painted the baseboards to blend with the wall and liked the effect. I would keep the wood doors. They are lovely. Maybe try painting the trim white in a bathroom and see how you like it. Good luck.

BLC Painting I would agree that some color changes on the walls would be a nice change and could accent the natural wood nicely.

Thomas Leander i WOULD PAINT IT WHITE TO UPDATE YOUR LOOK. KEEP IN MIND THOUGH THAT YOUR PAINT COLORS WILL LOOK TOTALY DIFERENT WITH WHITE TRIM.YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT BEEFING UP YOUR TRIM ALSO .THERE ARE ALOT OF GREAT SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO FAKE IT OUT A BIT FOR NOT ALOT OF MONEY BUT BIG IMPACT.GOOD LUCKAND HAVE FUN!

a078720 I have similar wood in my house and have been grappling with this same issue for eleven years! My house is contemporary and has lots of windows so the natural light helps to "lighten" the wood. I also think that wall color choice is key to "neutralizing" the wood so that it doesn't stand out and look dated. My next door neighbor has a colonial and had the same problem. She opted to paint it all. And now, it just doesn't look right. Most likely because she should darken her very neutral walls. And, I think she chose a white that is too bright. It is a difficult decision. I have painted some of my window trim a creamy white that matches the window frames and I think it does a wonderful job of brightening up the windows. If your house is dark, I think you should paint some of it to start and see how you like it, It will really lighten up the space and make it feel more current. I feel the same as others about the doors. I love the wood on the doors and I love that they are solid wood and not hollow core as in new construction so it's tough to paint those. The bottom line is that it is a LOT of work to paint. If you choose to do so, select your color carefully and definitely darken the wall color. Love the idea of darkening the stain too but I think that would mean stripping down to the bare wood which would be even more work than painting. I think if you update your wall colors, wall art and furniture placement, your rooms will feel more current and then you can decide if the trim feels as though you should paint it.

jc07 Nothing pops like white trim, and especially when it's got additional moulding.

lorethor If you decide to paint, Cloud White by Benjamin Moore is a nice warm white. No blue undertones.

Dytecture As you've probably found out already, half of the readers will vote for painting it white and the other half will say leave it. I vote for leaving the trims as they are.

Natalie Hi again---reading through more of the comments and I think, for the time being, you should try a deeper hue on the walls in your living room, (darker than sofa) , and live with it for a few days. See if you like it or not, then decide about painting the trim white. I say darker stain, but then I like color on walls especially with the furniture and color palette throughout your home. But for now, at least paint the living room to get an idea of how the wood will look when it's not in great contrast with the walls... I'll give you a couple of paint colors---pick up the charts as no monitor is 100% accurate. See what you think. Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
SW 6144 Dapper Tan, SW 6151 Quiver Tan, and SW 6158 Sawdust
if these are too dark for you then look to the next hue lighter on each chart---though I say to be brave and go for the deep colors... :)

patriciarhall the real question is: do you want to paint the trim white or leave as is?

jlwms123 We have the exact same doors and trim and decided not to paint any of it white. First of all, paint grade and stain grade are not the same. All of the corners of the casings and other trim will probably have to be filled, sanded, caulked, repeat, repeat...... And the lighter the color the more it will show every void. We actually loved the dark stained doors but not the the dark baseboard and door casings. We replaced the base and casings and painted them AND the door jambs a medium gray. It looks great! The only dark wood left are the doors themselves and they stand out beautifully. It was the best decision to split the difference and keep some of the original woodwork. Houzz has some great pics of gray trim and base and it's not something you see every day.

Paula White Leave it! I have seen too many homes with original oak trim only to see it painted white. I know you want to update the space, but maybe updating the walls and ceiling with a different color will help. When we built our home 7 yrs ago, we put a very nice oak trim that has served wonderfully.

jagood There is a huge difference originally between stain grade and paint grade doors and trim, and the original price of a house reflects this. You will be forever wiping out that value if you paint it. However, not all stained wood is worthy of keeping. We had a house with nicked up dark stained pine, and ugly dark stained doors that were rough wood, and we painted the doors and door casings white. It was a huge project. Required careful caulking around all casings, lots of sanding, taking the doors off to be sprayed, etc. If you don't do it right it will look worse.

Your windows and doors and their casings look expensive. I don't think you should paint them. But I might consider painting the openings between rooms that are large and have no doors, because that trim looks a little whimpy for such a large opening. You could also consider a trim treatment to make those openings more dramatic. Also, I don't understand the use of cherry trim elsewhere with what looks like an oak staircase? Painting the wood in that large opening adjacent to the stairs might solve that issue.

Joni Koenig Interiors light wood floors and trim are more fashionable these days. change the wall color to something a little darker, warmer, and all will become more interesting. stay away from anything that has too much yellow or cream.

joellenus I had sad, orange/reddish trim too and painted the walls warm earthy colors. The living room was a gray/green and the accent wall was a moss green. In the bedroom I painted the ceiling an icy blue/white and mocha brown walls with a pewter blue accent wall. It really warmed up the wood.

kro9o Wood contrasts and therefore stands out. So if you want everyone to notice the trim, keep it natural. To my eye the doors seem lovely and worth highlighting. The trim however seems standard and may be better in white. I know it's scary cause once painted its hard to go back, I had the same conundrum. I ended up painting everything white and am happy I did.

flgrandma I agree with the posters who say keep the wood natural and paint the walls. The walls in your bedroom are just beautiful with the wood. Go for that look throughout. By the way, your home is lovely and the floors are just great.

dezign4u2 Well, keep in mind it is ok to mix things up. Often people think everything has to be matchy matchy and if done tastefully, mixing things up a bit is the preference of myself and most other designers. First of all, are you talking WHITE white or some shade of white such as an antique white? Though it is personal preference ,having a passion for interior design and recently building a new home, antique whites, especially one's with warm undertones create a warm, cozy space. Stark white is often seen a bit harsh, but again, thats personal preference. I am not a fan of honey stained woodwork which was everywhere in the 80s here in Ohio, so it does date the home, but hey...what doesn't right? What dates a home today will come back around in a few years, so you really need to ask yourself what you prefer to look at every day. In rooms where you are going to keep very light neutral paint colors like I see throughout your home, I would recommend keeping the stained wood. If however, you have deep, dark, bold, or even some brighter colors, an antique white would compliment the walls well. I would keep your doors, or most of them stained. If you do decide to strip and stain, a dark mahogany would be my recommendation, but that's a huge job. Now...I have a question for you...any idea where you found that large rug in the bedroom or what the name or manufacturer is? It looks like grey and/ or beige tones? I've been looking for one in those shades. Email me if you know...areag@bex.net. Thank you and good luck!

cyn222 I love the wood trim. Maybe beef up the trim over the walk thru. Looks alittle thin.

solraven I agree with Romona, paint some of it, but not all. The wood tones don't match enough or contrast enough, in some instances, like the living room entrance and the staircase. I wouldn't touch the staircase, or your front door; both are gorgeous as they are. I would paint all of the baseboards and door casings, as well as the interior doors. As for the windows, I would probably leave those and see how it looks after the areas mentioned are taken care of. They look brand new, and just need to eliminate competing with the other wood toned mill work.

cjktsd Paint it white

lillypad0541 Please float sofas, they are gathered around the rug and it's just floating..then the trip won't stick out so much. Try that first.

judyg First, I agree with Thomas about beefing up your trim. It simply is not important enough. Additional trim would make a huge difference in the look of your rooms. Then I would paint everything but your doors and front door white. The wood stain on your staircase is not exceptional. I would paint your stairs white just as in this picture. Paint or wallpaper the hall dark blue and have the rug installer come back and fix the way your runner ends at the hall floor.
Classic Coastal Colonial Foyer
Historic Antique Federal-Style Becomes Bright and Roomy with R
Staircases featuring runners and Zoroufy stair rods

I like your dining room table and chairs. See another Oriental rug in your bedroom. Is it big enough to go under the table? You need the rug to be about 3' bigger all around than your table.

Interiors International, Inc. I love wood so I say leave it

Main Line Kitchen Design I usually always say paint it. But in your case I vote to leave it as is. I think as someone said above it adds warmth to the rooms. You can never go back so I would find another project to do in your home that will have more bang for the buck.

Kathryn Peltier Design First of all, if you are thinking of painting all the windows in your house, be prepared for a BIG project. If you are going to keep the wood trim, I would seriously think about beefing it up (this just means adding to, not replacing). Go to Home Depot or a lumberyard - they usually have a board with all of their trim pieces shown. Buy a piece of several and take them home and play with them. The problem with stain on the "builder's special" trim is that it is wimpy and just creates lines everywhere, rather than a real frame for the walls. Especially look at the areas - like the living room - where you have entryways without doors - this is where the "wimpiness" is most apparent. As you can see in the photo with the wood door, there is a smaller profile trim on the edge - this is what adding a piece could look like. I have also included a photo of wood doors and casings with white baseboards - this might be a good compromise.

Also, if you keep the wood, as many others have mentioned, saturate your paint colors to a deeper tone. There is a difference between the bedroom photo and the others - the wood looks much richer with even that little bit darker paint color.

As someone else mentioned, part of the issue with the wood trim is that "Honey Oak" stain. Consider using a gel stain over the current color to enrich the woodtone if you keep it.

If you decide to paint, you could leave the wood doors - or at least leave them until last to see how you like the look. I think a good place to start - whether or not you leave the rest of the trim - is with the staircase. Paint the risers and the balusters a soft white. If you are going to leave the rest of the trim alone, however, I would consider painting or staining a darker color - maybe a walnut or even ebony. OR use a combination - the balusters and risers white, the handrail ebony. Very pretty and very classic and it will make a HUGE difference to the appearance of the staircase.

flgrandma I've noticed that often the wrong questions are asked. You know that something is off and look for an answer. In this case your question was painting or not painting the wood trim. I totally agree with Main Line Kitchen Design, look for an other question. I'll mention again that your bedroom is beautiful, so focus on what you did there and take those ideas to the rest of your house.

Janie Rainwater I would try darkening it and changing some of the wall colors. We stained some of our honey oak trim a dark rich brown and it really looks good. My favorite room is our den that is painted white with the doors stained dark. We have natural oak floors. All other trim was painted white. The entire room was honey oak picture frame paneling that is painted white now.

thefinerdesigner I also agree with a previous post - beef up the trim around those doorless doorways. It will make a huuuuge difference.

trydogs Paint it white and put some vibrant colour on he walls ! It's all looks to plain and safe! If you choose the wrong colour it is only paint and be painted over! In my lounge we have bright red (post box red) on chimney breast and cream on the walls - looks fantastic and done before it became popular! Still looks fantastic. Think of the colours you like, look at all the photos on here, make a project book as to why you like that colour or what it is that you like from that photo and take it from there!
Good luck ....

Dawn Madden i moved into a house 8 years ago with a sea of light oak trim..but beautiful solid oak doors...and i might add wall to wall oak kitchen cabinets and all white walls..i painted my living room and dining room walls a smokey aqua..sherwin williams quietude..and the warmth that led to is enchanting. I think the key is too have rich smokey colors..whatever the shade..then the oak doesn't look near so 1980's tract home. i also have a lot of warm spicy tones and black accents to richen the mood.

benjen2012 We have wood trim (oak, I believe) everywhere in our house. When we moved in 9 years ago there were a lot of neutral paint colors on the wall. While I still try to envision what white trim would look like throughout, we have come to love the wood trim after painting the walls with COLOR! We have gold, slate blue, moss green and ruby reds on our walls and it has made this house cozy and attractive.
One other word of advice, if you think you may want to go with white trim in the future, think about that as you choose paint colors for your walls. Truly, color on the walls will make a huge difference!

jsumi I like to paint trim the same color as the wall, sometimes in a semi-gloss, sometimes a shade darker or lighter than the wall. I also like to go really dark, especially around windows, as it makes the view more prominent. Good luck!

7380amber I would add more wood to what you have and paint it. Crown moulding is one thing that makes a room snap, you can get in plastic and paint it. Because your stair case is oak I would paint the wood trim in the rooms that come on to the hall way It would make your stair pop

rtist9 Your walls need to be painted and furniture needs a little up dating. The wooden furniture you have tends to match the trim. So just change the walls color to mint greens, light greys, lavendars etc .Then add some newer living room furniture, some mirrors, and your pictures are too small for the walls.Remember a darker trim only looks chic when the floors match it. So if you stain the trim you WILL want to change the floor too. Also add track lighting to dark spots like hallways and corners. And you should be good. You wont even notice the brown trim anymore. Then after you have done all that and it still looks cheesy to you. Paint the trim white because I think thats what you want in the first place. Remember you will be painting it white for the rest of your life! (Every 2 to 3 years you need to wash and put a fresh coat on white trim because it gets dirty and turns a slight hue of cream from the sunlight! Just keeping it real!

mrsed08 I have lived in my current home for 6 yrs. and the woodwork/doors thru out my entire house (3600 sq. ft.) is the exact same shade that you have. I have always had warm white trim in my houses and have gone back and forth over this same issue for the entire time I've been here. I have beautiful mullioned windows and I live in the country surrounded by nature, trees and a pond. I am a diyer and love to decorate. Maybe this will help with your "seesaw" decision, will you be doing all the painting yourself and who will be responsible for the upkeep of painted woodwork? AND IT IS WORK!, to keep it fresh, especially in a house with ANY age children! In my case, that would be me doing all the painting and upkeep so-o-o, I decided that I would use the beautiful surroundings and play off of it with decor that uses pinecones, berries, nests, etc. I agree with the other's suggestions of warming up your wall color choices thru out your house. Get your desire for white in other things like pillows, pottery, etc. You have a nice home but it just lacks personality, in that I mean, uses things you love, to bring your personality into your home. And I promise you, no one who comes to my home during any of the 4 seasons, has ever noticed or said anything about the color of my woodwork! They notice the warm cozy feeling during the fall/holiday/winter months and the open airy feeling in the spring/summer with all the windows open to the fresh air and outside scenery. Hope this helps, believe me when I say " I know just how you feel but there's SO many ways to work with your current woodwork. Just start pulling some fabric, paint and decorating ideas and samples. Make a large folder or envelope and play the adult version of "paperdolls" only with your samples. It will be fun and relaxing especially if you're a mother of small children, your own little "escape". You will do it!! It's your home and you can do ANYTHING you want to do!! Good Luck and best wishes!

flgrandma Love the comments from mrsed08.

Angela Esparza I just painted my wood trim white and absolutely love it! Instant update and looks clean. If you don't want to go white, go really dark mahogany. You don't have to sand down the wood before painting! Just use good quality paint and primer

eagledzines White doors and door casings will show more fingerprints and nicks. Be prepared to patch occasionally.

stargazer51 I think the wood doors and windows are nice but the baseboards and casing are a bit too much. Try painting just the trim and leaving the windows and doors wood. That gives you an intermediate look and you can always go darker with the doors/windows or eventually paint them. Once they are painted, it's lots harder to go back!

mai180 I would add some wider trim and paint it white. I have an older home 60+ yrs. The windows are white up stairs and the doors are still the wood finish. We are getting ready to paint the windows down because they are in bad shape. If you would like to make it a statement any way you go, I would widen the wood around the doors and baseboards. Then see witch way I would like to go. I think it would look very nice white.

NancyJInteriors I do not agree with any of the suggestions you have received. If the wood is in excellent shape, it looks
like it is, do not paint anything. The fact that the stairs wood is not matching the floor wood is no problem. I have been painting out wood for many years and in some projects, its very good. I see that
you painted the walls in your bedroom. The wood is a very warm feeling with the color. My suggestion
is paint the lower walls all in the same shade or you can use differ values of the same shade depending
on the natural light in the room. Now, take a look at the wood trim and you will not want to change by
painting. Good Luck

fabia There are too many colours of wood. The baseboards are on the smaller side . They are not a "wood feature". I recommend, painting the trim. Keeping the doors, as is,. They appear to be cherry. The stairs I would also paint . The treads remain wood, the railing wood, but paint the risers white as trim. Also paint the spindles white. This is a very finished look. There will be more of an impact in your foyer. I do like your bannister. Please see the picyure above, that reads - small home. lovely example of what I am talking of. Also the picture below of the stairs. Just so crisp.

Carolina Photo To Go LLC Leave the wood. It is ony more modern b/c contractors dont like to put quality wood in baseboards etc. They frequently only put wood that has to be painted. The same for open concept. Less walls less expense for contractors. But it is nice to have a home with doors because I can keep my doggies out of some areas. And when my children were little they did not always need to be in every room. I dont think my hubby is going to forget who I am when I go to the kitchen.
Most of the trim in my house is wood; but they had painted some of the baseboards. In todays busy life, there is enough upkeep to a house which takes time and money. The wood needs very little care. If anyone is bored, come to my house and paint the baseboards or wood trim. I will gladly go do something else. And with the time and money you save, you can volunteer somewhere or go on a vacation. Embrace and enjoy your beautiful wood. Have a Happy New Year!

cdocabral Please don't paint it white! It will then look like every other commercial grade house in America. Consider adding a little more wood. I would remove the top of your window and door trims and adding a thicker wood piece with trim to make more of a statement. If you really want to get fancy, there are even wood applications you could use to make they pop. Also, if you are up for the challenge, I would say use a darker stain on those tops and trims. On your stairs, I would consider doing the kickboards in the darker stain as well as the stair trims that run along the walls. I think that would look so unique and elegant. I might say the top of the rail too to tie it all in. That is a unique rail you have and a darker stain would make it pop. To build a home with stained trim will cost up 10K or more over the standard white that is in all the homes. I wouldn't cheapen the home. I would add more unique style to it. Just my 2 cents!

LM Designers Paint all the trim white. Leave the stairs and doors alone except stain the doors darker like an expresso brown. It will make a big difference. Your trim will look much better white.

calikym There is too much wood all the same color for sure throughout. Paint some of it but not all of it. I would NOT add more wood - no way. The staircase needs paint, again, because there is too much wood, but keep some of it unpainted (perhaps only the banister tops) but the stairs should be bi-colored (riser white, top black perhaps). From what I see, the wood on the staircase is DIFFERENT than the wood in the room adjacent, which is another reason I would paint the stairs. The wood in the arches between large rooms should be painted white and so should the staircase, but not the doors anywhere or window frames.

Kevin Retired Decorator I have seen this same sort of question before. Bottom line if you want to paint it white,do it. I wouldn't paint the floors or treads & steps on the staircase but paint everything ground up white in a semigloss that adds to a rich look for your trim. The panel doors would look so much more up to date for sure and I think all wood work should match though out the home. It's your home 1st and foremost. Oak trim is out of style and dates the home. . White trim is timeless. I would consider adding other trims at this time like crown molding and beef up what you have with added trims. Think about contrast using deeper colors on your walls not white in flat paint , even beige or grays look great with white trim. Enjoy your home to it's fullest. From a retired Designer and Buyer. Kevin

Donita Rhodes Keep the stain or replace the trim with prefinished white. You will forever be touching up your trim because of dings. But if you really like it, do one room.

Kevin Retired Decorator One more comment that would give your home a decorator touch reconsider your accessories using much larger art and table top decor. Right now some of your art looks like postage stamps here and there. I would regroup all the small art into larger groupings. Kevin

jeaniemh My vote, paint the woodwork and doors white. Believe me when I say, you will LOVE it!!! We did a complete remodel, new kitchen, changed floor stain from golden oak to a medium walnut. We actually upgraded the size of our molding to 3 1/4- 3 1/2. The painter painted existing 6 panel doors, similar to yours. He used all Sherwin Williams paint and primer (Integrity white, satin, beautiful, not harsh white) he swears by this stuff. I know that he rolled doors, they are amazing. Inquire about a product called Flotrol, no brush marks. It’s such a scary decision to make, I’m thrilled we took the plunge! All our wall paint colors “POP”! You will feel like you have a new home!!! Happy painting!

Betsy Hartman Your house looks like my old house, except you have nicer doors. I would definitely paint them and the trim white, plus add crown molding. Definitely leave the stair railing alone - it is really nice. Don't know what your front door looks like, but if it is natural wood, I would leave it be initially and see what it looks like. A really good painter is what you need, if you go white. I had our painter help me pick out a new house color and he chose something I never thought of - it is spectacular. You may want to seek the opinion of a professional painter too.

camillealbert By all means, don't paint some and leave some stained. You need to have continuity in the whole house. I have the stained wood trim and doors and have received many positive comments. Is very rich looking. And all the wood furniture in the room does not need to match the trim. Boring !!
Definitely go for different, warmer paint colors.

aidagonz We have the same wood trim in our home that was originally built in 1927 and remodeled in 1954. We have rooms where the trim makes sense and we replaced damaged trim in a couple of rooms where a different style makes sense. In your photos I really like the wood trim in the office. I painted the trim in our daughter's room because it looked better with the decor.

springchicken41 Paint the trim white except for those beautiful double doors. The walls would be nice painted a soft greyed green that I just used. You might paint the risers on the stairs white, too. I like the brass rods (I don't know what they are called) on the stair carpet. I saw them in many places in Europe. The picture to the right of the sofa seems too small for the space. A larger one with some pop would add a lot; even a grouping might work. Get ready for a different look that would be fresh and comfortable!

hannalucas Too much wood for sure and it makes your rooms dowdy. I would go for white.

Linda Chitturi In the end it's up to whatever you like the best. White is beautiful... but it is an absolute nightmare to keep wood baseboard clean. The wood you have is not dated at all, and updating the wall colors to something really saturated would make a lovely contrast. As several other have pointed out once you do it you can't undo it easily. We just spent 2 months ripping out painted trim, stripping and sanding door jambs and refinishing to match new interior doors. It looks fabulous, fresh and shows off the hardwood floors.

amykn I have been deliberating the same issue. I am not a designer, just a mom who likes DIY projects and design tips that apply to real life - not just appearance. Our house has similar colored wood and floors. In the end I decided not to paint. I love the look of white trim but decided it would be too much work. I also worry that it will go out of style, but honestly the determining factors are that it is too much work and too high maintenance. I have two kids and a large dog. If my woodwork was white it would be a dinged up mess all the time. We do have a few white base board radiators along the floor in all our rooms and they are always in need of cleaning. Maybe you have neat children and like to clean - but I just decided it wasn't worth the hassle. My solution was to choose paint colors that compliment the woodwork. I have several shades of pale green/grey/blue throughout the house that seem to work well. I would suggest playing with the wall color and leave the woodwork alone.

Michele Hagen at Cabot House My design advice is to do one of two things: Either paint the walls deeper/rich colors to complement your wood trim/doors, or if you prefer to keep the walls lighter, you would get a nicer result by painting your trim and doors white.

Feel free to contact my design office at Michele Hagen Interiors 781-378-1926 to schedule an in home consultation.

Karen Williams I've read all the responses but was unable to find one that asked you what the style for the house is. my suggestion is to look at that aspect then decide. personally I would go cream panelling on the lower walls to match some of the doors, but have a rich dark on the bannister with cream railings, and paint the walls a rich cream. the floors I would lay marble tiles but the foyer I would use tesselated tiles to infuse some colour. most people here in australia have gotten away from your current colour scheme in the 1970.s. this scheme would cover various styles such as modern, country, ecclectric and contemproary.

carm3413 Keep the wood trim and paint your walls a darker colour.

I've painted wood trim white before.... It was a ton of work and never looked quite right. Not a decision you can un-do.

donna758 Wow!! Nice home. If I lived there, I would do the following. Paint all the doors black. Paint all the trim white. Tear out the baseboard and replace with larger. Add crown molding. Paint the stair risers and all the trim white. Leave the stair treds and the hand rail as they are. If you are feeling really bold, paint the stair treds and hand rail black. Good Lunk!!!

camillealbert Come on !!!!!

johnettehlad I see the bedroom has a darker color that goes better with the doors/trim. What color do you think it is?

blairblake Paint it all white.... It totally changes the feeling of the house. Stained woodwork was only the in thing in the 80's and 90's - I am a realtor and always tell everyone that we have had two hundred years of painted woodwork and 10 years of stained. If the doors are overwhelming for you just replace them with new doors - they are not expensive. Good luck!

feeny "we have had two hundred years of painted woodwork and 10 years of stained" Really? I'm sorry to be rude, blairblake, but you need to take a refresher course in architectural history.

Linda Cheap doors aren't good and good doors aren't cheap Replacing a good quality wood door with a cheap white cardboard barrier isn't a good idea for any longer than it takes to cash the commission check

If white is what you really want, OK, go white. But, don't go buy a $15 gallon of Walmart paint and a $5 brush and start making a mess. Painting trim should be a serious project and done right or it will devalue the house as soon as the first chip appears.

maeflower2 I am not imaginatively gifted and no interior designer but after looking at your pics I have to agree with all those who say to keep the wood! The wood in your home is beautiful. I wish mine looked like that. We bought a home with all white wood trim and while it may look nice I hate it! It adds no warmth to the rooms and it shows every speck of dust! I would never change your wood! Change the wall paints to bring out the natural beauty of your woods!

valebourne Please please don't paint it. Wood is a forever style. White will go just as any other design thingys do. We are restoring a 1920's house and I have stripped enough paint to know I wouldn't paint real wood.

Kathryn Peltier Design @valebourne: there is a BIG difference between the substantial trim in a 1920s house and the "builder's special" stuff they put in today. No comparison. Also, white trim has ALWAYS been a popular choice for woodwork over time - it only changes with the style of the house. I think that either is a legitimate choice. It's a personal preference. I have both in my 1890 Victorian. The front "formal" rooms are heavy oak trim and the back rooms (kitchen and den) are white. If I didn't feel a preservationist-responsibility to keep the house historic, I'd paint it all lol!

mzlove to paint or not to paint - that ? sure has generated a lot of responses! Our house had a similar situation. I originally wanted to just paint everything white! I cooled my heels for a while, painted some rooms, remodeled the kitchen, and put in maple floors. I ended up freshening up most of the wood with a wood rejuvenator product and painted only the cheap wood baseboards throughout the house. Now the baseboards just blend with the walls, don't clash with the maple flooring, and the other wood is consistent throughout the house. I don't like that mix and match thing. And yes, painted wood does take a little more care to keep it looking nice.

camillealbert Mzlove, what did you use on the wood to rejuvenate??

mzlove I actually think the name of the product is called Rejuvenate or Rejuvenator for Wood. It did a really nice job on our cabinets and trim. I think there are a variety of similar products like this - I got this at home depot or lowes. Very easy application - no skill needed - and I did multiple coats. Each coat improved the appearance of the wood. I would recommend it.

Naper Home Design Paint the walls in nice, warm color and wood will look beautiful.

aecelliott I live in the Midwest in a 1939 home. All of my trim is painted white and i wouldn't have it any other way! I adore white wood trim and do not care for the natural oak trim color. If it were a dark rich brown however, I would possibly keep it. Best of luck, you have been given so much great advice!

swewer Before you paint the trim white, or stain it dark....look at your furniture and wall colors and rug colors. Could they use a revamp instead? Your Living room for example is very neutral. If you go with white trim, it could either make your furniture pop or dull it out. A darker trip would have no bearing on your furniture, since your LR furniture does not yet show any wood trim. Do you have a coffee table, an end table? if so , what are those colors. The reason people paint the doors and trim white is because it is universal and works with any other wood colors. My advice: Focus on your wall color and furniture first ( even though you did not ask for that part ), then decide how the trim will fit it in.

shelbyleni Don't paint it. Good design does not have to be cookie cutter. I love the look of the wood trim even though I routinely go for white. You have gorgeous wood features, work with that. One thought, give all the wood some consistency with the same stain. Unifying the wood will reduce visual chaos.

genniemarie88 I would definitely stain it darker light everyone else is mentioning. We painted our trim black in our house and it made it completely different!! I love for things to be different I dont like everything in my house to be the same as everyone elses.... but if you are thinking about it id definitely stain the wood darker.... thatll change it enough to definitely be noticeable

benjen2012 Something really important to consider (a point that has already been mentioned) is that wood trim does not always "take" paint well. If you decide to paint, you might want to do a practice piece to see just what you're getting into. I mentioned in an earlier post that we have oak trim that we've learned to decorate with and I've been told by others in my neighborhood, with similar trim, that it is very difficult to paint. Just something to keep in mind as you proceed! :-)

Melanie Hon Okay my inbox has been filling up with comments for this thread, and not a single one is from the original poster. Where is she??? For anyone that's curious about stats, up to now there are about 75 votes for keeping as is, 60 to paint, 10 to do both (paint some, leave some) and the rest just general comments to "do what you want", or "I did so-and-so in my house", or suggested something else and didn't answer the original question. Looks like the big majority say to leave the doors alone though, even those that say paint the trim.

feeny We've probably terrified her with this debate!

mzlove There's been a lot of really good ideas here. Would love to hear from the original poster once she's decided what she wants to do.

englishaccent I would not paint or stain. I would make it disappear. How? do you ask. See the crude pictures I attached. You need bigger artwork on your walls so the trim around the door does not stick out so much. Consider a color on the walls to tame the color of the wood. If there is red in the wood go the opposite of the color wheel, the green family. Doesn't have to be bright green, just in the green family. In the bedroom you will notice I darken up the curtains so that they add more weight to that part of the room to balance with the door. Also added large artwork or a mirror. In the office, more large artwork, could even be a functional board for keeping notes or pinning up ideas. I also darken the walls to cozy up the space. Hope this helps.

tsdecor I had all wood trim in my house, painted it all white, including the doors and the process completely modernized my house. However, you have a beautiful staircase and lovely wooden doors, so perhaps see how they look with the white trim before altering.

designescape Keep baseboards and doors. Remove wood around dining room entrance.

donna758 Back to my black interior door with white molding scheme. Look up black interior doors on houzz. You will see this idea over and over. Beautiful!!! Every wall color pops with this beautiful back drop.!!!

helenefroula Leave it! It's lovely!

Melissa Alpuerto Wood trim is warm. I have white trim in the kitchen and dark trim throughout the rest of the house and my sister-in-law has the same and it's lovely. The paint collection at Restoration Hardware go really well with this trim: http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?cm_sp=global_top_nav_store-_-dynamic_menu_item-_-NA&categoryId=cat1017001

philb1504 The problem I see is not whether you should paint or leave the wood, it's the size of the trim in the rooms. I feel that it is undersized. A back banding would help.

John Seiffert As a woodworker and finish carpenter my recommendation is to rip out dainty baseboard and replace with nominal 6" base, add a simple two stage crown to be 4" in height and paint all, yes doors too, but the handrail the color of choice. If you have the money, replace casing of doors and windows to 3.5" wide Adams casing. This trim adds depth and interest.

The existing wood is just cheap pine which, when stained never looks very good. In the end your home value will go up.

John Seiffert As a woodworker and finish carpenter my recommendation is to rip out dainty baseboard and replace with nominal 6" base, add a simple two stage crown to be 4" in height and paint all, yes doors too, but the handrail the color of choice. If you have the money, replace casing of doors and windows to 3.5" wide Adams casing. This trim adds depth and interest.

The existing wood is just cheap pine which, when stained never looks very good. In the end your home value will go up.

John Seiffert If you are reading this then you've been on this thread WAY too long.

Most comments above are from designers. As a woodworker and finish carpenter my recommendation is to rip out dainty baseboard and replace with nominal 6" base, add a simple two stage crown to be 4" in height and paint all, yes doors too, the color of choice. If you have the money, replace casing of doors and windows to 3.5" wide Adams casing. This trim adds depth and interest.

Stairwell is made of all oak. This material when painted looks like oak that's been painted. It may look good in a photograph, but not in person. If I had my druthers I would replace oak spindles with custom turned poplar spindles and paint those. I might rework the handrail to die into a newel post too.

The existing wood is just cheap Ponderossa pine which, when stained never looks very good (it's a coniferous thing).

If you were to change color of stain I would hire an excellent painter or a faux finisher. It takes a lot of skill and practice to pull that off and have it look right.

sunsmile Thank you everyone for your comments, I really appreciate all your feedback! I'm leaning towards painting the trim and doors white. I'm going to get quotes from professional painters, I'll also get quotes for replacing the baseboards to a larger size.

ironwing1 If you paint the trim white, your entire house will then be unrelievedly colorless.... a fact not improved on by the beige-y furniture, rugs, and tile. I agree with others that the wood trim is not the source of the lack of vibrance - you can fix it by repainting the walls, and either leave the wood trim as is and play it up by painting the walls with colors to make it pop, or paint the trim white and then paint the walls a different color (or colors) to make the most of the white trim - but white trim against white/off white walls isn't going to add much. Get some suggestions from a color consultant who has software that can show you how your rooms would look with color added in various ways (walls, trim, furniture, accent pieces) before you get estimates from painters - you could make the trim and wood floors, and that stairway look RICH with the right colors elsewhere.

sunsmile yes, if I repaint the trim white, I'm going to change the wall colors too for sure to something darker.

sunshinesmiley4 Picture #1 I think you should keep wood trim. But I would get another rug to match the design in your living room, and it might also liven it up. Picture #2 Keep the wood trim, and get a another cozy light colored rug for the stairway, OR no rug at all. Picture #3 I think you should paint the trim white. Picture #4 Keep what you have...