Decorating and Design - Crown Molding paint vs stained

I am building a new home. It will have medium oak wood kitchen cabinets and am planning on same for doors, baseboards, etc. I am wondering...is it "okay" to have painted crown molding and wood baseboards? I plan on having the crown molding in my entry, dining room, hallway, and kitchen. My great room is cathedral and crown won't work in it. Or, should the crown molding be stained to match the baseboards? My husband thinks we should stain it becaus you can always paint over stain, but it's not so easy to stain once you've painted. BTW, most all of my furniture is medium oak, too.

I plan on keeping my wall colors fairly neutral--along the lines of a beige or tan. The floor plan is very open--big archway from entry hall to great room, dining room open on two sides and large windows on another. I planned on going with a middle of the road on a paint strip on choose. Then, painting the great room ceiling a shade darker because it's so tall (peaks at 18 feet). I was sort of going by the rule of thumb of painting the ceiling a shade darker, if it's over 9 feet and a couple shades lighter, if 9 feet or less.

Any and all opinions and advice are welcomed! Thanks and happy new year!

i'd stain it. for continuity's sake. why bother putting it up if you're going to paint it? what color would you paint it? the same as the wall? or ceiling?

and there's no "rule of thumb" that says you HAVE TO paint high ceilings a darker shade than the walls. ONLY if you want to visually bring the ceiling DOWN to cozy up the room should you do that. if you love your high ceilings, and want maximum openness & airiness, keep them the same or lighter than the walls.

i like your husband's idea - since you're unsure, stain them. then, if for whatever reason you don't like it, you can always paint. but i think you'll like them stained.

Annette,

Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it. I feel somewhat inadequate with all this decorating stuff. I know I need to keep in mind that it's what I like that is important, but sometimes I don't even know what I like!

Thanks again!

My great room is cathedral and crown won't work in it.

I would have to say, yes, it can be done. Is it difficult to do, but takes a very experienced person and or someone very good in math.

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