Decorating and Design - painting kitchen, eating area, family room !?

Hello,

In my house our kitchen, eating area and family room are essentially one long room and I am preparing to repaint this whole area. On one side of this long area there are four doors and they and the trim are currently painted the same color as the walls . I love white trim and doors, however, I suspect in this situation it makes sense to have the doors the same color as the walls so the room doesn't look so broken up by having the doors and trim a different color than the walls.

Can anyone confirm for me that keeping the doors and walls the same color is the way to go for this area?

Thanks for your help,

Betsy

A little hard to say without seeing the room but it is usually best for all the woodwork to be similiar. When the trim is the same as the walls it will blend in and not be overly noticable. A contrasting color will let the woodwork stand out.

Generally it's a matter of personel taste [I prefer white trim with pastel walls] You might paint just the door casing white to get a visual on how it will look - if you like it, great, paint all the woodwork, if not, repaint with the wall color.

I would keep the color uniform throughout- but use a different sheen for the doors and moulding than the walls and ceiling.

For the walls and ceiling it is usually best to use a flat (or satin if you want SOME shine) because it hides imperfections best.

For the trim and doors I usually recommend Semi-Gloss. It makes the borders "pop" more, if that makes sense.


Good luck,
Nicholas J. Faustino

Most prefer trim and door color to be the same throughout the home for sake of continuity. A different sheen in the same color is often used, especially where, as you say, many doors can break up a wall too much, or where one has no need to call attention to architectural detail, as with standard door trim. A subtle color difference between walls and trim can also successfully be used without making the area look too choppy.

A semi-gloss offers greater washability than flat latex on trim and doors, where handprints can be a problem. As indicated, high gloss tends to show imperfections more.