Your trim accents design choices and creating cohesive color combinations for the color of your trim and the color of your wall can be quite tricky.
The trim in your house can include details such as the crown and shoe moldings, window and door frames and any other molding and framing details throughout your house.
Since these details are small, they are often forgotten about when it comes to the overall color scheme of the house.
However, paying close attention to the color scheme of your trim and how this interacts with the color of your walls can help you to create unique and eye-catching designs, which seem finished and professional.
There are several different wall and trim color combinations which range from highly coordinating, to highly contrasting, depending on the look and style that you are going for.
All you need to know about trim
An often-overlooked detail of interior design, trim can have a big impact on the overall look and style of your home.
Trim is a great way to frame and accentuate any special architectural details, draw attention to unique interior design choices, round out the design style of your room and even to make certain color schemes pop within your rooms.
Trim is an umbrella term, encompassing all of the decorative molding and millwork, which frames details such as windows, doors, walls, floors and ceilings within your home.
There are many different types of trim and the use of this trim may differ from house to house.
Shoe molding and baseboards are types which break up the line between the walls and the floors, whereas crown molding is placed between the wall and the ceiling.
Window- and door casings frame out the doors and windows in your home, but there are also many other types of molding like chair rails, wainscoting and panel molding.
It is common for trim to be made out of wood, Medium Density Fiberboard or even PVC, which is then painted to match the style of your home.
Different approaches to trim color
Matching the color of all of your different trims and moldings and also then matching these colors to the colors of your walls, furniture and style of your home can be a complicated process.
The first step is usually to figure out if you would like to paint all of the trim throughout your home in the same color.
Painting all of the trim throughout your entire house the same color is not necessary, but it is advisable to not use too many different colors throughout your house, as this may become overwhelming and too busy.
As a rule of thumb, it is always a good idea to at least paint all of the trim in the same room, the same color – unless you want to make a specific element stand out, in which case, that element could be painted in a different color.
Although the traditional color to choose for trim is white, it has also become the new norm to paint the trims on your walls the same color as your walls.
This helps the room to appear larger. This is a more modern approach, which will help to create a harmonious feeling within your color scheme.
If you choose this matching approach, be sure to choose a different finish for the trim than the walls, to create some differentiation within the design.
Other approaches to a trim color, includes painting the trim a lighter or darker color than the wall. Going for a darker trim color, creates more contrast within your design and can create quite the statement design.
A lighter colored trim is a more traditional choice, and this style of trim will suit almost any design style.
However, even within these broad categories of lighter and darker trim, there are still different combinations of coordinating and contrasting wall and trim paint colors which will work well together and even a few bolder options to try.
Wall and trim color combinations
Wall colors with white trim
White is always a smart choice when it comes to choosing a trim color, as this is a bright, neutral base which will pair well with almost any other wall paint color.
White is a very traditional and neutral choice for a trim color, which may be perfect for your space, as it can be paired with almost any wall color.
It is important to remember that white paint can have cooler or warmer undertones.
If you place two paints with the same undertones next to each other, this will accentuate that undertone and make the whole color scheme harmonious, whereas opposite undertones will make each individual undertone stand out more clearly when placed next to each other.
You can even pair a white wall color with a white trim color if you want to. However, if you want this white-on-white look, it is often best to use the same white paint color on both the walls and the trim, but just use different finishes on each.
This will ensure that you do not accidentally pick two white paints with contrasting undertones, which may end up looking unbalanced when they are placed next to each other.
Instead, it still ensures that there is differentiation between your walls and your trim, because of the way different paint sheens will catch the light differently.
Some of the best white colors to use for trim and that will pair well with any wall color include:
| Shade | Brand | Undertone | Color swatch |
| Decorator’s White | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
| White Dove | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
| Simply White | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
| Pure White | Sherwin Williams | Neutral |  |
Some examples of wall colors which pair well with this white trim include:
| Shade | Brand | Undertone | Color Swatch |
| Racing Orange | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
| Slate Tile | Sherwin Williams | Cool |  |
| Rockport Gray | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
Darker trim and lighter wall combinations
Trim, which is painted in a neutral, dark color can also be a very versatile choice. In much the same way as white trim, a darker trim can easily be paired with a lighter shade of the same color on the walls, for a harmonious look.
Dark and even black trim can give a modern edge to the design of your rooms. The stark contrast of the darker color to frame out all of the details of your room, can add some dramatic flair to the space.
Some examples of darker paint colors that work well for a high-contrast trim color, include:
| Shade | Brand | Undertone | Color swatch |
| Charcoal Slate | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
| Revere Pewter | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
| Stone Hearth | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
| Agreeable Gray | Sherwin Williams | Warm |  |
These darker trim colors pair well with neutral, lighter colors, such as:
| Shade | Brand | Undertone | Color swatch |
| Carrington Beige | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
| Ballet White | Behr | Warm |  |
| Muslin | Benjamin Moore | Warm |  |
Matching wall paint and bolder trim colors
Another option to match your trim and wall color is to use a very bold color for your trim. This option can help you to add a lot of personality to the space and help you to define some of the architectural details in your rooms.
This option is less versatile and can be quite overwhelming if not executed carefully.
If you want to match a bold colored trim to your wall color, it is best to finish painting all of the walls in the room first, so that you can get a good idea of what the final room, with the bolder trim will look like.
It is also good to ground these bolder colors with lots of texture, to keep the room from feeling unfinished. A lot of light will also help these colors to stand out within your room and create a truly high-contrast look.
When deciding on which bright color to choose, it is often a good idea to pull the color from another element in the room. This can include the wallpaper on the wall, soft furnishings like pillows or even art.
This repetition of color will help to pull the entire design of the room together into a cohesive whole. Some bolder trim colors include:
| Shade | Brand | Undertone | Color swatch |
| Spotswood Teal | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
| Woodland Hills Green | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
| Silent Night | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
| Van Alen Green | Benjamin Moore | Cool |  |
Final thoughts
Trim can often act as a sort of frame for the rest of your interior design.
Therefore, it is important that you consider different approaches when it comes to matching your trim and wall colors, to ensure that you create the sort of frame that will work within your room design and personal preferences, to give you the best possible final look and feel.
There are several coordinating, contrasting and bold trim and wall color combinations to choose from to ensure that your room design turns out exactly the way you want it.
Colors with the same undertones usually create a very harmonious color scheme when used together, whereas colors with opposite undertones contrast against each other to create more visual interest.
