How to use a dark trim in your home

Traditionally, internal trim and doors are painted in a lighter colour than the walls.  However, you get quite a different look and feel to your house if you paint the internal doors, architraves, skirting boards and any wainscoting in a darker tone.  This is a very effective way of using a light paint on the walls without the look being too one dimensional.  All white homes make a great statement and for many styles, this is the only option that looks right.  However, if you are partial to more of a country or transitional style, then you might like to consider mixing things up a little.  I am going to show you how to use a dark trim in your home.

A subtle change in tone

Wall panelling is perfect for introducing dark colours into a space.  You get the injection of a gorgeous rich colour by just adding paint, but as it is only on a third of the wall, you still retain a light and airy feel to the space.  Although dark colour schemes can be very effective, they can close in a room.  This is an effective design tool if you want to make a room cosy and smaller.  However, if you want a light feel, but don't want to have just simple off white walls, this is the perfect solution.

You must also paint the skirting boards in this colour too for the right effect.

Introducing dark trim in a powder room

I really like this look in a powder room.  You don't really need wall tiles in these rooms and this can be an inexpensive way to get a great look.

Dark trim in a bathroom

I love dark trim and wainscoting in a bathroom, both for the look and the practicality.  You really only need to tile the floor and wet areas and you can use colour here as a great design tool.  This mid tone grey works perfectly with the selected tile and because it is only used as an accent/trim colour, the room is still lovely and light and airy.  I think this is a stunning design.

Dark trim for one room only

My rule of thumb with skirting boards and architraves is to use one colour throughout the house.  This simplifies painting and creates a flow through the house and means that you don't have different off whites that could look wrong.  However, if you do want to introduce a dark colour in just one or two spaces, you can do this if it is just to make a statement.

Black beadboard below has been extended to the architrave on the internal door.  This has just been used as a feature for the hallway and not continued into the rest of the house.  This is a very effective way of continuing the line throughout the room, rather than breaking it with a white architrave.

This effect has also been used in this mudroom.  You clearly wouldn't use this colour throughout the house, but it makes a cosy statement in this small space.  You just need to think carefully about where you stop the dark colour and switch back to an off white trim.

Below is another example of a darker trim in a mud room that goes through into a lighter dining area.

Painting internal doors to match the trim

You don't have to paint the internal door to match your architrave and skirting board, but this can be a very effective design tool.  Again, it is a way to introduce tonal contrast and more depth of colour without it overwhelming the space.

Related: What colour should I paint my internal doors

The main points to remember when using a dark trim in your home

• Using a dark trim can be stunning, however it doesn't always need to be super dark to create a different effect.  Just a subtle change in tone can give you some nice tonal contrast.  This way you can have simple white walls but still have a point of difference with your colour scheme.
• You must ensure that the colour that you do select for the darker trim works with your overall colour scheme.  For example, if you are using a dark navy or grey then perhaps link it to your kitchen cabinetry.  This can be quite effective if you select a dark colour for your kitchen island.  Or if you have greige tones for joinery or even sofas and chairs, then a greige tone for wall panelling or trim will look great.  You should always put together a mood board when redecorating so that you can see all your ideas and how the colours will work together.  I have a free e-book to show you how to do this here.
• If you paint wainscoting in a darker colour then you absolutely MUST paint the skirting boards too.  You don't have to extend this colour to all the architraves, but the same colour must go to the floor.
• Using dark trim can be stunning but you may not want to take it all through the house.  This is fine, you just need to review your home or plan and work out where you can stop it.
• I like to paint darker trim in a low sheen finish as I find semi-gloss doesn't work on darker colours, particularly on wainscoting.  Often you will link your trim to joinery colours so they should all be the same finish.

Related: What colour do I paint my skirting boards and architraves

I hope you have enjoyed my post on using a dark trim in your home and that you are inspired to give this great design tool a try.

If you are building a new home or renovating an existing one, you should check out my FREE Resource Library which has comprehensive checklists and e-books to help you with your project.  You can download them for FREE here.