I agree...don't paint woodwork.

When I bought my Craftsman home 8 years ago, the absolute best piece of advice I received was this: Live in the home for a full year before changing anything that cannot be undone.

Things that I initially thought I didn't like began to grow on me over time. Wall paint...piece of cake & easily changed. Stripping painted woodwork...that is a pain you don't want to take on!!!

I have that exact bannister in my place...with the curl at the end!!! Complete with the rounded bottom step!!

Don't look at how dusty it is!!! hahaha

If you don't mind me asking....where is this place?

It's in Indianapolis in an awesome neighborhood!

From what I've seen, it's adorable!! Any idea how old it is? I wouldn't necessarily believe the listing info. Mine said 1940's, but after running a deed search, I realized it was between 1914 & 1918, so I took the middle of the road & say 1916.

listing says 1938 but I looked at several in the neighborhood that were older. I tried posting interior pictures but it won't allow. I'll try again later. It needs some cosmetic work inside but has been very well maintained.

Whenever you get a chance, you can go to your local courthouse & run a deed search. (your place looks to be older than 1938) I had fun doing mine & I even found all the previous owners up in the local cemetery! I go there now & then & maintain their graves. I know there are no relatives left in town, so it's like a respect thing.

oh gosh, bungalowmo, i thought i was the only person in the world who regularly visited the gravesite of the original owners of a house. for me, its an 1870 house, and the cemetery is at the bottom of my street.

and yes, Krista, take your time on the painting of interior trim. dark trim does limit the number of colors that look great, but if you stick to those on the first floor but maybe paint some trim in unimportant bedrooms if you feel the need to bust out.

consider painting the risers of your front stairs before you paint everything else. see how it goes.

best of luck.

When you live in an old home, sometimes some of the advice that works for, for example an 80's rancher, will not apply to you. There are certain elements of an older home that need to be...appreciated and respected. It's easy to suggest painting all the woodwork when the home is trimmed out in builder grade trims. When you have solid oak baseboards, stairs, windows & casings...these need to be given a different level of respect.

This house was a one-off, custom made house, onsite. I know there is no other house in my town that is exactly like mine & there is likely no other in your town exactly like yours.

I guess I'm just wanting to be sure you really get what a gem you have there.

It's my passion...I can't help it!! :0)

I think the deed search and finding the previous owners is a cool project my dad would really love and we could do together! Thanks for the idea!

nnigrt....I have photos of all their headstones & since I have a subscription on ancestry.com...I've also built their family tree.

I lovingly refer to them as my "Peeps"!

<< guilty, also.

krista...if the deeds are not at your courthouse, they can certainly let you know where to look. You'll likely begin the search with the name that sold it to you, as it takes some time to be added. Each deed will give you the book & page # for the previous owner.

I was allowed to remove the pages & make photocopies. I copied their wills too! :0)

Please don't paint that beautiful wood trim. Painting it would destroy the character of this older home. Painting the walls a light shade will do wonders to lighten the space. Check out this site for paint color ideas. [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200)

I too agree not to paint the wood, it is amazing and hard to come by original wood in such good condition! Paint color on walls that is well chosen can do wonders to brighten a room. Lighting can play a key role as well.

Don't paint the trim! Original old trim is beautiful

The trim is beautiful! If you can't decide on a color, pick a beautiful white! It will brighten!!

If you are going to stay with the oak I suggest trimming it out like this. You can find this top molding in an architectural salvage. It will play up the wonderful height of the ceiling.

These are actual images of my front hall.

The room is painted in a Farrow and Ball Cornforth White Which tones down the oaky tones without fighting them.

Otherwise paint it white and here is a suggestion for the stairs.

You could also add a runner to the stairs to break up some of the wood. Consider a sisal or a geometric pattern.

I agree to live with the trim as is for a while and save painting as a last resort. I don't think it's a sacrilege to paint but you may find that you like it and prefer to work with it. I recommend searching houzz photos for dark woodwork for inspiration and to get a visual of a more modern or contemporary style. You could also have a mix of painted and white including on the staircase if you do feel, after living with it, that you want something brighter. You still see the beauty of woodwork even when it's painted.

Thank you all so much for this advice! I appreciate the beautiful woodwork I just don't like the way it makes the house feel so dark. I will start with repainting the walls and I love the idea of painting the stair risers or adding a runner to break up the brown. When my kids and I walked into this house, after looking at dozens of others, it just felt right so I don't want to mess with it too much that I ruin that "personality" we fell in love with!

"When my kids and I walked into this house, after looking at dozens of others, it just felt right "

That is when you know you're home! I felt the same way when I walked into mine! By the end of the day I had my agent drafting my offer. On May 31 it will be 8 years!

lucidos...your entryway is beautiful!

Is that a mailbox on your front door??? Very cool!

bungalowmo, i told our agent we were buying our home before we even walked in the front door. she said just don't tell the listing agent that.

5 people looked at it that day, 4 put in offers, and we got it. YAY! coming on 6 years in june.

What you do before you paint is very important. We just bought a house and painted every room. We marked every ding and fixed it. One room was so bad we plastered the whole wall. Then we sealed wall, then painted with a no smell paint. When the neighbors came in to see the finished result they could not get over the difference. It looks like a new house. At first we had our computer room in one of the three bedrooms, but because family often shows up to stay overnight, we changed this room back to the bedroom and put the computer room in the living room. The adjustment was hard to take but after 6 months we know we would never go back to the old way. There is more room to move around, it is cooler and we are not by ourselves. A big couch has seating room for most who come to visit and we take naps on it. And there is a big family room with TV in the back. The grandchildren like this arrangement also. There is a computer for them and two for us. Do not be afraid to change, said by a 72 year old grandmother who loves being with her family and dogs.

The pearl gray kindly posted above would look fabulous with the dark trim bringing out the highlights of it. Not a big fan of gray, but in this case it'd be very rich looking but bright.

Please consider painting walls with a color to freshen and brighten them up. Decorate and live with this beautiful home before you put a brush to that lovely trim that has escaped the fate of being painted for so long!

I have a lot of dark wood trim inside, too. when I bought the house, I thought it was beautiful and added that elusive character we all hear about on HGTV. But after living with it for a year, I'm finding it dark and a little depressing. I've been really tempted to paint it a cream-white but haven't only because (a) it's a pain on the ass, (b) if I sell, it's sure to be commented on that the trim was "ruined." I did paint the ugly swirly staircase banister, and I like it so far. It almost disappears as a design element I never loved. I'm struggling with this decision, too. I feel your pain!

i was fortunate to buy an old house with the trim pre-ruined. three floors of white skirting board and casing.

Bungalowmo thank you! What you are seeing is an old oak bread box that I took off the back of, insulated and affixed to the door. I got tired of the mail on the floor and the basket always got kicked about. Also I live in Canada and it's very cold in the winter. The mail stays neatly in there and keeps a good months worth. I check it daily but do a purge once a month.

wow, i've always wondered what to do with my mail slot. a bill always disappears under the carpet. but its on the operable of the 2 doors, it would hit the wall...dang...

we actually had to have a wider mail slot installed because apparently in 1870 they didnt need to have DVDs in red envelopes come through the slot.

YES!!!!! Paint the trim Oxford White or Decorators White by Benjamin Moore. Sure old homes have beautiful trim but wood can appear dark and dreary. I painted all my wood trim out. Looks amazing!

The best way to lighten a house is to add lights. You seem to have one smallish overhead per room - common enough - so may wish to consider adjustments to the lighting plan before painting.

The addition of light reflective surfaces will help bounce light throughout your rooms, and higher contrasts in colour selection can also help make a brighter room overall.

Love the breadbox, Lucidos!

Interiors are a personal taste, some say white is gorgeous, some say white is ruining. I like mostly white trim with dark accents in stair treads and handrails. I wouldn't worry about not being able to find someone to buy it when you're ready to sell. I would worry more about the texture of the wood. Oak has a strong grain texture and it telegraphs through the paint leaving, to most people, an undesirable finish.

The layout of your home is very similar to mine. See what you think about our treatment of the woodwork.

Maybe just paint the stair risers...

I'd be aiming for those hallway walls with a sledge hammer. There is plenty of light in the room to the right of the stairs as we are facing them. How great it should be if the stairs were open to the light from at least one of the rooms on either side. Both walls down would be fabulous. (I'm nuts about opening things up to have all the light bounce around the house)