I'm not sure painting wood is a matter of poor taste (sometimes the wood is 'orrible), as much as a matter of thinking several times before doing it, and don't do it, out of consideration for the future (in my opinion), if you have a fine example of old architecture with original wood in your care. It's very hard to unpaint painted wood.

That said, had to play with the beautiful dining room. My feeling is that once your wall colours are modernised and you have a more open, airy approach to furnishing, you might find nothing more is needed to give you a more up to date feeling. The one thing I want to rush to change is the white frame to the stained glass -- it's too bright and fights with the windows for attention.

Agree with the previous posters. I would paint the trim as a last resort after much consideration. There are plenty of other ways to modernize the space. New sofas and rugs will do wonders (I like many of the wood pieces currently in the space). However, the first thing I would do is replace the light fixture above the dining table.

Here's the thing: white tends to make things look flat. Your painted walls probably need to be soft, muted colors with white trim. On the other hand, if you like darker, richer tones then staying with the wood would be really pretty. The deeper paint colors give the wood dimension. You can see what I mean by going to the home improvement store and getting a piece of wood trim and holding it against larger paint chips. Watch how the wood will change when you go with a deeper color. It's amazing!

So if you want to keep the historic feel of the house, then don't paint it. But make it consistent throughout the house so it pulls it together.

If the house feels more modern, then paint the trim white. It would immediately update the house, even an historic one. In this case you've got that modern entry and stairway, so painting it white would give it a cleaner, brighter feel.

I am so envious of those stained glass windows! Talk about gorgeous!

One more suggestion…If you have a china cabinet like the one currently in the space, remove the top and place under the stained glass window. If you don't have one, look for one on Craigslist (make sure the top is removable. you can also search buffet, dresser, credenza).

Please don't paint the wood trim. Stained wood trim adds so much character to a house. Your trim appears to be in good condition, coordinates with your wood floor, and has a warm medium walnut tone. It can work with contemporary or traditional furnishings. See this story for color ideas that go well with stained wood trim: [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)

Gee these pictures look like MY house! Typical mid-1990's build. We are just starting our own reno doing something in every room and wrestled with the same question, but have decided to leave all the trim as is. We're doing all our walls in Almond Mist and our 2.5 bathrooms and laundry area in Creamy Mushroom, both Behr Ultra Satin colors. We also have red oak floors on the first floor except for the kitchen, and upstairs is wall to wall carpet. I was concerned about "matching" the woodwork as we picked out new bath vanities and kitchen cabinets, but in the end our vanities are grey and our kitchen will be maple with a chestnut stain. And we have a lot of teak furniture, so somewhat contemporaryy. So go with what you like and enjoy!

All this feedback is wonderful - thank you! I really don't want to paint the wood but do want the place to look brighter and a bit more modern. I think the colour currently on the wall is a bit too yellow?

Yellowish walls look dingy to me. Many on Houzz would counsel waiting to move into house until you paint. If you feel the need to paint, it may be easier just to paint with a white with a grey tone instead of yellow and live with it. Then as time goes, you can tackle a room if you need more color. Until then it is fresh, clean and neutral.

In the posted photos, the paint does not look yellowish, it appears to have creamy peach tones. But, computer monitor colors vary. Your furnishings and lighting will affect how the paint actually looks.

what is your favorite color? A shade of that color is what I would paint the area! But I would not paint the beautiful trim.

You have a vintage home with oak woodwork, never paint it!!! In my home the woodwork is painted but it's not vintage and its builder grade pine.

I have stained wood trim in our house and like it, but in our vacation home we decided on painted trim. It was a small 1950s box with cheap builders molding. I love the white. Everything looks fresh and bright next to it. I can tell you that it was a ton of work however. The stain kept bleeding through so we ended up having to prime with oil based primer. Ugh! It is not bad taste either way. You just need to decide what you like. Most wood is not worth fretting about if you like the painted look. Very few homes have high end wood moldings anymore. If you had a historical home with irreplaceable wood trim it would be a different story. Good luck!

I agree that it seems quite yellow, especially against the stark white of the ceiling. Rather than painting the wood, I'd try taking the walls either white or more of a greige, like BM Pismo Dunes or Martha Stewart's Bedford Grey.

Is this your furniture or MLS staging or the previous owners stuff?

@decoenthusiast - it's the current owners stuff.

We, too, moved into a house with wood trim and walls a similar color as yours. I found painting the walls made all the difference for me-- I could give the space a more modern feel but not lose the warmth of the wood (or the time and money it would take to paint the trim). The colors we have are comfort grey (reads blue in our room) and grassland, both Sherwin Williams colors. Also, getting your own furniture in the space will help tremendously. Good luck!

You feel wood heavy. Remove small coffee table & paint the trim on the stain window only. One other thing is to remove china cabinet top , to make an open feel.

Remove corner cabinet too. You need more airy furniture.

I'm glad you're not stuck with these pieces. Do you have any furniture? Is it antiques or contemporary/modern? If you're a modern gal you'll probably find decorating to be easier if the trim is painted. It isn't sacrilege to make the house one you're comfortable with. In your ideabooks I only saw two rooms with unpainted wood trim. I think you know what you like, so go for it!

I agree with you. I think the walls are a bit too yellow. Check out the wall color in Rina's photo above. Something in a soft white, ivory. I think this alone will greatly improve the space. Have you thought about a new light in the dining room? Do you have any pictures of your furniture?

Out of curiosity what year was the house built? I don't understand why people are so again painting any wood. Your woodwork isn't large or particularly special looking in any way, I would paint it white. White and revere pewter look wonderful together. Also the kitchen trim is all painted and I think it looks odd when the house has different trim in different rooms

If you paint the trim you will have to paint all the trim in the house. It will involve washing the trim to remove grime and grease which you should probably do before you move in any way, clean being what it is. The a soft sand and then a primer like Kilz and the two coats with sanding in between. Then a final caulk to seal the new seam that will be apparent now that everything is white. I did my home as the trim was 40 years old and really cheap and it took me about two years to complete everything. Or hire a pro and get it done rather quickly before you move in. It is a reality experience for sure. That being said it is your call. I loved my white trim, and we replaced all cabinetry with white cabinets. Your call no right or wrong.

If your house is vintage and has lovely old growth oak wood trim I would not paint it. With paint you can see nicks etc. Of course you can touch up. My house will have all white painted woodwork but it will be standard, nothing really special in terns of wood. I am having the kitchen different and having the window and pantry door and trim stained to match the cabinets. It will look odd to have blinding white trim next to dark cabinets.

My vote is to paint the trim. I think the clean, lighter look of white painted trim will brighten up the place and create a cohesive look with the kitchen. Plus, I really don't like the stained trim around that gorgeous stained glass window. We have white trim (BM Super White) and BM Revere Pewter in our house and love it. I was concerned that the Revere Pewter would be too dark, but it's not at all. In fact, we are in the process of finishing our basement (which gets minimal natural light) and we had it painted Revere Pewter also. We love it.

I too have wood trim like you have in my home. I painted the walls then evaluated. Decided to not paint the wood. I painted the walls Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray HC-171