i would prefer something different than what you have... it looks unfinished to me.

i would have done the same color as your trim on the walls if i wanted that sort of look... the difference in finishes (semigloss/flat or whatever) usually is enough to make the two look quite different...

I told you about my issues dealing with the exact same thing you are having. After repainting, I now have a room that looks similar to your closets. I asked myself the EXACT same thing and even googled similar pictures.

I am telling myself that mine looks intentional and sophisticated like your photos. I've decided that it is way too expensive to repaint trim--especially that is in good condition--and I don't want to settle for a darker wall color just because the trim is saturated.

I have had both my interior designer and a trusted girlfriend come over and they both have sworn to me that it's not something they would have even thought twice about and that it looks fine. So I say, in an ideal world, they would probably be closer in color. If you're not opposed to a darker wall color, then go for it.

Here's a taste of my trim difference:

It might look better once you get art on the walls. Now, there's to much white for me personally.

CF, your room is lovely! Yours doesn't look unfinished, IMO! Do you know what colors you used?

Ideally I'd repaint my whole house with white trim. But it's a big house with a lot of trim, it would be $$$$ or much more work than I have time for.

Busybee, I'm just so worried I'd end up with it looking like I just tossed a can of paint at the wall. Years ago I had an apartment where the trim was the same color of off white as the walls. Maybe they used the same sheen and that's why it looked bad but it has scarred me!

Maybe I'll play with the 66% match which should be a little creamier. But I would have to buy a whole gallon since I doubt they can accurately sample it.

justgotabeme, those are my closets, so they will have bars and shelves later on today :) I'm just musing on the paint colors for my family room, which will have art and furniture, etc.

I feel that it looks unfinished... as if you are waiting to find the perfect color before completing the painting. Your trim is a warm white and the white wall color is not enough of a difference to look intentional. A soft warm gray would be neutral yet calming in the hallway and your trim would pop. The fact that you are asking for more advice after your friend and interior designer gave their advice means that this will bug you until you change it!

Thank you, Butternut! I cannot for the life of me get an accurate match on the trim color. None of the paint cans left in our garage from the previous owner actually match it. None of my attempts at Sherwin Williams manual match have worked. Two professional painters told me that it was likely one of their stock colors originally but that for some reason white oil-based enamel paint tends to yellow over time, so it probably has evolved to something off the fan deck.

And by the way, your doors look IDENTICAL to mine! I swear we have like the same builder. I'm taking a picture of my doors to show you. I wonder if the same thing happened to yours! Is your house very old?

I'd say the closest I've found to my trim color is BM's Butter Pecan. Unfortunately, I just don't like it on the walls or else I would try painting everything that color. The walls in the photo are BM Vanilla Ice Cream. I have actually started repainting just the baseboards with BM Lily of the Valley. I originally thought it was a match to the trim and I was going to touch up, but when it didn't match, I decided I'd just paint large segments. It is sort of an in-between the trim and walls, so when I paint large segments, you don't notice that it's actually a different color. You can sort of tell in the photo above that the baseboards are slightly lighter. I really like Lily of the Valley as a compromise and may end up repainting the trim with it in areas that don't have those pesky doors to deal with!

I think it looks really nice!! Good job.

@llsquiers-- I'm not asking for any advice. The difference between my trim and walls will definitely bug me until I change it, but I think Butternut and I are both faced with the conundrum of what to do with an entire house of a trim we don't love! Sigh! If it weren't for these darned open floor plans, it would be so much easier to just go one room at a time!

I feel your frustration and hope you are able to find a "fix" to your problem. Maybe the color thing is worse for you than anyone coming for a visit. If anyone says anything, hand them a paintbrush!

CF - too funny! No, our house is not that old...2009, I think. I don't know if the trim is oil based or not. We are a few towns southwest of Boston. Honestly, the SW trim match is not exact when painted on a flat surface next to the old trim. But the match is more creamy where the trim has this hint of orange or apricot or I don't know what that is what throws it off. Yellows or pinks look really bad next to it. Navy in my son's room looks fine and I actually sort of like it with the lavendar in my daughter's room. The rest of the house is tan. I thought they were trying to be neutral but it maybe was the only color that looked good with the trim :)

SW Veiled Violet

Our was built in 2008. Gosh it is so weird to find someone else dealing with this same exact thing. I really like it with the lavender! Yeah, most of our house has SW Softer Tan, which looks nice with it. I think I told you I painted a room SW Eaglet Beige, which is a lighter version of Softer Tan, and I am quite happy with that combo. I did a room in a blue/green SW color called Peaceful Green, but it just looks "ok" with the trim.

Let me know if you find any other colors that work with it! If the doors weren't so expensive to have painted, I would seriously start repainting all the trim because it is so difficult to coordinate with.

love the lavender-- such a pretty color!

It sounds like your question is whether or not trim must always be lighter than the wall. I do not think there is such a decorating rule. Someone will correct me if I am wrong and I love the Lavender. Would you share the name?

In your first inspiration picture, the walls are a stark white and not the same shade as the trim. I think what makes that successful is the higher contrast between the trim and the walls.

I think it looks fine and will look great once you get everything in there, including prints on the walls.

Keep in mind that, in Colonial times, the "style" was to paint the trim a color and the walls white, so a darker trim is a tried-and-true style of decorating.

Your painted space is not really anything like the inspiration pictures. I would abandon your idea of using 66% strength paint or 33% strength paint because that strategy really only works well when you are dealing with a very large room with uneven light---and you are trying to get all the walls the same color. Or, it occasionally works for a ceiling tint.

IMO you need to select a color for the walls that is pleasing and harmonious, but not identical, to your trim color. The trim color is very nice, btw, but the walls are making it look a pallid beige and the trim is making the walls look, I agree, like they were primed and left. Alternatively you could paint the walls the same color but in eggshell, which would be a nice, subtle contrast because of the sheen difference but would give you that tone on tone look you desire. Haven't read any of your replies so I apologize if this is a repeat of other advice you've already been given. Good luck with your painting, I find paint the most difficult thing to get right but when it is right, it makes such a difference!

I think Annie and tibbrix are right. After looking at the photos again, I like the subtle difference between the trim and walls... and the art work will draw the attention not the color of your walls. I think you have a beautiful home and you've done a great job choosing colors and furnishings! Be proud... relax and enjoy your efforts!

emmarene - it's SW Veiled Violet. Thanks :)

kwsl, I'm sorry for the confusing post, but the painted space shown is my closet and won't be painted again. The room I'm considering painting the same colors is the room with the fireplace and the dark walls, which does have high ceilings and a fair bit of light from windows on three sides like the inspiration pictures. I don't want colored walls, but it's incredibly hard to find a neutral that doesn't clash with the trim, which also isn't the blah beige of the whole rest of the house.

If your trim is an oil based paint or you don't like the color, you can either take the route C F did or bite the bullet and work on one room at a time rather than fighting one room at a time.

I think your closet is fine -- it is light and clean, but it does show off the color of the trim. That's not what you want for the FR.

CF - my SW deck is old and doesn't have Eaglet Beige, but I will have to pick up a card when I'm at the store next.

Not for this room, but I am wondering if something like F&B Blue Gray would look good.

Your paint looks great. I like it that it doesn't look like so many examples in magazines. If you suddenly started seeing pictures everywhere of exactly what you have maybe you wouldn't question yourself. I would give it a few weeks. I like the contrast and think it's interesting. You can always change if you feel it's not making you happy. I know you are trying to make a decision for your other room. If you really want to copy the example you found then yes change the contrast. I would put fun art on the closet walls

Butternut, I love the blue/gray color. I've never tried F&B paints because they're so expensive, but I bet you could find something similar in other brands anyway. One problem with these darn photos of paint colors on houzz is that all professional photos have been manipulated in some way. I'm a bit of an amateur photographer myself, and it is amazing how different paint looks when you adjust the exposure, white balance, and saturation.

If you really want white/cream paint in your family room, i don't think you should settle for a color all because of your trim. Does your trim in the family room at least have a stopping point where it wouldn't cost a fortune to do that room? Like I'm thinking I might repaint the trim in my foyer/living room for now because it is open floor plan with no painted doors, so it won't break the bank to do just that room. And if I choose a lighter color that's not totally different, it won't ruin the flow to the rest of the house.

Well the closets no longer look so stark, they look like this:

And they'll look even less stark once I actually get clothes in. Since I haven't had a closet in 2 months since we moved. Mr. Builder's idea of a closet was one long pole across the entire length of the closet. Gah! I do want to hang some art on the unused wall and get some runners, but first thing is actually using the closet!

CF I've never tried F&B either, but I do enjoy their photos :) Actually, the trim in my family room is painted frank yellow right now (closest match I can find is SW Biltmore Buff), so it will be painted anyway. Since it's a different color now and no one seems to notice, I've toyed with the idea of painting it a normal creamy white, like Dover White. But there is an intersection of the trim at the cased opening where it now changes over. And it bugs me to see it now.

What color is your trim? Do you have a brand and color name?

Wow I didn't realize your earlier pics were from the inside of the closet!! I think now that your organization shelves etc are in it looks fine.

Annie - no clue, unfortunately. Mr Builder didn't leave any paint cans behind.

Melle - Thanks!

The lighter walls make the walls and built-ins just flow together. I like it.

How many times did you say closet? ;)

lascatx -- I know, right? I was really confused by that. I kept thinking that these were pics of the hall, showing the doors to closets. Walk-in closets are totally not on my radar.

Edit -- I think this closet is bigger than our hallway (and our hallways is much bigger than any of the closets LOL)!

Yeah -- we seem to need that rod or some visual reference to define a closet.

Haha! It is a weird shaped closet. It's sort of like a hallway that runs the length of the bedroom and also has a door to the bathroom.

this is how we started. We think he owned stock in construction glue.

oh geez... he glued on the clothes rods?? (it looked like the lion beams also had glue.... there might be glue behind the kitchen cabinets too... just in case the screws in the studs don't hold! :)

I did misunderstand, butternut, but my advice probably would not have changed. We also have a large closet with no window and had it wallpapered because the paint colors reflected in a strange way....not a good background for clothing colors/ getting dressed. I spend a fair amount of time there every morning and evening and wanted it to feel just right!

What a nice closet :-) I like the darker trim. Changing out the fluorescent fixture may make a difference in the paint color. When we moved into our house the guest room had two fluorescent fixtures and a ceiling fan - previous owner had it set up as a quilting room. I removed the ceiling fan and changed the light fixture. It made a world of difference. Here are before and after pics. The room was SW Antique White. Now it is SW Softer Tan with SW Dover White trim.