Some examples that I like are:

Certainly painting all your trim white would modernize the look and feel of your home. The white trim would also enable you to paint the walls in a rich color that suits your design goals. If you want a stark bright white, I recommend Sherwin Williams 7006 Extra White. If you prefer a slightly more creamy shade, consider SW 7566 Westhighland White. I also highly recommend painting the fireplace brick and the mantel. The color would depend on what you choose for a wall color.

Thanks! I am nervous to cover the wood because there is no turning back and many people seem to cherish their wood trim. Or, is our trim not so valuable? In theory I like it but I've not been able to decorate around it the way I would like. I was hoping that doing the walls in a bright white or color might liven up the trim, but am having a hard time even finding a photo that shows a look that I like.

This shows the tint of the dark wood trim.

Christine's ideas would certainly modernize the place and if that is relly the direction you want to go it should look great, but for me it makes it boring. I am one of those who hates covering beautiful wood.
I would keep the wood and go with warm tones on the walls. KM vintage lace is a good warm off white that won't be too dark and you can use accent walls for color. Keep the ceiling flat white to keep the rooms brighter.

Bliss, that vintage lace color looks exactly like what's now on the walls which to me is a dreary ivory. Any other ideas for brightening up? I am afraid of "boring" for sure!

Also here's another house nearby with similar layout, white trim:

Like you I hate to paint wood trim. However, your wood trim is very dark and the floors are a light wood. Even the wood stairs don't match the trim. If they matched I would say keep them. However, they don't and it doesn't do any favors for the room. Paint the trim white - the same color as your walls. The white on the stairs should also match along with the doors. Now the wood stairs work better with the floors and you just have two different woods as opposed to three. As already suggested you could also paint the fireplace and mantel. You can now use accessories in bright colors to brighten up your house.

Any other ideas? thanks!

You could lighten up the wood trim with Formby's and some steel wool. How old is the wood and the finish? If it's really old, and it's shellac, all you need is alcohol to strip off the finish.

Paint is not only difficult to remove, it is also created another maintenance problem since you have to repaint periodically.

I have NO idea but the wood may be original from 1928. As for the finish, it certainly doesn't look new but...who knows? Maybe I can try a hidden test area and then lighten. Whether painting or stripping these sound like big projects so ?

I agree with you that painting over wood is risky. And I think a cool and modern combination could be your dark trim coupled with crisp white walls. Yes, white is indeed a color, and if you pair that with colorful art, it will really make the art stand out. So my vote is to keep the trim as is. Good luck!

I have painted some of the dark stained wood trim in my house. It is a bear to do this. I used paint and primer in one from Lowe's. It requires at least 3 coats of gloss paint. I first used satin but it nicks easily and doesn't cleanup as well. The gloss makes it harder,more durable, and easier to clean. Think twice before you start it, because it is difficult and time consuming. While I like my bedroom with the white trim, I also like the dark stained trim in the common areas of my house. You shouldn't have problems with paint colors if you stick with colors in the middle of the paint sample strip. We currently have a light gold in our kitchen and family room, and it looks terrific. Try something in the gold family before you paint. Painting wood trim is a big commitment. Good luck!

if u are going to remove the finish i suggest a heat gun. they are so much easier than stripping when it comes to trim and if you like mid century then maybe paint them a light color. mid century homes tend to have lots of maple trim which is a light medium colored wood. personally i think that would make an easier transition from wall to fireplace to floor

Stripping the wood was another option I was going to suggest. But it is time consuming and messy. If it was just one room it would be doable but you have a lot more than that to do. So - it depends on your dedication to the wood. When you do a small area you most likely are going to find a different type of wood than on the floor and it still will not stain the same. So - keep that in mind also. Floor looks like oak and the trim mahogany. However, at that time they stained oak with a very dark stain and you could still have oak trim.

Here's another option that might help the wood transition. The wood floors look new or I would suggest restaining the floors. The quarter round between the floor and the molding is wrong. It matches the floor and it should match the molding. Also in the picture it appears lighter this draws attention to the different stains. Remove the quarter round and restain it dark. This will help a lot.

If you look at new kitchens they are combining different stains and they work. So - fix the quarter round and keep your wood trim if you can't paint it. If you decide to paint you will also be painting the oak quarter round.

In looking at your dining room the doors opening into that other room and the window trim in the room have already been painted. More mismatching that is contributing to the problem. The painted trim here is bright white as is the paint on the walls. So if you are keeping the wood trim I would suggest painting the trim, doors and the walls in this room the same color as the rest of the house.

Now go back to your original statement. You said you don't like the dark trim - it isn't your style - you want it bright and cheerful. Start with that room off the dining room and paint the walls and trim the same color as the walls in the rest of the house. Then paint the fireplace and mantel.

@cgrimes can you send a "before" photo? I love the wall color too!

@margaret, I'm not sure what you mean exactly in the last paragraph. Starting with the sunroom off the dining room, paint to match dark wood trim? Already the walls are all the same throughout the house, kind of an ivory not a bright white. The trim in sunroom and upstairs is bright white as are ceilings.

@turid, I like those photos but I'm afraid the dark trim in those rooms is painted either black or chocolate. It's a very crisp contrast to the white. In my house I think the dark wood might not have such clean lines so the effect won't be the same. However, I am tempted to just paint the walls a less creamy and more cool white tone, just to see if that helps for the time being. Then use brightly colored artwork to bring some cheer.

This wall color looks nice with dark trim. I know it doesn't exactly brighten things up, but at least looks good (easier to paint walls than change trim):

(actually it's almost the same as the color in photo above by cgrimes)

Maybe this is out of left field, but have you considered painting some of your walls a pear green? It goes with all shades of wood and colors like charcoal gray or Midcentury colors, but I suggest it because your rug in the first photo has...pear green. I had pear green painted walls in a Victorian garden studio I lived in several years ago and even at basement level it wasn't dark looking. Benjamin Moore has several good pear colors. Btw, I wouldn't paint the trim. It would never be able to be restored. Paint the walls.

Your existing trim seems to have a dark finish on it that pretty much obscures the original wood, so I would not feel guilty about painting it white if that is the look that you like. There should not be any reason to remove the original finish - I would just paint over it. Just make sure you clean it and give it a light sanding

See below designs, they might inspire you!

Yes the wood is nearly obscured. Not sure what this finish is?

I only have a before photo of brick fireplace. Don't think that helps you. Trim was painted when we bought the house.

In the picture the walls in the sun room off the dining room appear to be the same as the white trim. So if the sun room walls are the same as the rest of the house this would be a good place to decide what color you want the trim to be in the rest of the house. You know what it looks like with white trim. What I was suggesting was to paint the trim the same color as the walls and see if you like it. Painting the trim the same color as the walls will give you a more contemporary look rather than traditional. You said you like mid-century modern and this would work well with that style in a traditional house.

You don't like the paint color you have now so I would still start with the sun room and paint it a lighter color than what you now have. See how you like it with the white trim. If that doesn't work for you then paint the trim the same color as the walls in a semi-gloss. Get the sun room right then paint the rest of the rooms. No matter what color you chose you need to paint the dark trim - whether you chose
the color of the walls or white - either one will work.