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Should I match trim to cabinets?

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

It's taken some time coming round to the design style of the loft apartment at our new log cabin. I never liked the style and it has been really hard for me to warm up to it and get excited about decorating it. All that wood!

Here is how it looked in the listing photos and now. So far I've just put in a bed.

Anyway I went through dozens of ideas about how to make this palatable to me. Painting all that wood walls seemed silly, too costly as it has a finish, plus it's in good condition.

After studying my pics for awhile I suddenly realized I liked the look of my old white guest bed against the wood. So that decided the kitchen cabinets for me. White IKEA cabinets would be affordable and would look crisp.

I started searching online for pics of homes with wood walls and white trim and found some places that started to inspire me. Finally.

So I've decided to paint the trim around the windows and doors white. I'm not going to mess with the beams in the ceiling as I like them, plus they are a nicer wood than the trim so I don't want to cover them up.

I've done some research on the IKEA grimslov cabinets and found a few blogs that give good paint matches.

Am I asking for trouble trying to match it or should I just find a compatible white and go with it?

Also, would you paint the two wooden doors or just leave them pine? One door is the stairs down to the outside and the other is to the bathroom.

Any input on the color of the kitchen countertop would be appreciated as well.

Here is a mockup from my design program.

Comments (4)

  • lascatx
    7 years ago

    If this were my project, I'd do the white kitchen cabinets and furnish the space before touching the trim. I'm not sure I'd paint all that trim. I now you are excited about the idea and having some inspiration, but give the idea some time and test it -- develop some other features first. The trim will be easy to address later, but a real mess if it doesn't play out the way you expect.

    I hear you about all that wood, but that's also all you are seeing without furnishings in the space. The listing photos had at least 2 rugs ad five pieces of upholstered furniture and chair seat cushions. The color and contrast faded the wood into the background and now in the empty or nearly empty room, it's all you are seeing. The room needs furnishing to feel welcoming and painted trim will not furnish it.

    And then there is the fact that I'm not sure you will get the look you want. There are a lot of differences between that inspiration photo and your space -- white vs. wood ceilings, beams vs no beams, number of window sizes and shapes. The inspiration room has a group of matching windows. Your room has so many different size and shape windows hung at different heights - even the doors are different sizes, and white paint on all of that will accentuate it. And start fighting the beams and other architectural details and whatever else you put in the room. Once you furnish the room, you may find you have a clown competing for attention and wish it would just fade back into the background. Do the kitchen, start furnishing or developing your plan for furnishing. Get rid of the previous owner's dark valances, chose something with some color, consider lighter fabrics and/or shades and work the room before you decide to tackle the trim. Instead of your computer design images, take an actual photo of the room and mock up all the trim in white so you can see the irregular sizes and shapes, the ceiling angles and beams and see if you would still go that route.

    Sorry it that is not what you want to hear, but I'd step back from the paint can for now.

  • Annette Holbrook(z7a)
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Lascatx, thanks!

    The valances are now gone. Dh removed them last time he was up there.

    I will heed your advice and not paint at this point. I won't be doing the kitchen until late spring at this point so no rush to paint.

  • 3katz4me
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I agree with that advice not to rush to paint the trim. Our lake "cabin" doesn't have all wood like that but we looked at many that did and I wasn't fond of that all wood look either. However had I bought one of those places I wouldn't have rushed into painting anything. I do think it will look completely different with furnishings and might be very nice. Most of the places we looked at were beautiful in spite of all the wood.

  • PRO
    Lars/J. Robert Scott
    7 years ago

    I also think it's better to wait on painting the trim, as that is something easy you can do later, and I would especially wait until the cabinets are in.

    I would not paint the wood doors, even if you do paint the trim around them. It's much nicer to have wood doors than painted ones, especially since they are paneled.