I really love the stain on that door!

I think honestly either option would work fine. If you do decide to stain the windows/trim you could always do a lighter wall color to keep it bright!

Ok- so I see a Saguaro outside your window so I'm thinking you are in located in the SW? And looks like at least some of your wall color will be in the warm medium (tannish?) colors? I've lived in the SW and I've seen plenty of these alder doors and they are more commonly put with matching stain trim in the higher -end homes. Where as in other parts of the country, white trim is done more often. If you do the darker wall paint color the white trim will be more of a focal point compared to how the trim blends in the photo Judy G provides with lighter walls.

I think you will find once you get everything else done that you'll like the color of your stain. It's a lovely color.

Stain the windows. Live with them for a while. They can always be painted -- ever try staining something that's been painted?

It might help to think about what you are going to put on those windows. If you're going to do a stained shutter or blind, it makes sense to stain or paint dark the windows. But if you're going to do a white tone or painted shutter/blind, then the white windows will be fine. Also, if you have shutters or always leave your blinds down (even though you'll tilt them open and closed), the window color will likely fade into the background and hardly even be noticed. What are you thinking for window treatments?

Thank you all so much. I am up at 3:30 worrying about this so I am thinking we have ruined our house.
The house is in Phoenix and we are on the mountain preserve so no neighbors on a couple of sides. Acre lot so we may have drapes on one window and some blinds in bedrooms/bathrooms but it will be very open.
The windows and doors all have bullnose around them so there is no painted casing or frame. Paint color in the house is undecided. If we go with an off white to lighten the house I am afraid it highlights how dark the doors are. If we go with light tan or taupe does it just make the house darker?
We had stained alder doors in our last house and they were beautiful. We screwed this up by using a slightly darker mix. And some of the doors took the stain heavier and look darker.

Debbie



Thanks again

I had Ralph Lauren Cottonwood Th 29 ( since discontinued by Home Depot) on my walls in Scottsdale. That color reminds me of the color you have started to paint on your hallway walls. The Cottonwood was very neutral leaning towards the tan family and I found that I could put pretty much any color with it. I never felt that it made my house dark and I saw it in several other houses i and never felt that the color made those houses dark either. When we bought the house, the house had creamy white walls and I couldn't believe how much better the house looked with the Cottonwood and stained alder doors. I was always getting compliments on the Cottonwood. So I wouldn't be afraid of going to a "color."

Have you picked out your furniture? As that should be a consideration when picking the wall color.

So funny, We had Ralph Lauren Cottonwood at our last house and have since used it all our rental houses, vacation home etc. Just a nice pretty reliable color. I am trying to not make this house exactly like the last house so wanted to do something a little different. Our door situation has gotten much better. They sanded the doors a bit and mixed some lighter stain in with the poly and they are not nearly as dark. Feeling great relief.

For consideration:

If you want white windows, think about wovens for window treatments, in the same color as the stained doors.