What's your favourite colour? What will make you smile every time you come home? That's the colour should paint. And remember, it's only paint so you can change it whenever you like.

I agree with Jennifer! I just read a cool article last week online on choosing fun colors for an entryway. I saw one entryway painted in a very striking red! I'm not suggesting this to you but whatever you choose, have fun.

Would you ladies comment on if you would do the entire wall/room/area one color and remove that trim (if possible) or would you do bottom part an actual color? The top I would like to keep light...

I had chair rail in my dining room in my last house and I really like it! I would paint the bottom half a dark color that I like, paint the chair rail white, and go a much lighter shade of the same color above the chair rail.

If you're keeping your chair-rail, then you're committing that basement wall (going down the stairs) to be the bottom colour. So it may be better to put the "non-colour" on the bottom. If you take the chair rail down, you'll need to patch the wall. But you could do the basement wall one colour and the other walls a different colour.

If you tell me your favourite colour, I can do some renderings so you can get an idea of options.

where would this new color stop? Is it connected to another wall other than down the stairs?

The ledge/wall with the banister on it going downstairs is already painted...so the new color would be going from just that back wall and the wall to the left of the photo...that would be where I would want the darker color to go...then from the trimmed out part upwards is where we will paint the light color...and the ceilings are high which is why I prefer the lighter color above the trim

What program is that!?! I need it! Lol

It's called gimp ( https://www.gimp.org/ ). It's like Photoshop (with a similar learning curve!) except it's free.

If you post a swatch of the colour(s) you're thinking of, I'm happy to sub them in for you.

Would love to see a darker charcoal type grey on the bottom, or a navy?

here you go!

And because I think the navy is a good choice, but not on the bottom:

Don't be afraid of the dark. This is a small room that you pass through. The dark walls will feel cozy and welcoming. But putting dark on the bottom will just chop up the room because the floor is light.

Ohhhhh you’re right, I wanted the dark on the bottom to protect from scuff marks etc from coming in and out but I’m liking the all over!! Thank you so much that was very helpful!!!