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carly_jay94

Decorating with orangey oak trim & adding color to open floor plan?

7 years ago

My house has an open living room that extends into the kitchen with vaulted ceilings. The house is actually "round" (more like an octagon) which poses another design conundrum.


Our oak trim has a very orangey stain on it which seems to clash with everything. Painting the trim isn't really an option right now. I wanted to add some color to the walls to try and break up/define different spaces. I just painted some of the walls with Valspar "Gravity" which was supposed to be a neutral gray but it's completely purple in the room and the trim looks basketball orange now. It also feels very disjointed because of where the color cuts off and I'm not sure how to make it "flow" better.


Should I just stick with white walls everywhere? Is there a color that exists that flatters and makes the trim less orange? I want it to feel modern and am looking to stay with earth tones. If I do stay with white walls everywhere, any ideas to add some texture or dimension to the walls?


Any color/style furniture or decor suggestions are welcome - we are kind of starting from scratch with the space. Attaching some photos here - ignore the disarray. We are getting rid of most of what's seen in the photos.


The wall to the right of the stairs is the one I just painted with "Gravity" gray that turned purple. We painted all the way to the end of the 2 closet doors before the front door. I'm thinking it might flow better if I extended the paint color to the front door wall panel?



Comments (36)

  • 7 years ago

    Not sure what furniture you are keeping, but the trim color blends very nicely with what you have now. I'd start with your rugs, then your furniture, and then see what color paint might work to blend it all together.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Love the architecture of your home. I suggest you save up to paint the orange trim. While it's not the worse trim out there, it's really taking away from that stunning ceiling.


    Stay away from cool toned colors for the walls- greys, blues, etc. won't work well. A warm white should work well, but if you want some color look into a sage green.

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you.. I love the ceiling too, it's whitewashed pine. The house is only 3 years old and I certainly regret not choosing either a different color stain or just painting the trim white right off the bat. I wonder if drapes or curtains could help to break up the color of the wood around the doors.

  • 7 years ago

    Sammie J, I just had a similar thought that I should have focused on picking out some furniture pieces before diving in with a color on the walls. I want the space to feel airy and modern - so thinking of sticking with white or grey for a sofa. The leather sofa & chair are nice but I feel like they are too match-y with the wood - not sure if we will keep them or not.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Maybe you will find this link helpful. Scroll down to see orange toned woods-

    https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-paint-colours-to-go-with-oak-wood/

  • 7 years ago
    I would spend money on getting the trim painted rather than drapes.
  • 7 years ago

    To me, I think the warm colors of your leather furniture and that gorgeous rug blend will with the trim and wall colors as they are now. The leather color also looks great with the ceiling. Your floor appears grayish in the pic, and a gray sofa will just blend into that. Please stick with warm colors that look so great with the ceiling and trim as is.

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you for the suggestions! Yes, our floors are concrete grey with a greenish/sometimes blue tint.


    I’m kind of accepting that the best option might be to work with a warm color palette. I’ve been trying to fight it but if I'm not going to paint the trim then the cool tones I tend to be drawn to just won’t work.


    I really dislike anything red so I wonder what accent colors would Work? Maybe adding more terra-cotta will down play the wood color...

  • 7 years ago

    Thinking maybe something like this for a color palette?


  • 7 years ago

    DE Crisp Muslin would work better with your trim than white. Its a light, neutral taupe.



  • 7 years ago

    Thank you so much! I will check out that color... It's helpful to hear some encouragement to go with what we already have.


    The front door needs painting - inside & out. Any suggestions on color? I would love to be able to do something bold with it. The outside of our house is a khacki brown/tan with dark chocolate brown trim.

  • 7 years ago

    I lived in a geodesic dome in grad school. What a trip. Anyhoo, you need to get all the furniture off the walls and come up with a good arrangement in the middle of the area that is defined by some kind of rug. I think you're on the right track with natural choices to bring the outside in with green and other "organic" colors. If you do that, the rug could inform your other color choices like the front door. I'd be tempted to go with a pretty neutral palette here with a sisal rug.

    Carly Jay thanked suzyq53
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago


    outside view of the door

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Speaking of orange...


    or blue?



    Carly Jay thanked User
  • 7 years ago

    Lil S - I just saw that door on my google search! I think it's a little too orange for me, haha.


    Suzyq - yep our house is very similar to a geodesic dome inside. I think you're right about laying out the furniture off the walls, but I really struggle with that! I think my issue is that the space is so large - which is great - but I think there needs to be multiple "areas" within the room. It's just feels too big to be one giant living room. It would be nice if I could come up with some way to make an "entry way" space. I love sisal, but I wonder how it would hold up to my german shepherd. We had a jute rug that I loved at first but very quickly became dingy and tattered from her giant paws!

  • 7 years ago

    The blue door I am open to though... would it be blue on the inside too?

  • 7 years ago

    you can spend a lot of money painting the walls and buying drapes and furniture and rugs to 'go' with a trim color you've decided doesnt work for you.... or you can just stop that nonsense and paint the trim.


    its just trim. if it makes you crazy, fix whats making you crazy.

  • 7 years ago

    I'd just save up to paint. I intensely dislike orangey-toned wood.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I knew you weren't going for the orange door :)

    No, you can paint the inside the same color as other interior doors.

    "What color do you paint the edges of the door, if the front and back are two different colors? Here is the rule...stand directly in front of the side of the door you are painting and open your door a tad....the edge you see should be painted the same color as the side you are painting."

    Carly Jay thanked User
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Yes I agree about defining multiple areas within the space. But you have to figure out what you want to use each area for. Some people like tv area, drinks area, reading area or a games area or a conversation area, or work area. What do you want?

    I love your big doggie. So worth a few shredded rugs! I'm surprised she doesn't mind walking on the slippery cement. My little guy would run around and end up of sliding into a wall.

    Carly Jay thanked suzyq53
  • 7 years ago

    I like the pattern in the runner. I would get a large rug (10' x 14') for the area where the couch will be.

    Carly Jay thanked User
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Your wood trim suits the house and your furnishings suit the trim. So keep it and work with it. You might want to start looking at estate sales for oversized oriental or ethnic rugs in palettes that work with reddish gold--reds, green, blues with some reddish gold in them to link with the trim. Your house can take some striking patterns. If you can find a bold, oversized round rug that would work well in your entry.

    8'x8'Serapi Light Blue Round Area Rug · More Info


    Safavieh Savannah SVH628H Area Rug, Yellow/Yellow, 6'x9' · More Info



    Many wall colors, along with furnishings, will work well with the wood trim and minimize the orange that's so promiment right now because the white is too stark and the rooms are empty. Here are some good wood trim wall colors--some are lovely off whites and creams, pale grays, and sage green.

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    This Houzz article on wall paints in rooms with wood trim is a classic:

    [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200)

    Carly Jay thanked housegal200
  • 7 years ago

    Here are some octagonal rooms--much bigger than yours--but you can get an idea about how to float armchairs in the space instead of attempting to line them up against a wall. One of the photos shows a round rug, which echoes the room shape. The first photo shows that wonderful muslin white--so airy and works so well with the orange-y wood trim.

    Poolhouse Splendor · More Info


    Round rug and coffee table:

    Masters Ridge · More Info


    Sage green:

    Octagon Study · More Info


    Floating armchairs; round ottoman; pendant

    Classic Cottage · More Info


    Carly Jay thanked housegal200
  • 7 years ago

    Nice house - love the railing! As others have indicated, anything blue-grey will only make the orange "orangier". Where is your kitchen? Is it beyond the tan couch up against the stairwell?

    I would build a divider wall jutting out from the end of your closets - doesn't need to be solid, but just give you a little separation. Then float the tan couch in front of the current cream/wicker ones and place an entertainment center on the wall between the closets stairwell. If this space does not need to have a TV, use that wall for a shallow bookshelf or artwork. Flank the leather chairs around the couch or across from them (depending on the TV decision). Have the dining area be where your current rug is. I love the rug, but maybe in the living room or dining room layered over a sisal.

    IK ETXEA · More Info


    Carly Jay thanked mnmamax3
  • 7 years ago

    The trim is a non factor. Decorate with any colors or options you want. It doesn't enter into the equation it is a NEUTRAL. The ceiling is a show stopper too bad it's color isn't richer.

    Carly Jay thanked arcy_gw
  • 7 years ago

    If you keep the trim, then warm golden leather in the furnishings would be knockouts:

    Midcentury Living Room · More Info


    Schwarz auf Weiß · More Info

    Carly Jay thanked housegal200
  • 7 years ago

    What a what a great space!! I also live in a different than norm type home-- converted barn with lots of cedar-kinda orangey wood. I have mostly wood trim with cream walls, jute rug & first blue oval rug house gal posted above below the pool table. Since mine is all one big open space, too-I tried to use rugs to make rooms.

    Not a styled photo(dogs snoozing )I've used blue/green and a touch of terra-cotta. (Pillows have since changed)

    And I have stained concrete floors, too!!

    I actually really like your leather pieces-look well loved &comfy=character:)

    Carly Jay thanked Peppapoodle
  • 7 years ago

    I absolutely LOVE the idea of the divider wall at the front door. Is there a rule to how wide it should be? And, yes - the beyond the stairs and leather couches. I've tried a dining table in so many different spots but haven't put it there yet. It's right in front of the hallway to the bedroom & laundry room so I have always kind of left that space open to not break up the flow of traffic but I might give it a try. We don't need the TV downstairs as we have a cozy "tv area" upstairs in our loft.


    Also love the thought of a circle rug. I've always wanted to do that but wasn't sure if it would work in the space or not.


    I think I'm going to give the muslin white paint color a try and see how I feel about it!


    Thank you all so much for your responses. It's been very helpful and given me many new ideas... I'm feeling a lot better and inspired to put the space together.

  • 7 years ago

    I think everything in that house is clear fir in select grade, trim and doors. Fir naturally turns orangey as it ages. The reason people have painted trim is because real wood trim is too expensive for most people.


    Most people gravitate toward heavier beefier trim to decorate the room. When trims become beefy, using stain grade wood can get very very expensive.


    The reason the trim does not work in that room is because it is too thin/light for the size of the room. Since the trim does not blend in with the walls, ie not white, that is why you notice it more.


    The walls are too white. The walls look washed out because of the trim and the floor. I would bring out the blue grey tone of the floor to the wall. I think blue grey colors work well with fir trim.

    It's a shame that they did not use the same wood for the trim and the ceiling. That would have been stunning.


    I am sorry you don't like it.


    The windows with clear fir generally costs significantly more than the paint grade windows. If you painted the trim, then you would also have to paint the casings.. That would be a shame. Or would you leave the windows as is? In general, wood grain trim and windows cost way more than painted trim (if the style is identical)



  • 7 years ago

    "The reason people have painted trim is because real wood trim is too expensive for most people"

    Well, no, actually. Many simply prefer white.

  • 7 years ago

    Oh My Gosh!!! I love your house. The cement floor is amazing and so modern. I love the trim color. Honest! Just leave it forever. I would maybe do a benjamin moore simply white to make it look very modern. Go with some neutral colors and bring some accent colors out from you rug. You are on the right track. Just keep the house modern with clean lines. Of course, throw in something no one expects like a big old antique hutch or something.

  • 7 years ago

    Love your space, your fur buddy, and your rug. Depending on your floor plan, I'd probably use that rug as an entry runner and get another similarly colored, larger one for the living area with the leather furniture. Have fun with this so-not-run-of-the-mill space. (Some of us are envious.)

  • 7 years ago

    I used a color called "Grey Screen" by Sherwin Williams. It goes with my orange-ish wood and many other wood tones. I used it in a room with multiple woods, blended well with all of them. My DH suggested a "greyish tan" which also might have worked. I was looking for some "bark" or "stone" kinds of color descriptions. Also can google "how to tone down orange wood trim" for some suggestions, there are quite a few blogs with color palette examples.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Paint foam posterboards with some warm tones and bring them in and see how they look. I had a color consult with Sherwin Williams that I found very helpful. Most of the cost is refunded in gifts cards to use towards paint.

    As far as divider wall size, I would find something to use to "rough out" the wall. A tall cardboard box for example. See how it feels on the doorway side as well as the living room side. There are screens in so many sizes and shapes. Assuming your closet has enough space, you can just do something fun without storage. I love this low wall. Great place for a bench on the doorway side but still keeps the openness.

    If you could use the extra storage, get a cabinet (like IKEA Pax and get panels from Semi-handmade to finish the back facing the living room area).

    Kitchen · More Info

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    (I am not necessarily a fan of this yellow one, but there are lots of similar panels with cut-out designs that would work for a nice open look with some interest)

    This is going to be such a fun space - can't wait to see how it comes out. Maybe some pictures from above in your cozy space would help people visualize the floor layout options.

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    "oak trim clashes with everything". why is painting it now not an option?? it's the one thing in that room that doesn't go w/anything.


    painting all that baseboard white, as well as the trim, will look so much better. The staircase could also look 10X better with either a new stain, or paint it black. at the very least, do the risers in black or white.




    Using your rug as a jump-off point, here are some other decor elements. you could use your camel leather sofa, ottoman, and just add some other black/white elements.


    Gravity is a purple gray. you need to find more of a neutral gray shade that works w/the flooring. (but you'll still need to paint out that trim! ) . Crushed ice is a nice gray, but very light.


    I love these color combos in your room. they would look great w/your wood ceiling and white trim




    if you feel you have to have orange trim work and baseboards, try a warmer gray in this color family.


    bring in some other warmer shades, as long as they work w/the gray floor.


    also, if you want to keep all the wood along the stairs, it might be worth stripping off the clear coat finish. over time, the clear coat yellows, giving you the orange tint. if you took it back to raw wood and finished it in the same tone of your ceiling, it might look a bit better.


    but I'd still do the baseboards in white. Here they are against a polished concrete. so much better looking. notice the oak in more of a natural finish. your could look like this.