The decision about going down this path is whether painting trim fits with the architectural style of the home. You have the ability to view all the rooms in the public area but we do not, so could you post a few more images?

Done! Thank you for your response!

Walk through the house and identify the darkest rooms. Then check their light fixtures, especially the overhead fixtures such as ceiling lights and recessed lighting. Check that the light bulbs are the brightest that are safe for the fixtures. Two of your drum ceiling fixtures (foyer and hallway) are the kind that restrict the amount of light because they have dark patterned frames and drum glass blocking the light. Changing (and adding to) your lighting would be a good thing to try before making an irreversible decision such as painting wood trim.

Also consider skylights or solar tubes.

I'd concentrate on tweaking your decorating before you make the decision to paint. I don't see any lamps or colorful wall decor or rugs in your spaces. More lighting and light colored rugs in the entry, dining area and living area would make a huge difference in the feel of the house.

I would first change dated fans for nice chandeliers.

Don’t do irreversible damage that devalues you’re home because of a fad. If the rooms are dark, it’s not because of that gorgeous woodwork. It’s because you lack good lighting.

Brown and white is what stands out to me. And poor lighting. I'm a neutral kind of gal, but your home is begging for color. If not on the walls, then with rugs/decor.

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I am a big fan of painting, but your woodwork seems to fit the home. Maybe you just need to refresh your vision of the house.

Your ceilings are really bring your lovely home down. It looks textured and the color looks grayish or yellowed. Personally I am not a fan of the painted doors, I would strip and restain to match the wood trim. Otherwise just add new lighting, rugs, new window coverings, and new art. Also that mantel looks a little small for your fireplace.

I'm not usually in favor of painting nice wood trim, especially in historical homes, but it appears yours is a newer home?

I think I would paint it and paint the doors to match, or maybe paint the doors dark.

This wasn't stained when they painted it light, but you can still see what a difference the white trim made:

Not sure if dark doors are just a trend, but think it would look great in your home with light trim:

The molding appears very DIY to me. The oversized crown looks like a crown piece then wall space that was strained or painted then a smaller piece of molding topped off with giant corner pieces. I am not a pro, but the balance seems way off.

When was your home built, and what species of wood is the trim? I agree with ratherbesewing--the trim is not proportional, which leads me to think it was not a trained finish carpenter who installed it. The crown is much too heavy, and the door and window casings are too narrow. Painting it the same color as the walls will eliminate the contrast and minimize the not-great proportions.

I had a similar experience and agree to with start with the lighting. There's a lot to learn but it's less permanent and where you'll end up, anyway.

Trim IS original to the home. We believe the walls used to be darker and the previous owners (second owners, we are third) painted the walls lighter.

the red paint between the two crown molding pieces are to give it the illusion of one solid piece. I think the idea worked better when walls were darker

Up thread I suggested concentrating on your decor - lighting, rugs, art. But, the more I look at the trim, I'm leaning towards biting the bullet and painting it. And while you're at it, paint the ceiling as well. It's going to be a huge job, I would get some professional quotes. All the nooks and crannies in the trim will have to be thoroughly cleaned before it is painted.

I would paint all that trim. Your windows and exterior doors are already white which makes them look cheap when contrasted with the wood. If the trim was all white it would look unified. Keep the handrail wood...

HALLETT, we were considering a creamy white or an antique white. What are your thoughts? I felt it would look the best with the stone fireplace

I think painting the darkish ceiling a standard ceiling white color would make an immediate and huge difference in lightening up the whole space. The current ceiling color brings everything into a darker tone. Do you use lamps or overhead lighting? I would incorporate more lamp light that will better reflect off a brighter ceiling. From there, add more color to the house with rugs and art. You don't need to paint the trim.

This may be the only time I’ve ever typed out this sentence: I would paint all that wood a lighter color.

Ouch. That hurt. 😂

But seriously, for reasons already mentioned, I think it’d look better painted.

There are two options. Your enlarged photo # 2 shows how the DIY crown was made with the lower second trim piece, and corner blocks plus an "almost match" paint. It appears the corners of the crown were left open, as seen above the stairs, for inside and outside "corner blocks." I imagine the outside blocks were out of stock and they never finished that corner there. You can remove the lower trim piece and replace the corner blocks with smaller ones more proportional to the crown. Repair and repaint the walls afterwards and it will look less top heavy. The second idea is to simply go with what they've already done. Use additional trim to widen the baseboards throughout the home, and you'll add a visual counter balance to the upper crown. Paint all the trim white and use a satin paint so the crown and baseboard have some contrast to the wall paint. Or, for a really classic look try the colors used here. Believed to be Navajo White on the walls and White Dove on the trim.

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Replacing your mantel with one more in proportion to the crown would be a plus.

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At first I kept looking at the pics thinking it would be a shame to paint all that beautiful wood trim. BUT - there is just so darn much of it. It's possible that maybe you just need more natural light - but if adding windows is not an option (assuming of course that you'd want to add more windows) I do think having all the trim and moulding painted white would make a huge difference. I wouldn't DIY it though - I'd hire a pro to make sure it's done well.

Are your ceilings heavily textured or do they have a pop corn finish? I would smooth them out. Then I would paint all the trim work l a soft white. SW Alabaster comes to mind. I say this based off your fireplace stone. Your windows are white vinyl it appears so your trim work doesn't hold an appeal from a historical home point. Next on the list is changing/updating your lighting fixtures. I would also do something with the stair carpeting. A patterned/textured carpet to update that. These are the core starting points. Once completed I would take a room by room approach to updating furniture arrangement, styles and decor.

I'm usually in the "don't paint your original stained wood trim" camp. But even though the trim is original to the house, it looks like newer construction in a mix of architectural styles and (as others have pointed out) the trim is not proportional with the heavy crown and thin window, door, and other trim. Beefing up the baseboards might help, but that would be difficult to do around the windows and doors (especially all of the arched windows). So given all of that, I think painting at least some of it (the crown molding at a minimum) would be your best option.

It looks like the doors are not actually wood, so I'm guessing stripping them is not an option. If that's the case, I'd paint the rest of the trim as well and just leave the banister wood. I also love the suggestion to beef up your mantel as decoenthusiaste and others have suggested.

Is the ceiling knock down texture? That's what it looks like on my monitor. That's super common on ceilings and walls in my area but I've not seen it used only on the ceiling (with smooth walls) before. It would be great if there was a simple way to remove the texture before painting the ceiling a nice clean white, but that may be more trouble than it's worth.

Wood is unequivocally beautiful, is timeless, and adds value because of its uniqueness. Paint the walls white.

Yours is a period house from a time of true craftsmen. Trees don't grow as fast as trends change. If there is any way to replace what you want to paint, please give the beauty to someone who appreciates it. There are plenty of historical rehabilitators who need this. Replace it with a paint-grade product. I can't help bug see paint as an inexpensive coverup.

I was in Paris recently and unpainted wood is making a comeback. I would be thrilled to find maple veneer sheets for a remodel.

tdemonti, the OP hasn't said when the house was built, but based on the various features I would guess mid to late 90s/early 2000s. And the walls are already painted white :)

I am all for light and bright and white, but that natural wood trim is stunning, especially with the curves and character of the home. All the details of the curved inset windows, etc. will get lost in white.

That said, the weird double crown strip with painted filler between, needs to be resolved. I'd repaint the walls and ceiling, not the trim. When you do that, have them remove the lower unconnected strip of crown (donate or repurpose it elsewhere, maybe a chair rail, etc.?) so all you have is the upper crown against the ceiling. Once all the walls/ceilings are painted a crisp, creamy white - that trim and millwork will sing. Add in new lighting fixtures (you are painting ceilings anyway) light rugs, and refresh the carpet on your entryway stairs (maybe a fun patterned run) and your house will be a showstopper! Also update lighting plan (maybe bring in more recessed cans or up the bulbs for more light) while you're at it, as others have suggested. Also, agree with the suggestions for a larger white mantel. And, put a big mirror or light piece of artwork there too, to bounce more light around.

We don't know what the exterior style of the house is. That might influence the direction to go with the interior finishes. Not all that appears to be wood is actually wood, so some changes could be made easily. The trend to make "faux" trim larger may have made the house grand enough to live up to the exterior style. Or it could have been an over-the-top attempt to shorten the height of the walls. It looks like wood but could even be the newer molded trim without a any real wood at all. Faux painting can truly fool the eye.

@tdemonti , @eastautumn , @decoenthusiaste the house was built in 94, this is the exterior which, imo, lends to painting interior trim white

And... something like this could make a big statement for a more updated entryway.... (not sure if your carpet carries through your whole second floor?)

After seeing the exterior, I’m even more firmly in the Yes Paint It camp. It’ll bring so much more cohesion between interior and exterior. Lovely home. I think light trim will look fantastic in there.

Paint all that dark trim white. It will look way better.

The interior to me looks like a 1990s new construction not a 100 year old home.

If I am wrong , and this is 100 year old dark wood, then maybe I could be swayed to keep the dark stain.

@gwc1973 my comment with the photo of the exterior confirms it’s a 90s home

Ok, Ok. Since the house is newer (at least by my New England standards!) and now having seen the exterior I can be swayed to say...gulp.... paint it! But, if you do, you need to go all in. Every piece of trim in the house needs to go white.

Paint all the crown, window and door casing a white and leave the stairs the dark stain. It will really lighten up the house and bring it up to date. Then choose new wall colors and lighting. It will really change your home and make it less dark. The current dark trim just doesn't really do anything for the home. Its 1990s trying to be 1890s and it's doing nothing for the home IMO.

First paint only the upper crown molding either the same color as the ceiling or the same color as the walls. Then pause. Did that lighten up your home enough or do you need to paint the wainscoting white? and/or do you need to paint it white in every room?

So, the house is a hip roof, ROTM builder's special with a cute little cottage centerpiece for fun and to add a bit of character. IMO, the wide trim is overkill. Remove the bottom piece, add smaller corner blocks to the upper crown and go to town with white paint, using satin on the trim.

There are many on this forum who would never paint anything that is wood. They just wont. I am not one of them. They want you to change your bulbs so that you feel like you are in the hospital operating room. I'd have every piece of that trim painted white in a nanosecond. It will totally change the feel of your home.

I think you could really transform the space there by painting all the dark wood trim white, the walls a taupe or grey/beige. I love the fireplace.

@Maggie Porterfield okay, so the '90's aren't a period. I'm a tree hugger and tried : ). I'm in a '70's house the was redecorated in the '90's. . I am definitely changing the bannister when I get to that room.