I need to see your space and BTW dark wood work gets just as dusty and dirty but sometimes you forget to clean it because it didn’t show every mark I think the dark can work in the right space so i need to see yours.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Should I post pictures of my place?

Also, I am well aware that very dark is just as bad as white. However, we have BM Gentleman Grey in the dining room and I find it much easier. I wouldn't go that dark for trims though.

Here are a few shots.

I, personally, think a lot of people who paint their trim dark now will be repainting back to white in about 10 years to "refresh and brighten" their homes. That said, there's 10 years of visual pleasure to be had from the dark trim. If I owned your house, I'd consider painting the walls with color versus the trims.

@jewelisfabulous yes I agree it needs more color or at least more contrast. Walls just don't get as dirty as trims, hence the reason for painting them. Thank you for the 10 year span perspective.

I should also add that the house is pretty dark thanks to a northen exposure and a front porch. This is why we chose whites and off white to begin with 5 years ago. But even with these paint colors, the house is still dark so I figure that since nothing will make it bright or luminous, I might as well choose pretty color/contrast.

One door is aluminium so cannot be painted. It's in the kitchen and you can't see it from the main rooms in the house, so not a bug deal. The other door is a beautiful set of Franch doors in the living room opening to the front porch and is brand new. It could be painted but DH is uncomfortable painting it because it was very costly and he thinks we would ruin its looks. This one deserves more thoughts.

I would take it slow. I also would consider wallpaper to give you the color your looking for and it doesn’t necessarily have to be floor to ceiling overwhelming. I think I’d paint the family room a blue. Head to toe. And do some wallapaper in the foyer area.

What do you mean by taking it slow? I am considering wallpaper for some areas. My walls are not super straight because of the age of the house, making wallpaper difficult so I have to choose carefully.

Anyhow, the main reason for painting trims remains that I'm tired of seeing dust and fingerprints on my white trims. I get that they will still be dirty and that I'll still need to dust and wipe them but not as often and stains won't show as much. I had a great experience going from a white kitchen to a stained wood kitchen and anticipate a similar experience with darker trims.

Dust is an issue no matter what color your trim is, and it will actually show up more on darker-painted trim. It sounds like the issue is primarily the grime from your children touching certain places, and if I were you, I would address those places - and the touching - before embarking on what would be a big painting project. Is there anything you can do to curb the behavior? Even if children are quite young, they can generally be taught not to put their hands on the walls. I know it's hard to have to keep repeating this over and over to youngsters, but it is a good thing to be learned early on.

This is not an attempt to tell you how to raise your children; merely a suggestion for how to handle the problem of grime that could be the simplest solution.

Your home is quite lovely. I totally understand why you want to keep it that way.

non white painted trim was popular in colonial times, so not a new trend! I’ve seen French doors painted dark with white trim, but I’m not sure about the reverse.

Painted trim can break up a space, especially (if going dark, as your objective to hide scuffs, etc) Imagine below with baseboards also painted.

I would start with hall/staircase, as they get the most abuse in a home. Then see how you feel; it’s also a huge job and hall may be enough and front door may still work. Easy to change if you dislike.

@elunia good to know about the colonial times. I'm trying to stick to BM historical colors to keep a classic palette but know that colors alone are not enough to garantee a coherent decor.

@Maureen this is what I like about the look that it breaks up the otherwise plain walls. Thanks for the pictures. I'm not married to the greyish blue trims. I'm also considering some greiges that lean more towards grey than beige.

Here's the challenge: Vestibule and kitchen are BM Coventry Gray (used to be white but got too dirty for me so fixed that already a couple years ago), the hallway, staircase and living room are all BM Acadia white and the dining room is Gentleman Gray. All trims and currently BM simply white. I was hoping to find a trim color that could work with all three existing wall colors but this could be unrealistic.

Starting with the hall and staircase is a good Idea. I'd add the vestibule too because dirt accumulates in that little room. And to be fair, the trims in the living room and in the dining room don't get dirty as the rest of the main floor.

Anyhow, there is so much to think about. I'll need more time to think about everything.

Trim cleans up pretty easily, better than walls, with a damp rag. I prefer light painted trim and color on the walls. I was lucky and kids learned pretty quickly keep hands off walls. I am also a pretty fastidious trim and baseboard cleaner as soon as i notice any grime on them.