No one can tell you what to do in your house!

Personally, I prefer white trim, windows, baseboard & crown. I also think that most stained trim looks better in white ... unless it is in a 1920s older home with high quality wood.

Thank you . . . The debate continues!

In my next house, I shall have bronze windows, white or off white millwork, stained doors and cabinetry.

It all depends on the type of wood. If it's special, like high quality mahogany, cherry, oak, fir, or anything extinct or reclaimed, like heart pine, old oak, wormy chestnut, then it's a very bad decision to paint it. The beauty of this type of wood is highlighted with a good stain or clear coat. And if you do choose this type of wood, you are spending a LOT of money for it, and are throwing the money out the window by painting it. (There outta be a law....)

However, if you want to paint the woodwork/trim, then get plain old maple, or MDF, both of which take paint extremely well, and conversely don't stain well at all.

This is the type of decision you make prior to buying the wood, not after it's installed. I have both in my house--the original wood was painted many years ago, so it remains painted. Our new-ish family room has antique heart pine flooring, trim, and beams, and it just has a sealer on it. It's more rustic than the rest of the house.

I too like crisp white trim; unless you have really gorgeous wood trim and molding and then I prefer stain.

I dislike white doors but like white molding and trim so my house has stained wood doors with white trim.

roarah 😍

I don't know that wood is ever outdated.

At one time most homes had wood trim and only the very wealthy painted their trim. Paint was expensive and you needed to have staff to keep it clean.

During the Mid Century era we saw more and more mass produced homes. Crown molding was often skipped, base boards and window trim got skinnier and was painted white. It was less expensive to use paint grade wood or MDF. White trim became the trim of the masses with only those who had money could afford nice wood trim or beautiful high quality wood paneling.

Then we got the mass produced inexpensive wood paneling that was thrown into every home. Affordable and wood (kind of). In the late 80s and early 90s oak trim was added everywhere.

It was not expensive, it was not beautiful, it was just another way to add wood inexpensively.

I don't see a good reason to keep skinny pieces of oak everywhere.

Today we do see more white trim than anything else - most people have painted the oak trim that was so popular in the 90s and many have mdf or paint grade wood. But that doesn't mean that quality wood trim is outdated. Just skinny oak trim.

You can't even buy old growth American Chestnut or Walnut woods that were used in the early 1900s Craftsman and Victorian and Tudor homes. I hate to see when people paint the trim.

That said, with a new build I think it is important to know your style and plan your home and make the decision of white vs wood trim based on how you plan to decorate your home and how you want to balance the warmth of wood vs the clean and bright look of white. We also are seeing more homes where the trim matches the room or is painted a color rather than white.

There really isn't any rule that trim must be wood or white.

I love the way this home used two color but alternate the use in two adjoining rooms (blue walls/cream trim and cream walls/blue trim).

I love the wood panel and the wood trim in this home, perfectly balanced. Imagine if they would have painted the wood to match the walls. Boring.

This home kept some wood trim, but painted the crown and baseboards. Again, beautifully balanced.

I think the wood window casings are so much nicer than if they had used black.

The rest are other examples I have saved where I can't imagine painting the wood white would be an improvement and the homes look anything but "outdated".

This doesn't mean that every home should have wood trim.

This is my favorite inspiration picture of a kitchen. I don't think wood trim would be right in this home.

As much as I think the wood trim in the white furnished living room above, this room, with all the textures may be ruined if you had wood trim.

Please show us pictures of your house.

Thank you. Breaking ground tomorrow so no pics yet to share!

Once the house is built and you have pictures to show us, then stop back and post pictures. Its very hard to recommend things, when you cant see anything about the house. Congratulations on your new to be home. I am sure you are excited.

If I were building again, I would go with stained wood, and off white walls.

Keep the colors of the floor and the woodwork, compatible, but not matching.

Stained wood work will never be outdated; I just wouldn't suggest the skinny stuff. That looks cheap, IMO.

This link may help you with inspiration, as you do not share the your decor style.

https://www.hello-hayley.com/white-walls-with-wood-trim/?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic

Thank you!

Personal preference, of course.

About 25 years ago, I got a new supervisor. My office and his were part of a very nice suite with expensive plushy carpet, stained natural woodwork, and 6-panel doors. He immediately hired a painter and had all the woodwork and the interiors of all the doors painted white. It was shocking and I thought about crying.

I don’t know if geography has anything to do with it, but this was in Missouri and my new supervisor was from Washington state.