Baseboard Snob

Hi Christine,
         Right now my dining room is half wallpaper and paint as you can see. I want to really change it up. I Iove the wainscoting look, just don't know if it would work for me. The whole house has that same ugly trim. So if I change in one room I have to do it all. My other idea was just to paint the whole wall including chair rail the same color. What do you think of that idea?

- Amy

 

Hi Amy,

I hate telling people that the "HAVE TO" do some large project...  But, since you asked, I would say, "Yes.  You have to change the trim through the whole house." Do you have ANY room where that 2 1/2 inch oak trim looks terrific?  Of course you don't.  And that chair rail falls in the better to have nothing than that category.  Little dainty chair rails are a menace to our society and they should all be turned into kindling.  The only chair rails that improve the look of the space are beefy chair rails, like those in the pictures here.  I honestly feel like little ones should not even be manufactured. 

Don't be overwhelmed.  You don't have to do everything at once.  (unless you want to).  Make this room how you want it, (wonderful wainscotting) and then when you are up for a new house project, keep going with a much larger, nicer baseboard throughout. I previously called myself a chair rail snob, perhaps I am a baseboard snob as well.  What do you think? Is it just me, or is there any hope for short oak baseboards?  Should replacing your baseboards be on everyone's list that has similar ones?

Check out the photo below, where someone painted over the short oak baseboard and then added a half round to make it look higher.  Great idea!

Here's a post in 2008 that I did when I was going through the same process.  (btw- I went 9 1/2)

XOXO

Christine

Chair Rails and Shadow Box Colors

Hi Christine

On your website, you mention that the darker color should always be on top of a chair rail. But, many pictures on your and other websites show white at AND below the chair rail with a color on top. Typically the white below the chair rail has shadow boxes as well. Do you think white at and below the chair rail with a color on top works? We have golden brown hardwood floors in the dining room with a darker brown dining room set. I wanted to do Benjamin Moore antique white in a semi gloss at AND below the chair rail, with show boxes below the chair rail, Benjamin Moore atrium white on the molding around the archway to the living room and door opening (no door) to the kitchen, with a fairly dark blue (Benjamin Moore Blue Lapis (2067-40) eggshell on top of the chair rail. Do you think that would work? What should I paint the crown molding and ceiling in? The room is approx 12 x 13. The dark blue is the thing that I question the most.

Thank you for your time.
Mike

Dear Mike,

If I actually said that the darker color is supposed to be on top- please show me that post- I would not have meant to say that. To avoid confusion- I will try to be more clear- but the subject itself is somewhat confusing- so- follow along here.

1. When you have two colors below and above the chair rail- I would put the darker of the two below. Why? Yes- there is a reason. The darker shade is more visually heavy. It is subconsciously uncomfortable to be in a room that is a little top heavy. Having the heavier weight lower feels better- subconsciously.
2. When the area below the chair rail is a wainscot- the rules change. Your wainscot is part of your wood trim. In most cases- it is better for these to all be the same paint. Same paint on the window casings, door frames, baseboards, chair rail, picture frame mouldings, floor skirts, and wainscoting. (This is a most of the time rule- not an all the time rule). Frequently this color is white. White as a wainscoting below the chair rail and a color on top is perfect. Does that make the room visually uncomfortable because of the top heavy thing? No- because the visual weight of the mouldings is more than the darker color. However- sometimes- I think this is pushed a bit- when the top paint color is too dark- like in the photo above. I personally think the paint color is too dark here- and the room would be more comfortable with a lighter shade. I know the desired effect is drama- and perhaps with the right window treatments, and other furnishings- this might look amazing- but I will say that as is- it is a top heavy room.


3. If I were to do the shadow box- or picture frame moulding like you are describing- I personally- would paint it all like it was wainscoting. To me- that is what it is trying to be- and when it is all painted the same white- I think it looks the best. I would treat it like wainscoting. Paint it the same color as all other mouldings. For example- I do NOT like the photo above. I think it would look better to have it all white below the chair rail. Theoretically you shouldn't be able to really tell it is not a real wainscoting- and yet here they are drawing attention to it. I don't like it. It's like hanging a sign on your fake purse that says, "I am not really louis vuitton."

So there- is that clear- or still confusing?

Paint for Susan

Hi Christine,
I was so pleased to find your blog and see that you love mouldings. I would love to receive your advice on the colour scheme for the dining room in our English house from 1900. You'll see from the attached picture that it has a picture rail, a cornice around the ceiling and some curved mouldings on the corners of the wall and the corner between the wall and lower section of ceiling. The previous owners chose the carpet and colour scheme. In the long term I would like to replace the windows, lay a wooden floor and buy a table which fits the room, but my priority now is to paint over the lilac and blue with beige/brown heritage paints. I would like to paint the walls fairly pale and use a slightly darker shade to pick out features, but I am struggling with the area between the picture rail and cornice. Should it match the walls, the ceiling or have its own shade? I am not sure I want the cornice to be the only place I use the darker shade, so I am also tempted to paint the picture rail and mouldings in the darker shade, but I don't think all the woodwork should be dark, as white (or toning off-white) window frames help to disguise the unattractive white plastic windows. I feel like I would like subtle changes of several different toning shades over the walls, picture rail, upper section of the walls and cornice. I would really appreciate your help on which should be palest and darkest.
Thank you,
Susan

Dear Susan,
Let me start by letting you know my theory on paint colors. Fist of all- I would never go to a room like this and select a paint pallet first. For example, I am involved in a project currently where I just finished making all of the selections. The project has been in the works for months. Today- with all of the selections nailed down- I ordered paint samples. Even when you plan on keeping everything a light neutral- a better decision on paint is made after the other decisions are made.

Secondly, I feel that in most cases the paint should be a beautiful background- not a focal point. From your description of what you are considering, it looks like that is your plan. Look at the paint colors in the photos I included in the post. They are great backgrounds. They provide a nice contrast with the trim work, but in no way overpower the room.

With that said- here is what I would do:

I would have all wood trim in a white that matches the white in the windows.

I would then have two or three shades of the neutral paint that you select.

Put the darkest shade between the picture molding and the crown molding. OR- you can use only two shades- and have this area the same color as the lower portion of the wall.

Put the medium shade on the area of the wall below the picture molding.

Put the lightest shade on the ceiling. I have said this before- but I really like the ceiling of a room with crown molding to not be the same color as the crown molding. Your trim stands out so much more when there is contrast. With that said, I would keep it quite pale.

I really like your idea of keeping the paint colors light. Do that. For those of you who are just now getting up the courage to paint your walls dark- stop- you are behind a few years- the trend has gone back to light. (yes- of course there are exceptions to everything. :)

Console Sinks and Cased Windows

Today's post is a follow-up on this post.

Christine,

Wow! A lot to think about and learn! I told my husband about the white kitchen cabinets and he's not a fan---he's worried they'll always be dirty or be high maintenance to keep clean---can you tell me if this is true? White cabinets will not get any dirtier than dark wood cabinets. However- when you get your kitchen cabinets dirty- as you will- you will actually see it on the white cabinets and clean it- whereas with dark wood you might live in denial longer. But no- they are not cleaner- in the end- as you never clean the dark ones- and consistently clean the white ones- the white ones be much cleaner. If, however- you want to live in a filthy state of denial- that is a great reason to get dark cabinets. And would they look okay with black kitchen appliances? I don't like white or stainless steel. Sure- you can use black appliances. I would go stainless if it were me- but I noticed you didn't ask me that question... White appliances and white cabinets can actually be a really hard match to make. Black is a piece of cake.

Also, what do you mean about having the windows "framed out?" See the examples at the bottom of the post of framed windows. I don't know if Utah builders usually trim the windows or not. Anyone know? What I mean by that is that they have a sill, an apron, and wood trim around the interior of the window. Some windows have just the sill and apron- and others have none of it- just drywall. That look has its place in very modern architecture- but most of the time I think builders are just lazy and cheap- and homeowners don't know better to ask for it.

And what is a "console sink" like you recommended? All of the bath photos in the post today have console sinks. They are similar to pedestal sinks- but are attached to the wall in the back and have legs in the front- sometimes the legs are metal- sometimes ceramic- I have seen them also in wood- but less frequently. they are easy to find- right at your local big hardware store- starting in the $300 range- and going up from there. They are probably less expensive than a wood cabinet base- adding on a counter top- and they have a lot more style. You can get them with a shelf if you need storage. I consider this sink a great choice for powder baths where larger amounts of storage is really a non-issue- or in a bathroom like the one below where other storage is available. And how expensive is it to do those beautiful beams on the ceiling? Just a few of the thousand questions I have and will have :) The beamed ceilings? I don't know what to tell you on the price. Any readers out there have them added- or know what they would cost? Usually they are just wrapped into the price of a home. I had a contractor recently add them on one of my jobs- but I never heard what the price was... Like all prices- I am sure the price varies quite a bit- from real to faux, wrapped to solid- stain grade to paint grade- etc.

Love your blog and your tell-it-like-it is attitude---and no you didn't make me cry--yet :)

I love the casings around these windows- really nice.

A little terminology lesson...

Now imagine the room below without cased windows- does anyone out there see what a huge difference they make?

They can be "curvy" and more formal like the photos above- or you can have them done in a cleaner line like below. The style of your molding is an extension of your architecture- and should be consistent in style with the style of your home. You can show me the front elevation of your home- and I can tell you what your moldings should look like.

Thanks,
Christine

P.S. Does anyone else love that bathroom at the top of the post? Love the ceiling. Love the lighting, love the tile, love the trim work. Love it.

Photos from Country Living. (Except some random trim photos that I found online. I tried to find a photo of an untrimmed window and couldn't find one. Those windows are simply not worth photographing.)

See some untrimmed windows in this post thanks for the comment All My Monkeys! I should have thought to check my own blog for photos!

Too Much Negative Space

Hi Christine,

I came across your blog and would love your opinion on something. The first attached picture is the living room of a house we just bought. I am told the woodwork around the windows is of very nice quality and is admittedly in really good shape. However, its not my style. I am more of a white molding type of girl. My aesthetic is black furniture, white couches and punches of color with rugs, pillows, accessories, etc. Do you think painting the moldings white would be a terrible idea? I am also kinda in love with the black moldings I’m seeing popping up more and more in interior design but think that may be a bit too risky since much of our anchor furniture will be black. Any other general suggestions for the room? The furniture is not mine (current owners) by the way and we are starting from scratch with furnishing so any suggestions are most welcome! The baseboards are white- and the window casings are wood. I think your purse already doesn't match your shoes- so go ahead and change your shoes. Translation: paint your trim. Your window trim should always be the same as the baseboards. The furniture arrangement is hideous- but I really need a floorplan to help you with that specifically- but I will say that the focal point is the TV- and yet the majority of the furniture does not face it. (I know this is all the previous owner- I just don't want you to make the same mistakes.) The rug is floating in the middle of nowhere- leaving a huge negative space in the center of the room. See this post on negative space. If you had your furniture drawn on a floorplan- and then made a shape showing the area without furniture- that is the negative space- if it is a big area- that's not good. Pull in the furniture- bring it around the TV better- consider an arrangement like the sofa and two chairs that I gave to this reader. Or perhaps have two sofas perpendicualr to the TV with a large square ottoman between them.
My second question is about the second picture – it is the dining room which is open to the living room in the first picture (notice the same black leather chair in each picture to get the general layout). Do you think we need to paint both rooms the same color since they are so connected as one space or can we do something different with the dining room? I am also a huge fan of wainscoting and always dreamed of a molding happy formal dining room but I don’t think I can add that in this space since it's so connected to the living room. Thoughts?

If you add wainscoting- it should be the same color as the trim. This is a good reason to not paint your trim black- as black wainscoting would be way too dark in a small place like this. You need a huge house to pull that off. Like in the movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past- keep in mind that house was a huge mansion. These two rooms share a wall- and therefore a color pallet. Does it have to be all one color of paint- no- but it needs to coordinate seamlessly. Right now there is one green wall- and yet that wall is not especially great in any way. I think it would look better to do more than one wall in a second color if you choose to use one.

Thanks much!
Amy

If you choose to add wainscoting- be consistent in style with the craftsman trim you have- whether it is painted or not. Below are a couple of examples of craftsman wainscoting.

You have a beautiful house- great floors- good trim size- it will look fabulous!

Thanks for writing in!

Christine