Value in Cohesion

You know by now that I am not afraid to paint anything in my house. 

Some people shy away from painting wood trim and cabinets in their home because of perceived value.   

• Oak does not have more value in my opinion.  It's kind of old hat and tired.  Now if you still LOVE oak, then by all means keep it unpainted.  But if you don't LOVE it, don't surround yourself with it just because someone who *might* buy your house in the future *might* like it. 
• As a former kitchen designer, I helped many clients remove their worn out oak and replace it with a variety of wood species in a variety of finishes. 
• If you are going to paint, DO A GOOD JOB! Prep properly, use good products, and paint neatly.

To me it is NOT valuable to have white baseboards, white case moldings around most doors, white doors, and a few random natural wood casings and sills.  

I would rather all the woodwork be more consistent. The wood sills and door casings in my living room were standing out..and not in a good way. 

Take a look for yourself…

White baseboards, wood sills, wood outlet plates

White baseboards, wood sills, wood casing, white outlet plates

There it is. White baseboards and oak sills and oak door casing in all it's un-cohesive glory. One of the first projects to tackle at our new home was to paint the oak trim white. 

Keep in mind, my vision for the space is to have a neutral black/white/gray background and let my furniture and accessories have pops of color. That means the gray walls, white curtains, and black curtain rods I have in mind will look MUCH better with the trim painted white. :)   

Here's a sneak peek at what the oak wood trim looks like in white with gray walls. 

Ahh…much, much better! 

:)