Last week I mentioned the debate raging in my family about whether we should paint the beautiful wood trim throughout the main floor and the wood wainscotting and balustrade in the formal front hallway of the home we're moving into. My 11-year-old daughter and our painter think this is sacrilege (there were actual tears shed—by my daughter, not the painter!), while my husband thinks wood, even beautiful wood, makes a room feel dark and heavy. I'm on the fence.
My mother always said you should never, ever paint wood and that little design dictum has always stuck with me. (Funny how certain things our mothers say stick in our heads. My friend's mother always told her, "Never smoke and walk at the same time, you'll look cheap.")
Our friend the house stager and designer, Taisa, says "Paint it out!" but I'm not sure I can do it. Painting wood is a commitment because it's damn hard to go back. Same is true for brick. The fireplace in our new living room is brick of varying shades of brown and one of the first things I want to do is paint it out with Benjamin Moore's Cloud White. So far no one has raised a ruckus over that.
Of course, the colour we choose for the walls will also depend on whether or not we paint the trim. A nice tan would look beautiful against white wood trim but if it stays dark we need to go light.
What do you think about painting wood? Will we regret it?
Last week: Moving Horror Stories
Reni Walker (AKA Scotch Mommy on slice.ca) shares her moving mayhem on Wednesdays.