Look I'm Loving: Painting Walls and Trim the Same Color

decorating advice

Sep 29

Last week, I spent a good chunk of time painting my son’s room as a part of its “big boy room” update, and I decided to do something a little bit different: paint the walls and trim the same color.

I’ve done it before in our office, but just with white (“Snowbound” by Sherwin Williams, which is one of my all-time faves) and I was ready to give it a go with a more saturated color! It’s still a work in progress, so I won’t be sharing images of it here today, but I wanted to share some beautiful spaces that show examples of this look really well. Maybe it’ll inspire you to give it a try in a room in your home!

via OneKinDesign

What are the benefits of using the same paint color on the walls and trim?

The tone-on-tone look is kind of magical - it’s a low cost, high impact way to totally change the look of a room.

Interestingly, regardless of whether you go light or dark, it actually has the effect of making a room feel bigger. Because you’re taking away any visual disruption with a contrasting trim color, your eye has a way of uniting everything together and making it feel more expansive. That’s a big reason I decided to go this route with my son’s tiny room!

I also think it adds a touch of sophistication and elevates a room. I think you’ll pick up on that as you scroll through these lovely rooms. 😉

via Park & Oak

I do think it works especially well with darker or more saturated colors. It feels a little more dramatic, and in the right space, I think that can be a good thing! Most of the examples I’m sharing here today fall into that category and I’m really loving it.

It also unites different materials in a room. So for example, let’s say you have wainscoting on some walls, a set of built-ins, and chunky window casings, you might realize you have quite a bit of trimwork! All that trim can break up the flow of the room if it’s a contrasting color. By painting it all the same, you’re really able to bring cohesion to the space.

via Anthropologie

What paint sheens should you use?

The key to making this work well (at least in my book) is to use the same color, but change up the sheen depending on what you’re painting. For walls, I like flat or eggshell, and then for the trim, semigloss. It’ll add a subtle change between the two materials, which distinguishes them just a touch.