Reader Request: White Trim

Don't laugh--someone really did ask me about white on white.  Even though I veer towards crazy, I am more likely to paint my walls white than a lot of other neutrals.  In fact, white features heavily in my midwinter moving-to-Miami fantasies.  

But what do you paint your trim when your walls are white?  I would paint my trim a glossy version of my wall paint (whether the walls are white or not)--it shouldn't look bad, but I don't know that there isn't something more amazing out there to consider.  In my internet research, I have found warmer, cooler, darker and lighter examples (darker and lighter options being more or less white, actually....you know, moving up and down the spectrum of their underlying color).  I have not found any expert advice that I would cling to to give anyone guidance on which of those to pick.  My personal fav is going lighter (or "whiter"), but isn't always possible if you have a true white on your walls.  

Don't go grayer for the ceiling.  That I do feel confident enough to say that most of the time that is bad (premixed "Ceiling White" is often a little gray which is why it can be a downer).  And if you are going white or neutral in general, you gotta make it quality.  No catchy or surprising color/print to distract the viewer--you'll need nice walls and quality furniture to fill it up.  

But a picture paints a thousand words.  And a thousand pictures......Let's check 'em out.

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 The lacquered pink ceiling really makes it for me.

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Maybe this is gray?  But I think it would most likely be in the giant white section of paint swatches.

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Curveball:  natural wood trim.  No reason.

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Just realized this photo shows almost no trim, just the builtins....but it looked kinda cool.  By my fav Windsor Smith, too.

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Can't talk about white on white without some shabby chic.  Remember this?

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Swedish, and our only example of going darker/less white.

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Modern furniture in old European buildings is always a solid.  I can't believe Ikea discontinued those fixtures before my midcentury Florida bungalow happened.  And speaking of midcentury....Emily Henderson's living room (nice post on styling, if you missed it).  PS:  her LR is painted Benjamin Moore's Super White (that's for my colorist--she asked about the paint).

The rest are all by white master and friend of Oprah, Daryl Carter.

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I usually think of white on white as a modern staple, so I was surprised to see so many uber-trad interiors in my search results.  But it does make the traditional home more modern and less stuffy, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised.

Many of the images above are from Laurel Dern Interiors blog post on the 20 best shades of white paint (incase you weren't clicking through).  It describes the undertones on some popular BM white paints, which might save you a few extra samples.  Also worth checking out (even though the images are tiny) is House Beautiful's slideshow of bright, white rooms.