i would go with a light blue/grey. but if you're looking for a little more color than a neutral, i'm a fan of teal in a more muted shade.

keep in mind, this all depends on the color furniture/accessories you have. I've found that if you have one particular piece that you love, try to emulate the colors based around that. I have a 50s vase that has teals/golds/oranges/olive greens, so my entire apartment is based on that piece.

good luck with the search!

The blinds in my new house are about that same shade of wood. I've settled on navy blue in one room that has similar wood for the trim, and a light-medium gray in a room with white trim. Curious to hear other suggestions, might give me more ideas!

if you want the wood to pop, pick an opposite (the wood looks orangy, so blue/aubergine would do that). if you are not fond of a pop, go for a nearby hue (orange/yellow/beige) in a similar intensity to the wood. some floor-to-ceiling drapes, in a similar colour to the wall or your accent colour, could mitigate the block-of-wood effect caused by the blinds (but keep them for usefulness).

your cute dog certainly fits in the color scheme :)

i vote for a light grayish blue if you can't paint the wood trim.

My neighbours have tons of trim in that colour. They've offset the trim with a cafe-au-lait in one room, golden yellow in another and a wine red in yet another. All fantastic.

I think that unpainted wood trim should be seen as a neutral and go from there. What colors are you considering?

I can't visualize (my failing) what color(s) would be a hideous clash. I dunno, zebra stripes might look vile. ;-p

The blinds seem to be the same, or similar color? Are you going to continue using them or hang drapes? If you cover the windows with floor length curtains the trim will be less obvious. Artwork or fabric on the door can diminish the effect of the wood as well. AT just had an article about covering walls with fabric and starch. I suggest searching for as many optical tricks you can find to minimize the volume of wood.

Ivory. Can't tell how light/dark current wall color is, but it's not so offensive... IMO.

"Clashing" isn't what it used to be (I'm old). Growing up, we would never, ever wear orange and red together or blue and green together, and now they're perfectly, beautifully acceptable. Whether painting a wall or a canvas, a basic color rule to remember is, if you want a color to "pop," put it next to it's opposite on the color wheel. For example, if you were to paint the wall a color with blue in it, like a blue-gray, your woodwork would look very orange and the blue-gray would look very blue. If you want to tone down the orange in the woodwork, pair it with a color that's closer to orange on the color wheel, i.e. a warm color, one with yellows or reds in it.

It depends on the color of your furniture. Since it's a golden oak (looks like), avoid anything with yellow undertones, which will play up the wood and make it look orange. I agree that a cool grey-blue (or grey-green) would look great. The only color that I think would really "clash" with the wood would be a mustard yellow. Your bigger obstacle is not getting an orange effect.

Wood is to interiors what denim is to fashion.

Paint color should be "whatever you love and the landlord will allow."

I certainly wouldn't paint them! They're gorgeous. It's a bit hard to tell your style from the one picture, but any colors associated with "craftsman" style would go with that wood tone, as would many paler blue-green-grays. With that kind of rosette trim, a historical color (many paint lines have colors drawn from specific historical houses) would be a great bet.

You seem to have some Asian items in this pic-- scroll and plant. In Japan they use a very nice earthy green (tint, about a 3 on a 10 tone grey scale). This goes very well with the raw wood beams/frames in the houses.
Good Luck.

We have similar light wood cabinets in our kitchen, and we've painted all the walls a neutral greenish beige called Ground Ginger from Behr. There's just the right amount of contrast, yet the colors are harmonious as well.

It appears that the wood has an orange undertone. In this case, you'd want to avoid paint colors that have orange in the undertone as well. This helps you avoid the "clashing" that you are concerned about.

You never mentioned what kinds of colors you like. That would be a good starting point.

Have you looked at full-spectrum or paints with a good number of pigments in them? C2 and Philip's Perfect Colors (made with a C2 base) harmonize beautifully in a room. Since many colorants are used, the color you choose shifts towards the existing colors in the room. It's like magic. I've been amazed to get the perfect color on the first or second choice.

Mary-Frances Cimo
Color Strategist

With wooden blinds that reduce the light level, I'd choose something light, if it were me. I'm partial to the cafe au lait sort of color I have in my dining room. Our trim is white, but we have multiple light wood tones (including oak flooring) and I think it looks great. I get my color with accessories, and that way it's easy to change the feel of the space without repainting!

Hi, I would choose a pinkish white, like Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, very soothing, almost luminous like the interior of a seashell, would look fabulous with the wood tones in the picture.

Hi, try a pinkish white like Ben Moore Chantilly Lace, would look fabulous with all the wood tones, very soothing, like the interior of a seashell.

we went with a pale yellow with our darker wood trim. It's very soothing both during the day and at night.

OP here. thanks for all the suggestions, we really appreciate it! And thanks for the dog compliment theboss haha :)

As for color preferences, we tend to like cool colors. So far we're liking the green suggestion for the great room. Personally I've wanted to do a muted blue in my bedroom, so it's good to hear about positive experience with that.