OK, people, I could really use your input!

I am ...
- newly divorced
- in my very own house
- happy to try some renovation projects for the first time in my life!

One of the first things I want to do is remove the wallpaper, paint the walls and upgrade/add molding in the "public areas" ... the living/dining room area.

Now, of course this turns into a terribly complicated decision ... what kind of molding and how to treat it!

Here are some pictures:
http://www.wkgroup.com/1-front-wall.jpg <- Room on the "left," leading to the kitchen -- you can see the untrimmed window with the sill. Next to it, not visible, is a door with white-painted builder trim leading into the kitchen.
http://www.wkgroup.com/2-side-wall.jpg <- you can see the "back" wall with the beadboard, and some of the bay window with builder trim.
http://www.wkgroup.com/3-back-wall.jpg <- now here is an untrimmed door leading to the tiny foyer


If you look at these rooms, you see the molding is inconsistently applied -- one door has it, one doesn't. The bay window has "build-grade" trim, but the other window doesn't. The other window does have a sill/apron, though.

I have already ordered some "crown" moulding which I will however install on the wall as a narrow "shelf" at chair rail height, via a cool HGTV article. So this will break up the wall and add interest.

The "problem" is that my chair/crown molding is HARDWOOD and I feel like it might be a crime against nature to paint it! Only cheesy wood gets painted white, right?

It would be easier to paint it white, for sure, since otherwise for consistency's sake I might end up putting stained wood moulding on the white beadboard wall. No, I don't want to get rid of that beadboard wall (yes, I actually like it!, and it keeps the room bright even with a darker paint color on the rest of the walls).

But a possible argument against painting the molding white is that I plan to rip out the carpet and put in a hardwood floor within the year!

So, I don't know ... seems like such a waste of real wood to paint it ... but what do you think?

Also, my house is a RANCH so I need to stay moderately contemporary with molding styles. But I need to do something with the windows and doors when I replace the builder trim. Despite lots of Googling, I can't really get a picture of what upgraded contemporary molding styles would look like for doors and windows.

Looking at that window with no trim but a sill, I wonder if I should leave it trim-less. It's hard to imagine how I would cut trim to fit around that sill and have it look right. Though I imagine people do it.

Then, the door to the foyer is so close to the wall that upgraded trim would probably actually hit the wall, so I might leave that trimless.

I know this post is a mess, but maybe someone will manage to get through it. I welcome all ideas about how to handle the molding. I really can't wait to get started.

 

wrong.

doesn't have to be! i think you're making it into one, though!

i like for all the trim in a house to be either all stained or all painted. when there are hardwood floors, i prefer painted trim. and if given a choice, i like painted trim in any instance. i think it's classier looking, and it helps your furniture & furnishings stand out on their own. it also allows you to mix & match your wood tones easier. and treating all the woodwork the same, helps to create flow in your house from room to room. paint it all, i say!!!

a simple solution for you would be to find a trim that you will be able to use for base moulding, door casing & window aprons. the house i'm in now has the same trim used for all. it's probably a cheap way for builders to do it, but it actually looks just fine. and don't overdo it. every opening doesn't need to be framed out. it's not an old home, so don't try so hard to turn it into one. it won't ever look like one. it's a Ranch.

i wouldn't even bother with trimming out the windows. once you get blinds or shades or curtains up, you won't notice that they're trimless. all they really need is a sill and an apron to look finished. either paint or wallpaper around to the inside of the frame & they'll look finished.

and rethink crown mouldings, if you were considering it. if your ceilings are only 8' high, your room will only be able to handle a small one anyway, so you might want to save yourself the trouble there. to me, crown moulding is something for older, grander homes with high ceilings. not to say they're not used elsewhere & look fine, i'm just trying to save you some work & money on things that won't really give you much bang for your buck. i'd put that money & effort into something else.

clean it all up, get it consistent, and paint it all white, then move on to the really fun projects - like decorating!!!!

 

Good to get some support on the white trim idea.

As for it being a ranch, I agree, but the current molding is just ugly and not really up to this house. I just moved out of a "regular" ranch, but this house, though small, is nicer and much better built than the one I left. For example, the siding is cedar instead of vinyl and there are some built-ins and some interesting beam-like woodwork in the ceiling. Someone cared about this house.

Also I prefer a sort of minimalist style so I won't be adding curtains, really. I'll keep the white blinds that are already installed but what I'll want to feel around me are the "bones" of the house, lots of wood and a little architectural character, and not a lot of fabric, accessories or furniture. Thinking about putting recessed lights in the ceiling and although I'm keeping the ceiling fan, the one going in is a contemporary shape in brushed-nickel. I'll want to keep it all really clean. So really I care a lot more about the trim and stuff than traditional decorating.

Appreciate your thoughts and welcome any more that come to mind!

 

in that case, i'd keep it reallllllly simple and do like i said before. just trim out actual DOOR openings (ones with doors - not just passthru's), baseboards and a simple sill with apron on the windows. trim is traditional, so to keep it more modern, think less-is-more.

sounds like it'll be great!