9 Paint Colors That Pair Beautifully With Pine Wood Trim
Complement a room’s natural wood trim with any one of these popular color choices
Painting your home lets you easily turn a room into your perfect space. At the same time, it can be challenging to pick the right colors. That’s especially true if you’re working with natural wood trim—that is, baseboards and moldings around windows and doors that have not been painted.
Wood trim can be stained in any number of natural shades for a warm, rustic, or sophisticated effect. But what colors go best with natural wood trim is largely a subjective question, and often determined by personal taste. However, some colors do tend to be more popular when paired with natural trim so it’s smart to give some thought to those shades.
Here are nine popular paint colors that go great with wood trim.
1. White and Off-White
White has a reputation for being boring, plain Jane, and sterile. But, when paired with medium-to-dark wood trim, white walls are effortlessly gorgeous.
The contrast between the light, airy walls and the darker natural tones of the wood baseboards and moldings creates a bold effect without committing to bright or wild colors on your walls. This pairing is a great choice for more intimate spaces and for rustic or contemporary farmhouse decor styles. If you’re working with warmer wood tones, look for a creamy shade with amber or yellow undertones.
For inspiration:
Glidden® Aria
Sherwin-Williams Alabaster
Farrow & Ball Farrow's White
Valspar® Du Jour
2. Light Greige
For an icier and more modern take on the white-and-wood combo, look for a sleek shade of light greige. This blend of gray and beige can range from deep and dramatic to pale and delicate.
While light greige gives a fresh and airy feel, it’s not quite as stark as some whites can be on four contiguous walls. If the tone of your wood trim is dark, look for a light greige with a cooler, blue-tinged undertone.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Guild Grey
Sherwin-Williams On the Rocks
Valspar® Tempered Gray
BEHR® Seagull Gray
3. Beige and Tan
If white and white-adjacent pale tones feel too stark or cool for your style, turn to beiges and tans. These colors often get mocked as boring, but that’s easily countered with the right furnishings and fabrics. They’re especially attractive next to mid-toned trim with warm honey undertones.
There are a large number of shades available in these colors, so paint a few test panels to ensure you pick the right shade for your room.
For inspiration:
Glidden® Rocky Road
Clare Turbinado
BEHR® Studio Clay
Sherwin-Williams Balanced Beige
4. Gray-Green
For a wall color with slightly more impact, look for a light-toned shade that combines gray and green. Mid-range tones can look great with warmer, lighter-toned trim. The lighter the shade, the paler it will look in a large room, especially one with lots of natural light, so try a few different shades to pick the one that works best with the precise wood tone in your space.
Add plants, large potted trees, and prints that evoke nature and growing things for an indoor oasis that’ll quickly become the most relaxing room in your house.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Aloof Gray
Farrow & Ball Mizzle
Valspar® Quiet Mint
Sherwin-Williams Conservative Gray
5. Crisp, Icy Blues
Another high-impact choice is a light, icy, crisp blue shade. This tone is an excellent choice for rooms with cool, silvery shades of natural wood trim, but it’s also a great choice for wood stains on the darker end of the spectrum, too.
Icy blue shades add a pop of color without overpowering the rest of the room’s decor or the natural beauty of the trim without making the room feel dark or cave-like.
For inspiration:
Valspar® Wisteria Snow
Donald Kaufman Color DKC-44
BEHR® Ice Mist
Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light
6. Mid-Range Greens
If you’re looking for a paint color that evokes nature but makes a slightly bolder design statement, consider mid-range greens. These colors mirror grass and leaves, which are natural design partners for wood tones. At the same time, if you restrict yourself to slightly muted tones, you’ll maintain a certain level of elegance and flair.
Look for colors that mimic the colors of moss and grass. You can also choose warm tones or cool ones, depending on your design preferences and specific wood trim colors.
For inspiration:
Valspar® Rolling Glen
Sherwin-Williams Dill
Valspar® Gloaming Green
Sherwin-Williams Broccoflower
7. Navy Blues, Dark Grays, and Blacks
If pale pastels and off-whites don’t float your boat, you can also go in the opposite direction. Choose a dramatic dark shade to set off those lovely natural baseboards and window sills.
Look for shades with deep blue undertones to help offset dark wood tones. It’s a striking approach that helps create a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere that lends itself to a number of design styles, from traditional to contemporary.
Dark colors might be a little intimidating if you’ve ever used dark paint before but they’re not as scary as they might seem at first! Experiment with decorative touches like mirrors as well as throw pillows and art in lighter shades to help balance out the walls.
For inspiration:
Clare Goodnight Moon
Sherwin-Williams Anchors Aweigh
Glidden® Black Forest
Valspar® Blue Coal
8. Light, Airy Yellow
Play with the light tones in your pine by pairing it with a light, airy yellow. Choose a slightly more saturated yellow for an intriguing pop or a yellow that’s closer to white to make that natural pine really stand out.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Lily
Sherwin-Williams Daybreak
Valspar® Champagne Tickle
Farrow & Ball Tallow
9. Dark Brown
Balance your browns by adding a darker hue with your lighter pine-colored trim. You can choose to go with an earthier dark brown or a richer espresso shade. Either way, your browns will complement each other beautifully when you’re finished.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Black Bean
Sherwin-Williams Deep Forest Brown
BEHR® Dark Truffle
Farrow & Ball Cola