8 Interior Wall and Trim Colour Combinations
To create a beautiful interior, the colour of your walls is only one of many things to consider. While trim is often painted white, by opting for a complementary shade, you can bring added depth and dimension to your walls and achieve an elegant ‘finished’ look.
Explore eight of the best wall and trim colour combinations using the Little Greene colour card to guide and inspire you as you plan your next interior design project…
1. White Walls, Beige Trim
When it comes to painting woodwork and trim, many of us choose brilliant white out of habit, even if the walls are painted in an off-white shade. However, a great way to elevate your white walls is by choosing a complementary light neutral or beige for your trim. This simple change substitutes harsh lines for a soft contrast, creating a scheme that is very easy on the eye, for a homely, welcoming feel.
Upper Walls: Portland Stone – Light
Dado Rail, Door & Trim: Portland Stone
The Little Greene Colour Scales palette helps you to choose a harmonious colour combination. For a timeless pairing, consider Portland Stone – Light on the walls alongside Portland Stone on the woodwork and trim. Or team Clay – Mid on the walls with the deeper toned Clay on your trim, for a warm yet fresh and gentle, neutral scheme.
Shelf Unit, architraves and baseboard: Clay
Wall: Clay – Mid
Chair: Clay – Pale
2. Grey Walls, White Trim
Grey is a beautiful colour choice to provide a simple, neutral backdrop in almost any room in the home. For a classic look, grey walls pair elegantly with trim painted in white. By adding this touch of colour contrast, your scheme will benefit from a soft tonal uplift.
Wall: Livid
Wall (Front): French Grey
Woodwork: Loft White
For a softer scheme, choose a complementary white shade to team with grey walls. For example, a very pale grey such as French Grey – Pale will appear as white when used alongside a slightly deeper grey, like French Grey. Or you could combine a dark, moody grey like Scree with Shallows on the trim for a more impactful, contemporary contrast.
Wall (panelled): Scree
Wall (above) and Flooring: Shallows
3. Beige Walls, White Trim
Using white on your trim is also an excellent way to complement walls painted in beige, greige, or brown. While these warm neutral shades can create a cosy, comforting atmosphere when embraced all-over, you can achieve a classic look by pairing them with white on the ceiling, woodwork and trim.
Wall: Clay – Mid
Central Panel: Scullery
Middle Panel: Lute
Right Panel: Clay
Neutral, natural whites coordinate beautifully with warm, earthy hues. Accompany the soft golden beige, Madeleine, with Linen Wash on the trim for an inviting hallway scheme. Or use a combination of tonal beige and brown shades like Lute, Scullery and Clay in your living room, and introduce Clay – Mid on the trim.
Walls, Dado rail & panel: Madeleine
Ceiling & Architrave: Linen Wash
Door: Portland Stone
4. White Walls, Coloured Trim
If you want to enliven your scheme without featuring a strong colour on your walls, your trim is a wonderful place to host bright, bold colours. Consider introducing a surprising colour accent on your window frame or create a focal point on your baseboards to incorporate bolder hues in your scheme.
Wall: Flint
Ceiling: Deep Space Blue
Window Frame: Marigold
Painting your walls in white will provide a blank canvas where you can be creative with colour. Punchy oranges like Marigold and Middle Buff are truly fabulous highlight colours, filling your scheme with energy and personality. Introduce a complementary blue on your ceiling or on a piece of furniture for an impactful, sophisticated colour pairing.
Wall: Shirting
Stripes: Bone China Blue
Baseboard: Middle Buff
Shelf Bars: Baked Cherry, Woad, Heat & Bone China Blue
5. White Walls, Black Trim
Choosing a colour for your trim isn’t the only way to bring design interest to white walls. Painting your trim in black is a smart, contemporary choice that offers elegance and impact in equal measure. This design is particularly effective to bring definition to large, tall spaces, such as living rooms and hallways.
Wall: French Grey – Pale
Woodwork: Jack Black
Door: Atomic Red
A light grey like French Grey – Pale or Shallows is the perfect colour choice to achieve a modern, contemporary feel. Team French Grey – Pale walls with Jack Black on your trim, cornicing and picture rail to punctuate a spacious reception room. Or introduce bold colour accents of Air Force Blue and Smalt alongside Shallows and Jack Black for a striking, statement hallway.
Walls: Shallows
Trim: Jack Black
Door Inset: Smalt
Floor: Air Force Blue
6. Colourful Walls, Black Trim
Equally, if your walls are painted in a colour, black is a wonderful alternative to a traditional white or neutral for your trim. A confident black shade will beautifully frame your chosen wall colour, providing your room with a contemporary feel.
Upper Wall: Bone China Blue
Stripe: Lamp Black
Woodwork: Shirting
Lamp Black is an off black that is softer and warmer than Jet Black. It coordinates elegantly with a variety of different paint colours to achieve a classic, sophisticated look. Consider pairing with the earthy yellow, Yellow-Pink in your hallway, or the tranquil, muted blue, Bone China Blue, in your bathroom.
Wall: Yellow-Pink
Door frame and baseboard: Lamp Black
7. Pink Walls, Green Trim
For a truly inviting scheme, consider a classic, complementary colour pairing for your wall and trim. Pink and green is a natural combination that feels comfortable in the home due to its relationship with the outside world. Depending on the shades you choose, you could create a scheme that feels charming, pretty and timeless, or much bolder and more contemporary.
Wall: Confetti
Doorframe and Door: Livid
Inside Door Panelling: Gauze – Dark
Above Picture Rail: Lamp Black
For example, the sugary pink, Confetti, can pair with the deep, moody grey-green, Livid, on trim for a balanced combination. Or a warm and earthy, muted pink like Split Pink is a striking accompaniment to a combination of rich green-blues like Harley Green, Livid and Obsidian Green.
Monk’s seat: Obsidian Green
Wall & upper Architrave: Split Pink
Tongue & Groove, lower architrave & radiator: Harley Green
Baseboard and bottom of radiator: Livid
Ceiling & cornice: Slaked Lime - Mid
8. Blue Walls, Yellow Trim
Blue and yellow is another staple colour pairing that can bring instant design personality to any space. Consider using a cheerful yellow to frame walls and woodwork painted in a characterful, resonant blue. This will create a fun colour highlight to brighten and energise your scheme.
Right Wall: Woad
Left Wall and Door: Grey Stone
Baseboard and Trim: Sunlight
To make a really bold statement, a combination of Thai Sapphire and Trumpet offers a great way to embrace colour all over and achieve a luxurious finish. Or for something more traditional, pair the strong mid blue, Woad, with Sunlight on the trim, and introduce Grey Stone for added depth and colour contrast.
Wall: Thai Sapphire
Baseboard and Far Wall: Pale Lupin
Stripe Highlight and Highlight On Door Frame: Trumpet
Shop paint by colour to find the perfect wall and trim colour combinations for your scheme, or order a complimentary colour card to explore the palette in full.
