You may have seen this eye-catching trend sneak its way onto your Pinterest feed a time or two, but it’s making the rounds now more than ever. A space that’s dipped head-to-toe in a single color feels like it’s dripping in charm. Why can’t we get enough of this all-in look? We’re here to count the monochromatic ways.
Blankets the Room in A Hue You Love
There’s always room in our homes for the things that make us happy. Whether it’s a cleansing blue or comforting charcoal, using the hue you love to paint walls, doors and trim in the same color is an easy way to blanket your space with positive energy. When you fill your home with the things that speak to you, it creates a confident space that reflects you.
If you’re worried about the single-color look feeling too flush, creating a multi-sheen finish can add more depth that differentiates between areas. A flat finish is perfect for walls, but when it comes to the other details, you’ll want to add more dimension. Use a satin finish for trim and a gloss finish for doors.
Makes Your Space Look Bigger
Elevated style starts with drawing the eye up. When your trim blends with the wall, you’re keeping it free from contrast or secondary colors, creating the illusion that your space could continue forever. If you already have a room with high ceilings, painting everything in one color will create an even loftier look. If your ceilings are lower, to begin with, this painting trick is great for visually lengthening your space.
Shines a Spotlight on Decor
When everything is blending in, what’s standing out? A single-color interior keeps your space fresh by shining a visual spotlight on the decor and furnishings. As walls and molding blend into the background, it creates a colorful backdrop for artwork and plants to stand out. If you want to bring the wall’s color into the room, choose decorative items featuring the same hue.
Makes Painting Millwork Easier
If your room features lots of millwork like crown molding and chair rails, you might have already asked yourself what color you should paint them. If you’re thinking of trying the one-color trend, painting millwork the same hue as the walls eliminates any guesswork while adding some Victorian-inspired charm.
Thinking of painting walls, doors and trim in the same hue? Whether your color style is boldly beautiful or subtly stated, our easy-to-follow tutorial can help transform your room into the monochromatic space you’ve been dreaming of.
Let’s make your inspiration a reality. Book a FREE Virtual Color Consultation with one of our color experts to bring your color to life.
When saturating a room with the same color do you also paint the ceiling the same color or go with traditional white?
Hello there, ceilings are often referred to as the “fifth wall” for a good reason. Putting color on the ceiling can call attention to the vertical height in your room and create a cohesive palette. What color are you putting on the walls? Let us know when you get a minute. Thank you.
Light French gray
Hi,
I am repainting my living room, dining room and hallway walls The door and trim are painted SW Pure White. I want the wall colors to be in the white color family but have different shades for the walls. I have looked at alabaster, snowbound, choice cream, vanillan, and gorgeous white. The alabaster or the snowbound might be the choice for my accent wall which will have shiplap. I am leaning toward Gorgeous White or Cream Choice. I want a warm, soft look to all the rooms which will be painted the same one color. Which white colors would you recommend to contrast the SW Pure White? All my rooms have limited natural light so as long as there is some contrast to Pure White, I am looking for something relatively light in color.
Thank you for your help.
Hello Pamela, take a look at the following whites. Any of these would be a great complement to Pure White SW 7005. Check out:
Futon SW 7101
Pearly White SW 7009
Natural Choice SW 7011
Hi, can I use high gloss paint to achieve a similar effect as a lacquer wall? Was thinking of painting wall trim and ceiling all on high gloss but not sure it works?
Hi Caryn, You can paint ceilings and trim with high gloss paint, but it will not look like lacquer. Lacquer is made up quick drying solvents that dry very quickly to a hard shine – like a baby grand piano. High gloss paint takes longer to dry and will not harden like lacquer. You will still get reflection and shine from a high gloss paint but not the crisp look of lacquer. Keep in mind that the higher the sheen, the more any imperfections on your surface will become noticeable. Please let us know if you have any other questions regarding your project.
I live in Florida and am having a professional paint my walls and trim outside in my lanai. I thought it would be a good idea to wash the walls before painting as we have lived here 4 years and the lanai does get dusty/dirty. The painter said this was not necessary???
Hi Teena! We typically recommend using a paint scraper, wire brush, sandpaper or power washer to remove all surface contamination, such as oil, grease, loose paint, dirt, foreign matter, rust, mold, mildew or mortar efflorescence before painting.
Hi!
I am looking for a neutral to cool white or greige as the base color for the first floor of my house. The trim will all be pure white and the floors are a stained red oak. I am trying to stay away from yellow and to move away from the brown-beige family. I am looking for something similar to BM’s “China White.” I had thought that City Loft would be a good fit, but it’s too blue. It will be great in the basement, but not on the main floor. We have a lot of art to display on the walls, and the living room furniture is dirty white linen and red. The dining room will be Cyberspace. I guess I am looking for a “cafe au lait” color that does with everything but doesn’t hew too yellow. Thank you!
Hi Carole, take a look at these very light but warm colors. They are very similar to BM’s China White. Check out:
Zurich White SW 7626
Taupe of the Morning SW 9590
Grey Mist SW 9625
I watched the video above and was wondering if it was necessary to sand doors and trim before painting? She didn’t in the video but I thought I probably should.
Hi Amanda, if there is a varnish or shine to the trim or doors, we recommend sanding or using a bonding primer such as our Extreme Bond Primer.
I prefer mounding to match the walls. I want to paint a room in a dark shade similar to the video. But won’t the moulding if painted in satin or semigloss read darker than the walls? If so, is there a formula to adjust the trim paint?
Hi Peg! Using the same color on your trim and walls is a popular and fantastic look. The colors will read the same. The slight variation between your semi-gloss or satin trim will help the trim pop without seeming like you tried to match the walls and failed.
Hello, we are wanting to paint our first floor with alabaster or a similar white. We would like to also paint the trim and wainscotting white, what color would you recommend? if we use satin on the walls would you recommend semi-gloss on the trim and woodwork?
Thank you!
Hello! Yes, you are correct, paint your trim a crisp white like Extra White SW 7006 in a semi-gloss sheen. On the walls you would want to use a satin sheen and Alabaster SW 7008 or something a little darker like Futon SW 7010 would look great.
I am painting my open concept living room, dining area, kitchen and retreat Grassland. What would be a great color to paint the adjacent open, north facing dining room? I would also paint four bedrooms the same color.
Hello Cindy, Grassland SW 6163 is a subtle gray-green and lends itself to many color families. Would you like to stay in the same family for your dining room or are you more interested in a warm neutral. Let us know when you get a minute.
My upstairs hallway is about 15 feet long with four doors. The ceiling at one end has a very noticeable slope which I want to minimize. I’m thinking about painting walls, trim and doors a dark grey. Can I paint the ceiling the same dark grey to eliminate the stark contrast a white ceiling would create to completely camouflage the slope?
Hello Kim, yes, you are correct, when the walls and ceiling are painted the same color, the ceiling slope will disappear. You may also want to use the same sheen and color on all your surfaces. Thanks again.
I want to save time to paint wall, ceiling, frame, trim, doors the same white color. Is it ok to use the same bucket paint (same finish)? Thanks
Hi Grace! Typically we recommend the trim be a semi-gloss sheen and walls a matte or satin.
Hi! So I just painted my entire home pure white. Could I paint my doors the same color?
Hello Shan! Is this interior or exterior? If it is exterior, you may want to paint the door a pop of color. Let us know when you get a minute!
Hi! I am painting my dining room in Light French Gray. The room feels open to the rest of my downstairs, BUT it is separated by large, archways, so there is a way to differentiate paint colors from the rest of the home. The room has wainscoting on the bottom 1/3 or so of the wall (the more traditional kind). Ten foot ceilings, heavy crown molding and taller baseboards. Now that I’ve set the stage, here is my question. I want to do the wall and trim (including wainscoting) the same color to give it a more modern feel, but I’m struggling with sheen. Would you recommend doing the wall in matte and then the wainscoting and trim in satin or would you recommend doing the wainscoting and wall in the same sheen? I am so torn! Thanks for any insight!
Hi Ashley, since you are after a more modern feel, do the wall and trim in the same sheen – eggshell or satin is the best for clean up and touch up.
Hi, I am working on a basement project. We are adding a blonde LVP flooring and would like to paint the interior of our exterior doors/windows in a dark color–perhaps Iron Ore. The walls/trim will be Alabaster. Should I also paint the interior doors (bathroom,storage area) in Alabaster or keep it the same white as the ceiling? Thanks for your help.
Hi Cyndi, you could paint the interior doors Alabaster SW 7008 or, if you are feeling brave, paint the interior doors Iron Ore SW 7069. Whichever color, it should come from the existing trim and/or walls, don’t leave the doors white, it may make your space look unfinished.
The interior door to the foyer closet is painted with Sherwin Williams Repose Gray.
Is it okay if I paint my dining room, which is just off the foyer, in Repose Gray as well?
Would it clash to have the foyer door and the dining room painted in Repose Gray?
Thank you very much.
Hi Carla! No, painting your dining room door the same Repose Gray will not clash at all, in fact, repetition of color will create a cohesive, intentional palette.
I want to paint my walls, trim, doors all the same color. I am looking for a warm off white color. Could you make a few Sherwin Williams suggestions? Thank you.
Hi there! Try taking a look at: Alabaster SW 7008, Greek Villa SW 7551, and Dover White SW 6385.
I’m wanting to paint my walls the same color as the video. I have 10ft ceilings with crown molding. Would it be ok to paint the walls and ceiling in the dark color then the crown and trim a light grey? I’m not fond of painting everything one color and am afraid of the room feeling dark and closed in with all walls and ceiling being dark. Please help!
Consider painting your trim a crisp white like either SW 7006 or SW 7005 Extra White, this will call attention to your crown molding, then, use a warmer neutral similar to SW 7013 Ivory lace or SW 7042 Shoji White for your ceiling. If you paint your ceiling a gray, there is a chance it will turn into a baby blue next to the walls painted SW 6243 Distance. It is always best to look at color in your lighting. Order some free sample chips from our website to determine which color will work best for you.
Correction. We have 8ft ceiling height not 10ft.
Hi! I am repainting an bedroom with northern light exposure, 11×11′ and 8′ ceilings. I was considering a warm, cozy olive and it seems like Relentless Olive may do the trick. I usually paint the ceiling the same color, but considering the LRV of the paint, the light exposure, and the size of the room, would it be better to do a coordinating white? If so, what would you recommend? The same goes for the trim; I am in love with matching it to the wall color with a differing sheen as shown in the article, but again, for such a small and dark room, i am unsure whether it would be too dark.
Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, Can you answer a couple of questions? Do you have crown molding in your bedroom? What color bedding do you use and what other colors/finishes are in your bedroom – flooring, trim, furniture, etc. Let us know when you get a minute and thanks again.
Thanks for the response! There is no crown moulding, nor is there casing. The carpet will be replaced sometime in the near future. The color has yet to be determined, but anything but beige. 🙂 The room belongs to a teenage boy who will be leaving for college in about a year, so it needs to be appropriate for a guest room after he leaves us. He has a couple pieces of furniture that are mid-century modern right now. Bedding doesn’t matter because it will be replaced as well. The windows are dressed with darker grey roman shades, but I am amenable to changing those too.
Hello again Stephanie, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I think Relentless Olive would be too dark for all over but you can still use it. A dramatic color like Relentless Olive needs to be the star of the show, so the other colors/finishes in the space should recede and be supporting characters. This would mean painting both the ceiling and trim a soft white like either SW 7005 Pure White or SW 7008 Alabaster to complement the dark olive. You may have to switch out dark gray window treatment for white something in a lighter family.
This has been so helpful. Thank you so much!
Hi Stephanie! Glad to hear you enjoyed this article. 🙂
I have Shaker Beige (HC-45) on my walls. Would it look strange to paint all the trim this color as well. I have plastered walls and they didn’t put a smooth strip above the trim so I have uneven lines where the wall meets the trim?
Hello Shirlee, thanks for contacting Sherwin Williams. We cannot speak to Benjamin Moore colors; however, painting the trim and wall color the same shade is a very popular trend now.
Hi!
I’m excited to try this monochromatic look — same color for walls, trim, doors, and ceiling. I am planning on doing flat walls and trim and satin doors. What finish do you recommend for the ceiling? My room is quite small, probably 10×10, so I thought a glossier ceiling would reflect more light, but I’ve never seen a ceiling that wasn’t flat before. Please let me know!
Hi Anna! In order for your eye to perceive a difference in sheen, you need to use a broader difference on your surfaces. For instance, flat on walls and ceiling and then either semi-gloss or gloss for trim and doors. There is not enough of a difference between flat and satin to notice a sheen change.
Hi there! I was wondering if it would be odd to paint the walls, trim, foot molding, and doors one color and the ceiling another. For context, this is a very very sunny living room of a modest size at 15.5 x 14. I planned on painting everything but the ceiling a light sage green. The ceiling is composed of tin tiles along with a tin trim in place of crown molding. I planned on doing the ceiling and it’s trim in an off-white that almost reads as super light green. It reads as a lighter version of the walls. I’ve seen it suggested to other people posting that they either do everything, including the ceiling one color, or do all the trim, molding and ceiling in colors different from the wall- often a white or off-white, but would my plan work?
Hello Hannah, yes not only will your plan work, it will look gorgeous when done. So pretty!
I painted my half bath a dark gray with matching trim. My question is what about the door and the trim work around the door leading into the bathroom? The door is mostly open at all times. Do you paint the backside of the door and the trim so it’s completely dark gray when closed? When opened, would it look strange to have gray trim and white trim (this trim opens into the kitchen, and the door front and sides are white or do I leave the door white and the trim work around the door also white?
Hello Teresa, the best option would be to paint the inside door all gray to match the palette in that space then paint the outside of door all white to match the palette of that space. Thanks again!
We have Natural Tan on the trim/mouldings and built in floor to ceiling cabinets/shelves on the “tv wall” on the living room. Previous wall paint was Studio Taupe. We would like to lighten the wall paint using either Natural Tan to match the trim or we also like Alabaster. Thoughts?
Hello Marty, if your intent is to lighten your space, then Alabaster SW 7008 would be the best choice. Thanks again.