s/o paint trim--painting trim a darker color?

[Aura]

I am soooo tired of my white trim being constantly dirty. I just can't keep up w/ keeping it nice and white. I'm thinking about painting the trim a darker color, like chocolate or something. But chocolate trim and builder beige walls (which is what I've got...mostly) looks really dated in the pics I've seen. BUT, if I painted the walls a different color, like a blue or green, and then had a chocolate or maybe a lighter shade, then I'm thinking it would look nice and not be so obviously dirty as quickly.

 

Anyone ever seen this? Thoughts? It's mainly the living area that I'm looking at: living room, breakfast nook, & entryway.

[Cosmos]

I see this often in historical homes. It looks classic to me, but maybe that's dated to someone else's eye. I like it with grey or a steely blue color. Here's an example that I found on google --

 

(Edited to delete image)

[StephanieZ]

I think all trim must be white. All the same white.

 

First becuase i think it looks best, second because it is much more economical painting since you can use one can of trim paint for all trim in the house, buying more as needed instead of having to buy new cans of trim paint for every room and then being stuck with ten half cans of trim paint. It is bad enough having different color walls. Lol.

 

So, for me, having painted and repainted half a dozen houses over the last couple decades, I stick with one shade of white semigloss for all trim, same shade of white eggshell for closets, and same shade of white in ceiling paint flat for every piece of trim, closet walls, and ceilings in my house. Makes later touch ups and repainting infinitely easier and is much more economical. It also unifies the house. Plus, when I am painting the kitchen and i notice that the trim in the adjoining room is looking bad, I can take half an hour with the same paint brush and redo a baseboard without it being any big deal. I do this a lot if i have paint out for one project -- touch up a few bad spots nearby. Helps keep things looking nice.

[Moxie]

Wiping the trim is a great kid job. Even my 3YO can do it. I say save yourself the trouble of painting and make a kid do it.