In Praise of Boldly Painted Window Trim
I am such a sucker for the painted window frame. It’s a design strategy that feels perfect for those of us who admire bold interiors but are too timid, too risk-averse to swathe an entire room in color.
Recently, I started pinning inspired examples of painted woodwork around windows, images that made me pause and linger and get a little daydreamy. And then I noticed a similarity: All of them feature trim painted in unexpected and/or bright hues. Unlike the painted millwork of yore that favored more neutral or traditional colors, these window frames stand out, with streaks of azure, bolts of tomato red, and dashes of emerald green. Below, the attention-seeking examples that earned my admiration.

Above: I came across this project by architects Annie-Laurie Grabiel and Arthur Furman after Gardenista published a tour of their incredible backyard makeover. Here, red—specifically “International Orange, the same as the Golden Gate Bridge,” Annie tells us—is the leitmotif that runs through this historic Austin bungalow, both inside and out. Photograph by Likeness Studio, courtesy of Side Angle Side.






Above: The custom steel casement window, in fire-engine red, is the piece de resistance in this converted shed. Photograph by Tomeu Canvellas, courtesy of Mariana de Delás, from Shed Chic: Architect Mariana de Delás Turns an Off-the-Grid Hut into a Dream Retreat.

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