What color should I paint the trim and below the chair rail molding?

People often paint the chair rail molding and the area below the color of the trim, (white) or a darker color than the top half of the room. The problem with this is that it CUTS THE ROOM IN HALF. It makes the room look chopped up, and can make your ceilings feel lower.

If you have a huge room and nice tall ceilings, you might not need to worry about making the ceilings feel lower, but I can tell you that once we convince people to paint below the chair rail the same color as above - every person in history told us they were happy with the end result. It definitely makes ceiling look taller.
See the BEFORE and AFTER

AFTER above
By painting above the chair rail and below the chair rail the same color, the room looks bigger.
Our custom drapes, (hung just below the ceiling) make the room feel taller
We brought vertical art work makes the room feel taller

BEFORE
Paint below the chair rail was a darker color

In this photo the trim & area below the chair rail are all the same paint color

If you want to keep your trim white
perhaps you can add color through art, furniture, or fabrics

This homeowner achieved a clean cohesive look by
painting the trim
and walls the same color
For photos & suggestions regarding paint colors, adding color, whether to paint an accent wall, etc...see this link"

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