What color should base boards be on a 2 color wall?

I personally feel that your baseboards should all be the same color throughout the house. Not all agree.

I have either replaced or painted all my baseboards white. I agree with Storiesr, have them all the same color throughout the house.

I would put the baseboard up unfinished and test different ideas on a small spot that is prominent in the room and see what you like best. It could be matching the color or contrasting. Don't commit until you get a feel for both, then paint it that color. You never know until you try it out. Don't restrict yourself from the get-go.

One color baseboards in a home tend to unite the spaces. White it the most common, then beige/almond/Swiss coffee, then natural stains. That said, black has been popular in the past (think Federalist Period) & other dark colors are also options.

If you choose to mix up your baseboard colors, that can be a lot of fun. Try asking yourself which color in your pallet has the greatest contrast with your flooring? In low light (such as a midnight visit), the contrast can cut down on stubbed toes. This is also good advice in any space people with vision impairments shy of total blindness are likely to go. People with bifocals (or glasses with progressive focal points) often have a hard time near the edge of a floor unless looking straight down because the bottom of their field of vision is set for reading.

Irregardless of the wall color (or colors!), I'd paint ALL my baseboards throughout the entire house/condo a gloss, or semi-gloss, white. It's a much classier look and unites all the adjacent rooms and is the preferred choice of decorators.

Whatever you decide to do, PAINT THEM BEFORE YOU PUT THEM UP!!!!

I agree with both Kim and Elaine. Decide on the color (while white is preferential I would also consider your style of decor....for example an industrial look you could use black). But most definitely, paint before you install!

HD & Lowe's have white primed baseboard that is typically their cheapest. If you plan on living in the house a long time or turning it into a rental then reconsider your decision to paint the baseboard. Stained baseboard holds up better to the everyday scuff marks than white baseboard. Now if you like to paint have at it.

Thank you all for your input! A few things I never thought of. The ones we are doing now are in small bathrooms, so I painted them the contrast color. My husband is making the baseboards for the house room by room. Although white does look good, I do not consider it practical for wear and tear. The only other room I am considering painting any wood work in is the kitchen, and there are no basebs. in there. So, because of the visual thing Kate mentioned, will have to think about it some more. Putting in dark floors, so staining to match the woodwork is not an option, (its dark) the other contrast color we will use is a very light gray in entrance, den and kitchen(main color is Valspar cream in my coffee), which looks an off white in the house. Maybe TMI, (we are retired and have lived here for 30+yrs) Please feel free to help walk through this. Thank you all so much for your generosity by responding.