Dado and picture rail rules

[Montifer]

We need to paint hall, stairs and landing of new house which has both dado and picture rails throughout.
It is currently a terracotta shade below dado rail, a peachy tone between dado and picture rail and white above which makes it look dark and dated IMHO.

DP thinks we should do the 3 tone effect again but with pale sage green, whitish green tone above with white above picture rail and ceiling.

I think we should just have the sage green below dado rail and then white from dado rail all the way up to the ceiling to make it as light as possible and to get away from the 3 tone effect.

Are there 'rules' where these rails are concerned?

Bump

I dunno about official rules but I think what you've suggested sounds nicer than what your DH suggested.
HTH

I don't think there are rules per se, but agree that the 3-tone effect will look dated.

Either keep the rails themselves painted white, paint above the picture rail and the ceiling white and then just one colour for the two lower sections.

Or the lowest section one colour or white, the middle section vice versa, white / one colour.

Keeping the picture rail, space above and ceiling the same colour should make your space look a bit bigger. Darker you go, the more narrow your hall will look. Though if your stairs and hall are very narrow you might be better just doing it all white otherwise any colour contrast will make it look narrow.

We've got 1 colour below the picure rail down to the skirtings, then a paler colour above the picture rail and on the ceiling too.
Cornice & ceiling roses are white.
Skirting boards, picture rail etc are all varnished the same colour.