Email Answer: Picking The Perfect Paint Color
Q: First of all I love your site. It inspires me to fix up my own home (you make it look so easy!). But if there was a class called Paint Picking 101 I would be getting a big fat F. So far every room I’ve painted in my new house is either too bright, too dark, too dirty looking and just plain ugly. I’m having the worst time finding a perfect tan tone and I’m even messing up colors like light blue and cream, which I never thought was even possible! Do you have any foolproof colors you can recommend? A favorite blue? Cream? Tan? White? Yellow? Gray? I know natural light and other factors can change the way paint looks substantially so it’s probably not 100% foolproof, but I’d love to know your favorite paint colors so at least I have a shot of living in a house that doesn’t make me feel like a total paint failure! Thanks so much for your help! – Meagan
A: Picking the right paint color can often be a doozie, so don’t get down on yourself! Take comfort in the fact that repainting, while annoying, is super inexpensive and it can instantly transform your room from wrong to oh-so-right in an afternoon. And thanks to the transformative power of paint, we’re the proud owners of an entire storage ottoman full of paint decks and swatches. Name any color or any brand- it’s all in our little paint chip library of sorts.
And although we have quite a slew of selections we still find ourselves reaching for some tried and true favorites again and again when it comes to doling out room recommendations. As you mentioned, paint colors can look very different under different lighting circumstances, but for the most part there are a bunch of practically error-proof tones that we find ourselves recommending again and again. Some of them are bright and fun (better suited for only one wall or even a punchy piece of furniture) while others are classic and serene- perfect for an entire room or even an entire home. Here’s the swatch suggestion scoop:
White- Benjamin Moore Decorators White, Glidden Dove White, Behr Cascade White, Sherwin-Williams Alabaster.
Cream- Glidden Antique White, Sherwin-Williams Creamy, Benjamin Moore Muskoka Trail, Benjamin Moore French White, Benjamin Moore Natural White (pictured below).
Red- Benjamin Moore Million Dollar Red, Glidden Red Delicious, Behr Firelight, Valspar Fabulous Red (great for a front door- it’s too bright for inside).
Pink/Coral: Sherwin-Williams Comical Coral (shown below), Sherwin-Williams Animated Coral, Behr Be Mine, Behr Silk Sheets, Behr Coquette.
Brown- Benjamin Moore Branchport Brown, Benjamin Moore Woodacres, Benjamin Moore Stampede, Sherwin-Williams Cobble Brown, Sherwin-Williams Van Dyke Brown (shown below), Behr Traditional.
Yellow- Benjamin Moore Hawthorne Yellow (it is the be-all end-all of yellow paint, which is notoriously hard to get right).
Green- Glidden Fennel (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Glidden Celery Sticks, Benjamin Moore Mosaic Glass, Benjamin Moore Hibiscus (great for a cheerful kid’s room with white trim and brown furnishings), Benjamin Moore Soft Fern, Benjamin Moore Silken Pine, Benjamin Moore Sweet Pear, Sherwin-Williams Lime Granita (shown below).
Purple- Glidden Silver Plum (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Glidden Delicious Plum (amazing eggplant color for a front door), Glidden Black Tulip (the deepest moodiest purple-black that’s dripping with drama) Benjamin Moore Nosegay, Benjamin Moore Violet Pearl, Benjamin Moore Iced Lavender.
Blue- Glidden Gentle Tide (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments, Benjamin Moore Saratoga Springs, Restoration Hardware Silver Sage (it has green undertones but looks blue-gray in most rooms), Behr Pensive Sky, Behr Flint Smoke, Behr Grand Rapids (pictured below).
Navy- Benjamin Moore Spellbound, Benjamin Moore French Barret, Benjamin Moore Hudson Bay, Sherwin Williams Grays Harbor, Sherwin-Williams Naval.
Black- Glidden Onyx Black, Benjamin Moore Graphite.
Tan- Glidden Sand White (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Glidden Water Chestnut, Glidden Cafe Latte, Benjamin Moore Baja Dunes, Benjamin Moore Davenport Tan, Behr Harvest Brown (shown below).
Orange- Benjamin Moore Beverly Hills, Benjamin Moore Lion Heart, Benjamin Moore Corn Husk, Sherwin-Williams Marquis Orange, Sherwin-Williams Mandarin (shown below).
Gray- Benjamin Moore North Hampton Putty, Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore Nantucket Fog, Glidden Silver Dust.
Beige- Benjamin Moore Clay Beige, Benjamin Moore Green Brier, Sherwin-Williams Ancient Marble.
Greige- Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige, Behr Ocean Pearl.
But a word of warning: you don’t want one of each of these colors in your house! Here’s how we learned that a tighter color scheme can make your home feel bigger, more open, and a lot more cohesive and welcoming. Of course it doesn’t have to feel expected or monochromatic since you can bring in different accent colors with art and accessories in each space to make them feel unique and interesting!
What about you guys? Do you have some favorite paint picks that have worked out wonderfully for your casa? Any that were terrible that you’d love to warn others about? Let’s all help Meagan out by dishing the paint picking dirt.
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Comments
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Hi = If I paint my walls in my guest bedroom Hawthorne yellow – will it go with my curtains – green and comforter which is green and purple? thanks
It depends what specific shades of green and purple you have going on. Just grab a Hawthorne Yellow paint swatch and bring it home and hold it up next to your comforter and curtains to see how it looks. It sounds like it could be really pretty. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We are putting hardwood throughout our one story bungalow. The trim is pine stained golden oak which is quite orangey. The main area is painted a creamy yellow. What colour of hardwood stain should we go with? Or is it going to be way too much wood? Should we look at alternatives to the hardwood?
Thanks love your work!
Hey Barb,
There really aren’t any hard and fast rules or tried and true answers to your question. Decorating is super subjective so it’s all about what appeals to you! It’s definitely a personal choice. If you want a modern and elegant look, dark mocha wood floors are always glossy and handsome. If you’re looking for something to complement the pine stained trim you have, you could go with something either the same exact shade or a bit darker. If you’d like to explore alternatives, cork and bamboo flooring are interesting and diverse options. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks, I will give it some thought. How durable are cork and bamboo? I have a 100lb dog who is not careful when running across the floor!
You’d have to do some research and ask around (you might find some helpful reader comments on this post) but some people swear that bamboo and cork are more durable than hardwood. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thank you for responding to my question about a yellow for my beach house. I am still torn between Popcorn Kernel and Ohlahoma Wheat. What would help me decide on either one????
Also I have a This End’s Up Dining Table in great condition but need to find 8 chairs to use with it – theirs are way to big for my space. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance Marie
Here’s a post all about sources for items we love (like chairs for your table): http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/01/our-go-to-list-of-go-to-sources/
And as for the colors, we always just tape both swatches up next to each other and compare them in the morning, noon and night. It’s always pretty simple to pick a favorite when you compare them side by side. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
What color of white would work well with replacement windows. An interior decorator once told me her favorite white was “Atrium White” but I’m not sure about that next to the windows. Should I try to match the replacement window color and trim?
We would just go ahead and match the trim. And we love Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White since it’s not too harsh or too muddy. It works with almost anything!
xo,
s
Hi, I love this site, its helped me out tremendously!! I have a question for you. So I have so far painted 2 rooms in my house. The living room and bedroom. I started out trying to paint the bedroom in Red (Glidden Red Delicious) Bad idea… Changed and went to Behr I think its called Granite Gray. Its a medium to dark gray.
The living room we painted a Mocha color – cant remember the brand off the top of my head and I HATE it! It has like a purply tone to it and does not match my living room decor. Anyways, I love the modern and kindof “spa” feeling of the gray color and would like to paint the rest of the house similarly, maybe going with a lighter-medium gray in the living room and a whitish-gray for the hallways… are there any you can suggest for a good color scheme, and other colors that would go well with grays? I noticed there arent many gray colors on your list of favorites.
Thanks so much,
Danielle
Hey Danielle,
Gray colors are hard for us to “universally endorse” since they can look dramatically different depending on the lighting in your home. We’d suggest bringing home a bunch of swatches and holding them up in front of the walls that you want them to coordinate with (and in the rooms that you’ll be painting) to see what looks best in person. If we threw out suggestions they would probably be too dark or too yellow or too purple so the best way is really just to grab swatches and see what looks the best. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
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Hmm, that’s tough because all of them are great colors and it really depends on the lighting situation in your place but we would suggest the Oklahoma Wheat for your situation. Hope it helps!
xo,
s