Today Annie, Mary Ann and I are joining some of our favorite bloggers to share our favorite paint colors.
Choosing a wall or trim color in your home may seem daunting. The task of picking the right color is not as simple as selecting the paint chip in the store. Every neutral has it’s own undertone and it may not be readily apparent. The trick is to pick the right neutral for your particular situation considering the undertones and the natural light. I do not have a scientific approach to color. I always put the paint on the wall in different areas with different light situations before making my selection. Here are my favorite neutral paint colors.
When choosing paint colors for a client I usually do an inspiration board like this one below to give them an idea of what the paint will look like with the other elements in the room.
I don’t care for high contrast walls and trim. I prefer to either paint the trim the same color as the walls but a different sheen or paint them a shade or two lighter. This dining room has Edgecomb Gray on the walls and simply white as the trim. The late afternoon light causes the wall color to take on a rosy glow.
Here are the same wall and trim combination in another area of the house in a different light.
Don’t choose a color by seeing it in print or on a computer screen try it out.
The main floor of my home is painted Benjamin Moore Spanish White. It was a bit of an experiment. I have a lot of art by Pat Huber and other artists. I prefer a cleaner white to show off the art. Here it is in my upstairs hallway. The stack of boxes becomes the star.
I strayed from my usual favorite White Dove. This white is crisp and can take on a greenish cast at times. In this room, it’s very warm feeling.
Here in the hallway on the north side of the house, the color appears much cooler.
When it comes to white I am normally partial to Benjamin Moore White Dove. It is a soft rich white with a creamy undertone. All of the trim in my house upstairs is painted white dove as are the hallway walls. When we repainted my daughter’s old room for Summer I didn’t want to change the bedding. The dust ruffle in the room was khaki linen. We painted the room Monroe Bisque and cut it in half and left the trim white dove.
ne of my very favorite grayish neutrals is halo by benjamin moore. We fixed up a little cottage several years ago and painted the entire interior halo with white dove trim. Sorry for the bad cell phone picture. The house was small so we didn’t want to break it up with multiple colors.
Here is the same color in my guest bedroom. Note how different lighting effects the colors. The bedroom below is on the north side of the house so the color appears cooler and more gray.
I would have to say the most versatile neutral in my arsenal is Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan cut in half. This color has been around for years. The key is to cut it in half. I don’t know how many times I have used this color. It is very calming and comforting. Here it is in my guest bedroom. As you can see this room is flooded with light.
Here is the same color in a more modern environment in a recent project. The walls and trim are also Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan cut in half. Here the room is also flooded with light but the color absorbs a lot of the green from the surrounding trees making it appear much cooler.
We are using it on a current project where we are using it in most of the house. Nearly every time I suggest it the owners are skeptical. They always love it once it is up. It has an uncanny ability to adapt to its surroundings. It is great for people who are afraid to go all white.
When selecting paint colors for your home have the paint store mix up several samples. Paint large samples in various areas of the room in different lighting. Check the colors at different times of the day before deciding.
If you would like more help selecting your favorite paint colors check out my Pinterest board devoted exclusively to paint
Don’t forget to stop by and visit our other blogging buddies to see their favorites. The first link is for their blog and the second for their Instagram.
When I see a post like this from a designer like you, I am a bit excited to know we did it right in the process of selecting colors. I am going together Manchester Tan to try out in our upstairs hall and bath. Time to paint! Downstairs we have BM grey owl and the lighter and dark on the paint strip. Love BM. Peope are great to work with an the coverage is wonderful. They even have on file a special blend I had done over 20 years ago!
Hi Linda
Benjamin Moore is hard to beat. We no longer have a local store darn it! I love gray owl as well. I have used it many times. I hope you like Manchester Tan.
Cindy! I always trust your advice as it comes from experience and a lot of thought…I love that you do a design board that shows how each element of a room (including the paint) works together. It really does show an example of how it will all come together. So smart to do a design board for every project both big and small.
Cindy, Love these suggestions. I have had Manchester Tan in my last house and loved it. For this house I used Oxford White as it doesn’t have any undertones of cool or warm. I also love Decorator’s White too. These rooms in your house are so lovely! I have to see your home someday. Contessa told me how beautiful it is.
xo Kim
Cindy, can you speak about flooring. I love the look of the wide plank in the last photo. I am wanting to get rid of carpeting and replace it with something easy to care for and warm, if possible.
Cork, bamboo, wide plank wood or vinyl …. I am stymied by the options. Whatever I choose, I want it to be light in colour. Thank you.
I”m so dying to try out your suggestions! We have almost no direct light in our house, so I’m curious how the paints will do. Thanks for all the great info Cindy! 🧡
I love so many of the colors you’ve picked as your favorites Cindy! And I’ve been dying to try Halo – hoping that I can now because it looks so good in these spaces!
Thanks so much for having me join this one – it was a wonderful idea!!
Sheila
xo
When we moved in three decades ago I had BM paint to match my miniblinds (how telling is that?), when it came time to repaint I wanted a white that I liked (without mini blinds, thank you very much) that looked good back side (east) and the front side (west). I think a spent a year of my life (would love to have it back) looking for the “perfect” white. I didn’t want creamy, gray. greige or god forbid blue undertones. I gave up and being a Libra turned the wheel opposite and painted everything black. My bathroom with no natural light I painted BM Chantilly Lace. Long ago I had my office at work painted Simply White and loved it. White and where you live is a tricky monster.
Hi Patricia
As long as you still love the color that is fabulous!
This is an incredibly helpful guide. I love Edgecomb Grey but the friendly folk at Ace were completely baffled by halving it. This process wasn’t as simple as I’d hoped it would be.
On a side note, will you please share the color of your door and shutters?? I’ve been dying to ask but didn’t want to go way off topic.
Hi Didi
Got to Home Depot. They do the cheapest samples and they are very familiar with cutting a color in half.
Cindy,
I agree, I love neutrals and I really like the examples you’ve shared. This is a great topic, paint color is a challenge.
xo,
Karen
Thanks Karen paint is always a challenge for all of us!
I always enjoy seeing designer’s favorite paint colors and pin them for future reference. You are a designer I highly respect so having insight into your choices are ones I trust. It was fun to see some peaks into your lovely home that I don’t remember seeing previously. I just LOVE the hallway chest display! Thanks for the great advice!
Celia thank you so much for the kind words. That picture was taken by the talented John Granen . It appeared in Tuscan Style magazine a million years ago!
It looks different to me in every room!Looks like you cannot go wrong with it!
As you know I do not have one white wall but it is time to re-paint and all I’m hearing about is BM………paint!
Is that the Most commonly used brand?
I will pick up some color swatches soon!
XX
It does Elizabeth! That is the beauty of the color. It is way too tame for you pal!!
Cindy, The color in my bedroom gives me fits. Nothing reads right on the walls. I’ve used Kilz and nothing helps! I’m now obsessed with it. Left you a comment on my most recent Instagram post because I’d just read your IG post. xoxox, Brenda
Email me Brenda maybe I can help you!
My question is the same as Cindy’s. What does “cut in half” mean?
Hi Barbara
Thanks for your comment. Please see above. Feel free to ask any more questions.
Cindy, when you say ‘cut the Manchester Tan in half’…what are you cutting it in half with? What does this mean? Thanks!
Hi Linda
When you go to get your paint mixed at your paint store, tell them to cut it in half. They will only put have the amount of color in it. They do it all the time they will understand. It is a great color. I have used it on at least 7-10 projects.
I have never tried Edgecomb Gray. So good to hear and see how others use these neutrals. These are lovely examples, as usual, Cindy!
Thanks Carla for joining us. You always share such useful information!