Use Trim To Add Contrast And Interest
Typically, the purpose of painting trim is to emphasize the architectural features of your homeâs exterior and create a noticeable contrast with your siding.
The general rule is to pair dark siding with light trim, and vice versa.
Of course, there are some notable exceptions.
For example, a more modern, minimalist home with understated trim elements may be better off with dark trim that only creates a subtle contrast.
Some historic homes â particularly Victorian-style homes â often use bright trim colors to heighten their unique character and make ornate architectural features pop.
Benjamin Moore Paper White
Paper White is a very pale gray that can actually look white in certain light. If youre looking for a very pale gray, this is a great paint choice to lighten and brighten your space. Paper White leans toward the cool side, but has a nice softness to it. I love it paired with bright white trim, and it also tends to work well with Carrara marble in bathrooms and kitchens. Order a sample of BM Paper White HERE.
Best Neutral Paint Colors For Interiors
Now that you have chosen to go the neutral way, you must understand that you can do better than opting for the same color for your dining room and the living room.
When you start, you may believe that you can choose any shade of taupe, off-white, gray, or beige, and you are good to go. But once you start delving into the range available, you will realize you have merely scratched the surface with these shades.
Neutral undertones, even though seemingly similar at first glance, are very versatile, and you will need a lot more than guesswork to get them right. For example, using bright white in your living room can light up the overall setting, whereas using the same for your entryway can throw people off. It is more about understanding the synergy of colors and spaces and working accordingly.
So, without further ado, here are the 20 best neutral paint colors for interiors.
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Explore Bolder Options With Multiple Colors
If drama is your goal, you might rethink the entire notion of painting a wall from corner to corner, says Doty Horn, director of color and design for Benjamin Moore, and youll create an architectural emphasis where one doesnt exist. Moving around the room in a clockwise direction, try painting a third of one wall and two thirds of the adjacent wall, wrapping the corner in color. Then paint the last one eighth of the second wall and three quarters of its adjacent wall, covering that corner.
Another bold play: Take a big wall and, working in from both corners, paint it almost to the center, leaving an 18- to 20-inch vertical line of white space, and hang artwork down the center.
Do Your Homework Before Shopping
Choosing the right interior paint color starts at home. Before you head to the paint store to gather paper samples, gather inspiration from catalogs, magazines, and fabric swatches. This will keep you from grabbing too many paint color options on your first trip to the store. The hardest part of choosing a paint color, at first, is having too many options.
Once you narrow down your paint color choices, return to the store for paint color samples to try at home. This step is crucial to finding the perfect color.
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Tips For Choosing Interior Paint Colors
Diana Hathaway Timmons has over 10 years as a color and interior design consultant. She writes about ideas and tips for beautifying your space and incorporating decor trends into your home. She wrote the book “How to Sell Your Home Without Losing Your Zen” and has been featured in the “Huffington Post,””Better Homes & Gardens,” and additional publications.
The Spruce / Jesi Lee
The easiest way to choose the best interior paint colors is to start with the colors you love. When you start with the colors you love, you are not bound by traditional color schemes for a particular decorating style. With your favorite color as your base color, you can use it to create a color scheme around it. Your favorite colors can be the perfect inspiration for your new color palette for the whole home.
Here’s how to find out what your favorite color means and how you can decorate with it.
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
Probably the most beloved greige paint color out there, its no wonder designers love Revere Pewter. It has just the right mix of gray and beige to satisfy almost everyone, and it works with pretty much every style. This is a fantastic choice for open floor plans, and is a paint color I recommend often to my clients for the whole-house and/or main living areas. In well-lit spaces, Revere Pewter will give you the gray appearance you are looking for, but warm up nicely in the evenings to create a cozy feeling. Order a peel-and-stick sample sheet of BM Revere Pewter HERE
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Interior Paint Color Trends To Unleash Your Home’s True Personality
As we crave freedom, expansion, and a return to nature, interiors will embark on a bright kaleidoscope color story, balanced with emerging and restorative new neutrals.
Interior design in 2022 will be dominated by colour and there is lots of it, bringing vibrancy and energy into our homes. Grey, even though still strong, will no longer dominate as warmer neutrals move in, providing a restful platform for a broader immersion into colour, ultimately helping us connect with nature, says Claire O Brien, head of design, Splashback .
Interior paint color trends 2022 – what shades will shape how you decorate next year?
Use A Whole House Color Scheme For Cohesion And Continuity
When an entire home is considered as “one” rather than a collection of individual rooms, there is instantly greater fluidity between different areas, says Sarah Ward, co-founder of Ward & Co .
A full color-schemed house doesn’t have to be one static blanket color, instead, consider arranging the color of your choice into spectrums or seasons,’ she says.
‘Winter and spring lend themselves to cooler tones such as blues, greys, violet, and shades of white, whereas summer and fall offer up a rich palette ranging from pale neutrals to deep browns and hues of aubergine. Incorporating a spectrum approach is essential to ensuring that each room provides continuity whilst retaining its unique individual character. When each room complements each other in this way it can be hugely comforting and naturally creates a much calmer environment to live in, particularly when space is limited.
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Putting Too Little Paint On The Walls
If you think your room is boring, look at it in terms of the 60-30-10 rule that designers employ.
What is the 60 30 10 decorating rule?
Sixty percent of the color in a space generally comes from the walls 30 percent from upholstery, floor covering, or window treatments and 10 percent from accent pieces, accessories, and artwork. Translation: Liven up those white walls.
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
One of Benjamin Moores truest whites, Chantilly Lace is a crisp, clean interior color with slightly gray undertones used on trim, cabinets, and walls. In most rooms and lighting, it reads like a warm white and can be used on ceilings as well.
Now as one of the whitest whites, it may take a third or fourth coat when painting over most wall colors. Therefore, its no surprise that this popular interior shade has the same wall coverage issues as Sherwins Highly Reflective White and Behrs Ultra Pure White. Nonetheless, it acts as a great contrasting trim color to other popular Benjamin Moore wall colors, Revere Pewter and Gray Owl.
Also Check: Virtual Paint Your House Exterior
Selecting A Color Palette
Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige
A whole-house color should be versatile, which describes Accessible Beige to a tee. At the top of the list for Pottery Barn neutrals, Accessible Beige provides a great backdrop as a balanced, warm neutral color. Beige, yes, but with enough gray to keep it subtle and flexible for any room in the house. Accessible Beige is gorgeous in spaces with lots of natural light, and provides a warm elegance in the evenings. A great choice for modernizing your home, without entering into the greige/gray realm. Order a peel-and-stick sample sheet of SW Accessible Beige HERE
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The Best Whole House Paint Colors For 2022
Posted on Last updated: November 24, 2022
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Painting the majority of your home one color is a great way to help the space feel cohesive. Here are the best whole house paint colors!
If you love color, its easy to get excited about bringing colors into your home. An easy way to do that is with wall paint!
However, having vastly different colored rooms can be jarring and make a home feel very choppy and disjointed.
It is a very popular choice to paint the entire interior of a home or at least the open, common living spaces, one color.
What Colors Fade The Fastest
Bright colors are more susceptible to fading because of the effect UV radiation has on them. Bright yellows, blues, or reds will fade more quickly compared to muted colors.
Keep in mind that the house you are about to sell is not yours anymore and you need to fully depersonalize it. Colors can play a big role in that. Let the new buyers feel like that is the house they want to live in right away. Create the necessary mood for them to feel that way by choosing the best interior and exterior selling colors.
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How To Choose An Interior Color Scheme For Home
Starting from the static elements in the room is an easy and sure-shot way to design an effective interior paint color scheme. This could be the inflexible aspects of the home like its architectural elements, furniture, flooring, tiles, or even its art. You can then start defining the perfect colors for the walls with the help of the pointers given below.
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray is a natural light warm gray color that registers as a sophisticated off-white on the walls of most rooms. A top paint color among designers, this can be used to paint the whole house, bedroom, living room, or kitchen. Not to mention, you can use this color instead of white in a darker room. Lastly, this top gray shade works in both south-facing and north-facing rooms.
Thinking about painting your main rooms? Find out which shades our experts picked in the best 9 living room paint colors this year.
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Farrow And Ball Hague Blue
Hague Blue by Farrow Ball is a deep, darker blue-green that is a popular choice as an accent color or whole room color. Similar to SW Sea Salt, the color changes slightly in different interior lighting situations. Its a rich and luxurious paint color that works well in a home office, dining room, or as a contrasting kitchen island cabinet color.
This popular Farrow & Ball color pairs beautifully with white trim or bright furniture pieces as a moody backdrop. It also works well with brass fixtures or a white tile bathroom as a classic shade of blue.
Neutral Ground By Sherwin
The Neutral Ground by Sherwin-Williams is one of the darker neutral tones with an LRV of 70. It has a creamy appearance, and its lighter tone enables it to shine across conditions and lend a sense of balance irrespective of where you use it. It tends to have beige and yellow undertones and can be an excellent addition for north and south-facing walls.
Image Credit: sherwin-williams.com
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Be Careful With White
White might seem like the best choice for several reasons. Its light, neutral, and makes a room look bigger. And its one of the top design trends for 2022. However, white is a notoriously difficult color to get just right.
There are very few pure white paints. Almost every white will have some sort of undertone, either cool or warm. The cool undertones can make a room feel sterile and coldly unwelcoming. The warm undertones can feel dingy or even dirty.
Still, if youre careful with the shade, white is a great option that will make your home look bigger, brighter, and more appealing to buyers.
Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan
Manchester Tan is a light, sandy beige that is neutral enough to work well throughout the house. Its a favorite amongst designers due to its flexible, casual nature and ability to play well with others. With just a touch of gray in it, it pairs very well with other grays in the home, like stainless steel and stone, and it looks beautiful with a wide variety of wood tones. Order a peel-and-stick sample sheet of BM Manchester Tan HERE
Also Check: The Best Exterior Wood Paint
Tips For Using Gray Paint
Make the most of your favorite shades of gray with the following expert tips on using this color in your home:
- Color columnist for Apartment Therapy and New York City painter Mark Chamberlain suggests using flat paint instead of semi-gloss or high-gloss on walls to Real Simple readers. “Otherwise, any beautiful gray you choose will look like industrial metal-imagine a Dumpster.” He goes on to say that unlike flat white wall paint, which tends to show smudges and fingerprints, “gray actually hides flaws”.
- Culver City, California-based interior designer Erica Islas suggests using a creamy white paint for wall trim with both light and dark gray walls, such as Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, to Real Simple readers, noting that “stark white can look too jarring”.
- Interior designer Jennifer Moore of New York City compares cool grays with blue undertones to the darkening sky before a storm in another Real Simple article. Cool grays hold their color in a sunny room, where some grays look dull. these peaceful, Zen-like hues are perfect for a crisp, clean look in the bathroom.
Designing A Single Room
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