Whether you’re searching on Pinterest, Instagram, or your fave design magazine, there’s no shortage of beautiful homes, bathed in bountiful shades of blue. From bold and ballsy to breezy and bright, blue is a color that offers endless inspiration. But while visuals can be helpful, they’re not always applicable to you and your home – sometimes you need REAL help (insert wine HERE).

Why are blues SO DARN HARD to choose?

Because you don’t just need a blue that you fall in love with; it also needs to coordinate with your finishes and suit your room’s exposure. If you need help with that, I have an awesome Online Paint Color Consulting service, but otherwise, READ ON!

Blue is a classic paint color in the world of Design. Inspired by nature and driven by trends, blue never goes out of style; it just depends on the TYPE of blue that’s currently trending. This makes blue a great choice if you want to create a timeless home. But as with any color…

It’s about the right color, in the right depth, in the right place.

The tricky part is that not all blues are created equal. This is why I’ve compiled a list of my favorite MEDIUM depth shades of blue – colors I repeatedly recommend to my clients.

But first, let’s talk about the basics…

WHAT MAKES A BLUE A ‘MEDIUM’ BLUE?

While you can visually explore a color, the best way to know its actual depth is to find its LRV number.

LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value and is a number every paint color has on a scale from 0 (black) to 100 (white).

Medium-depth paint colors have LRVs between 20-40 (approx).

If you have two shades of blue, one with an LRV of 36 and the other with 38, it might not be easy to see the difference with your naked eye (or naked anything, really, keep your pants on ya weirdo). However, the two-point difference tells you that the color with the LRV of 36 is the darker shade.

Benjamin Moore Charlotte Slate (also known as Providence Blue)

The blues you’ll be looking at today are medium-depth blues because their LRVs are moderate, making them great for accent walls, kitchen cabinets, islands, and more.

And while I could talk until I’m BLUE in the face, let’s zoom like a blue-arsed fly and get this color party started…

1. BENJAMIN MOORE MOUNT SAINT ANNE 1565

Mount Saint Anne is one of my favorite shades of blue for a calming, coastal-style home. Just like many other mixed colors, Mount Saint Anne is open to perception. Most of the time, it shows up to the party as BLUE-GREEN with a modest dollop of gray in it.

As shown in this next bedroom, colors like Mount Saint Anne look great with wood trim and furniture, enhancing the wood’s color and creating a well-balanced palette…

Mount Saint Anne has an LRV of 41.9, making it a medium-depth color, but one that’s on the LIGHTER end of that range (it can also pass as a darker light-medium shade of blue).

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO MOUNT SAINT ANNE

While there will never be a perfect match, comparing colors with slightly different looks is the best way to find your perfect paint color.

• Benjamin Moore Raindance is a bit more green
• Sherwin Williams Eventide is softer and slightly more green than Mount Saint Anne
• Benjamin Moore Beach Glass is like a lighter version of Mount Saint Anne

2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS DEBONAIR 9139

Debonair is as aloof as it sounds. With a blue base, a whisper of green, and a reasonable shot of gray, this shade of blue is a modest, calm approach to color. If you want to NOD at blue on your walls or cabinets without being smacked in the face with it, Debonair could be your perfect color.

Debonair has an LRV of 34. This means it’s a medium-depth paint color, more or less in the middle of the range, with enough depth to offer a reasonably high contrast with white trim.

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF DEBONAIR!

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO DEBONAIR

• Sherwin Williams Blustery Sky is darker than Debonair but has similar tendencies
• Benjamin Moore Mount Saint Anne is a smokier, slightly green approach to blue compared to Debonair
• Sherwin Williams Meditative

3. BENJAMIN MOORE KNOXVILLE GRAY HC 160

Knoxville Gray is a color ninja, changing its look on a whim. You might see it as a green with some gray and blue in it, and others might see it as a blue with some green and gray in it – it just depends on which color seems most DOMINANT to you.

But unlike the other shades on this page, Knoxville Gray is the ONE color that dips into the medium-dark range; thanks to its LRV of 15.68 – this badass blue-green ain’t messin’ around.

This next photo shows Benjamin Moore Texas Leather (also known as Stampede), a gorgeous mid-tone greige, with Knoxville Gray in the adjoining office – I love both of these colors with the wood trim and cabinets…

Paint Colors to Go With Wood Trim

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO KNOXVILLE GRAY

Comparing similar paint colors is the BEST way to find the right shade for your room.

• Benjamin Moore Steep Cliff Gray is a bit lighter than Knoxville Gray
• Benjamin Moore Porch Swing is lighter and a bit grayer
• Sherwin Williams Riverway has a bit more color/higher chroma

4. BENJAMIN MOORE BACHELOR BLUE  1629

Bachelor Blue is one of my favorite blues. While the lighter end of the blue-violet world isn’t as popular, once you hit the medium depths, colors like Bachelor Blue pop up on kitchen cabinets and even exteriors. With an LRV of 23.52, this muted, but purposeful shade of blue is a great choice if you don’t love blue-greens, but still want a blue with some interest to it.

Blue violets look gorgeous with wood, as shown with the butcher block countertop

One of the tricky things about blue-violets like Bachelor Blue is that the shift between BLUE-violet and a VIOLET dominant color happens very quickly and is open to interpretation. If we go much farther into violet, the scales start tipping. Bachelor Blue is single and ready to mingle.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO BACHELOR BLUE

• Benjamin Moore Oxford Gray is more colorful/less gray than Bachelor Blue
• Sherwin Williams Storm Cloud is a moodier, much grayer take on blue-violet
• Sherwin Williams Bracing Blue is a lighter, more colorful shade of blue-gray-violet

5. BENJAMIN MOORE WATERS EDGE 1635

Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge, also known as Van Courtland Blue, is an elegant take on blue. In the fan deck, it comes across as more or less ‘blue-gray.’ However, when you compare it with other colors and slap it on your walls, you’ll see some green and a modest, but noticeable gray backdrop.

Water’s Edge/Van Courtland Blue has an LRV of 31.47, making it a medium-depth paint color (in the middle of the range).

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WATER’S EDGE

• Sherwin Williams Delft is more blue
• Sherwin Williams Debonair is grayer than Water’s Edge
• Benjamin Moore Jamestown Blue is like a more colorful take on things
• Benjamin Moore Santorini Blue is like a lighter version with a touch less green
• Sherwin Williams Morning at Sea, from the Emerald Designer Edition, is very similar to Water’s Edge

6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS BRACING BLUE 6242

Bracing Blue is a gorgeous, classic take on blue-violet. With a more subtle gray backdrop than some of the blends on this page, Bracing Blue approaches blue-violet with a strong dose of blue and a mild (at best) violet backdrop.

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF BRACING BLUE HERE!

With an LRV of 25, Bracing Blue is also one of the darker blues in this blog post, without heading into the medium-dark shades like Distance (also stunning, with an LRV of 15).

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO BRACING BLUE

Comparing paint colors is the BEST WAY to find your perfect shade.

• Sherwin Williams Daphne is like a lighter version of Bracing Blue
• Benjamin Moore Oxford Gray is VERY similar to Bracing Blue with its depth and overall approach

7. BENJAMIN MOORE DENIM WASH CC 770

Denim Wash is one of the more TRUE blue hues on this page. With a commitment to blue, and barely a wink of green or violet in sight, Denim Wash is inspired by…pants. That’s right, pants.

However, between green and violet, Denim Wash is sliiightly more likely to favor violet over green, given the right room exposure/environment.

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF DENIM WASH

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO DENIM WASH

• Benjamin Moore Colonial Blue looks to have a wink of green compared to Denim Wash, but they’re VERY comparable
• Benjamin Moore Harlequin Blue and its subtle blue-violet hue shows how TRUE BLUE Denim Wash is
• Sherwin Williams Daphne is like a more gray take on Denim Wash

In fact, Daphne is so gorgeous; let’s take a look at it here (I wish I had a client photo, but I don’t)…

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF DAPHNE

8. BENJAMIN MOORE STRATTON BLUE HC 142

Stratton Blue, also known as Del Mar Blue, is a popular shade of blue for entire rooms, accent walls, kitchen islands, and even front doors! Do you see it as a BLUE-green blend or a GREEN with a bit of blue in it?

Stratton Blue has an LRV of 37.77, making it a medium-depth blue-green paint color (but on the higher end of this range). You can also explore Stratton Blue’s closely related, but slightly darker, Sioux Falls, which is shown on this front door…

As this type of color darkens, the green often overtakes the blue, which you’ll see the start of if you compare Stratton Blue and Sioux Falls in person.

PAINT COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO STRATTON BLUE

• Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue is lighter than Stratton Blue
• Benjamin Moore Azores is slightly darker
• Sherwin Williams Halycon Green appears a bit softer/grayer

9. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SMOKY AZURITE 9148

Smoky Azurite is a shade of blue that can look legit blue in some spaces while winking towards blue-green in others (only by a bit). And while it has gray in it, Smoky Azurite is a blue-forward color in any space.

Sherwin Williams Denim is on the kitchen cabinets

Smoky Azurite has an LRV of 25, giving it a solid medium-depth look. However, even in a dark space, this shade of blue has enough color to show up to the party and won’t fall as flat as some other blue-grays can.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SMOKY AZURITE

• Sherwin Williams Favorite Jeans is like the lighter version of Smoky Azurite
• Benjamin Moore West Coast, with its slightly committed blue-green, shows how legit ‘blue’ Smoky Azurite looks

10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS MOODY BLUE 6221

Moody Blue is a rich, stunning blue-green shade, without dipping into the ‘overly colorful or saturated end of things.’ This is because while Moody Blue has some gray to calm it down, its blue-green blend is more dominant (emphasis on the blue over the green).

Moody Blue has an LRV of 27, making this moody shade of blue-green a super skookum medium-depth paint color.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO MOODY BLUE

• Sherwin Williams Delft is a bit lighter and gentler
• Benjamin Moore Templeton Gray is more dense, grayer, and moodier than Moody Blue
• Benjamin Moore Sea Star is lighter

11. BENJAMIN MORE SEA STAR 2123-30

Like the other blends on this page, Sea Star is blue-green with more emphasis on the blue. It’s also tempered by a gray undertone, calming it down and giving it a more coastal, beachy vibe.

Sea Star has an LRV of 32.99, putting it smack dab in the middle of the medium depths. As shown in my client’s games room above, this depth offers wicked contrast with white trim without weighing down a reasonably well-lit room.

PAINT COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SEA STAR

• Benjamin Moore Brewster Gray is similar to Sea Star, but the gray takes over much more
• Benjamin Moore Atmospheric is more green, but not by a lot

12. SHERWIN WILLIAMS WHIRLPOOL 9135

Whirlpool is a medium-depth blue-green with JUST enough gray to slow it down without leaving it muted or flat.

The 6 Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands & Bathroom Vanities

With an LRV of 29, Whirlpool is smack-dab in the middle of the medium range. In the above photo, notice how it looks lighter where light hits (via the satin finish of cabinet paint), but darkens where there isn’t direct light.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WHIRLPOOL

• Sherwin Williams Refuge is a darker version of Whirlpool that grabs a touch more green
• Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge is similar but slightly greener than Whirlpool
• Benjamin Moore Mineral Alloy has the same blue as Whirlpool, but rather than a green undertone, it leans into violet

13. BENJAMIN MOORE BLUE NOVA 825

Blue Nova is my favorite, more striking shade of blue. With an LRV of 16.98, Blue Nova isn’t messing around. However, while its LRV makes it a medium-dark shade of blue, the degree of color it has gives it more life so that it plays in the same field as the other colors on this page.

Blue Nova is a blue-violet. And while it has a bit of gray calming it down, it’s the brightest blue on this page.

Benjamin Moore Blue Nova Color Review: COLOR OF THE YEAR FOR 2024

READ MORE

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The Best Warm Neutrals That AREN’T BEIGE! 

NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING – let me choose your colors for you! 

Chat soon,

The post The TOP 13 Shades of MEDIUM Blue Paint Colors appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

According to Kermit the Frog, it’s not easy being green. However, if you’re one of the top trends on walls and cabinets, I’d say it’s not hard at all!

Green is definitely having its moment. Maybe it started with Sherwin Williams Color of the Year for 2022 – Evergreen Fog (which is still MASSIVELY popular). Or maybe it’s that we’re all ready for a departure from gray, and are entertaining colors with depth and personality.

This is why we’re stepping away from the wild world of neutrals to explore my favorite green paint colors from Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, and Farrow & Ball.

But first…

THE BEST PLACES TO USE GREEN

While we haven’t seen an explosion of green exteriors (not every exterior can handle green), we’re definitely seeing darker shades of green popping up on kitchen cabinets, islands, and bathroom vanities.

Let’s take a look at a few of the most popular places to get a little green in your life…

Similar to Sherwin Williams Thunder Gray

GREENS FOR KITCHEN CABINETS & ISLANDS

Dark greens like Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive, Thunder Gray, and Benjamin Moore Ashwood Moss are just the beginning of the green brigade (all of which we’ll cover below). These dark, glorious greens, bathed in forest-inspired moodiness, are showing up in more kitchens and even MORE so on kitchen islands.

Green undertones are also a HUGE hit, especially colors like Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze. This color isn’t included in this blog post, but you can read all about it here.

Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze island 

However, some of the most POPULAR shades of green are closer to the medium depths – colors like Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog, Pewter Green, and Caldwell Green (also included below).

And while not many have embraced the hunter-greens of the 90s, a few more traditional greens are sneaking in the back door like a teenager past curfew – hoping they don’t get caught.

Sherwin Williams Isle of Pine

SHADES OF GREEN FOR LAUNDRY ROOM CABINETS

My Online Color Consulting clients also have a lot of green-inspired fun in their LAUNDRY rooms, specifically, on the cabinets.

It’s easier to get a little wild and crazy in the laundry room as it’s usually a smaller project than a kitchen. This means it’s an easier DIY and more manageable to change should you get tired of green in a few years.

TOP GREENS FOR ENTIRE ROOMS, ACCENT WALLS & COLOR DRENCHING

There’s a lot of demand for green on ACCENT WALLS, of which I’m a HUGE fan (I mean, I am known to blow a lot of hot air around).

Can accent walls look outdated?

You bet your booty they can – the wrong color in the wrong place is the wrong choice! However, a well-placed, well-chosen accent color can make or break a room.

However, green REALLY takes over the stage when it comes to color-drenching, where an entire room – walls, trims, and ceilings, are painted a single color.

This green room is a GORGEOUS example of the color-drenching trend

Would I COLOR DRENCH A ROOM? Yes, but only if the walls, trims, and ceilings are white or off-white. I’m personally not into color-drenching with darker shades, but I can still appreciate the beauty of it.

Now, before we get into the real good stuff, let’s have a quick chat about the TYPES of greens…

THE THREE TYPES OF GREEN PAINT COLORS

Not all greens are created equal. In fact, there are three types of greens.

1. WARM OR EARTHY GREEN PAINT COLORS

Warm green paint colors are green-yellow. This yellow can be so subtle it doesn’t show up to the party, or so obvious you feel like you’re swimming in a vat of olives (you are NOT gonna smell good). Subtly warm greens are definitely popular, but the stronger green-yellows are still sitting on the pool deck, politely dipping their toes in the fermented water.

2. COOL GREEN PAINT COLORS

The cool green world is where we see most of the popular shades. What makes green cool is when it’s mixed with blue – either a little or a lot. Green-blue blends are popular in the light to medium range, but as these colors get darker, trends lean toward colors that are considerably more GREEN than blue.

3. NEUTRAL GREEN PAINT COLORS

Of course, some greens don’t favor yellow or blue – they’re pretty darn green or close to it. These greens are subjective to their environment (like any color) and can look a bit cooler (green-blue) in northern light or a bit warmer (green-yellow) in southern or strong afternoon western sunshine.

And, of course, there are varying degrees of intensity. Some greens are green-gray, and others are positively GLOWING in their greenness. Ultimately, it comes down to which one best suits you and your home – now let’s find out!

North, East, South, West: Which Paint Color is the Best?

1. BENJAMIN MOORE CALDWELL GREEN HC 124

Caldwell Green is popular due to its COMMITMENT to color, but moderate depth (LRV 16.27). As far as temperature goes, Caldwell Green is a cool of green (literally and figuratively); however, it doesn’t lean far into blue as its green hue is the dominant of the two (epic rhyming attempt – I was a rapper in my previous life).

Look at how gorgeous Caldwell Green is in the above kitchen. The existing cathedral cabinets were painted green, with updates including a white subway tile backsplash, a white quartz countertop, and black stainless steel (black-gray) appliances.

How to Update Wood Kitchen Cabinets WITHOUT a Drop of Paint

There’s NOTHING I love more than updating a space without breaking the bank, and the above kitchen is a great example – it’s FULL of fun ideas! However, I would paint the wood trim that’s around the pendant lights – just sayin’.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO CALDWELL GREEN?

Several shades compare with Caldwell Green, although none will be EXACTLY the same…

• Sherwin Williams Rosemary (not as cool as Caldwell)
• Benjamin Moore Rainy Afternoon (grayer, for sure)
• Farrow and Ball Green Smoke (this bad boy is coming up next)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CALDWELL GREEN

2. FARROW & BALL GREEN SMOKE No.47

Green Smoke is a stunningly beautiful shade of green (one of my faves). It’s not joking around either – you’re committing to green when you paint your walls or cabinets this color. Sure, it has a bit of gray to calm it down, but you’re still left with a medium-depth shade of green that’s to DIE for.

BIG thanks to my Online Color Consulting clients for sending in their AFTER photos – you make my colorful world go round! 

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO GREEN SMOKE?

Never pick a paint color without comparing it to a few others. Oftentimes, you end up changing your mind!

• Benjamin Moore Cushing Green (stronger green hue)
• Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green (mentioned earlier)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF GREEN SMOKE

3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SHADE GROWN

Shade Grown is one of my favorite shades of green, so much so that I used it in the bathroom at our lake home (blog post TBA). Shade Grown is popular because it doesn’t come off as terribly warm OR cold-looking and has a depth that really speaks to current green-inspired trends.

The above bathroom was also easy on the budget. The vanity is from Wayfair (and came with the quartz top), as is the faucet and light fixture. The mirror and accessories are Home Sense, and we did a fiberglass shower surround to save money and make cleaning a HECK of a lot easier.

Anyway, enough about ME, let’s get back to you!

LEFT -RIGHT: Sherwin Williams Pewter Green – Night Owl – Attitude Gray – Shade Grown

PAINT COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SHADE-GROWN

Shade Grown is definitely one of the more popular shades of green (in the darker range). However, these colors give it a run for its money…

• Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive (previously mentioned)
• Benjamin Moore Chimichurri (so gorgeous)
• Sherwin Williams Foxhall Green (a bit more classic/traditional)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF SHADE GROWN

4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS BASIL 6194

Basil isn’t just good for pasta and soups; it’s great on islands, too!

As shown in this beautiful kitchen, Basil is a stronger, punchier approach to green, without being as colorful and saturated as Isle of Pines (coming up next).

Basil is a cool green – there’s not an inch of olive inspiration to be found in this bad boy. And with an LRV of 15, Basil holds up well in a dark room, meaning its degree of color will still show up.

How to Choose the Best Green Paint Color

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO BASIL?

Some greens are so unique they’re hard to compete with! I was hoping for a few more options, but these two will have to do…

• Benjamin Moore Cushing Green (just a bit softer looking)
• Benjamin Moore Lush

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF BASIL

5. BENJAMIN MOORE ASHWOOD MOSS 1484

Benjamin Moore says, ‘Ashwood Moss is a deep graphite green, suggestive of a dark, veiled forest.’ I’m not nearly that lyrical, and all you really need to know is that Ashwood Moss is one badass shade of green. It’s not as colorful as the likes of Ripe Olive and Shade Grown, as it has a gray backdrop slowing it down. This neutral base has Ashwood Moss looking calm, grounded, and a bit organic.

This is VERY similar to Ashwood Moss

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ASHWOOD MOSS?

The degree of gray in Ashwood Moss is what really sets it apart from other shades, and there’s only one with similar intentions…

• Sherwin Williams Night Owl
• You could check out Sherwin Williams Thunder Gray, but it’s not SUPER similar

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF ASHWOOD MOSS

6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ISLE OF PINES

If you’re pining for a more intense shade of green, look no further than Isle of Pines. While it’s a cool green hue, Isle of Pines is a slightly hunter-inspired green with a traditional vibe.

Of the options on this page, Isle of Pines is the closest to a more traditional-looking hunter green. With its LRV of 8, Isle of Pines is in the dark range, but its degree of color lifts it up, making it look a bit more moderate.

And yes, I did think about changing the place of the vowels in the word PINES – you’re welcome.

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands & Bathroom Vanities

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO ISLE OF PINES

Isle of Pines has some GREAT competitors in the wild world of green…

• Sherwin Williams Hunt Club
• Benjamin Moore Gondola Ride (a touch cooler)
• Benjamin Moore Martha’s Vineyard (a bit warmer)
• Sherwin Williams Rock Garden (a bit calmer)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF ISLE OF PINES

7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS DRIED THYME

If you want a bit more color on your walls without going too far, Dried Thyme is the most beautiful shade of green. Compared to some of the others, Dried Thyme is more committed to its hue, with only a modest amount of gray calming it down.

Dried Thyme is also one of the lighter options on this page with an LRV of 21, making it a solid medium-depth shade of green. If you have a dark room (like the pantry shown above), Dried Thyme has enough color to show up without overwhelming a small space like this. If you have a brighter room, Dried Thyme will be in its glory!

Colors need LIGHT to come to LIFE! 

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO DRIED THYME?

It’s really hard to match the perfection of Dried Thyme, but it’s through comparison that you find your BEST shade, so let’s see what we’ve got…

• Sherwin Williams Retreat (a touch grayer-cooler)
• Benjamin Moore’s Secret Path (a wink lighter and greener)
• Benjamin Moore Jojoba (a bit warmer/lighter)
• Benjamin Moore Avon Green (quite similar)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF DRIED THYME

NEED HELP?

Check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING PACKAGES – let me pick your colors for you! 

8. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ROSEMARY 6187

With its LRV of 14, Rosemary is darker than Dried Thyme. And when you compare it to other colors on this page, you’ll see it has a bit more green than some. However, compared to a more intense shade like Isle of Pines, Rosemary is pretty darn calm without being OVERLY dulled.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ROSEMARY?

NEVER pick a paint color based on one sample alone. I’m a Color Expert, and even I take the time to compare shades – sometimes only one or two; other times, I throw five or six in there. COMPARISON IS KEY!

• Sherwin Williams Basil (more green)
• Farrow & Ball Green Smoke (cooler)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF ROSEMARY

9. FARROW & BALL STUDIO GREEN No. 93

If you’re a diehard fan of dark green, look no further than Studio Green. This is a wickedly dark shade of green with a ton of black to ground it. This black is what stops Studio Green from looking like a more typical hunter green.

The LRV of Studio Green is 7.09. While it’s not black, it could act like a black-green in some low-light spaces.

The Best Blue Paint Colors from Farrow & Ball

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO STUDIO GREEN

In its epic darkness, Studio Green doesn’t have a ton of competition. But there are a few worth comparing it to…

• Sherwin Williams Rock Bottom (which I LOVE)
• Benjamin Moore Deep River

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF STUDIO GREEN

10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EVERGREEN FOG

Even though Evergreen Fog was the Color of the Year two years ago, it’s still a popular choice. I love it so much that I used it at our lake home as an accent wall in the guest bedroom…

And look at how friggin’ STUNNING Evergreen Fog looks on this shiplap accent wall with Alabaster on the white finishes…

The awesome thing about using green on an accent or feature wall is that when trends or personal tastes shift, it’s an easier change than having to paint an entire room. And don’t worry whether feature walls are trendy or not; the right color in the right spot is ALWAYS at home.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO EVERGREEN FOG

Evergreen Fog holds such a special place in my heart that NOTHING compares. Okay, maybe a few do…

• Sherwin Williams Cornwall Slate (a bit grayer)
• Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze (a bit cooler)
• Benjamin Moore Herb Bouquet (a bit cooler and lighter)

Learn more about Evergreen Fog in its FULL COLOR REVIEW!

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF EVERGREEN FOG

11. SHERWIN WILLIAMS RIPE OLIVE 6209

Ripe Olive is a dark green, with an LRV of 6. However, even though it’s killer dark, this doesn’t make it black-green; a good whack of green still shows up at the party.

Being one of the darkest shades of green, you won’t get the full beauty of Ripe Olive if you have a dark space – Ripe Olive needs LIGHT to come to LIFE! Sure, you’ll see its color more than you will a green-gray like Grizzle Gray, but color needs LIGHT to come to LIFE!

Because I only use my clients or my own photos, I don’t have a good shot of Ripe Olive. Here’s Sherwin Williams’ visualizer version…

Ripe Olive and Shade Grown (previously mentioned) are often in the running for the same project and are on point with today’s green-inspired trends. While these two are similar in their intentions, Ripe Olive is darker, with an LRV of 6 (to Shade Grown’s 8). Ripe Olive also looks a touch more green/saturated compared to Shade Grown.

The Ultimate Guide to White Paint Colors

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO RIPE OLIVE

Comparing paint colors is the BEST way to find your best shade of green…

• Sherwin Williams Shade Grown
• Sherwin Williams Laurel Woods
• Benjamin Moore Ashwood Moss

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF RIPE OLIVE

12. SHERWIN WILLIAMS RETREAT 6207

Retreat sits in the slightly cool end of the green world. Along with its subtle blue undertone, Retreat has a dollop of gray, slowing it down.

I wish I had an interior photo of this color in action, but this lover-ly exterior will do for now…

Retreat is popular on exteriors and cabinets. And because it’s a bit more muted in its approach (a bit grayer than some other greens), Retreat is a hit for entire rooms – not just accent walls.

5 Steps to Picking Your Best Exterior Paint Color

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO RETREAT

Sometimes, a color isn’t JUST what you’re looking for. Finding similar colors that are lighter, darker, brighter, or calmer, is a great way to find your home’s best shade.

• Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze
• Benjamin Moore’s Night Train (similar, but a bit more blue-green)
• Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF RETREAT

13. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NIGHT OWL

Sitting in the medium-dark end with an LRV of 13, Night Owl is more of a green-gray than a green. So, if you want the look of green without 100% commitment to COLOR, Night Owl could be your color (you could also explore Grizzle Gray.)

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO NIGHT OWL?

Being that bit more muted, it’s tough to find a great comparable. However, there are a few shades with similar intentions…

• Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray (more gray)
• Sherwin Williams Pewter Green (more green)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF NIGHT OWL

14. BENJAMIN MOORE VINTAGE VOGUE 462

While Vintage Vogue isn’t very vintage, it’s SUPER vogue with its trendy approach to green. This striking shade of green has a touch of gray, but not enough to cut back the glory of the green.

The Benjamin Moore website says you can use Vintage Vogue instead of black or brown.

I wouldn’t.

With its LRV of 11.85, Vintage Vogue isn’t dark enough to replace grounding colors like black and brown. Also, its chroma (color) is strong enough that it won’t ACT like a neutral when sometimes a neutral is just what your room needs. In fact, black and dark brown are gorgeous partners to a green like this.

The 13 Best Blue-Green Blend Paint Colors

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO VINTAGE VOGUE?

• Sherwin Williams Rosemary (a bit lighter)
• Sherwin Williams Shade Grown (super comparable)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF VINTAGE VOGUE

15. SHERWIN WILLIAMS PEWTER GREEN 6208

Pewter Green is DESTINED to be one of the most popular shades of green. With its low LRV 12 and subtle gray backdrop, Pewter Green says EVERYTHING that green needs to, without feeling like you’ve been smacked in the face by a frozen Shamrock.

While I don’t have any great residential shots of Pewter Green, here it is in a commercial space…

Pewter Green makes for a dramatic accent wall – winking at Hunter Green without looking 1990s.

5 Ideas to Update Your 1990s Home

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Pewter Green

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO PEWTER GREEN?

Again, you’ll never get a perfect match, but it’s still important to sample and compare!

• Sherwin Williams Retreat (lighter)
• Sherwin Williams Thunderous (warmer)
• Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue (greener)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF PEWTER GREEN!

And last but not least…

16. BENJAMIN MOORE BACKWOODS 469

Backwoods and Vintage Vogue are SUPER similar. The big difference is that Backwoods has a little bit more of a green backbone, but that’s not to say that either is subtle about it.

With a wink of warmth, Backwoods is a great green for a north-facing space, as it can help balance that cool light – more so than a green-blue would.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO BACKWOODS?

• Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue, for sure (it’s darker than Backwoods)
• Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest (a touch greener)
• Sherwin Williams Basil (a cleaner-looking green)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF BACKWOODS

READ MORE

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Pewter Green

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands & Bathroom Vanities

How to Choose The Best Green Paint Color

The Best Green Paint Colors (Light & Dark)

The 9 Best Front Door Paint Colors

NEED HELP CHOOSING  YOUR PERFECT SHADE OF GREEN?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting packages! 

Chat soon

The post The 15 Best Medium to Dark GREEN Paint Colors appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

If you’re surprised that ORANGE is the inspiration for Sherwin Williams 2024 Color of the Year – join the club (this Lowe’s HGTV HOME version of Sherwin Williams).

Am I a bit disappointed in Persimmon?

Yes. I strongly believe any Color of the Year should get you EXCITED TO PAINT. According to my Instagram followers, this shade has people as excited as a nudist in a clothing store. According to one astute follower, this color looks like Big Mac’s special sauce (nom nom).

How does a color get people excited?

By being useable on a large-scale – walls, cabinets, exteriors, doors, furniture – the more usable a color is, the more homes it can satisfy – Persimmon isn’t super usable.

I like Persimmon because it’s a pretty color in general; I just don’t see it being a fan fave. IN FACT, it’s not really THAT different from Sherwin’s 2023 color choice – Redend Point.

I wish paint brands would talk to me.

With over one million page views per MONTH (and subsequent Color Consult requests), I have a bead on what the average homeowner is looking for. Sadly, it ain’t this. 

But hey, maybe you’re not so average, so let’s dive deeper to see if Persimmon inspires you to whip out ye old paintbrush.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED…

To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality photos I need or the RIGHT photos, but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!

IS PERSIMMON A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?

Persimmon is definitely a warm paint color from the orange family. However, unlike its brighter cousins, Persimmon has a neutral base calming it down, making it a dirty shade of orange. This soothing backdrop gives Persimmon a subtle terra cotta look, although a terra cotta with a ‘bit more orange than average.’

Do I wish it were more muted? YOU BET YOUR BOOTY I DO; hence the reason I’m only slightly inspired. For the average homeowner, the degree of color in Persimmon leaves it a wink less useable. 

Via Sherwin Williams simulator, as I have no clients who’ve used this shade

As shown in the above simulated image, Persimmon is a bit uneasy with the off-white furniture and slightly grayish trim, and built-in cabinets. It’s also a bit touchy with the subtle cream of the drapes. These are pretty ‘average colors in the average home,’ showing how Persimmon isn’t the EASIEST color to coordinate with.

All of this doesn’t mean Persimmon isn’t PRETTY; it’s just PERSNICKETY

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

WHAT’S PERSIMMON’S LRV?

Persimmon has an LRV of 39. This puts this lovely shade of orange in the soft, medium depths.

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint! 

WHAT UNDERTONES DOES PERSIMMON HAVE?

Persimmon is an orange paint color. Orange can be orange-yellow or orange-pink. Persimmon is orange-pink with a neutral base to take the edge off.

The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & Undertones

SAMPLING PERSIMMON WITH PEEL & STICK

SAMPLIZE offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots.

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY

• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

Get your Peel & Stick sample of Persimmon!

WHAT WHITE TRIM COLOR GOES WITH PERSIMMON?

This is a tough one. The most popular white trim colors are bright white or soft, warm white. However, bright white is pretty stark for the softness of Persimmon, and warm whites have YELLOW undertones, not orange-pink ones. There ISN’T a white that I love with Persimmon.

The challenge from here is that if you don’t have white trim, you don’t have a flexible trim color on a large scale. This means that…

OPTION 1 – LISTEN TO PERSIMMON

You pick the BEST trim color to suit Persimmon. This means your Persimmon-painted room will have a different trim color from the rest of your home, as you wouldn’t want to carry this particular trim color through your home (it’s not flexible).

This would be something like Sherwin Williams Nearly Peach, but I would ask the paint store to make me two samples – one sample 25% lighter and one sample 50% lighter. I haven’t seen these in action to say for SURE which one I’d choose. Undertones shift as colors lighten, but this could get you closer to white while having some of the undertones Persimmon loves.

OPTION 2 – PAINT THE WALLS & TRIM THE SAME

You CAN paint the trim the same color as the walls, but it’s definitely not a look I love with a color like this.

OPTION 3 – FIND A HAPPY MEDIUM

Consider painting your trim the best white possible, a white you can use in adjoining rooms, as it’s versatile (even if it’s not Persimmon’s BEST partner). Ultimately, if you consider your home on a large scale, it’s ideal if the same white trim runs throughout.

As a happy medium, I’m eyeing Sherwin Williams White Flour with Persimmon. Not a color I’d use on ALL of my home’s trim, as it’s not super flexible (but it’s not the worst). I still don’t looooove it with Persimmon, as it doesn’t have an orange-pink hue, but it will transition well enough should you use a more versatile white in adjoining rooms. Sometimes a happy medium is the best choice of all.

If I choose from THE most popular, flexible shades of white, I land on Sherwin Williams Pure White (but it’s no screamin’ glory with Persimmon). Actually, I might bump over to Benjamin Moore and go with White Dove.

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors

IS PERSIMMON A GOOD COLOR FOR THE EXTERIOR OF A HOME?

Long story short (for once) – HECK to the NO! Okay, there could be the odd exception, but this color won’t suit the average home’s exterior.

Again, to show you REAL homes with real budgets, I use my own photos or those from my Online Paint Color Consulting clients. This next image (as well as the others) is just a simulated one from Sherwin Williams…

Is it BAD? No, but people aren’t going to drive by and think this home looks any kind of awesome. It’s not SUPER happy with this bright white trim but is ooookay with the roof. Also, with natural light, it’s bound to look lighter than it does here.

This doesn’t mean it won’t work on YOUR home, but if your home is pretty average for your neighborhood, I’m doubtful.

HOWEVER, let’s talk about your front door…

How Your Home’s Exposure Affects Its Paint Color

IS PERSIMMON A GOOD CHOICE FOR A FRONT DOOR?

Now we’re talking. While I’d hesitate before throwing Persimmon on my siding, it’s an interesting choice for a front door, granted it suits your surrounding brick/stone/roof/siding.

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

IS PERSIMMON A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS OR AN ISLAND?

Again, I really wish brands considered MASS USABILITY when looking for their Colors of the Year. NO, I don’t see Persimmon being popular on kitchen cabinets, islands, or bathroom vanities. 

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Island & Bathroom Vanities

HOW TO DECORATE YOUR HOME WITH SHERWIN WILLIAMS PERSIMMON

If you’re wondering how to use Persimmon in your home, let’s see where it has the MOST potential…

• as an accent color in linens and decor (which certainly doesn’t sell paint)
• as a ‘whole room’ paint color – it’s not a great accent wall color or for more than one room, really (I mean, you do you, but I wouldn’t)
• on your front door – inside or outside
• maybe some small furniture pieces, like bedroom side tables
• in a palette with other gorgeous earthy-inspired shades…

WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH PERSIMMON?

Now THIS is where we get to have some fun! Being a gorgeous shade of orange with a subtle terra cotta vibe, Persimmon has quite a few colorful friends…

Blobs are just computerized versions of some of the colors below

• muted shades of medium to dark, slightly warm green, like Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage and Connected Gray
• darker shades of orange-pink with similarly dirty undertones, such as Spicy Hue
• cooler shades of green (slightly green-blue) like Sherwin Williams Retreat and the slightly more colorful Underseas
• muted chocolate hues like Sherwin Williams Mocha
• SUPER dark, muted shades of green and greige, such as Sherwin Williams Thunder Gray or Rock Bottom
• light colors with orange-pink hues – in other words, peaches, like Sherwin Williams Spun Sugar and Nearly Peach
• interesting mid-toned greige/tans like Sherwin Williams Urban Jungle, Sherwin Williams Jogging Path, and dark greiges such as Porpoise

However, the real struggle with Persimmon is that there aren’t many light colors that look great. Or there are some, but they’re not colors used in the average home.

For example, Persimmon isn’t great with light gray, greige, taupe, tan, cream, white, or the average beige. Light colors that work best with Persimmon have a DECENT amount of orange-pink undertone – colors that most people are trying to get away from; although if you love peach, you’ll be in your glory!

Sherwin Williams Bauhaus Buff and Fragile Beauty are where Persimmon starts looking better (slightly) while still appealing to the average homeowner; however, these are neutrals with stronger undertones. The majority (i.e., 99.5%) of my Online Paint Color clients prefer neutrals that are more neutral and versatile.

WHAT OTHER COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO PERSIMMON?

Comparing paint colors is the BEST way to choose the one that best suits your home’s finishes. So, if I’m eyeing up Persimmon, I’ll also grab samples of…

• Sherwin Williams Rose Tan (more pink/less orange – also more neutral)
• Sherwin Williams Portrait Tone (only available in a sample pot at your SW store)
• Benjamin Moore Vegetable Patch (a bit darker and more orange)
• Sherwin Williams Subdued Sienna (a touch darker)
• Benjamin Moore Sweet & Sour (less pink than Persimmon/more orange)

FUN FACT: I actually like all of the above MORE than Persimmon.

Why?

Again, I actually love Persimmon, but it has just a TOUCH too much orange (at this particular depth) to be useable on the average wall/exterior/door/cabinet.

By the way, if you’re considering getting one brand to match another’s paint color, I DON’T recommend it. Read why HERE.

READ MORE

Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog: Color of the Year 2022(and still my fave!)

BEHR’S CRACKED PEPPER: 2024 Color of the Year

The 8 Best Front Door Paint Colors

How to Create a Timeless Home – 4-PART SERIES

Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

Chat soon,

The post HGTV HOME by SHERWIN WILLIAMS PERSIMMON: 2024 Color of the Year appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Benjamin Moore & Sherwin Williams

With everything that’s going on in this wild world of ours, I think we could all use some stress reduction via wine, a funnel, and a massage from Ryan Reynolds (or Blake Lively, depending on your preferences – I’ll take either). And nothing reduces stress like picking paint colors – RIGHT? Said nobody ever.

Seriously though, one of the best ways to create a calm environment is to wrap yourself in a color that soothes your soul. A color that reduces your heart rate and makes you take a DEEEEEP breath just sitting in it – I mean not literally sitting IN the paint (I’ve yet to try it, but it could work). Once you’ve got that magical color, you only need a good book and some good company. Maybe even a handsome fella like Doug…

Now, of course, there are psychological reasons as to why some colors are more calming than others. But, we all know I’m psycho enough as it is, and there’s ALSO something called PERSONAL PERCEPTION. For example, in some circles, pink is a stress-reducing color. PERSONALLY, it makes me twitch, and if I painted my room pink, it would only INCREASE my stress level, and I might have to cover up those pretty pink walls with some padding to BANG MY HEAD AGAINST. But hey, if you love pink, I can give you the prettiest pink out there.

Also, as a Color Consultant with ADHD and anxiety, I’m not just making this stuff up. And while I also LOVE dark colors, this blog post is geared towards the lighter end of things for mass appeal. When you’re done, check out this blog post too: How to Choose Paint Colors When You’re An Overthinker (also linked at the end of this article).

I can’t guarantee these colors will make YOU PERSONALLY feel more stress-free (although I hope they will). I’m here to get the creative juices flowing to get you thinking about what your best stress-free space could look and feel like.

1. BENJAMIN MOORE CLASSIC GRAY OC-23

Classic Gray is a fave neutral of mine, and I don’t even like its undertones, which speaks to the power of the right color in the right room. Classic Gray is an off-white warm gray with a soft, gentle purple undertone. In our last home, I painted our main bathroom with it and loved it. I’ve got it in our guest bedroom in our current home (which I don’t have a super fab photo of yet).

FUN FACTS ABOUT CLASSIC GRAY

• Classic Gray has an LRV of almost 75, so it’s at the start of the off-white range, giving a softer, more subtle contrast with white trim.
• Because of its undertones, Classic Gray can go SLIGHTLY purple-pink, without 100% commitment.
• Classic Gray is a hit with the average home builder (and home stager) as it has TONS of mass appeal.

Not sure what LRV is? THREE SLAPS WITH A WET NOODLE! Just joking (kind of), but you may want to read THIS.

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO CLASSIC GRAY

• Benjamin Moore Silver Satin
• Sherwin Williams Modern Gray
• Benjamin Moore Collingwood
• Sherwin Williams Egret White

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CLASSIC GRAY

2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS GOSSAMER VEIL 9165

Gossamer Veil is a beautiful approach to gray. With its soft green undertone and a decent dollop of warmth, Gossamer Veil reads as a warm gray or greige, depending on its environment.

FUN FACTS ABOUT GOSSAMER VEIL

• While Gossamer Veil isn’t brand new, it’s not one of Sherwin’s original colors.
• Gossamer Veil has gentle green undertones, but they’re not so subtle that they disappear – they USUALLY show up to the party.
• With an LRV of 62, Gossamer Veil is a light-depth color that’s RIGHT on my magic number.

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Gossamer Veil

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO GOSSAMER VEIL

• Benjamin Moore Light Pewter
• Sherwin Williams Drift of Mist
• Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF GOSSAMER VEIL

3. BENJAMIN MOORE OCTOBER MIST CC550

October Mist is one of THE most beautiful, calming green paint colors. This isn’t just because of its depth (LRV of 46.54). October Mist is a green with a decent amount of gray in it (a slightly warm gray), which takes the edge off the green, leaving you with a gently infused shade of sage.

Apparently, green is one of the best paint colors for those with anxiety (myself included, as green is my go-to). However, blue is also popular for those needing a calmer environment. Just remember, paint colors are SUBJECTIVE to who is looking at them; it’s important to find colors that speak to you emotionally, not just colors that the experts say are what you need.

FUN FACTS ABOUT OCTOBER MIST

• October Mist is a WARM green, although it can look slightly cooler than traditional, olive-inspired greens.
• October Mist was Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year for 2022 (and is quite similar to the equally as pretty, Sherwin Williams COTY Evergreen Fog).
• If you’re looking for a white trim color to suit October Mist, there are TONS of gorgeous options, including Benjamin Moore White Dove and Simply White.

Benjamin Moore’s Best Green Paint Colors

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO OCTOBER MIST

• Sherwin Williams Softened Green (is greener than October Mist)
• Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF OCTOBER MIST

4. BENJAMIN MOORE OCEAN AIR 2123-50

Mmmm, Ocean Air. I can smell it right now – literally…I live on an island. Really though, I take a deep breath just LOOKING at Ocean Air. It’s a light depth blue with a touch of green and a more passive gray backdrop, leaving more color on the table (or on the wall would be more the point).

FUN FACTS ABOUT OCEAN AIR

• Ocean Air has an LRV of 73, leaving it sitting pretty in the off-white end of things.
• Ocean Air is a relatively clean color. It DOES have gray in it, but considerably less than a color like Mount Saint Anne.
• If you like a cheerful, but not baby-blue approach to color, Ocean Air could be perfect!

The 2 Types of Blue Paint Colors – Which One Do YOU Love the Most?

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO OCEAN AIR

• Benjamin Moore Gossamer Blue
• Sherwin Williams Sky High
• Sherwin Williams Topsail
• Benjamin Moore Summer Shower

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF OCEAN AIR

NEED HELP? Check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOR PACKAGES! 

5. BENJAMIN MOORE SMOKE 2122-40

I LOVE Smoke, and I wish I had a photo of it for you, but it keeps disappearing into thin air… get it?  Anyway. Smoke is on the blue-green side of things, but ONLY slightly. It also has a soft gray backdrop, which is the backbone of this calming color.

FUN FACTS ABOUT SMOKE

• Smoke has an LRV of 56, so it’s a light-medium depth paint color, offering a bit more contrast and body up against traditional white trim – I recommend Chantilly Lace.
• If you have a north-facing room, Smoke could be a wee bit chilly feeling, and you might want to check out a few other options.

The Best Blue-Gray Blend Paint Colors

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SMOKE

• Sherwin Williams Niebla Azul
• Sherwin Williams Sleepy Blue
• Benjamin Moore Wales Gray

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF SMOKE

6. BENJAMIN MOORE ABALONE 2108-60

If you’re a fan of purple, Abalone is a great way to nod towards it, without going full-out Barney. Abalone is a light depth warm gray, so a gray with brown in it, with a purple undertone that is SUBTLE, but noticeable.

FUN FACTS ABOUT ABALONE

• Abalone has an LRV of 63, which is DAMN close to my magical LRV number! With an LRV of 63, it’s a light-depth paint color.
• If you’re at all sensitive to purple undertones, DON’T pick this color – it ain’t messin’ around.
• Abalone is a romantic, calming color that is well-suited to bedrooms and bathrooms.

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Abalone

PAINT COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO ABALONE

• Benjamin Moore Barren Plain
• Sherwin Williams Popular Gray
• Benjamin Moore Collingwood

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF ABALONE

Did you know that SAMPLIZE PEEL & STICK offers more AFFORDABLE, QUICKER, AND EASIER TO USE paint samples?

• Samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY.
• They’re more affordable than the sample pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling.

Visit the SAMPLIZE websiteHERE

7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EVERGREEN FOG 9130

While Evergreen Fog is a slightly darker shade of green, there’s no denying its appeal for a relaxing, calming vibe.

Evergreen Fog isn’t overly cool looking, making it a versatile choice. Its LRV of 30 makes it a great choice for accent walls, exteriors, kitchen cabinets, and even entire rooms.

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog

FUN FACTS ABOUT EVERGREEN FOG

• Evergreen Fog was Sherwin Williams’ Color of the Year for 2022 and is STILL a popular choice.
• If you want to paint your kitchen cabinets a trendy green, but don’t want to go overboard, Evergreen Fog could be your color.
• Lighter shades of Evergreen Fog include Austere Gray and Conservative Gray, which are also calm, relaxing shades of green-gray.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO EVERGREEN FOG

• Benjamin Moore October Mist
• Benjamin Moore Vale Mist
• Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF EVERGREEN FOG! 

8. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SALT SW 6204

This one should come as no surprise to those of you in the color world. Sea Salt is a GLOOORIOUS green-gray that OFTEN disguises itself as a blue-gray. It’s SO unpredictable that, more so than other colors, you need to sample it carefully to ensure it looks how you expect.

Sea Salt is surprisingly blue in some rooms, as shown in this playroom…

However, in other rooms, Sea Salt looks FAR more green (encouraged by the low KELVINS of the lighting), with only a whisper of blue to be found…

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

FUN FACTS ABOUT SEA SALT

• It’s FABULOUS on potato chips.
• It is a green-gray paint color, EASILY flashes into blue-gray, but RARELY looks like a ‘gray with undertones.’
• Sea Salt is a popular choice for bathrooms and guest bedrooms.
• Sea Salt is also a hit with home buyers.
• If you want a touch of color without being slapped in the face with it, Sea Salt could hit the spot.

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF SEA SALT

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SEA SALT

• Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray is like a slightly darker version of Sea Salt
• Benjamin Moore Smoky Green
• Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments
• Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere

9. BENJAMIN MOORE BALBOA MIST OC 27

Balboa Mist is similar to Classic Gray, but it’s a bit darker, while still having a soft, feather-light look. You’ll also find violet undertones in Balboa Mist that can show up more in north-facing spaces than in southern ones.

Balboa Mist is popular in today’s home as it suits a wide range of white quartz countertops and other trendy finishes – including some of those from the earlier 2000s.

FUN FACTS ABOUT BALBOA MIST

• Balboa Mist has an LRV of 67, which will offer a nice contrast with white trim while still looking soft and subtle (I recommend Chantilly Lace).
• Balboa Mist can wash out if your room is OVERLY bright, but it will regain itself once the light is more muted.
• It has slightly purple undertones and can slide JUST slightly purple-pink, but not by much.

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO BALBOA MIST

• Benjamin Moore Collingwood 
• Sherwin Williams Popular Gray
• Sherwin Williams Alpaca

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF BALBOA MIST

And I TOLD you I’d give you the prettiest pink out there, so here it is…

10. BENJAMIN MOORE PINK BLISS 2093-70

Pink Bliss is a light, soft pink paint color. It’s not baby powder pink – but it’s close in my books as it’s a delicate and gentle shade of pink.

FUN FACTS ABOUT PINK BLISS

• Pink Bliss has an LRV of 84, so it’s right up there in the off-white range – soft and simple.
• Pink Bliss is one of Benjamin Moore’s top-selling shades of pink.
• While you won’t find Pink Bliss on many front doors or accent walls, it’s a popular shade for kids’ rooms or adults who want a pretty, gentle color on their walls.
• Also a great stripper name (wink wink).

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO PINK BLISS

I’d love to show you a comparable Sherwin-Williams pink, but they don’t have any that come even close.

• Benjamin Moore Mellow Pink
• Benjamin Moore Frosted Petal
• Benjamin Moore Pink Swirl

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF PINK BLISS

THE TOP 4 CALMING PAINT COLORS

While colors are subjective to those looking at them, these are the top shades known to reduce anxiety and stress in the average person…

1. GREEN
2. BLUE
3. VIOLET
4. PINK

READ MORE

The TOP 11 MEDIUM Depth BLUE Paint Colors

How to Choose Paint Colors When You’re an Overthinker Like Me

Sherwin Williams Upward: Color Review (Color of the Year 2024)

The 8 Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

6 Budget-Friendly Home Update Ideas

Ideas to Update Older Style Granite Countertops

4 Steps to Pick the Best White Paint Colors for Trim, Cabinets, and Walls

NEED HELP?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting packages – I’d love to help!

Chat soon and stay healthy,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2020, OVERHAULED IN 2023

The post The 10 Best Light & Calming Paint Colors for Stress & Anxiety appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

A south-facing room can be one of the most satisfying rooms to choose paint colors for. Unlike a north-facing room, which relies heavily on paint color and lighting to feel lively, a south-facing room feels warm and inviting all on its own as it gets direct infusions of natural sunlight all day long.

The most important (and complicated) thing to remember about a south-facing room is that the quality of natural sunlight changes throughout the day. Overall, southern light is warm and yellow-toned, yet it can wash colors out when the sun is at its peak. So, a color that looks ‘just perfect’ in the morning and evening might appear washed out at noon. A color that looks perfect in the middle of the day might become too bright in the morning and over-the-top glowing in the late afternoon.

So what do you do?

It’s VITAL that you look at your paint color samples through a full day – or even several days! See which colors hold their own through the hours and which wash out. Which colors make the room feel more balanced, and which ones make you feel overheated and off-balance.

Decorating is about balance and it’s important to balance out your room’s warm and cool levels.

BTW: I rely 100% on photos from my E-Design clients (thank you all!). I do my best to include photos of south-facing rooms in the examples, but some photos are only for color viewing purposes.

Now, on to the fun stuff!

THE TWO TYPES OF SOUTH-FACING ROOMS

Not all rooms are created equal. Just because you have a room with southern exposure, doesn’t mean it will act like EVERY OTHER ROOM with the same exposure. There are two basic types of south-facing rooms…

1. A SOUTH-FACING ROOM WITH A LOT OF WINDOWS

This type of south-facing room has TONS of natural sunlight due to the amount of window space. On hot days, these rooms not only look warm, but they ARE warm. Adding a cool color to a room like this is a great way to lower the visual heat, making it appear more comfortable and balanced.

This room might not look warm right now, but wait until summer! 

LIGHT PAINT COLORS

A well-lit south-facing room can look great with a light paint color on the walls, but keep in mind, depending on HOW light the color is, it may appear washed out in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest. 

MEDIUM-DEPTH PAINT COLORS

A medium-depth paint color can also work well in a well-lit room and tends to balance intense light quite nicely. 

DARK PAINT COLORS

A bright room can look awesome painted a dark color, especially in the cooler range, as it would help balance the warm rays coming in the window.

Learn About Light, Medium, & Dark Depth Paint Colors with LRV

2. A DARK SOUTH-FACING ROOM 

Without the ‘brightness’ you’d find in a well-lit south-facing room, these low-light rooms can feel more suffocating than the southern ones with a lot of natural light streaming in. This reduced natural light can be due to a few reasons:

• Small windows
• There are not enough windows for the size of the room
• A deck overhang blocking the light
• A lot of landscaping directly outside the window
• Trees block the majority of the sunlight from coming in

A south-facing room with reduced natural light can generally handle light, medium, and dark colors.

LIGHT PAINT COLORS

These work well to visually perk up a low-light room. I particularly like the ones in the softer, stormier cool range (as shown below) rather than the icy cold end of things. Light, cool colors add vitality and energy to a space that can sometimes feel a bit heavy with heat. Remember, if the room doesn’t have much light at all (exterior or interior), you might want to read this blog post on dark rooms.

MEDIUM-DEPTH PAINT COLORS

The medium-toned range can also work well in a south-facing room that doesn’t have a ton of light coming in. Like with well-lit rooms, I find that they balance the light quite nicely but will create a cozier, more intimate look.

DARK PAINT COLORS

Dark colors can add personality and interest to a darker south-facing room – grounding the room and adding an intense balance to the effects of the sun’s rays – however limited they are. But be careful not to go too dark. If you truly have one wee tiny little window, you may not have enough natural light to balance out the weight of a dark color, especially if you don’t have adequate lighting.

THE TOP PAINT COLORS FOR SOUTHERN EXPOSURE ROOMS

These colors aren’t guaranteed to work in EVERY south-facing room, but they’re a great place to start. Remember to consider your interior finishes as well, as they take precedence over your room’s exposure. 

1. BENJAMIN MOORE GRAY OWL OC 52

Gray Owl is a lovely soft shade of gray that leans to the cool side with its subtle green undertone. However, it’s a sneaky lil bugger and can easily pick up a blue undertone, either a committed one or blended with green. Gray Owl is softer and lighter than Stonington Gray (shown below) and has less of a cold blue undertone (because of the strong green in it).

The LRV of Gray Owl is 65.0, so it will reflect some decent light back into the room – not tons, but some. It also means that at the peak of a sunny day, it could lose a lot of its beautiful color and depth, but once the sun shifts, it will come right on back. It can also be lovely in a low-light south-facing room, but it is definitely more muted and stormier.

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

Kylie M’s YOUTUBE Color Review of Gray Owl! 

2. BENJAMIN MOORE STONINGTON GRAY HC 170

Stonington Gray is a steady light (almost light-medium) gray with a slightly stormy blue undertone. Stonington is a light gray paint color, but it feels a bit heavier than many of the lighter grays on this page.

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray and Gray Owl – What’s the Big Difference?

The LRV of Stonington Gray is 59.0, so it will add SOME, but not TONS, of light to your room. This also means that in a super bright room, it will hold its color a bit better than a color with a higher LRV. One thing to consider is because south-facing light is warm (yellowish) and Stonington Gray is cold (blue), sometimes, when they’re mixed together, you’ll get a vague hint of green, which is a color that is tucked WAAAAAAY back in Stonington Gray (and doesn’t usually show up to the party).

Paint Color Review of Stonington Gray

Kylie M’s YOUTUBE Paint Color Review of Stonington Gray

3. BENJAMIN MOORE GRANT BEIGE HC 83

Grant Beige is undoubtedly one of the more neutral/warm colors on this page. However, it’s not a traditionally warm color that flashes yellow, orange, or red. It has a nice grounded base, which cuts back any golden tendencies, and can even pick up a weee tiny wink o’ green. If you have a south-facing room and DON’T like cold paint colors, this could be a way to go warm without tipping the scales into the golden hues.

The LRV of Grant Beige is 56, meaning it won’t reflect much light into a room. So, in a low-light south-facing room, it won’t make the room feel OVERLY heavy, nor any lighter, but you might find it a bit murky looking. In a reasonably well-lit room, it will be at its peak of perfection and offer a nice neutral backdrop to your furnishings.

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Grant Beige

NEED HELP?

Check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOR PACKAGES – let me make it easy for you! 

4. BENJAMIN MOORE BALLET WHITE OC 9

Ballet White is one of my FAVE neutrals (right up there with Edgecomb Gray, coming up next). It mixes tan and gray (so greige) with a strong creamy base. The cream and the tan are stronger than the gray, and this comes a bit more into play in a south-facing room, without making things overheat.

Ballet White is one of the lighter neutrals on this page and is great if you’re looking for a versatile, easy choice. However, it WILL wash out in a WELL-lit south-facing room.

If you want a color that’s similar to Ballet White, Sherwin Williams White Duck and Shoji White are similar as they’re also cream hybrids. The BIG differences are that they have a bit less yellow-cream than Ballet White and are a stitch lighter. 

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Ballet White

5. BENJAMIN MOORE EDGECOMB GRAY OC 173

Edgecomb Gray is a light-depth greige-taupe that is balanced QUITE nicely between gray and beige. In a south-facing room, you could expect it to lean a BIT more into its warmer side, without going entirely beige.

Photo via V1 Real Estate Photography

Edgecomb Gray has an LRV of 63. This depth is almost BANG on my happy place for the average room. In fact, Edgecomb Gray is so popular that I included it in my blog post about the three most timeless neutral paint colors.

There aren’t many colors that compare to Edgecomb Gray; it’s pretty darn special! While Sherwin Williams Modern Gray looks similar at first glance, it’s GRAYER than Edgecomb Gray (so it’s cooler). The same goes for Sherwin Williams Natural Tan. This popular shade of tan looks similar on the small scale, but get those Samplize peel-and-stick up on your wall and you’ll see that Natural Tan is a muted tan paint color – not a greige-taupe.  This means that Natural Tan is warmer than Edgecomb Gray and has less gray in it. 

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray

Kylie M’s YOUTUBE Review of Edgecomb Gray

6. BENJAMIN MOORE KNOXVILLE GRAY HC 160

If you want a bit more color and depth on your walls, Knoxville Gray is a beautiful blend of blue and green. Blue-greens are popular as they blend the two most calming colors – blue and green. With a soft gray backdrop to calm it down, Knoxville Gray adds a TON of cool balance to an overheated south-facing room.

In this next photo, notice how well Knoxville Gray plays with the warm wood on the trim and French doors…

7. BENJAMIN MOORE WHITE DOVE OC 17

If you’re looking for the perfect shade of white for your south-facing room, this could be it. White Dove is a soft, warm white that’s popular on walls, cabinets, trims, and even exteriors! White Dove is warm, but it’s not as cream-yellow as some, not as stark or cold as others. And while it will definitely pick up some of your southern sun’s warmth, it doesn’t go as creamy as many other whites.

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore White Dove

Did you know that SAMPLIZE PEEL & STICK paint samples are more affordable than sample pots and EASIER to use?

Plus, they get delivered to your doorstep in 1 DAY! 

Visit the SAMPLIZE websiteHERE

8. BENJAMIN MOORE REVERE PEWTER HC 172

Revere Pewter is one of the most popular warm grays with a lovely, earthy green undertone. And while it does lean slightly to the warm side, it rarely overreacts in a south-facing room and holds itself pretty well as a ‘warm gray with interest.’ However, if your south-facing room has low light, Revere Pewter can look a bit murky and heavy, so sample carefully. 

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter painted door with White Dove trims and walls

The LRV of Revere Pewter is 55 and is a great depth for almost any reasonably well-lit room. If your room is SUPER bright, this depth will show up better than a lighter shade, which will really wash out in intense light. However, Revere Pewter’s green undertone CAN be slightly unpredictable, so be sure to read its color review.

Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray is similar to Revere Pewter if you want a BIT less warmth and a touch more gray. If you want a LIGHTER look, check out Benjamin Moore Rodeo. 

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter

Kylie M’s YOUTUBE REVIEW of Revere Pewter

9. BENJAMIN MOORE WOODLAWN BLUE HC 147

Whether it’s a living room, kitchen, or bedroom, Woodlawn Blue is one of those colors that seems to please everyone! Woodlawn Blue is a cool color blending blue and green (much more blue than green) with a slightly gray base to calm it down. This blend makes it flexible and slightly susceptible to change throughout the daylight hours.

If you’re not ready to commit to a color like Hale Navy on a large scale, it also makes a great accent wall and easily partners with most of the neutrals on this page.

Being a classic shade of navy blue, Hale Navy can be a bit strong for some. If you want a slightly muted take, Sherwin Williams Cyberspace is wicked pretty. It’s similar to Hale Navy’s approach, but its gray base calms it down, so it’s a bit more of a blue-gray blend (heavier on the blue). If you like a slightly lighter take on Hale Navy, check out Van Deusen Blue, which is popular on cabinets and accent walls. 

Benjamin Moore Hale Navy: Paint Color Review

The 12 Best Shades of Navy Blue

11. BENJAMIN MOORE CLASSIC GRAY OC 23

If you’re considering resale, it’s best to stay away from cool grays if you can (trends are leaning warmer). However, if you still want to add a touch of balance to your south-facing room, consider a warm gray like Classic Gray. 

Classic Gray is a subtle, off-white shade of gray with vague violet-pink undertones. In south-facing light, it can lean MUCH warmer, looking more like taupe than gray. This being said, it will still look more balanced than any shade of beige or cream. 

Classic Gray looks beautiful with most wood tones and suits various interior finishes, including popular tiles and countertops. Remember to be careful if you have overly warm trim/cabinets, as Classic Gray prefers a cleaner white in its trim partner.

If you like Classic Gray’s look but want slightly darker walls, Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist and Collingwood have similar intentions in their warmth and undertones. 

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray

11. BENJAMIN MOORE SPANISH OLIVE CC 606

If you’re looking for a subtle shade of green for your south-facing room, this could be your lucky day! Spanish Olive is a light, warm green, so it’s green with greige in it. This neutral foundation gives Spanish Olive a grounded, earth-toned look without it looking overly muddy or dingy (of course, this could be open to perception). 

Spanish Olive has an LRV of 52.54, putting it in the light-medium range. Colors of this depth stand up better to intense natural light than lighter colors (higher LRVs), as they don’t wash out as much (but will look lighter with a lot of light on them, as will ANY color). 

For a similar, slightly less warm approach, check out Benjamin Moore Mountain Air – a beautiful green shade muted with a warm gray base. If you prefer a green that isn’t quite so warm and you don’t mind a bit of depth, Benjamin Moore’s October Mist is SUPER popular. 

The 8 Best Benjamin Moore Green Paint Colors

PEOPLE ALSO ASK

WHAT’S THE BEST LRV FOR A SOUTH-FACING ROOM?

This is a big question as it depends on whether it’s a dark or bright room. For example, how big are the windows, and how many are there? How big is the ROOM? Is the light filtered by trees or landscaping? Is there a patio or second floor that blocks the direct light from coming in? 

And aside from this, what look and FEELING do you want?

• Light colors (LRV 65+) keep a room bright.
• Dark colors (LRV 30-) can ground a room, making it look a bit cozier.
• If this is a main living area, a higher LRV of approx 62+ looks good (it happens to be my magical number), knowing that a LOT of natural light will wash your color out a bit (especially in the HIGHER LRVs). The average person doesn’t love their main living area a dark color (I do, but that’s personal taste). 
• If this is a smaller or secondary room, you can have a higher LRV or add some personality with a cool color with a lower LRV.
• Dark rooms often suit dark colors with more color/chroma, meaning they aren’t too grayed out. In the lighter range, dark rooms love colors with LRVs of 65+, and again, grayed-out and neutral colors have trouble coming to life, whereas COLORS add energy to a dark space. 

As the previous color list mentioned, Knoxville Gray is beautiful for southern light! 

WHAT COLORS ARE BEST FOR SOUTH-FACING ROOMS?

GENERALLY SPEAKING, south-facing rooms look best in shades of blue and green, as well as neutrals with these undertones. These cool paint colors and their temperature can balance a room with southern exposure. 

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

Do you have a southeast, southwest, or north-south-facing room? 

While it might seem confusing, having dual exposures isn’t bad when you’re armed with the right information! Check out this blog post on ‘how to pick paint colors when you have TWO exposures.’

READ MORE

The Best Gray and Greige Paint Colors

East-Facing Rooms: What Are the Best Colors?

The Best Paint Colors for a West-Facing Room

The Best Paint Colors for a Dark Room

Do you want to know YOUR 3 best paint colors? 

Check out my Online Color Consulting and E-Design packages!

KYLIE M INTERIORS E-DESIGN, E-DECOR, & VIRTUAL PAINT COLOR CONSULTING ADVICE     SPECIALIZING IN DIY HOME UPDATE  IDEAS AND BENJAMIN MOORE & SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS

Originally written in 2017, updated in 2023

The post The 11 Best Paint Colors for a South-Facing Room (Benjamin Moore) appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Choosing the perfect paint color can be SCARY, especially with so many great options on the market. However, if you’re considering Benjamin Moore Smoke 2122-40 for your home, you’re looking in the right place, and I’ve put together a guide to help you (hopefully) finalize your color choice.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED…

To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality photos I need or the RIGHT photos, but I DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!

IS SMOKE A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?

Benjamin Moore Smoke 2122-40 is a cool paint color. It’s a moody (not fresh) blue-green hue that, combined with its depth (LRV), gives it a cool, calming look.

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

WHAT’S SMOKE’S LRV?

Smoke is a light-medium depth paint color, coming in with an LRV of 56.39.

Smoke could be a wee bit COLD looking in a north-facing room, so sample it carefully to ensure it holds the look you originally wanted.

In a south-facing room, Smoke should be cooking with grease, as it will REALLY help balance off that warm southern light (same with west-facing light)!

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

The Best Paint NUMBER for Your Home – 62

The Best LIGHT Paint Colors for a DARK room

WHAT UNDERTONES DOES SMOKE HAVE?

Smoke is a BLUE paint color at heart, with a soft, subtle green undertone. But not only that, Smoke is a calm, soothing paint color because it has a gorgeous gray backdrop. The blue-green gives Smoke its ‘color,’ and the gray grounds it (not in a “go to your room, no TV” kinda way, but in a GOOOOOD way).

The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & Undertones

SAMPLING PAINT COLORS WITH PEEL & STICK

I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location

• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Get your Samplize PEEL & STICK SAMPLE

WHAT WHITE TRIM COLORS GO WITH SMOKE?

When it comes to white trim colors that pair well with Benjamin Moore Smoke 2122-40, options include

• Chantilly Lace OC-65
• Simply White OC-117
• White Dove OC-17

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors

3 Steps to Picking the Best White Paint Color

IS SMOKE A GOOD COLOR FOR THE EXTERIOR OF A HOME?

Smoke cooould be a great choice for the exterior of a home (depending on your existing hard surfaces and their undertones, of course), particularly when paired with crisp white trim.

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?

IS SMOKE A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS?

Smoke has the potential to be a beautiful and unique choice for kitchen cabinets, although I’ve yet to have a client use it. Smoke could be nicely paired with warm wood tones to balance out the coolness of the color. I would proooobably prefer it on just the lowers or just an island instead of everywhere, though! More of a nice side dish and not the main course.

How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Kitchen Cabinets

The 4 Best Gray & Greige Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets & Vanities

WHAT OTHER COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO SMOKE?

Comparison is the BEST way to choose a paint color for your home. Don’t be afraid to explore other colors to see how undertones, temperatures, and LRVs shift…

If you like Smoke but are looking for other options, similar colors include:

• Benjamin Moore Silver Gray
• Sherwin Williams Niebla Azul
• Sherwin Williams Tradewind

By the way, if you’re considering getting one brand to match another’s paint color, I DON’T recommend it. Read why HERE.

WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH SMOKE?

When looking for coordinating colors with Smoke, check out the following:

• soft muted off-whites – both gray, beige, and cream
• stormy grays like Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray
• Soft, warm whites, as well as BRIGHT whites
• Shades of green with similar degrees of gray in them
• Shades of violet with similar degrees of gray in them

A FEW COMPARISONS…

BENJAMIN MOORE SMOKE VS. BEACH GLASS

The main difference between Smoke and Beach Glass is that while Beach Glass is also a blue-green-gray blend, it has MORE green than Smoke. As for depths, Beach Glass is a bit darker than Smoke, with respective LRVs of 49.7 and 56.39.

SMOKE VS. PALE SMOKE

Smoke and Pale Smoke are similar as they favor blue over green or gray. However, there are two main differences.

1. Pale Smoke has a bit more green and gray in it than Smoke.
2. Pale Smoke is lighter than Smoke with an LRV of 63.6.

SMOKE VS. WOODLAWN BLUE

While both colors favor blue, Woodlawn Blue picks up more green than Smoke and can look a bit cheerier vs. the slightly moodier look of Smoke. Woodlawn Blue is also lighter than Smoke with a higher LRV of 60.65 to Smoke’s 56.39.

READ MORE

The 10 Best Blue-Gray Paint Colours: Calming, Relaxing & Cool’

Sherwin Williams Upward: Color Review (Color of the Year 2024)

How to Choose the Best Blue Paint Color

The 3 Undertones of Cool Gray Paint Colors

The 8 Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

Chat soon,

The post BENJAMIN MOORE SMOKE 2122-40: Paint Color Review appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find brands better than Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore regarding the most popular shades of blue-green-gray. Their ability to tap into the trendy end of things and the traditional means they are my ‘go-to brands’ when I’m doing my Online Paint Color Consulting.

And as far as trends go, no other color blend is more popular than blue-green. Call it turquoise, teal, robin’s egg, whatever the heck you want – I call it awesome.

These are just general blobs, not specific colors

BLUE-GREEN BLEND FUN FACTS

• Cool paint colors such as blue, green, and gray often suit south-facing rooms as they can balance out the warm light coming into the window.
• The darker your room is (or north-facing), the more colorful you’ll want your particular blend to be, as you’ll need it to shine through the shadows.
• The grayer your shade of colour is, the more subtle the undertones will be.
• Intense, bright sunlight can slightly wash out paint colors, so don’t be afraid to add some depth if you have a well-lit room! Remember, some colors can appear richer and more saturated when night comes than in the daytime.
• Blue-green blends are often seen as calming colors, great for bedrooms, bathrooms, and office spaces – especially counseling.
• Many GREEN-GRAY blends can pick up a subtle blue undertone depending on the type of green you’re dealing with (green-blue or green-yellow) and your natural and artificial lighting.
• Many BLUE-GRAY blends can pick up a subtle green hue, depending on the type of blue you’re dealing with.
• Blue-green colors look warmer than blue-purple ones (although both are traditionally cool). Not sure which type of blue is your fave? Check this out…How to Choose the Best Blue for You! 

Shown above, Benjamin Moore Sea Reflections

1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SALT SW-6204

Sea Salt is definitely in the TOP THREE regarding green paint colors. That’s right; Sea Salt is actually a green-gray blend. HOWEVER, it’s been known to lean blue, so I had to include it as one of my FAVES! The green and gray (and blue) combine to provide a subtly colorful, calm blend perfect for a relaxing spa-style bathroom or family-friendly space!

The LRV of Sea Salt is 64, so while it’s a light colour, it won’t reflect as much light into a room as you’d think.

WHY IS SEA SALT A POPULAR PAINT COLOR?

Sea Salt is one of the top choices regarding shades of green-blue-gray. However, it’s unpredictable, and you HAVE to get the SAMPLIZE peel and stick to see how it might act in your room (rather than relying on a small paint chip).

• If you don’t like blue, this is a risky color. If you don’t like green, this is ALSO a risky color!
• While Sea Salt is great for a single room, it’s not as nice for a whole home (too much of a good thing).

Now, all of this makes it sound like not such a great choice. THINK AGAIN! It’s about knowing what to EXPECT with Sea Salt, and once you understand what it might do, it’s easier to wrap your walls in it.

 Color Review – Sea Salt Undertones, Ideas, & More…

The Ultimate Guide to LRV and Choosing Paint Colors

2. BENJAMIN MOORE SILVER MARLIN 2139-50

I LOOOVE Silver Marlin. This flexible, calming shade is perfect for many home styles. This is a subtle color with its blue-green blend and soft gray backdrop. And while it might not get as much attention as shades like Rainwashed and Stratton Blue (coming up shortly), many of my clients prefer Silver Marlin’s more subtle approach to color.

Silver Marlin has an LRV of 57, so it’s a light-medium tone.

IS SILVER MARLIN A POPULAR PAINT COLOR?

While Silver Marlin doesn’t get as much attention as others in this list, it is one of the BEST light-medium depth shades.

Why?

• Silver Marlin can easily look ‘bluer’ or ‘greener’ depending on your exposure, lighting, and interior finishings, making it quite the chameleon!
• This could work well if you like a nod toward colour without a 100% commitment!

3. BENJAMIN MOORE GRAY CASHMERE 2138-60

Gray Cashmere is a LIGHT mix of green, blue, and gray, with a bit more gray than not. It certainly won’t look like a plain shade of gray, but the gray works to calm the blue-green blend down quite a bit. And while it’s a blend of those three colors, it more often leans blue-gray than green-gray.

Gray Cashmere has an LRV of 65 – the highest on this page!

IS GRAY CASHMERE A POPULAR BLUE-GREEN-GRAY PAINT COLOR?

While many are inclined towards a GRAYER look with this type of colour (Benjamin Moore Gray Owl), it’s an awesome choice for those who want a whisper of color.

• Gray Cashmere is a popular bedroom and bathroom paint color with a relaxing vibe.
• While Gray Cashmere has noticeable colors, the overall approach is subtle and soft.

All about LRV and How It Affects Paint Colors

4. BENJAMIN MOORE MOUNT SAINT ANNE 1565

Mount Saint Anne is a gorgeous blue-green with a decent gray backdrop calming it down. The overall blend is calming, while still colorful enough to be interesting! Mount Saint Anne has an LRV of 42, so she’s solidly in the medium tones.

However, like many of these shades, Mount Saint Anne is unpredictable and can look more blue or more green, depending on the space it’s in (as shown in these next two photos)…

The above examples show why it’s SO IMPORTANT to sample carefully, to see how these colors settle in your home with your unique lighting and finishes.

WHY IS MOUNT SAINT ANNE POPULAR?

• Mount Saint Anne is super popular for a calm coastal look.
• While it can be a touch cool for a north-facing room, it’s a great way to balance out the warm sunshine in a south-facing room.

5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS RAINWASHED SW-6211

Rainwashed is a blue-green-gray that favors blue more than green, with the gray falling back quite a bit.

The LRV of Rainwashed is 60, making it a light-depth blue-green paint color.

WHY IS RAINWASHED A POPULAR SHADE OF BLUE-GREEN?

• Rainwashed has a decent amount of color in it, so it will add life to a room without being too punchy.
• Rainwashed has a fresh but calming, soothing look as the gray softens it up.
• It’s SUPER popular for both beachy and modern farmhouse-style homes!

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Quietude (a bit darker)

6. BENJAMIN MOORE GIBRALTAR CLIFFS 1587

Hot DAMN, I love this color! Gibraltar Cliffs is a gorgeous choice for a soft, slightly West Coast vibe! It blends blue and gray with a minor green coming through to soften it up.

Notice in the above photos how the color can rise or fall back depending on the light it’s getting.

Gibraltar Cliffs has an LRV of 30, so while it’s slightly darker, its color rises nicely, especially when hit with a dash of natural light!

WHY IS GIBRALTAR CLIFFS A POPULAR BLUE-GREEN PAINT COLOR?

• It’s great for a whole room if you have enough light
• It’s gorgeous as a feature wall with gray, soft cream, or off-white walls

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Gibraltar Cliffs

I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• Samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location.
• They’re more affordable than the sample pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling.

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EARL GREY 7660

Earl Grey is a GRAY with a reasonably noticeable, but not overpowering blue-green undertone. With its gray foundation, Earl Grey is a calm, coastal approach to gray.

BTW, did you know that I rely 100% on AFTER photos from my local and E-Design clients – Thank you for sending yours in!

Earl Gray on the shiplap fireplace – see the WHOLE room transformation HERE

Earl Gray is a medium-depth paint color with an LRV of 32. If you have a dark room, this LRV, combined with Earl Gray’s reduced undertones, could have it looking a bit flat and drab. Earl Gray does best in a room with adequate lighting to let it come to life!

IS EARL GRAY A POPULAR PAINT COLOR?

• While Earl Gray has its place, many people prefer the increased colour of Gibraltar Cliffs.
• Darkening Earl Gray can enhance its undertones slightly.

8. BENJAMIN MOORE WOODLAWN BLUE HC-147 

Woodlawn Blue is a VERY popular blue hue. So many of today’s most popular blues have a lot of green in them – not this one. This is almost a true blue(with gray) and only has a small amount of green in it, which stops it from looking icy cold and helps it hold up a bit better in a north-facing room (which could look TOO cold with a real true blue on the walls).

WHY IS WOODLAWN BLUE POPULAR?

• Woodlawn has an LRV of 61, so it’s light but not SUPER bright.
• Woodlawn Blue is CALMING and great for balancing out the visual warmth of a south-facing room or a west-facing room in the afternoon.
• With its increased color (chroma), Woodlawn Blue is a good color for dark rooms.

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is The Best?

Is Gray Still Trendy on Walls, Cabinets & Exteriors?

And because there are SO MANY MORE gorgeous shades to explore, here are some more!

NEED HELP? Check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOR PACKAGES – let me make it easy for you! 

9. SHERWIN WILLIAMS COMFORT GRAY 6205

Comfort Gray is more or less the light-medium version of Sea Salt. And just like Sea Salt, it’s a bit of a ninja, looking more blue-green in some rooms and green-blue in others!

WHY IS COMFORT GRAY A POPULAR PAINT COLOUR?

• Comfort Gray has an LRV of 54. Not sure what LRV is? Read here. This LRV means Comfort Gray has more meat on its bones, offering more contrast with white trim.
• Comfort Gray is a beautiful choice for a south-facing room to balance out those warm sunbeams!
• Some blue-greens are super forward with their color. Comfort Gray offers its color on a platter, without making it the WHOLE MEAL.

FULL Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray

While many of the colors in this next image aren’t on this list (as they’re too green or too gray), this should help you see how Comfort Gray compares to other popular shades…

10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SILVER STRAND 7057

Silver Strand is a gorgeous blend of blue, green, and gray – although it USUALLY favors blue the most!

WHY IS SILVER STRAND A POPULAR PAINT COLOUR?

• Silver Strand has an LRV of 59, so it’s a light depth but has a bit more body than others. This works well if you have quite a bit of natural light.
• While Silver Strand is a blend, it’s MUCH more likely to favor the blue, softened quite a bit by the gray, with the green playing a smaller part.
• Silver Strand can be a great choice if you want a WINK of color, but aren’t ready to commit on a large scale.

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

11. SHERWIN WILLIAMS LATTICE 7654

Lattice is a light blend of gray, blue, and green – just a whisper of colour for those not ready to commit fully!

WHY IS LATTICE A POPULAR PAINT COLOUR?

• Lattice has an LRV of 61, so it’s a great light depth and ALMOST on my sweet spot!
• Lattice can just as easily favor the blue over the green OR the green over the blue, giving it TONS of flexibility.
• Overall, Lattice is one of the GRAYEST blends on this page.

BTW, Lattice is QUITE similar to Sherwin Williams Front Porch if you want a color to compare it. Sometimes, it’s that subtle tweak of undertones that does the trick!

The 16 Best Paint Colors with Oak or Wood Cabinets & Trim

12. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SILVERMIST 7621

Silvermist is one of THE most beautiful blue-green paint colors – I get asked about it ALL the time in my Online Paint Color Consulting! And while it looks a bit grayer and calmer in this next photo, in MANY rooms, you can expect it to have a bit more chroma (color)…

Silvermist is muted enough to be calm, thanks to its gray backdrop, but has enough color to add interest and personality to your walls.

IS SILVERMIST A POPULAR BLUE-GREEN BLEND?

With its LRV of 47, Silvermist has more meat on its bones than many others. And while it has its place in many homes due to its PLACEMENT in the fan deck, I think it gets missed a lot!

• Silvermist’s LRV of 47 puts it on the slightly darker side of the light-medium range, making it great for ONE room but not a whole home.
• Whether Silvermist caters to its blue side or its green one is hit-and-miss!
• If you love the idea of a soft blue-green on your front door, Silvermist is a good one to consider.

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Silvermist

13. BENJAMIN MOORE BEACH GLASS 1564

I’ve DEFINITELY saved the best for last if you’re looking for a shade that caters to blue with a polite nod toward gray and green.

Beach Glass has been around for a long time for a good reason. Sitting right above Mount Saint Anne in the fan deck, Beach Glass has a similar approach, but its higher LRV leaves a softer impression on your walls.

Beach Glass has an LRV of 50, so it’s on the slightly darker side of the light-medium range but BLUER and lighter than Silvermist.

WHY IS BEACH GLASS SO POPULAR?

• Beach Glass is the type of depth that adds GREAT personality to your walls without overwhelming them with colour.
• I also think Beach Glass was well named, as even its name suggests a relaxing mood!

14. BENJAMIN MOORE STRATTON BLUE HC-142

Stratton Blue is a stunner if you want a color with a bit more meat on its bones, both in depth and color!

Stratton Blue has an LRV of 38, so while it’s hitting the medium depths, it’s not a heavyweight by any stretch.

WHY IS STRATTON BLUE SO POPULAR?

• It’s gorgeous on the inside or outside of a front door (or even an entire exterior!).
• Great feature wall color.
• Stratton Blue also works well for an ENTIRE room.
• With its commitment to color, Stratton Blue works well in dark rooms as its chroma helps it rise against shaded or dark areas.

Get your SAMPLIZE PEEL & STICK samples of Kylie M’s recommended colors from this post!

PEOPLE ALSO ASK…

WHAT IS SHERWIN WILLIAM’S MOST POPULAR BLUE-GREEN PAINT COLOR?

According to SAMPLIZE Peel & Stick, Sherwin Williams Sea Salt and Rainwashed are the two most popular shades of blue-green. Whether it’s their depth or their exact blend of green, blue, and gray, these two calming, spa-inspired colors often pop up on walls, but not so much on cabinets or exteriors.

Just remember to watch Sea Salt, particularly, as it’s known to swing WILDLY between blue and green – you’ll want to sample it and see where it lands in your home!

The 10 Best Paint Colors to Create Calm & Reduce Stress

WHAT PAINT COLORS GO BEST WITH BLUE-GREEN BLENDS?

Blue-green blends can be pretty flexible, and enjoy being in a palette with cream paint colors and warm off-whites such as Benjamin Moore Ballet White and Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White. These warm-cool combinations can add energy to a space. Blue greens also enjoy some warm shades of gray and greige, including colors like Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray and Revere Pewter.

In this next photo, Benjamin Moore Imperial Gray (another gorgeous shade) plays well with the more muted approach of Benjamin Moore Silver Satin in the dining room.

So there you have it – just a few of the BEST blue-green paint colors!

READ MORE

Sherwin Williams Upward: Color Review (Color of the Year 2024)

The TOP 12 MEDIUM DEPTH Blue Paint Colors

The 10 Best Paint Colors to Create Calm and Reduce Stress

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog

The Best Green Paint Colors

Not sure which is best for you and your home?

Check out my Online / E-Design Paint Color Consultations!

Related Video!

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2019, UPDATED FOR YOU IN 2023

The post The 13 Best Blue & Green Blend Paint Colors: Benjamin Moore & Sherwin Williams appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Blue is a popular paint pick for MANY reasons. It’s calming, classic, coastal, country – subtle, striking, and sensual. But there’s one thing it isn’t, and that’s easy to pick.

And while I’ve written a blog post about the best blue and blue-green paint colors, we need to have a lil’ chat before you whip out your paintbrush. Why? Because while they may seem simple, all blues are NOT created equal…

TRUE BLUE PAINT COLORS

Short of going ‘primary blue,’ it can be hard to peg down a true blue, particularly once you start mixing in gray.

Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue

A colour like Newburyport Blue is more likely to give a ‘true-blue vibe’ without entering the primary range.

BLUE PAINT COLORS WITH PURPLE UNDERTONES

These blues lean slightly more toward purple/violet without committing all the way. A blue-violet often feels a bit cooler than neutral or softer blues. Technically, these are blues with a touch of red (and you know how technical I am – wink wink).

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool

In our last home (above), it was a toss-up as to whether our guests thought the paint colour was blue, blue-purple, or gray!

BLUE PAINT COLORS WITH GREEN UNDERTONES

I’m not going to say that blue-greens are WARM, but they’re definitely a bit softer and more inviting looking than shades of blue-violet. Blue-greens ‘technically’ have a touch of yellow in them.

Benjamin Moore Beach Glass

Sherwin Williams Tidewater

Above two photos: Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin

In the above two photos of Silver Marlin, things look pretty darn green in spots! However, this combines lighting and exposure, as Silver Marlin is a beautiful blend of blue, green, and gray!

Why does all of this matter?

Because you want to make sure you pick the type of blue you like and avoid the ones you don’t. For example, if you don’t like purple, there is a whole WHACK of blues that you’ll want to avoid; the same thing for green.

Sherwin Williams Cyberspace. See the whole room here

Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Cyberspace

HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHICH SHADE OF BLUE IS BEST?

1. Ask the paint store which side of the blue scale your fave sits on.
2. Compare. Pick your FAVE four to six shades of blue and compare them (even if one or two are faves, grab some more). This will help you notice how undertones shift from one to another.

The above photo shows three of Sherwin William’s more popular blue paint colors.

LEFT: BLUE-PURPLE. This includes Windy Blue, Bracing Blue, and Indigo Batik.

CENTER: BLUE (touch of green). A popular color strip, including Languid Blue, Tempe Star, and Whirlpool. As this strip gets darker, the green comes up more.

RIGHT: MORE OBVIOUS BLUE-GREEN. The TOP blue strip these days, including hits like Tradewind, Rain, and Moody Blue.

For each one of these color strips, there are MORE comparables if you want to shift more green or violet – it just depends on which direction you’re heading in!

Sherwin Williams Jubilee

BLUE PAINT COLORS IN NORTH-FACING ROOMS

To paint your north-facing room a beautiful blue, you need to tread carefully. Northern exposure is a cool gray/blue light. Adding blue to the walls will only compound the ‘cool look’ of the room, and northern light also enhances cool colors.

Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue

If you’ve fallen in love with a cool-toned blue, get ready for some serious interior work with lighting, accents, and texture to add balance and visual warmth to the space.

Benjamin Moore Lucerne

However, if you’re worried about blue looking too cool for your room, consider a blue leans into green so that it’s a bit softer.

Read more: The Best Paint Colours for North-Facing Rooms

BLUE & SOUTH-FACING ROOMS

Unlike a north-facing room, a southern room just loooooves blue. Why? South-facing light is warm/yellow, and painting a southern room a warm colour only packs on the heat! By painting the walls a cool blue tone, you’ll help balance the warm sun rays and add serious colour balance to the space.

Benjamin Moore Mount Saint Anne and Benjamin Moore Beach Glass 

However, it’s important that you LOVE blue, as in the evening, you won’t have that warm sunshine to balance things and will have to rely on your interior lighting to add balance.

Read more: The Best Paint Colors for South-Facing Rooms

BLUE & THE BEST LIGHT BULBS/KELVINS

How your blue looks can be subject to the type of light you shine on it…

WARM-TEMPERATURE LIGHT BULBS

When there isn’t any daylight, you might find that warm bulbs (particularly old-school bulbs) can cast a yellow/gold glow on the walls. When this mixes with blue, it can create a kind of blue/green blend (especially the 2700K range, give or take).

DAYLIGHT LIGHT BULBS

While personally, I find daylight bulbs a bit too crisp for everyday living; they can be nice in a bathroom.

Shown above: BM Stonybrook. See the entire home palette here

Daylight bulbs will show your blue at its most true, but remember that this higher Kelvin isn’t a warm, friendly-looking light. I’ve found that men often prefer daylight bulbs, whereas women often like the softness of a warmer light (3500K is often a happy medium).

COLD-TEMPERATURE LIGHT BULBS

There’s not a single room that I would recommend these for – nada.

WHAT ARE THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLORS FOR BLUE?

There are three ways to paint your trim when you’re using blue.

1. COOL WHITE

Cool whites can keep up the crisp, clean, cool vibe of your blues. Remember, it’s best if your white trim is consistent throughout your home, and a cool white trim won’t accommodate a wide range of colors.

2. TRUE WHITE

Choosing a simple white like Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace is often the safest bet when painting with blue. However, it ALL depends on your décor style and other features, such as any white cabinets/existing whites – it’s best not to mix and match your whites!

3. WARM WHITE

A warm white will slightly contrast with the blue, creating a pretty combo as long as you don’t go TOO warm on the white; subtle and simple is best (i.e., Benjamin Moore White Dove.)

 The 8 Best Benjamin Moore White Paint Colors

So, now that we’ve covered the basics of blue, it’s time to pick your FAVE, so head over to this blog post to see some of my faves!

PEOPLE ALSO ASK…

WHAT’S THE MOST POPULAR SHADE OF BLUE?

It depends on which depth you’re looking for. Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is one of the best darker navy blues, as is Sherwin Williams Cyberspace. In the light range, Sherwin Williams Tradewind is popular, as well as Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue and Ocean Air.

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

WHAT’S THE MOST CALMING SHADE OF BLUE?

The answer is open to personal tastes. Many find darker shades of blue more calming and relaxing, whereas others prefer lighter shades of blue mixed with gray and green.

READ MORE:

The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colours BM and SW

Sherwin Williams Upward: Color Review (Color of the Year 2024)

Colour Review: Sherwin Williams Network Gray

Benjamin Moore Smoke Paint Color Review

Not sure which blue is right for you?

Check out my FUN E-Design packages! 

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2018, AWESOME UPDATED FOR YOU IN 2023

The post What’s the Best Blue Paint Color for Your Walls? appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

HOT DAMN…literally. I did not see this one coming! It turns out that Benjamin Moore is throwing down the gauntlet with another ‘game-changing’ colour of the year. That’s right, we’re going RED!

And not just any red. Whereas some trendy reds lean on orange, giving an earthy, rusty appearance, this red is one blazing hot, glorious shade. Let me introduce you to…

Not familiar with it? Well, if you haven’t visited Paris’ fashion shows (oh pshaw!), painted your front door, or wanted to add a little hot SPICE to the bedroom, you’ve probably skipped over this one.

But that doesn’t mean you should…

Caliente is part of the Affinity Colour Collection, which is well-known for having colors that are deeper and more involved than your ‘everyday’ paint colour. The average color is made up of, say, 3-4 tints. The Affinity colors can be made up of 7-8, making them hard to colour match and super versatile!

Caliente is a ravishing red (takes one to know one – wink wink), and unlike the reds of yesteryear, it doesn’t lean into the orange range, which means we’re avoiding the earthy-rusty effect. However, it’s not a terribly COLD red because it isn’t overly blue-toned. It really just sits nicely in a more intimate range, rather than being shocking or abrasive.

But that doesn’t mean you have to like it…

Any colour and where it looks good depends on a variety of things, such as the room, the exposure, and the products in the room. However, with the Caliente, in particular, it REALLY comes down to personal tastes.

I’ve found that people either LOVE red or hate it. Many people can handle it as an accent but would be hesitant to commit to it on a scale larger than an apple or underwear. And then there are others who wouldn’t HESITATE to paint their entire room a rip-roarin’ red or, at the very least, an accent wall! (Personally, the only red I’ll be splashing on my walls tastes an awful lot like wine, in which case I’ll be licking my walls shortly).

So, with that being said, let’s take a closer look at Caliente to see if it could work for you…

WHAT’S THE LRV OF CALIENTE?

Caliente DOES pack a punch with an LRV of 8.82! This means it’s in the darker range and will add a sultry, sexy look to your walls – but let’s keep things PG here, people.

However, whereas many colors with this low LRV can read flat or dark, thanks to Caliente’s intense color (chroma), there’s nothing drab about it.

 The Ultimate Guide to LRV and Choosing Paint Colours 

WHERE DOES CALIENTE (OR RED) WORK BEST?

There are a lot of places where Caliente will work. There are two good reasons why Caliente is a super flexible, versatile shade of red…

1. while it’s a striking shade, it’s not obnoxious like a primary red
2. it’s more fresh and striking than a more country, rustic red

A RED FRONT DOOR

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR – DO YOU WANT TO HEAT THE WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD – sorry, flashback to my childhood.

Really, though, I’m not a red fan, but this entryway TOTALLY does it for me. I think it’s the contrast with the white and gray and adequate natural lighting – it’s pretty striking!

Because I haven’t had clients use Caliente, and I don’t ‘borrow’ from other Designers, I don’t have images of Caliente in action. These are photos from the Benjamin Moore site.

USING RED IN ACCESSORIES & ACCENTS

This might be where I’d land if adding red to my home. And while I prefer a more rustic red, I can see how this fresh red is TOTALLY appealing in a room like this!

A RED ACCENT WALL

Accent or feature walls are a great way to add personality to a room without committing a) long term and b) large scale.

However, if you love all things red (including me), you might be RED-Y to commit to it in an entire room, in which case red can look SMASHING in…

A SMALL ROOM IN RED

Small rooms such as powder rooms are the BEST place to add personality and leave your guests with a lasting impression!

3 Ideas to Add Personality to a Small Bathroom

RED IN THE BEDROOM

Personally, I don’t need to add any more reason for Tim to get fired up for the pants-off-dance-off, so I’ll be avoiding this one for sure.

RED IN THE DINING ROOM

According to color psychology, a red like Caliente is great for the appetite!

So whatcha think – does it float ‘yer boat, or are you more comfortable with a daring shade of navy blue or a moody dark green?

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CALIENTE HERE! 

CALIENTE (or almost any red) & HOW TO USE IT

• It can help to jazz up a cooler north-facing room or FURTHER enhance the warmth of a south-facing room
• It looks stunning with a lot of wood tones, but I might avoid overly orange-toned woods
• It will benefit from a good coat of primer before you jump into the real painting
• Consider a matte or, at the most, eggshell finish. Red can get a bit garish on walls if they’re too glossy
• On a door, satin is a beautiful, durable finish for a red like Caliente

CALIENTE vs. HERITAGE RED

No color should be chosen before comparing it to other similar shades. As for Heritage Red, it’s similar to Caliente in that they’re both reasonably powerful shades of red. However, they differ in that Heritage Red is lighter, with an LRV Of 10.26, to Caliente’s darker of 8.82. This isn’t a HUGE difference, but it’s noticeable when you compare the two colors. If I’m looking for a rockin’ red, I prefer Caliente to the slightly softer look of Heritage Red.

CALIENTE VS MILLION DOLLAR RED

Million Dollar Red is another popular shade of red thanks to its intensity – nodding towards the ‘primary red’ end. The great thing about comparing Caliente with Million Dollar Red is that MDR shows you how Caliente is powerful, but not SHOCKINGLY so. Million Dollar Red is awesome if you want a more genuine approach to red. However, Caliente is a great way to get red without getting slapped in the face with it.

Besides being a cleaner version of red, Million Dollar Red is a good shot lighter than Caliente, with its LRV of 12.58 (to Caliente’s 8.82).

READ MORE

The 9 Best Front Door Paint Colors

The 6 Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands & Bathroom Vanities

Kylie’s Colours of the Year: Real People Real Homes

Colour Review: Behr Quiet Moments

Not sure which colour to pick for YOUR room? 

Check out my E-DESIGN packages – they’re affordable AND fun! 

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, UPDATED IN 2023

The post Benjamin Moore Caliente AF-290: Color Review (2018 Colour of the Year) appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

When choosing the best shade of blue for your walls, cabinets, or exterior, you’ve likely come across colors like Hale Navy, Newburyport Blue, and Cyberspace. But there’s one blue that doesn’t get NEARLY enough recognition, and that’s Van Deusen Blue. This is why we’re looking closely at this color to see if it’s what you and your home have been searching for…

BEFORE WE GET STARTED…

To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality photos I need or the RIGHT photos, but I DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!

IS VAN DEUSEN BLUE A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?

Van Deusen Blue is definitely a cool blue paint color. However, while light, cool paint colors can feel a bit icy, because of Van Deusen’s lower LRV, it can look cozy in the right space!

South or west-facing rooms, in particular, could love Van Deusen’s color and depth as it will add balance to these types of spaces (ones that get warm natural light).

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

WHAT’S VAN DEUSEN BLUE’S LRV?

Van Deusen Blue has an LRV of 11.97. This means it’s a darkISH blue, but not one of the heavy hitters like Benjamin Moore Hale Navy, and Sherwin Williams Cyberspace.

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

The Best Paint NUMBER for Your Home – 62

The Best LIGHT Paint Colors for a DARK room

WHAT UNDERTONES DOES VAN DEUSEN BLUE HAVE?

Van Deusen Blue’s undertones are some of the most FLEXIBLE because they don’t cater hard to green or violet. However, for it to work in your home, your finishes need to support this, as many finishes NEED a more definitive blue-violet or blue-green.

When looking for your home’s best blue, it’s about figuring out whether your home caters to a blue-violet, a blue-green or needs something that can flex either way. How do you figure this out? Look at your surrounding finishes. If your finishes contain blue, what TYPE of blue is it? If you have a lot of gray, which undertone does your gray cater to? These are just a few ways to figure out which blue is best.

The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & Undertones

SAMPLING VAN DEUSEN BLUE WITH PEEL & STICK

I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location

• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Get your Samplize PEEL & STICK SAMPLE

WHAT WHITE TRIM COLORS GO WITH VAN DEUSEN BLUE?

Because of its lower LRV and degree of color, Van Deusen Blue humors a bunch of beautiful white paint colors, such as:

• Chantilly Lace OC-65
• Simply White OC-117
• White Dove OC-17

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors

3 Steps to Picking the Best White Paint Color

IS VAN DEUSEN BLUE A GOOD COLOR FOR THE EXTERIOR OF A HOME?

Van Deusen could be gorgeous for the exterior of your home. Because it’s not a DARK navy blue, it can look a touch more coastal and offers a wicked pretty contrast with white trim.

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?

IS VAN DEUSEN BLUE A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS?

I would definitely paint my cabinets Van Deusen Blue, as long as it’s the right blue for the countertop/backsplash. Van Deusen Blue is also a gorgeous color for a kitchen island or bathroom vanity.

Why?

Some people find blues like Hale Navy and Cheating Heart too dark – they want navy blue without the visual WEIGHT. And while Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue can be a good happy medium, sometimes Van Deusen hits the spot!

The Best Shades of Blue for Cabinets, Islands, Accent Walls, & Front Doors

The 4 Best Gray & Greige Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets & Vanities

WHAT OTHER COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO VAN DEUSEN BLUE?

Several colors compare to Van Deusen Blue. And while no color is a perfect match, you can easily shift a bit darker/bluer/grayer with the following shades…

• Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray
• Benjamin Moore Evening Dove
• Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik

WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH VAN DEUSEN BLUE?

Where do I even START? Van Deusen Blue is relatively easy to please when coordinating paint colors…

• stormy cool shades of gray like Sherwin Williams Big Chill
• subtle warm grays with violet undertones
• many popular shades of cream
• almost any shade of white
• shades of green with similar degrees of gray in them

READ MORE

The 10 Best Blue-Gray Paint Colours: Calming, Relaxing & Cool

BENJAMIN MOORE HALE NAVY: Paint Color Review

The 3 Undertones of Cool Gray Paint Colors

The 8 Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

Chat soon,

The post BENJAMIN MOORE VAN DEUSEN BLUE HC-156: Paint Color Review appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Whether you’re painting your kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanity, exterior, or front door, FEW colors are as classic and versatile as navy blue.

Navy blue has been kickin’ it a LONG TIME in the design world, and while its popularity ebbs and flows, it’s hands-down one of the colors with serious longevity – an important factor if you want to create a timeless home.

Of course, I can’t tell you that your cabinets, built-ins, or front door will SUIT navy blue; not every home can visually support it. You need the right environment, finishes, and colors to support the strength of navy blue, but these ideas will at least get you off to a good start. And if you find out that blue doesn’t work for you – I’ve got more!

I love to show RELATEABLE & REAL homes, so I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. 

Now, before we get into the GOOD stuff, let’s chat about two important points for a minute…

1. THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF BLUE PAINT COLORS

• BLUE-VIOLET (blue-purple)
• BLUE-GREEN
• BLUE

Looking at these two paint blobs, if you looked at EITHER independently of the other, they would look pretty darned navy blue, yet COMPARED to each other, you can see that subtle shift.

When choosing the best blue for you and your home, you need to figure out which TYPE of blue suits your home’s hard and soft finishes. For example…

• Many marble or marble-look countertops suit a blue-violet vs. a blue-green
• A beachy look often suits a blue-green over a blue-violet
• A transitional or traditional style home usually suits blue-violet vs. a blue-green

The thing with blue (and many paint colors) is that how they look is subjective based on who’s looking at them AS WELL AS the products and OTHER blues they’re partnered with. A relatively neutral blue might look slightly blue-violet if you partner it with a blue-green. On the other hand, that same neutral blue could look a bit blue-green if partnered with a stronger blue-violet!

WHERE’S MY WINE? Seriously, it’s a lot to think about.

2. IT’S ALL IN THE SHEEN (not including Charlie, he’s a hot mess)

SHEEN affects how paint colors look, so when sampling, it’s important you do four things:

1. Have your samples made in a SATIN finish. Although, I’ve found the sheen on the darker colors from SAMPLIZE is pretty close (darker colors tend to carry more sheen).

2. Pick up a PAPER chip sample of Benjamin Moore Black (2132-10) or Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black. Darker paint colors can look DAMN dark on a small scale. Taping a sample of black to your larger samples will give you a better frame of reference as to their ACTUAL depth and color!

3. Hang your samples 100% vertically. Light reflects differently off vertical surfaces and horizontal surfaces. It’s VITAL that your samples are totally vertical – even a slight lean can skew things (also a reason why you shouldn’t drink too much wine while sampling)

4. Pivot your samples to the left and right to see how they catch the light. Doing this will show you how SHEEN plays with your room’s natural and artificial light.

Cool beans? Alright, let’s DO THIS!

1. BENJAMIN MOORE CHEATING HEART 1617

When I’m looking for a WICKED dark, striking shade of navy blue or DARK GRAY, Cheating Heart has MY heart. With its LOW LRV of 6.89 and subtle blue-violet hue, Cheating Heart is close to the black end of things but has some gray and blue to lift it from the depths. If you have SUPER LOW light, Cheating Heart could look slightly blackish, and you’ll need decent interior lighting to help it out.

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CHEATING HEART

If you compare Cheating Heart to Sherwin Williams Cyberspace (coming shortly), you’ll see they have VERY SIMILAR LRVs. However, Cheating Heart has LESS navy blue/more gray, which sometimes casts a bit more black, and can also be considered a ‘dark charcoal with a blue undertone.’

Cheating Heart with Sherwin Williams Pure White walls

You can also use Cheating Heart on interior and exterior doors…

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart

And it’s on the garage door too…

YOUTUBE Video Review of Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart

2. BENJAMIN MOORE HALE NAVY HC-154

Hale Navy is a classic and popular shade of navy blue paint. Not too bright, not too dark, with an LRV of 6.3, Hale Navy is near the top of the heap when it comes to versatility.

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF HALE NAVY

Do I love Hale Navy? HAAAAALE YES, I DO! Hale Navy is a shade of blue with just enough of a neutral base to calm it down, so it doesn’t look like it’s trying too hard.

Whether on an island, bathroom vanity, or front door, it’s a classic addition to almost any home.

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

YOUTUBE Video Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

If Hale Navy is TOO BLUE for you, check out Sherwin Williams Cyberspace (below).

3. BENJAMIN MOORE NEWBURYPORT BLUE HC-155

If you find Hale Navy too dark, Newburyport has a similar approach; it’s just a bit lighter (LRV of 8.28), but still pretty dang blue. Newburyport Blue is often what people think of when they think of ‘navy blue.’ And as with any color, it all comes down to how much DEPTH you want on your surface and how much COLOR you want to see! The great thing about Newburyport Blue is that it’s pretty well-balanced in both regards!

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF NEWBURYPORT BLUE

This next photo shows Newburyport Blue as an accent wall. It doesn’t always appear this blue-green, although it favors green OVER violet as it relates to undertones.

Where Should I Paint a Feature Wall, & WHAT COLOR Should It Be?

If Newburyport Blue is too light, return to Hale Navy or check out Sherwin Williams Naval (coming shortly). If you’d like a lighter take on Newburyport Blue, check out the similar approach of Van Deusen Blue.

4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CYBERSPACE 7076

Cyberspace is my PERSONAL fave regarding the best navy blue colors for kitchen islands and bathroom vanities (even feature walls!). Cyberspace is similar to Hale Navy but has a bit more gray, giving it a more subdued approach to navy blue. With an LRV of 6, Cyberspace is a color that really grounds a space with depth without overwhelming it with strong ‘color.’

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CYBERSPACE

In this next photo, my client wanted to update the look of her oak kitchen without painting ALL of the cabinets. Cyberspace does the trick and pulls nicely into the flecks in her countertop.

5 Ideas to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

In the next two photos, we used Cyberspace on the built-ins beside the fireplace and the kitchen island…

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Cyberspace

If Cyberspace is more muted than you want, bump back to Benjamin Moore Hale Navy or check out Sherwin Williams Naval (below)!

SAMPLIZE offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots.

• Samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 BUSINESS DAY!
• They’re more affordable than the sample pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling.

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SERPENT 7615

Sea Serpent is a deep, dark, navy blue paint color with a striking approach that leans just a tiny touch into green (compare it to Cyberspace to see the shift). Sea Serpent has an LRV of 7, so while it’s certainly a dark shade of blue, it’s not as heavy as some on this page.

If Sea Serpent isn’t TRUE BLUE enough for you, Sherwin Williams In the Navy (coming shortly) or Naval should do the trick!

The Best Navy Blue and Teal Paint Colors for Your Front Door

6. BENJAMIN MOORE WROUGHT IRON 2124-10

LRV 6.16

If you thought Cheating HEART was dark, wait until you see Wrought Iron! Wrought Iron is an ALMOST BLACK blend of black, gray, and navy blue, but a blue that leans reasonably into blue-violet.

Compared to Cheating Heart, the blue in Wrought Iron takes more of a backseat, and the black-gray comes forward. In some lights, Wrought Iron can look more like a SOFT BLACK than anything blue-inspired, so it’s SO IMPORTANT to have that little paper chip sample of Benjamin Moore Black 2132-10 handy for comparison.

This next photo with Wrought Iron on a side door demonstrates how it comes to life if given some light to play with!

However, on these shutters, you can see how dark it can POTENTIALLY look…

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron

YOUTUBE Video Review of Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron

7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NAVAL 6244

Naval has a crazy dark LRV OF 4 – HOLY FREAKIN’ DINAH! While Naval is a SUPER dark navy blue, thanks to its high degree of color (saturation/chroma), it doesn’t look as black as Wrought Iron can. That’s right, Naval has a bit more ‘color’ than the average blue, along with a subtle touch of green hiding deep inside. Tip your sample to see how the light plays off this bad boy and brings him to life!

Before, the color on this door was cute, but the homeowner wanted a darker hue with more impact…

After, Naval came in and did the job…

Compare the front door to the welcome mat – the comparison will help you see the COLOR of Naval better.

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Naval

The 10 Best Farrow & Ball Blue Paint Colors

8. SHERWIN WILLIAMS IN THE NAVY 9178

Are you humming along with me ‘…in the navy, yes, you can put your mind at ease’? These words have NEVER been truer. If you’re looking for THE NAVY BLUE OF ALL NAVY BLUES, this is it.

In the Navy pulls NO punches with its dark LRV (4) and striking approach to navy blue, making colors like Benjamin Moore Hale Navy and Sherwin Williams Cyberspace look NEUTRAL in comparison (not really, but I’m just trying to make a point here).

And at some point, I’ll have some FABULOUS photos of it in action – hopefully soon! Until then, you can see it on Pinterest.

9. BENJAMIN MOORE GENTLEMAN’S GRAY 2062-20

Gentleman’s GRAY? PARDON ME? Gentleman’s Gray is about as far from gray as you can get! However, this color ALWAYS throws me off because while it’s classified as a blue-violet, compare it to ANY OF THE NAVY BLUES on this page, and it looks a touch blue-green. I’m still wrestling with this as I BELIEVE it’s a blue-green (even if scientifically it isn’t). WHERE’S MY WINE?!

BIG THANK YOU to all my Online Color Consulting clients for sending in their photos – you make my colorful little world go round! 

Along with its green undertone, Gentleman’s Gray is a STRONG approach to navy blue with much less gray than many of its peers. As for depth, Gentleman’s Gray has an LRV of 7, making it one of the moderate shades of dark blue.

10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS INDIGO BATIK 7602

Indigo Batik is a GORGEOUS denim-inspired navy blue paint color (slightly blue-violet) that’s a bit softer but cleaner compared to the more classic shades of navy. It’s VERY comparable to Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue and also has an LRV of 8.

When sampling Indigo Batik, you might be SURPRISED at how much lighter it looks when the light hits and may want to go a bit darker, in which case you could go back to Benjamin Moore Hale Navy.

Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray Paint Colors Review

QUESTIONNAIRE: Should I Paint My Kitchen Cabinets or Leave Them Stained?

11. BENJAMIN MOORE WESTCOTT NAVY 1624

Westcott Navy is a gorgeous dark navy blue paint color with the right blend of navy blue (slightly blue-green) and gray so that it’s saying ‘navy’ all day long without yelling it from the rooftops.

If you like Sherwin Williams Cyberspace, Westcott Navy is similar but is like a subtle, slightly bluer tweak of it. Although its LRV is a touch higher, at 8, this dark blue has some serious visual weight due to its decreased degree of color (chroma).

12. BENJAMIN MOORE DOWNPOUR BLUE 2063-20

Downpour Blue could do the trick if you’re looking for a blue with a little more PUNCH, especially with an LRV of 5.5! While being the STRONGEST and brightest navy blue on this page, Downpour Blue stops shy of being a ‘primary’ blue as it has a subtle bit of gray-black to calm it down…a bit.

NOW, do me a favor and compare Downpour Blue to Gentleman’s Gray, and TELL ME that GG doesn’t look blue-green! Truth be told, even Downpour Blue can look a wink blue-green. Anyways…

If you’re looking for that NEXT LEVEL in brightness in your navy blue, check out Benjamin Moore Blue 2066-10 or Benjamin Moore Patriot Blue, which is WICKED gorgeous. Want something more MUTED? Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray could do the trick!

13. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CHARCOAL BLUE 2739

Charcoal Blue is awesome for its moderate approach to navy blue. Not as rich and striking as In the Navy, but not as muted as Cheating Heart, Charcoal Blue is definitely NAVY BLUE; it’s just a softer take on it. As for undertones, Charcoal Blue favors a slight violet undertone with some gray for a calming effect.

Like most navy blue paint colors, Charcoal Blue is a popular choice for kid’s rooms, accent walls, islands, and doors…

WHAT’S THE MOST POPULAR NAVY BLUE PAINT COLOR?

Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is one of the BEST, most popular shades of dark blue for walls, doors, cabinets, and exteriors.

So, there you have it – some GORGEOUS navy blue paint colors for almost ANY paintable surface in your home!

READ MORE

The 6 Best HOA-FRIENDLY Front Door Paint Colors

Benjamin Moore Blue Nova: Color Review (Color of the Year 2024)

Farrow & Ball’s 10 Best Blue Paint Colors

The Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

The Best Paint Colors for a Kitchen Island

The Best Front Door Paint Colors

NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING PACKAGES

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2021, UPDATED IN 2023 FOR PHOTOS AND CONTENT

The post The 13 Best DARK Navy Blue Paint Colors appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

When it comes to choosing the best green paint color for your home, you’re often one small step away from a room that looks like it’s designed by Kermit or Shrek. This is why it’s SUPER important you do your research (btw, you’ve come to the right place).

As with EVERY paint color, it’s never just as simple as ‘choosing the color that tickles your fancy.’ When picking the best green for your space, it’s about tuning into your surroundings to see which TYPE of green your home is asking for. And while you’ll find everything from olive and chartreuse to pickle and sage, there are generally TWO TYPES of green to choose from…

• WARM GREEN
• COOL GREEN

Choose the RIGHT green, and you’ll be giving yourself personal high-fives. Choose the WRONG green, and you’ll be twitching in the corner, cursing your wall’s pea soup, baby poop, or mint-inspired color.

This SUPER dark green-gray is striking with the wood cabinets

WARM GREEN PAINT COLORS

Green that has a YELLOW undertone is a warm green. When my clients want a warm green shade, they usually crave a green on the more subtle end of the warm range. This means that while there’s yellow in it, it’s a very SMALL amount. This passive approach avoids the pea soup and chartreuse end of things (colors that I personally love…in the right spot).

See the entire farmhouse country paint palette.

• Warm green paint colors have a yellow undertone that can be virtually unnoticeable depending on HOW MUCH yellow is mixed in.
• Warm green paint colors with a STRONG neutral base will lean into either GREIGE or TAN. Add enough of a neutral base, and your warm green will become the UNDERTONE rather than the dominant color.
• Warm green paint colors can help balance out cool northern light or flat eastern light.

In this next photo, we step OUT of green and into GREIGE, which means it’s a warm neutral with a green-yellow undertone…

Sherwin Williams Anonymous

And I absolutely fell in love with the subtle green warmth of Benjamin Moore’s Antique Pewter, shown on the lower cabinets in this kitchen remodel…

See the before and afters HERE

COOL GREEN PAINT COLORS

Green paint colors that lean into BLUE are cool greens. And as it relates to ‘colors’, green-blue or blue-green (where blue is more dominant than green) are the most POPULAR shades these days.

Color Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

You might look at that photo above and think, ‘ermmm, that ain’t green; that’s BLUE.‘ Truth be told, it can be both! This is Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, which is a well-known green/gray. However, because of Sea Salt’s particular make-up, it just LOOOOVES leaning into blue (because the black that it’s made with is a blue/black, but that’s getting a WEE bit technical). I have clients who find it TOO green (when they want a green/blue) and others who find it too blue – it’s a bit of a ninja!

Benjamin Moore Prescott Green

• In the lighter range, green-blue can come across as minty if it doesn’t have enough gray in it.
• Lean CONSIDERABLY into blue, and you’ll hit the teal/aquamarine end of things.
• If you add ENOUGH gray to your cool green, you’ll get a shade of GRAY with a green-blue undertone.
• Cool green paint colors balance rooms with warm southern or afternoon western sunshine.

Benjamin Moore Dark Pewter – a GORGEOUS green-blue blend.

As shown in this next kitchen, a slightly cool green like Sherwin Williams Cascade Green can offer a slightly vintage vibe…

SAMPLING PAINT COLORS WITH PEEL & STICK

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location
• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

NEUTRAL GREEN PAINT COLORS

Short of hitting the primary end of things, it can be hard to land on a green-green, you know, one that doesn’t lean obviously warm or cool. And really, I can’t say that many people are looking for THAT green. In fact, most of my E-design clients clearly know which green they love, and it’s often a definitive preference for WARM green or COOL green. Taking this a bit further, they also love green as an UNDERTONE in cool or slightly warm neutrals.

Let’s take a look at Sherwin Williams Liveable Green, a green that’s about as close as we get to a TRUE green with a neutral base…

Notice that it looks just a TOUCH cool in the above light (natural light).

Now take a look at the same paint color with the light fixture on…

While this isn’t a shift in NATURAL light, the warmth of the bulbs (likely around 3000K) changes how Liveable Green looks, making it look WARMER than it does in the room’s natural light!

How to Choose the Right Kelvins For Your Paint Color

PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR HOME’S INTERIOR FINISHES

It’s not just your exposure and personal tastes that count when choosing a color; you must also pay CLOSE attention to your surrounding finishes.

A countertop like this demands a COOL green paint color

For example…

• If your countertop or tile has green in it, find out if it’s a warm green or a cool green. If you’re unsure, bring home a WIDE RANGE of green paint colors and see which ones clash and which ones connect.
• If your surrounding finishes have violet or pink undertones and crave a green hue, I suggest a cool green over a warm one. Just keep in mind that opposites attract and can make each other STRONGER!

Because the green in this tile is a VERY slightly cool, stormy (and subtle) green, it prefers green paint colors with similar traits.

On the other hand, if your room has reasonably flexible finishes, you can pick almost any darn green you want…

Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke (the tile floor has MINOR violet-pink undertones)

GREEN PAINT COLORS IN NORTH OR EAST-FACING ROOMS

If you’re hoping to paint your north-facing room a green paint color, I highly suggest reading up on the best paint colors for north-facing light. The quick n’ dirty is that northern light is gray with a subtle cool (blue) undertone.

Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog & Pure White

What does this mean?

If you paint a north-facing room green with a cool blue undertone, you might find that things look a titbit nipply as your northern light ENCOURAGES this combination even cooler. If you want to BALANCE the temperature of your natural light, and if it suits your room’s interior finishes, consider the following…

• Warm green paint colors.
• Warm grays with a green undertone, as even these have a touch of yellow hiding in them.
• Greige with a slightly more noticeable green undertone – especially if your room doesn’t have a lot of natural light.

The 10 Best Gray & Greige Paint Colors

East-facing rooms are similar to north-facing rooms. While they have a bright light in the morning, they can feel quite flat and drab in the afternoon. So, just like north-facing rooms, they often benefit from a warmer, cozier green or a more noticeable green undertone.

In this next photo, this paint color is similar to Sherwin Williams Acanthus. While it’s a warm green, it’s not OVERWHELMINGLY warm and can be a great happy medium if you and your north-facing room disagree on which way to go…

However, give this same room some strong afternoon western sunshine, and a warm green paint color like this could end up looking more like Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green! Why? The afternoon western sunshine will ADD more warmth to the walls, making the paint color look toastier than expected! EXPOSURE MATTERS (especially if it’s indecent).

GREEN PAINT COLORS IN SOUTH OR WEST-FACING ROOMS

When it comes to south or west-facing rooms, you’re dealing with the OTHER side of the thermometer – the warm one. And if you want to paint your south or west-facing room your favorite shade of green, you MAY want to do your research first (read THIS!). To give you a quick summary, the south-facing light is a warm light with a yellow hue. As for west-facing rooms, they’re flat in the morning light but pick up warmth in the afternoon, dipping into orange and pink as the day wears on.

What does this mean?

South-facing rooms or rooms with western afternoon sunshine will ADD WARMTH to your walls. So, if your walls are already a warm hue, you risk tipping the scales a bit too far for visual comfort.

This next room looks gorgeous with Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green on the cabinets…

However, PLEASE keep in mind that how a paint color looks online can be much different from how it looks in your home. Why does this matter?

Well, look at the cabinet in the bottom right corner – see that snippet of green? THAT’S how Caldwell Green looks in more muted light. The upper cabinets are getting hit with…

a) awesome exterior light

b) interior lighting

c) a great photographer who knows how to show a room at its best

This means that if you don’t have this SAME environment, your paint color will look different!

This ALSO means that if you’re considering a WARM green, you may want to tweak things a bit. South and west-facing rooms often suit…

• Green paint colors that lean into blue as the COOL temperature can help to balance the warm sun visually.
• Cool neutrals such as gray with a green-blue undertone.
• Greige paint colors with a green undertone but lean closer to gray than beige.

WHAT’S THE BEST GREEN PAINT COLOR?

While it depends on many variables (i.e., depth, degree of color, etc…), Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog is a popular shade of green, as well as Benjamin Moore’s October Mist. In fact, both of these colors happened to be ‘Colors of the Year’ at one point in time, adding to their popularity.

A few more popular shades of green…

• Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue (beautiful on kitchen islands)
• Benjamin Moore Camouflage (the best for open layouts and bedrooms)
• Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive (awesome for a front door)
• Sherwin Williams Softened Green (a beautiful, calming bedroom color)
• Sherwin Williams Dried Thyme (fun for a feature wall!)

And heck, this isn’t written in stone – you do you, boo! If you love a certain green even though it goes against your exposure, FILL YER LITTLE GREEN BOOTS! However, if it goes against your finishes, you MAY want to find a happy medium instead.

READ MORE

The 15 Best Medium to DARK Green Paint Colors

The 8 Best Green Paint Colors

Benjamin Moore October Mist Paint Color Review

The 10 Best Paint Colors to Reduce Stress & Create Calm

Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog

NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING PACKAGES! 

Chat soon,

The post HOW TO Choose The Best Green Paint Color appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I’m always excited #nervous #scared to see what the popular paint brands choose as their ‘Color of the Year.’ And while I’ll always have MAD love for last year’s color from Sherwin Williams – Urbane Bronze, HOLY FREAKIN’ CANNOLI, am I ever happy to see Evergreen Fog, and I can’t WAIT to share it with you. Why? Let’s find out…

BEFORE WE GET STARTED…

In order to show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality or the RIGHT photos, but I definitely have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!

And as it relates to Evergreen Fog, I will DEFINITELY have some photos to show you in the very near future, as I’ve chosen it as one of the colors in our upcoming lake build! I also anticipate it being a BIG hit with my clients.

What type of paint color is Evergreen Fog? Is it warm or cool?

Evergreen Fog is a green paint color (I’m not just good looks, you know). HOWEVER, not every green is created equal…

• WARM GREEN – green with a yellow undertone
• COOL GREEN – green with a cool undertone

Evergreen Fog is definitely a COOL green, which we’ll get into shortly.

ACTUALLY, I do have one ‘in progress’ photo that our builder snapped for me. As you can see, it needs one more coat, but it’s going to look DARN gorgeous when it’s done!

One of the great things about Evergreen Fog is that whether your room is north-facing, south-facing, east, or west, it holds its hue very well. This means that even in northern light (shown above) or eastern light, it doesn’t lean into blue. As for southern or afternoon western light, you can expect it to warm up without leaning hard into green-yellow.

And here you go, the AFTER photo in all of its coastal glory…

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

What’s the LRV of Evergreen Fog?

Evergreen Fog has an LRV of 30. Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

With an LRV of 30, Evergreen Fog can hold its color QUITE well in an overly bright room. On the other hand, while it will look that bit darker in a room without adequate light, it has enough chroma/color to rise up and show its true colors (whereas colors with more gray in them could fall flat)

How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint! 

The Best LIGHT Paint Colors for a DARK room

What are the undertones of Evergreen Fog? Will it look gray or blue?

As you learned earlier, Evergreen Fog is a COOL shade of green, meaning it’s a green with a blue undertone. But don’t worry; the blue is so subtle it DOESN’T show up to the party (unlike me, who shows up whether I’m invited or not – wink wink).

As for the gray undertone, one of the reasons why Evergreen Fog is a popular shade is because of the AMOUNT of gray in it. While some green hues can come across as a little too strong, the gray in Evergreen Fog helps calm it down while leaving a glorious green on your walls – even Kermit would approve.

What’s the best way to sample a paint color?

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location
• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

GET YOUR EVERGREEN FOG PEEL & STICK SAMPLE HERE

What’s the best white paint color for trims or cabinets with Evergreen Fog?

GREAT question! So many people don’t consider their trim or cabinets when choosing a color like Evergreen Fog. And while it’s QUITE flexible, there are a few things to consider…

• The warmer your white is, the more yellow it can look ‘in comparison’ to Evergreen Fog. This means that your previously muted-looking white could look surprisingly colorful when partnered with a green hue like this.
• Evergreen Fog suits MANY warm whites, but for the above reason, leans into those with a more muted approach, such as Sherwin Williams Pure White, Alabaster, and Benjamin Moore White Dove.
• While Evergreen Fog can handle some cool whites (i.e., Extra White), it prefers a WHITER white like Sherwin Williams High Reflective White or Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (fave).

IS EVERGREEN FOG A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?

Green can be tricky as it doesn’t always jibe with brick, stonework, and roof colors. This doesn’t mean it won’t work with YOURS, but make sure that green is a NATURAL choice for your home in that it already exists (i.e., in the roof) or contrast/complements any features (i.e., brick or stone).

If there were to be a medium-toned green that would look lovely on the outside of your home, I BET Evergreen Fog would be it. However, like this next exterior, grays or greiges with green undertones are more common…

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?

IS EVERGREEN FOG GOOD ON KITCHEN CABINETS?

I LOOOOOVE the idea of Evergreen Fog on kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanity. Is it going to happen? While current trends lean into darker shades of green and more obvious green-blue blends, I can totally see Evergreen Fog making its mark on the cabinet world.

Why?

Evergreen Fog looks WAY more blue-green than usual in the above kitchen

Evergreen Fog has enough COLOR (chroma) to step out of the neutral range, but not so much that it’s overwhelming or SHOCKINGLY green. The depth of it (LRV) is also a nice look for those not as inspired by the darker end of things.

WHICH PAINT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO EVERGREEN FOG?

Where do I even START?!

Magnolia Silverado Sage is gorgeous, as shown on this feature wall. Believe it or not, it’s also on the snippet of the door on the far right; it’s just in an area with MORE NATURAL LIGHT…

Farrow & Ball Green Smoke is a STUNNER if you want a bit more depth and green to show up to the party…

Jeez, Louise, are my clients ever TALENTED – I LOVE YOU GUYS!

How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Kitchen Cabinets

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Island & Bathroom Vanities

Really, Evergreen Fog is pretty unique, and few colors are up to par with it. If you’re looking for a green that’s a touch grayer, greener, lighter, or darker, I’ve got a few more for you to compare with Evergreen Fog.

• Sherwin Williams Rare Gray
• Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze
• Benjamin Moore October Mist

And if you’re thinking of color matching between brands (i.e., getting Benjamin Moore to make a Sherwin Williams paint color), you might want to read THIS first.

The 15 Best Medium to DARK Green Paint Colors

WHAT COLORS GO WITH EVERGREEN FOG?

One of the MANY things I love about Evergreen Fog is its openness to coordinating colors. Whereas some other greens are too COLORFUL to be flexible and others have too much gray in them to really be GREEN, Evergreen Fog is the perfect blend, allowing for a wide range of partners – just like me. JUST JOKING!!!!!

• Some subtle greiges, such as Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, can work, but I would avoid a color with any MORE violet undertone.
• Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige and Aesthetic White are GLORIOUS with this particular green.
• Muted off-white paint colors like Sherwin Williams White Duck help slow the energy down in a room and let Evergreen Fog be the star of the show.
• Soft, warm whites and bright whites look great with Evergreen Fog.
• If you’re looking for a bit more COLOR in your palette, be careful, as you don’t want to COMPETE with Evergreen Fog. Look for different hues (i.e., blue/violet) with similar or slightly lower GRAY levels (Sherwin Williams Network Gray & Online are pretty).

READ MORE

Sherwin William’s Color of the Year 2024: PERSIMMON

HOW TO CHOOSE The Best Green Paint Color For Your Home

The 8 Best Green-Blue Blend Paint Colors

Benjamin Moore October Mist Paint Color Review

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Arctic Shadows

The 12 Best WHOLE HOME Gray & Greige Paint Colors

The 8 Best WHOLE HOME Warm Neutral Paint Colors

Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

Chat soon,

The post Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog 9130: Paint Color Review appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

It’s funny; I never thought I liked feature walls. However, looking at EVERY HOME we’ve lived in – I’ve always had them (and let’s not start counting how many homes we’ve lived in…). What I’ve realized is that I really DO love feature walls; I CRAVE feature walls. What I dislike are MISUSED and abused feature walls. And in my decorative travels, I’ve seen WAY too many of them.

Benjamin Moore Polo Blue feature wall (I have some awesome clients!)

So, what’s the difference between a bad feature wall and a good feature wall? Excuse me while I twitch a bit here…

FEATURE WALLS IDEAS GONE BAD

• on the wrong wall

• on too MANY walls

• has the wrong finish on it (too shiny)

• in the bathroom (rarely works)

• doesn’t relate to anything in the room

This bathroom (next) is one of the FEW bathrooms that can support a feature wall. This is because the tub area acts as a feature in itself and suits having a backdrop…

CHOOSING A GOOD FEATURE WALL

• highlights a room’s natural architecture

• adds fake architecture or personality to a room that’s lacking interest

• picks up/repeats a colour that’s already existing in the room, either on hard surfaces or on linens/artwork/dominant decor

• nicely contrasts a colour that’s already existing in the room

Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray

And you might be surprised to hear that I have five feature walls in my home – that’s right, five. Although, you wouldn’t know it because they work off the home’s natural flow and suit the rooms they’re in. It’s like I know what I’m doing or something – wink wink.

Before we get into the best feature room COLOURS, let’s talk about placement.

THE 7 PLACES TO PAINT AN ACCENT OR FEATURE WALL

1. THE HEADBOARD WALL IN A BEDROOM IS A PERFECT ACCENT WALL

Generally, the headboard wall is usually the main one you first see when you walk into a room; you usually walk UP to it. It’s rarely the closet/door wall and isn’t the window wall very often (contrary to a few of my photos). Also, it’s not ideal if you have to walk into the room and have to turn around to see the headboard/feature wall, but again, a particular layout might dictate otherwise!

2. THE FIREPLACE OR TV WALL MAKES A GREAT FEATURE WALL

When painting around a fireplace, this can be the area above it OR the walls on either side of it. As for a tv wall, it would be the ENTIRE WALL around it. You won’t often find the feature wall colour on the walls beside AND above the fireplace – only when the drywall is one continuous piece rather than having a bump-out above the fireplace.

If the above isn’t totally clear, this next photo shows how only the BUMP-OUT is painted the feature colour, and the walls on either side stay the main colour.

3. AN ACCENT WALL ON THE BACK WALL OF A HALLWAY OR STAIR LANDING

Sure, it won’t brighten the hallway, but it WILL add personality and depth!

4. ADD A FEATURE WALL ON THE MAIN WALL IN A LIVING ROOM OR FAMILY ROOM

The main wall is usually the wall that the longest piece of furniture is on.

5. ON A UNIQUE OR INTERESTING PART OF YOUR ARCHITECTURE

What’s unique can REALLY vary depending on the home and the layout. In fact, some features are better left the same colour as the main walls.

6. ACCENT WALL ON THE MAIN BACK WALL IN THE DINING ROOM

This often works best when the remaining dining room walls are painted the same colour as the adjoining rooms, just so the palette doesn’t get too busy.

7. A FEATURE WALL IN A STAIRCASE IS A GREAT IDEA

This can be the back wall of the landing area (on a two-part staircase) OR the main wall that runs along one side of the staircase from top to bottom.

Now, are you ready to get into the juicy stuff? No, we’re not looking in my side table drawer; we’re looking at paint colours!

Not sure what to paint the other walls in your room? The Best Off-White Paint Colours

THE BEST NAVY BLUE & GRAY-BLUE PAINT COLOURS FOR FEATURE / ACCENT WALLS

Blue or gray with a blue undertone is one of my FAVE choices for a feature wall, as it can suit warm AND cool paint colours.

BENJAMIN MOORE HALE NAVY HC 154

Oh, Hale yes! Hale Navy is the King of the navy world. Why? Well, he’s that fine blend between committing to navy blue without going too primary OR too gray.

The Best Navy Blue Paint Colours

BENJAMIN MOORE ANCHOR GRAY 2126-30

Anchor Gray is a beautiful dark navy blue with a STRONG gray in it, offering a blue but subdued approach compared to the strength of Hale Navy.

In the above photo, while this colour is wrapped around the room, the idea is to show you the colour beside the fireplace to accent the colours in the stone.

Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray: Paint Colour Review

SHERWIN WILLIAMS CYBERSPACE SW 7076 & WEB GRAY SW 7075

Cyberspace comes in a HOT second place to Hale Navy. Same idea – but a bit grayer while still leaving a great shot of navy on the wall. Web Gray is like a slightly lighter version of Cyberspace and can come across as just a touch grayer.

Sherwin Williams Cyberspace: Paint Colour Review

Sherwin Williams Web Gray: Paint Colour Review

BENJAMIN MOORE STEEL WOOL 2121-20

Steel Wool is a GRAY paint colour with a subtler, softer approach to blue. It’s more of a soft, medium depth and leans considerably grayer, with more of a blue-purple undertone to it.

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool: Paint Colour Review

THE BEST DARK GRAY & CHARCOAL PAINT COLOURS FOR ACCENT & FEATURE WALLS

While I might lean hard into the blues and gray blues, I have to say that the request I get the most often HAS to be gray – just good old gray. But, as you may or may not know, gray has undertones, so make sure you pick the RIGHT gray for your room!

BENJAMIN MOORE CHELSEA GRAY HC-168

Chelsea Gray is a VERY solid medium-toned charcoal gray with a softness to it, so it’s not an icy cold gray. It can pick up a vague green undertone.

Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out shortly to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location
• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

BENJAMIN MOORE AMHERST GRAY HC-167

Amherst Gray is a DARK gray paint colour similar to Chelsea Gray, but it has more depth (more in the med-dark range) and can also grab that wink o’ green.

Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray

SHERWIN WILLIAMS DOVETAIL SW 7018 & DORIAN GRAY SW 7017

Dovetail is a medium-toned warm gray paint colour. It favours a vague purple undertone and can grab THE TINIEST touch of green, but it rarely shows up to the party. Dorian Gray is a lighter version and is slightly more likely to grab that wink o’ green.

Read more…

Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Dovetail

Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray

BENJAMIN MOORE ESCARPMENT CC 518

Escarpment is a beautiful, considerably warm gray paint colour with a decent, but not overwhelming purple undertone.

SHERWIN WILLIAMS GAUNTLET GRAY SW 7019

Gauntlet Gray is the med-dark version of Dovetail, so it has more body and visual weight.

Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray

Thank you to all of my Colour Consulting clients for sending in your after photos – you make my colourful little world go round! 

BENJAMIN MOORE KITTY GRAY 1589

This one is a personal fave, as shown in the hallway of our old home. Kitty Gray is a medium-dark charcoal with a GOOOORGEOUS green-blue hue. I can’t WAIT to get the chance to use this colour again somewhere in our new home.

Sherwin Williams 10 Best Gray and Greige Paint Colours

SHERWIN WILLIAMS GRIZZLE GRAY SW 7068

Grizzle Gray is a nice blend between gray and green. It’s MOST definitely not a gray with a passive green undertone, but it’s also not a strong green – it’s right in the middle!

Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray: Paint Colour Review

THE BEST GREIGE, TAUPE & BROWN COLOURS FOR A FEATURE OR ACCENT WALL

With trends leaning warmer, it’s no surprise to see more dark greige, taupe and brown on the scene. So, let’s see what we’ve got…

What’s the Difference Between Greige and Taupe?

SHERWIN WILLIAMS KEYSTONE GRAY SW 7054

Keystone Gray is a beautiful, soft, medium-toned greige that slightly favours beige warmth over gray, but not by much.

BENJAMIN MOORE BROWN HORSE 2108-30

Brown Horse is brown but not overly fudgy (a technical term) NOR grayed-out.

BENJAMIN MOORE KINGSPORT GRAY HC-86

Kingsport Gray is a classic neutral paint colour nestled nicely between gray and brown. It’s more likely to favour brown over gray, but not by a HUGE amount.

SHERWIN WILLIAMS ANONYMOUS SW 7046

If you aren’t afraid of green, Anonymous is WICKED gorgeous, showing up as a solid medium-toned greige with a gorgeous green undertone.

While the above photo isn’t showing a feature wall (in the powder room), it acts as a feature of sorts to the hallway, as the room was small enough to be wrapped up in it!

SHERWIN WILLIAMS BACKDROP SW 7025

Backdrop is a brown paint colour with a REALLY nice dose of gray in it, making it ALMOST taupe with its soft violet undertone.

BENJAMIN MOORE WHITTALL BROWN HC-69

Whitall Brown is a beautiful brown paint colour with a slightly mocha-inspired approach. It’s a softer approach compared to the depth and richness of Brown Horse.

THE BEST PAINT ‘COLOURS’ FOR A FEATURE OR ACCENT WALL

If you’re in the mood for MORE colour, I get it; I love colour too. But, for mass appeal, I focused most of my efforts on the most popular colours my clients ask for. If you need help picking your fave colour, I’d love to take a look at your home via my E-design! Otherwise, let’s take a quick boo at a few beauties…

BENJAMIN MOORE TAWNY ROSE 2173-20

Tawny Rose is a rich, rusty paint colour. Not red, not orange, not brown, just a beautiful blend of them all!

Photo by Artez Photography

Similar to Tawny Rose are Cinnamon, which is a bit more orange/bright and Sienna, which is a bit darker and more grounded.

BENJAMIN MOORE SMOKED OYSTER 2109-40

I love me some Smoked Oyster. Not only does it taste great on crackers, but it also looks beautiful on a feature wall! Just be sure not to mix the two up, or you could have some stanky walls and a terrible snack.

The Best Purple Paint Colours

BENJAMIN MOORE AZURE WATER 677 or GULFSTREAM 670

Here’s a nice pop of colour for you! Azure Water and Gulf Stream or both gorgeous teal colours, so they’re blue-green blends. They both have a bit of gray to calm them down, but Azure Water has MUCH more, whereas Gulf Stream has very little. Azure Water is a bit calmer, and Gulf Stream is a bit more fun. Tim is Azure Water; I am Gulf Stream.

BENJAMIN MOORE STRATTON BLUE HC 142

Benjamin Moore Stratton Blue is a very soft, medium-depth blue-green blend with some gray to calm it down. And while it’s not as punchy as the previous shades, it offers a WICKED pretty contrast to white trim!

The 8 Best Blue-Green Blend Paint Colours

THE BEST DARK & BLACK PAINT COLOURS FOR AN ACCENT / FEATURE WALL

I love dark paint colours, either on a feature wall or in an entire room. But not EVERY room can pull them off. Sometimes colours with darker LRVs are just too much for a space and overwhelm it. Make sure you have the lighting and decor before you commit to one of these bad boys.

The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colours and LRV

BENJAMIN MOORE GRAY 2121-10

You’ll have NO luck finding Gray by its name alone, as Pinterest will show you ALL of Benjamin Moore’s gray paint colours! You need the number/code to find this bad boy – and he’s worth looking at! Gray 2121-10 is a damn dark charcoal with a passive blue-purple undertone. Remember, blue can swing a few different ways, so make sure you’re getting the type of blue you like the most!

SHERWIN WILLIAMS IRON ORE SW 7069

Iron Ore. He’s deep, he’s dark, he’s moody, and he’s a great way to get the contrast of a black without the stark/harsh look of it. Iron Ore can also pick up a vague, almost green undertone. I painted our home office this colour in our last home, fondly referred to as the home from Hell, our ‘summer home’, but didn’t get a good shot of it as I was too wrapped up in my wine-infused misery.

However, I DO have a great shot of it in my Colour Consulting client’s home; check it out…

BENJAMIN MOORE RACCOON FUR 2126-20 or WROUGHT IRON 2124-10

Raccoon Fur and Wrought Iron give me the warm fuzzies – but that’s because I love double-ds. Hey, not THOSE kinds of double-dd (a girl can dream) but the OTHER kind – paint colours that are deep and dark. Raccoon Fur and Wrought Iron are similar, being NOT quite black paint colours. They’re just a fine blend of black, blue (with a purple undertone) and dark gray.

I have Wrought Iron (not shown above) in our master bedroom, and it’s wicked gorgeous. However, Tim’s always leaving his undies around, so I haven’t been able to snap a great photo yet. Regardless, you’ll find that Wrought Iron is just a bit more blackish and slightly less colourful than Raccoon Fur.

Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron

And don’t forget; DOORS make for awesome feature areas too! See if your interior doors or the inside of your front door can handle a little personality, like these GORGEOUS black doors in this next photo…

And to cover a few questions you might have…

SHOULD AN ACCENT WALL BE LIGHTER OR DARKER?

Feature walls are usually DARKER than their surrounding walls. If you want a subtle contrast, choose a feature colour approximately two shades darker than your main colour. On the other hand, If you want some serious drama and contrast, check out DARKER colours that are MANY shades darker or even entirely different COLOURS for your main walls!

Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze offers a high-contrast look to Sherwin Williams Moderate White

WHAT’S THE BEST PAINT COLOUR FOR A FEATURE WALL?

These days, I’d say the two most POPULAR feature wall colours are Sherwin Williams Dovetail and Benjamin Moore Charcoal Slate – but ask me tomorrow as they change all the time!

ARE PAINTED ACCENT OR FEATURE WALLS STILL TRENDY?

While I wouldn’t say feature walls are POPULAR, how good they look is relative to the home they’re in. OVERALL, no, feature walls aren’t overly trendy, but this doesn’t mean your home won’t suit one.

CAN I PAINT MORE THAN ONE WALL AN ACCENT COLOUR IN A ROOM?

If you want to paint two walls an accent colour, you risk diluting its effect. Sure, some more UNIQUELY shaped rooms can handle this, but the average room is BEST with only ONE wall in a feature or accent colour.

So, there you have it, my funny friends!

RELATED BLOG POSTS

The Best Navy Blue Paint Colours for Cabinets, Feature Walls and More

The 6 Best Dark Greige & Taupe Paint Colour: Sherwin Williams

Vining Ivy: PPGs Colour of the Year (A Colour REVIEW)

The Best Off-White Paint Colours 

Sherwin Williams: 5 of the Best Neutral Paint Colour

Not sure what to paint the OTHER walls in your room? Not sure what YOUR best feature wall colour is?

Check out my Online Paint Colour Consulting packages! 

Chat soon,

Originally written in 2019, updated in 2022

The post THE BEST PAINT COLOUR IDEAS FOR ACCENT & FEATURE WALLS appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

When it comes to actual COLORS – not neutrals, blue and green hues have always been fan faves. And with trends leaning into the more organic, natural and CALMING end of things, it’s no surprise to see colors like Arctic Shadows catch our eyes. So, let’s check this bad boy out…

What type of paint color is Arctic Shadows? Is it warm or cool?

Arctic Shadows is an AWESOMELY versatile shade of green in that it’s not overly warm OR cool; it’s more what I call ‘stormy’.

What does this mean?

Well, a COOL green leans into blue and a warm green leans into yellow. And while Arctic Shadows has a fraction of warmth in it, you’d hardly know it, especially in a room with northern light. This makes it flexible for a variety of exposures, for example…

• NORTH-FACING LIGHT – expect Arctic Shadows to look a bit cooler as it loses most of its passive warmth while still holding on to its main hue
• SOUTH-FACING LIGHT – Arctic Shadows will lean a bit more into its warmth without going overly OLIVE-toned

Photo via Tim Hanson Productions

As for west and east-facing light, it depends on the time of day. Expect Arctic Shadows to look less warm and a drabber (weird word) in the eastern afternoon/morning western sunshine. However, it will still hold its hue (green) and come to glorious life in the eastern morning and western afternoon hours.

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

What’s the LRV of Arctic Shadows?

Arctic Shadows is a MEDIUM depth paint color with an LRV of 32. Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

With this LRV, Arctic Shadows can handle an overly bright room without washing out much, making it a great overall choice or FEATURE wall color. If you have a darker room, you’ll need to amp up that lighting and I would lean into slightly warmer bulbs vs slightly cooler ones.

Photo via Tim Hanson Productions

How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint! 

What are the undertones of Arctic Shadows?

Arctic Shadows’ main HUE or main COLOR is green, but it has a warm gray backdrop calming it down. This gray DEFINITELY calms Arctic Shadows down compared to some of the other popular green paint colors while still leaving a lovely green hue on your walls.

What’s the best way to sample any paint color?

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on location

• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

What’s the best white trim or cabinet color with Arctic Shadows?

Arctic Shadows is actually pretty flexible – here are a few of my fave white trim colors with it…

• Benjamin Moore Cloud White
• Benjamin Moore White Dove
• Sherwin Williams Pure White

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors

6 Questions to Ask Before You Paint Your Cabinets White

3 Steps to Picking the Best White Paint Color

Is Arctic Shadows a good exterior color?

If you’re wanting a green exterior, but don’t want to be OVERWHELMED by color, Arctic Shadows can be a beautiful choice. However, make sure it jibes with your roof and doesn’t CLASH with it. Arctic Shadows can also be a pretty complement/contrast to many brick details but doesn’t always work with stonework (with the exception of some K2 stones which have green in them). 

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?

Is Arctic Shadows good for cabinets?

While I wouldn’t say that Arctic Shadows is the most POPULAR green paint color for kitchen cabinets (depending on your style), it can definitely work. Most of my clients are favouring other green paint colors, particularly ones that have some blue in them or are darker and more saturated.

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Island & Bathroom Vanities

Check out THIS green for a bit more fun and color…

Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green – learn about it in THIS BLOG POST

What paint colors are similar to Arctic Shadows for comparison?

Comparison is KEY when choosing paint colors, even if you think you’ve settled on the one you love. And because I’m working my way through creating color reviews, I don’t have reviews on ALL colors yet (but I do have most of the popular neutrals!).

• Benjamin Moore Antique Pewter is a stunner, coming in with a slightly lower LRV (you’ll find it HERE)
• Benjamin Moore Storm Cloud Gray is also a popular choice
• Sherwin Williams Cornwall Slate

And if you’re thinking of color matching between brands (ie: getting Benjamin Moore to make a Sherwin Williams paint color), you might want to read THIS first.

Photo via Tim Hanson Productions

What type of paint colors go with Arctic Shadows

Because Arctic Shadows has a nice solid neutral base, it has quite a bit of flexibility towards other colors, including…

• some soft and subtle greige and taupe paint colors
• MANY of the popular off-white paint colors, as long as they aren’t COLDER than Arctic Shadows or overly colorful
• stormy blues with a comparable amount of gray in them, such as Benjamin Moore Mount Saint Anne and others

READ MORE

Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog

The 8 Best Green Paint Colors

A GORGEOUS Green Laundry Room Makeover! 

The Best Whole Home Warm Neutral Paint Colors

Laminate Countertop Ideas: How to Save Money

Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

Chat soon,

The post Benjamin Moore Arctic Shadows 1559: Paint Color Review appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Partner Post to The Best Blue-Green (Teal) Paint Colours

Many of us get the chills just thinking about painting our homes a cool colour like blue, violet or green. And while there are many cool colours that will give a ‘cool and crisp’ feeling, there are others that can look warmer due in part to their depth and undertone. It’s all about picking the right colour for the job.

WHERE DO GREEN PAINT COLOURS WORK THE BEST?

SOUTH-FACING ROOMS

In rooms where the sun beats in relentlessly, cool colours like green can help balance the ‘visual’ temperature of the space. Learn more about south-facing rooms here: The Best Paint Colours for South-Facing Rooms.

ROOMS WITH A LOT OF WOOD

If you LOVE your wood cabinets, flooring or furniture, you might love how green will ‘accent’ your wood pieces, whereas a warm colour would blend in with your wood tones. Read ALLLL about this here: The Best Paint Colours to Update Wood Finishes

The Top Benjamin Moore Green Paint Colours 

(Including some greens with a touch of blue/gray undertone)

1. BENJAMIN MOORE ARCTIC SHADOWS

Arctic Shadows is for those of you who love green but don’t want to make too much of a STATEMENT about it.

While Arctic Shadows is OBVIOUSLY green, it has a neutral base to calm it down, making it a stronger earth tone.

Mountain Air has an LRV of 53.58. Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life (HERE).

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO ARTIC SHADOWS

• Sherwin Williams Rare Gray has a similar approach to Arctic Shadows

2. BENJAMIN MOORE ANTIQUE PEWTER 1560

Antique Pewter is a medium-toned green paint colour with a soft neutral base calming it down – essentially making it a darker version of Arctic Shadows. This is a SLIGHTLY warm green, but more modern looking than a traditional olive green.

Antique Pewter has an LRV of 24.15, so it’s tucked nicely in the medium range with some good meat on its bones.

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO ANTIQUE PEWTER

• Benjamin Moore Crownsville Gray. A bit more of a rich, slightly darker take on Antique Pewter
• Benjamin Moore Copley Gray. It’s like taking MOST of the green out of Antique Pewter, leaving more of a greige look with subtle undertones

3. BENJAMIN MOORE FERNWOOD GREEN 2145-40

Fernwood Green is a beauty. It doesn’t have that modern gray-green-blue blend that you’ll find in a lot of today’s paint colours as it’s in the LEGIT green zone with a wink of warmth.

Fernwood Green is just slightly warm without getting too funky about it and would add a bit of life to a north-facing room especially. With its LRV of 57.98, it’s a light depth paint colour, but one with a BIT more body compared to ones closer to my MAGICAL LRV number.

Similar to Fernwood Green in southern or afternoon western sun

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Colour is the Best?

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO FERNWOOD GREEN

• Benjamin Moore Dill Pickle. One of my faves as it’s a slightly more funk-da-fied warm green
• Benjamin Moore Camouflage. Still a warm green but it has a more neutral base, making it earth-toned

4. BENJAMIN MOORE NANTUCKET GRAY HC-111

Nantucket Gray is GORGEOUS if you want an earth-toned, muted, but still green look on your walls.

Nantucket Gray has an LRV of 39.49, so while it’s got some depth to it, it’s not a HEAVY medium tone. If you haven’t touched up on LRV yet, I highly recommend you do HERE.

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO NANTUCKET GRAY

• Benjamin Moore Jockey Hollow Gray. Similar, but less ‘colour’
• Benjamin Moore October Mist. A cleaner look than Nantucket with less greige in it

5. BENJAMIN MOORE CAROLINA GULL 2138-40

Seriously, I have mad love for Carolina Gull. Whether it’s a bathroom, kitchen, living room or stairwell – this colour never fails to impress! Women often love this colour as it’s almost like a modern, more grayed-out version of teal (which is a popular accent). Men love this colour because they tend to love green, blue and gray, and this colour is a fantastic blend of those three. Predominantly green, with a decent gray, then a submissive blue undertone.

Carolina Gull has an LRV of 26.37, so he’s a solid fella.

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO CAROLINA GULL

• Benjamin Moore Caribbean Teal. Just like Carolina Gull, but with considerably less gray and more COLOUR!
• Benjamin Moore Heather Gray. Very close, just more gray, really

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on the location
• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

6. BENJAMIN MOORE JOCKEY HOLLOW GRAY HC 108

Jockey Hollow Gray is a GORGEOUS colour for bedrooms as it’s restful and relaxing and beautiful with woods like fir and cedar. Its blend of green and greige makes for a soft, grounded looking green that hovers right between the colour/neutral worlds – it would be open to interpretation for sure. Gettysburg Gray is the slightly darker version, adding depth and therefore, subtle warmth to any room.

Sandy Hook Gray has an LRV of 38.79, so it’s a medium-toned paint colour. Gettysburg Gray has an LRV of 29.92, so it’s a solid tone darker.

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO JOCKEY HOLLOW GRAY & GETTYSBURG GRAY

• Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray. Same idea, but a bit more of a taupe base which cuts back on a lot of the green and can flash slightly purple at times
• Benjamin Moore Clarksville Gray. The warmer cousin to Jockey Hollow, with a bit more beige/less gray in it

The 15 Best Paint Colours to go with Wood

7. BENJAMIN MOORE DRY SAGE 2142-40

Dry Sage is a gorgeous soft gray-green blend. It leans a bit more to the warm side, but not enough to make it SUPER olive toned or greige. It also leans MORE into green than it does its neutral base.

Dry Sage has an LRV of 34.1 – medium depth for sure.

PAINT COLOURS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO DRY SAGE

• Benjamin Moore Gray Mirage. The lighter version of Dry Sage (mad love)
• Benjamin Moore Cheyenne Green. Like a slightly lighter, more muted/less green Dry Sage

8. BENJAMIN MOORE CALDWELL GREEN HC-124

Caldwell Green is a bit more GREEN and a bit darker than many of the above colours – but daaang, is she ever gorgeous. With an LRV of 16, Caldwell Green is a medium-dark green paint colour. And while there’s a BIT of gray in there to calm it down, you’re still left with a whole lot of glorious green.

Caldwell Green looks MUCH more green on these upper cabinets via the natural light, interior lighting and photography. But if you take a good look at those lower cabinets, you’ll see a bit more typical shot of Caldwell in action.

Oh, you know I can’t even help myself – let’s do another one…

9. BENJAMIN MOORE NOVEMBER RAIN 2142-60

I didn’t touch much on the LIGHTER range with the above colours as MOST of my clients who are wanting green, want one with a bit of meat on its bones!

However, something must be said for the beauty of a soft, gentle green like November Rain. With an LRV of 71, November Rain is on the HIGH end of the light range – winking at off-white. It’s also a WARM green with a greige base to calm it down.

THE BEST DARKER GREEN PAINT COLOURS TO CHECK OUT

To hit a nice range, we’re looking at Benjamin Moore AND Sherwin William’s popular shades of green.

• Benjamin Moore Ashwood
• Benjamin Moore Narragansett Green & (a lot of blue in these)
• Benjamin Moore Artichoke
• Benjamin Moore Tarrytown Green (relatively legit)
• Benjamin Moore Salamander (cool and DARK!)
• Sherwin Williams Hunt Club (legit green)
• Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive
• Sherwin Williams Rock Bottom
• Sherwin Williams Jasper
• Sherwin Williams Shade-Grown

A FEW MORE POPULAR LIGHT GREEN PAINT COLOURS TO EXPLORE

• Mountain Air is a soft, warm green with a gray-greige base to calm it down. It’s a light-medium colour depth colour with a slightly fresh vibe.
• Benjamin Moore Spanish Olive is just a WEE wink warmer than Mountain Air – a great comparison.
• Benjamin Moore Camouflage. Camouflage is a beautiful WARM green paint colour with a soft greige base to calm it down.

And for a bit of FUN, let’s look at this gorgeous mudroom in Benjamin Moore Avon Green! Before, the room was flat with a heavy cabinet and murky walls, but my client wanted to keep ALL of the existing green surfaces while freshening up the space…

With a fresh coat of paint on the walls and door and the removal of the honky cabinet above the sink, the room looks SO much better (the pictures will be hung shortly).

Now, if you love the IDEA of those, but find them a bit too green, you might want to check out the gray or greige range with green undertones, something like Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter for example.

READ MORE

How to Choose the Best Green Paint Colour For Your Home

The 8 Best Blue Green Blend Paint Colours

Paint Colour Review: Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog

North, East, South, West: Which Paint Colours is the Best?

The Best WHOLE HOME Gray and Greige Paint Colours

Looking for a great green?

Check out my Online Color Consulting for your own personal consultation!

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2019, TOTALLY OVERHAULED IN 2022

The post The 8 Best Benjamin Moore Green Paint Colours appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Other than gray and greige, Sea Salt and other beachy-themed paint colors seem to be the most popular with today’s homeowners.

Why? Well, like a good gray or greige, they can suit MANY spaces and styles – everything from beach-themed bathrooms to cosy cottages!

Before we get started…

Not only have I worked with this color on a daily basis with my E-Design clients, but I also painted a BIG OLE sample and strapped it to my body for the day (the non-kinky form of body paint). Paint sample on one hip, wine bottle on the other – I was locked n’ loaded! I looked at it in north and south-facing rooms – morning, noon and night, so I could get a better idea for how it works and then share that info with you.

And let me tell you, I needed that bottle of wine – in a sippy cup. By the time I was done, my brain was swimming with the many ways Sea Salt changed throughout the day. I mean, every color will change on a room-to-room/wall-to-wall basis, but it must be the mix of undertones in this bad boy that makes it the ULTIMATE color ninja.

So, the photos of these rooms are just examples of what you might be able to expect from a color like Sea Salt in a variety of situations – it ain’t gospel, but it might be as close as we’ll get…just call me Saint Kylie.

Ready Betty?

What’s the LRV of Sea Salt?

Sea Salt has an LRV of 64, which means it can help a room feel lighter and brighter as it will reflect artificial and natural light back into the space, but it’s not SO light that it will save a dark room or OVERLY wash out in a reasonably well-lit one.

Read More:  What is LRV and How to Use it to Pick a Paint Color

What are the undertones of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt?

Sea Salt is a mix of water and salt. Hehe. Sea Salt is a mix of green and gray. Now, this is very similar to A LOT of today’s popular paint colors, but it’s all in the proportions when it comes to which color is going to POP and which is going to recede. And that’s not ALL Sea Salt has tucked up its watery sleeves…

Sea Salt is INFAMOUS for looking blue – and not by a little bit, by a LOT. That’s right, the world’s favorite green-gray paint color is actually a flasher – and it flashes blue, leaving green in the dust.

• Some of the time, Sea Salt is a beautiful blend of green and gray, but it’s a cool green (green-blue), rather than a warm green (green-yellow).

• Occasionally it will lean CONSIDERABLY into its green side, more often in a south-facing room or a room with warm light bulbs.

• It is also well known for going green-blue or blue with only a nod towards green, more often in north-facing rooms with diffused light. Part of the ‘recipe’ of this paint color is a blueish black – meaning it can subtly influence the foundation of this color in the right lighting situation.

Sea Salt in a well-balanced, well-lit room

In a well-lit room with a few different exposures (common in open concepts), Sea Salt will likely vary itself on a wall-to-wall basis throughout the day. Sometimes flashing slightly more green, other times a bit bluer, all the while having the gray base to calm it down.

The above photo shows Sea Salt about as blue as it gets!

Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on location
• they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

Sea Salt in a room with direct hits of natural light

In a room with a lot of direct natural light, you can expect Sea Salt to wash out a bit (due to its slightly higher LRV) without losing itself entirely. Once the direct sunlight goes away, the color will come right on back!

Sea Salt in a room with very little or no natural lighting or in the evening

When there is very little natural light and a lot of shadows, you can expect this color to look a bit more muted. It might also be slightly more inclined to lean into its green roots a bit more.

The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colors: Benjamin and Sherwin

Sea Salt in a south-facing room

The sun’s rays in a south-facing room are yellow and this yellow can play off of the undertones in Sea Salt and cause it to look a bit green vs blue.

Sea Salt in a north-facing room

I just couldn’t get Sea Salt to completely lose the green, no matter how much those shadows wanted to interfere. No matter what exposure/room I was in, if it leaned a bit to the gray side with a cool blue cast, the green was always winking at me behind the scenes (don’t tell its wife) – but it DEFINITELY becomes passive.

And even when this color DOES pick up a blue cast, it doesn’t look as icy as a traditional ‘light blue’ paint color can as the green adds a certain softness.

If you want a bit more color and a touch more BLUE, check out Sherwin Williams Rainwashed. Want a wink more depth? You might love Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray!

Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages!

Sea Salt with marble

Sea Salt will look beautiful with MOST marble, excluding those with overly purple veining (sometimes the gray veins can look a bit purple).

It’s also a fresh, clean look with white…

Sea Salt: To sum it all up

Obviously, there’s A LOT to consider when choosing a paint color – LRV, exposure, personal tastes and the needs of your home. Trust me, I learn more and more EVERY DAY about how these factors can affect the appearance of a color. Here’s what I’ve learned from this salty color adventure…

• I need to not carry a bottle of wine with me throughout the day – I will then not have any left for the evening.

• Sea Salt prefers to go green than blue, but not all of the time.

• If you have a north-facing room that’s bright and you don’t use many artificial lights, Sea Salt may appear slightly bluer.

• Once you add interior lighting (as long as it’s not those stark harsh white bulbs) the green may come back and balance things out again.

• If you have a south-facing room, the green may be more apparent as the warm sun rays react to the cool tones of Sea Salt.

Phew, we did it!  You can probably tell I’m in one of my OCD phases as I left no stone un-turned with that one!

READ MORE:

The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colors: Benjamin and Sherwin

The 7 Best Green Paint Colors

The Best Calm & Stress-Free Paint Colors

Not sure if Sea Salt is right for YOU and YOUR home? 

Check out my Online Color Consulting Services – I’d be happy to help!

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2018, UPDATED IN 2021

The post Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, Undertones & More: Paint Color Review appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

A DIY LAUNDRY ROOM TO COVET! 

It takes a lot of guts to commit to a colour that’s OUTSIDE of the norm. So, not only was my e-design client brave in embracing something fun and fab on her cabinets, she gets brownie points for being SUPER creative with a DIY accent wall!

And while she and I have been kickin’ it for a few years, making awesome colour connections, this one definitely takes the cake (I’m giving her virtual high-fives and pats on the back).

BEFORE: Take a good look at it this room, as you won’t recognize it in a few seconds…

AFTER: May I formally introduce you to a colour that will leave you freakin’ GREEN with envy – Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green!

Seriously, you don’t need to be Kermit to appreciate this green beauty in all her glory…

Let’s look at another before photo for sharts n’ giggles…

I mean, not that there was anything to laugh about, the room had great bones, it just didn’t have any PERSONALITY. And now it does…

Read more: The Best Green Paint Colours

Also, check out the wicked accent wall her n’ the hubs made with plain mouldings and Benjamin Moore White Dove…

Read more: Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore White Dove

As an added BONUS, she ALSO happens to be an epic photographer. Interior photos are super challenging to take, so when photos like this show up in my inbox, they make me TEN KINDS OF HAPPY (happiness usually equals wine in hand)…

Let’s focus on the sink area for a minute in all of its sinkish glory…

The countertop is Roma quartz, a beautiful white quartz with soft gray veining. I also love how the black hardware and oil rubbed bronze faucet add CONTRAST and interest to the palette, giving the dark gray washer and dryer something to visually connect with.

And as you know, I’m NO STRANGER to loving green, as you can see in this gorgeous powder room where we chose Sherwin Williams Isle of Pines for a fun, but classic splash of colour…

See the WHOLE HOME HERE

What do you think, are you feeling BRAVE to embrace a little bit of colour in your laundry room or bathroom? LET’S DO IT!

NEED HELP!

Check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOUR CONSULTING and E-DESIGN services! 

Chat soon,

READ MORE

The Best Paint Colours for Bathroom Vanities

The Best Kitchen Island Paint Colours

4 Budget-Friendly Kitchen Update Ideas

The post A GORGEOUS Green Laundry Room Makeover (Before and Afters) appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Have you ever walked into a room and gotten the chills? Even a room that’s well-decorated can look cold and uninviting if the exposure has been ignored, which happens ALL the time – and I’m here to put a stop to it.

A north-facing room won’t get any direct warm sunlight throughout the day, which means that it won’t benefit from the visual warmth that natural sunlight offers.

The Two Types of North-Facing Light

1. NORTH-FACING ROOMS WITH LOW NATURAL LIGHT

North-facing rooms with low light most often have small windows. However, the low light can also be caused by an overhang/patio above the window, close neighbor, or dense landscaping that blocks the natural light from coming in.

North-facing rooms naturally have a grayish light with a subtle blue cast. A north-facing room without much natural light can suffer from being more shadowed and having to deal with the gray undertone of the natural light offered – giving the room a more shaded and cold look. And be sure not to confuse ‘shadows’ (which need sunlight) with shaded – shaded means grayed-out.

2. NORTH-FACING ROOMS WITH A LOT OF NATURAL LIGHT

Bright north-facing rooms tend to have large or multiple windows with no patio/landscaping blocking the flow of natural light. But beware, just because these rooms are ‘bright’ doesn’t mean they’re warm looking.

This next photo shows a room with a pretty warmth – but that’s courtesy of the light bulbs, not the exposure! Look at the room to the right of it, and you’ll see the cool cast of the natural, northern light coming in.

A north-facing room with A LOT of natural light will have the same grayish cast but will at least have the support of ‘light’ to counteract the gray cast and brighten things up. However, the natural light itself can slightly wash out (gray out) some paint colors due to the color of the light while slightly enhancing cool tones such as blue, green, and violet.

You can also have a north-east facing room or a north-west facing room (seriously, it never ends). These rooms are ninjas and can change their look throughout the day as the sun shifts from east-west (read more HERE).

How to Pick Colors for Rooms With 2 Exposures

Northern light can wash out some paint colors

To counteract that cold, gray exposure, Designers often use warm paint colors as they create balance in the visual temperature of the room. While cool colors can be great accents, generally speaking, too many cool tones can double the effect of the already cold exposure and won’t add any balance or warmth.

Warm colors will help create balance in a north-facing room

1. BENJAMIN MOORE NAVAJO WHITE OC-95

Navajo White is a light, warm cream paint color. Cream is a yellow paint color with a neutral base added to calm it down. Northern light can ‘calm down’ the degree of yellow in a cream paint color, while the remaining yellow can help to counteract the northern light a bit.

• Navajo White will wash out a bit on a well-lit wall (as shown in the above photo) but holds itself well in average light. In a darker room, it will add warmth but will need some artificial light to come to life.

• The LRV of Navajo White is 78, meaning it’s off-white. Not sure what LRV is? You shouldn’t pick a paint color WITHOUT it (read more HERE)!

• In a south-facing room, expect Navajo White to look warmer/more yellow than it does above.

SIMILAR SHERWIN WILLIAMS CONSIDER FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS

• Sherwin Williams Creamy
• Sherwin Williams Antique White
• Benjamin Moore White Down

2. BENJAMIN MOORE WINDS BREATH OC 24

Winds Breath is a color that doesn’t get NEARLY enough recognition. Personally, it’s one of my favorite, muted, warm neutrals.

Winds Breath has a wide range of neutrals in it, but not enough to fully commit to one in particular. This gives this awesome warm paint color some GREAT flexibility.

• With an LRV of 69.59, Winds Breath is on the higher end of the light range – winking at the off-white range.
• While Winds Breath is definitely muted, there’s still enough warmth to add some balance to cool northern light.

SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WINDS BREATH

• Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
• Sherwin Williams White Duck

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore’s Winds Breath

3. BENJAMIN MOORE GENTLE CREAM OC-96

Gentle Cream is rich enough to add warmth to your space without weighing it down, as it’s still in the light range of paint colors. This heavy cream’s yellow-orange base will help balance out your cool northern light without looking overly colorful on your walls.

In a north-facing room, the undertones will be a bit less obvious than in a south-facing room, and it’s more likely to settle like a warm but neutral-looking paint color – keeping in mind the undertones/color will come up a bit more once the sun goes down (Elton John style).

• The LRV of Gentle Cream is 72.0, putting Gentle Cream in the ‘light’ range (Read more about LRV).

• Personally, I’ve used Gentle Cream in my home in north and south-facing rooms and LOVED it in both!

SIMILAR SHERWIN WILLIAMS COLORS FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS

• Sherwin Williams Creamy
• Sherwin Williams Antique White
• Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca

Color Review of Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream 

4. BENJAMIN MOORE LENOX TAN HC 43

As shown in this beautiful farmhouse living room below, Lenox Tan is a rich golden beige paint color tempered by a neutral earthy base which helps it come across as more NEUTRAL vs. golden.

Kylie M Online Color Consulting

• One of the more striking warm colors on this page, Lenox Tan is also the heaviest with an LRV of 43. Great for a well-lit room and rich and cozy for a darker space.

• In the above living room, we lightened it by 25%, just to account for the fact that the room was north-facing and had a patio overhang outside blocking the light.

5. BENJAMIN MOORE GRANT BEIGE HC 83

While Grant Beige is one of the more popular warm tan paint colors, its approach is very muted and subtle. It can be a great happy medium if you aren’t jazzed about the more golden approach of Lenox Tan or Gentle Cream but don’t want to dive into the greige end of things.

Grant Beige can work in a WELL-LIT north-facing room as long as you aren’t looking for a TYPICAL warm look and crave some neutral action.

• In the center of the above photo, notice the hint of green. This shows you how susceptible some neutrals are to pick up reflections – that’s the green landscaping outside the window! That being said, Grant Beige CAN pick up a very vague green all on its own.

• Grant Beige is the most ‘modern’ color on this page with its slightly cool tan look.

• With an LRV of 56.0, Grant Beige will do well in a well-lit room, but in a dark room without enough artificial lighting, it might fall a bit flat

SIMILAR SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS

• Sherwin Williams Natural Tan
• Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan
• Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Grant Beige

 How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – And it Ain’t with Paint!

Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on the location

• at $6.99, they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

5. BENJAMIN MOORE BALLET WHITE OC 9

Ballet White is a perfectly muted cream. While it has a touch of yellow for warmth, its neutral base calms it down, leaving enough warmth to balance some cool northern light.

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Ballet White

• Notice the subtle warmth of a color like Ballet White in the above photo – juuuuust right.
• You may need to jump into the cream range if you want MORE warmth than white Ballet White offers.

SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO BALLET WHITE

• Sherwin Williams White Duck
• Sherwin Williams Shoji White

6. BENJAMIN MOORE EDGECOMB GRAY HC 173

Edgecomb Gray is a beautiful blend of gray and beige with an almost creamy undertone. Along with Grant Beige, it’s another popular option for those of you wanting a more neutral-greige look but are afraid of your room looking cold.

In a north-facing room, you CAN expect Edgecomb Gray to lean MORE to the gray side than the creamy beige, but it shouldn’t pick up the blue-green undertones that a lot of greiges can in a north-facing room.

• Edgecomb Gray has an LRV of 63, so it might be a stitch too dark and neutral for a north-facing room that isn’t well-lit, so make sure it’s light and bright!

SIMILAR SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS

• Sherwin Williams White Duck (not the same at all, but similar intentions)

There are MANY other colors that I’d throw in a north-facing room – that’s just a small sampling to get you on the right track. However, you might have noticed that they are ALL warm colors. If you’re absolutely DETERMINED to paint your north-facing room a cool paint color, here are a few I might humor…

7. BENJAMIN MOORE WOODLAWN BLUE HC 147

While I generally shy away from cool colors in a north-facing room, I do love Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue, and Woodlawn Blue as their increased CHROMA (color) brings things to life.

Why can Wythe and Woodlawn work where other cool colors fail? Wythe is a beautiful blend of blue-green-gray (pretty balanced). Woodlawn Blue is a blue-gray with a wink of green in it. And even though blue and green are BOTH traditionally cool colors, adding green to blue can make it look warmer and softer! So, schlong story short, if I were to pick a blue for a north-facing room, I would pick a blue with green in it.

The 8 Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

 The 2 Types of Blue Paint Colors and How to Use Them

• these colors will be at their best in a north-facing room with ample or at least moderate natural light

• any cool color in a north-facing room will need to be supplemented with warm wood tones and texture

SIMILAR SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS

• Sherwin Williams Tradewind
• Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

8. BENJAMIN MOORE REVERE PEWTER HC 172

You can also take a look at Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, which is a WARM color, but definitely the most ‘gray’ on this page.

Revere Pewter is a light warm gray with an earthy green undertone. In a south-facing room, it’s more inclined to lean into its warmth. However, in a north-facing room, it’s more likely to lean back into gray a bit, and the odd time can pick up the other cool gray undertones.

• Revere Pewter has an LRV of 55.1, so it’s closer to the light-medium range as it has a good depth. For this reason, I would be more inclined to use it in a reasonably well-lit north-facing room vs. a dark one

SIMILAR SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS FOR NORTH-FACING ROOMS

• Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray
• Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray
• Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray

9. BENJAMIN MOORE GIBRALTAR CLIFFS 1587

Gibraltar Cliffs is one of my favorite paint colors. However, it is a bit better as a FEATURE wall rather than an overall wall color unless you want the cold-on-cold look.

Gibraltar Cliffs is on the right side of the photo, above the window

• Gibraltar Cliffs has an LRV of 30, so it’s got some good meat on its bones! It would partner up well with a soft, warm white or muted cream paint color

Rooms with north-east, north-west, or north-south facing exposures

While it might seem confusing, having dual exposures isn’t bad when you’re armed with the right information! Check out this blog post on ‘how to pick paint colors when you have two exposures‘.

Get your SAMPLIZE PEEL & STICK samples of Kylie M’s recommended colors from this post!

READ MORE

North, East, South, West – which paint color is the best?

The 8 Best Blue Green Paint Colors

Can I Paint My North Facing Room White?

Can I Paint My North-Facing Room Gray

The Best Paint Color for East Facing Rooms

The Best Paint Colors for South Facing Rooms

Not sure which color is best for you?

Check out my affordable Online Color Consulting Services!

Chat soon,

Originally written in 2014, awesomely updated in 2021

The post The 9 Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors for a North-Facing Room appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I like to keep close tabs on my Google analytics, you know, the things that tell me about ‘who is looking for what’, and it seems like a HECK of a lot of you GALS are looking for photos of Ryan Reynolds in the nude…AND teal and blue front doors!

Ask and ye shall receive! And sadly, while there will be no photos of Ryan in his full glory, there are some fabulous teal and blue front doors for you to drool on instead.

A beautiful dark, grayed-out teal – you’ll see more of this below

Some blues have a slight purple undertone, others are pretty ‘true-blue’. But as soon as we start mixing green in we step into the Wild World of Teal, so take a peek and see which is your fave!

And one more thing…I’ve given you a range of colors that would give a ‘similar look’ to the photos shown. To see the paint colors suggested click on the name, but to see what they REALLY look like (as the computer always buggers it up) hop into your nearest paint provider.

A dusky blue-green front door

Blue-green front doors can be soft and subtle or punchy and fun, depending on the look you’re going for!

A great place to start is Sherwin Williams Riverway or the slightly more green Benjamin Moore Caribbean Teal and from there you can add more gray if you want an even more muted look. It all depends on what your siding, stone, brick and roof can visually support.

To get the above look, check out the likes of Sherwin Wiliams Still Water.

A softer farmhouse-style blue-green front door

This beautiful blue-green is a subtle nod toward a beachy theme and quaint enough for farmhouse country style as well!

For a look like this check out Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue or Sherwin Williams Rainwashed, both are beautiful, soft, blue/green blends with a passive gray base.

If you want to add a touch more color, check out Sherwin Williams Waterscape!

A bright or dark teal front door

Add a dose of FABULOUS to your curb appeal with this teal. Now that being said, not every home could handle a color like this. Your stately brick home might look slightly out of place with a bright bird’s egg blue front door. However, if you have a white, gray or yellow home then this might be just the color for you!

 A good comparison would be Behr Soft Turquoise P460-3 or Benjamin Moore Mexicali Turquoise 662 which has a touch more green in it.

 Also, check out this post…The BEST Paint Colors for the Front Door (a rainbow of color choices!)

Get a look like this with Sherwin Williams Briny SW 6775 or Behr Precious Stone.

Click on the above image to see the available packages, INCLUDING the front door! 

A striking or subdued navy blue front door

Not every home can pull off navy, so if you’re tempted, you might want to check out a more soft, subtle version before you dive in too deep!

Sherwin Williams Cyberspace is a GORGEOUS complement to yellow siding – or almost ANY siding color, really!

Sherwin Williams Web Gray is a VERY subdued look with a solid gray base to calm it down…

But if you want to jack things up a bit more, I’ve got some gorgeous navy blues for you, just make sure your home really SUITS a navy blue front door!

Benjamin Moore Hale Navy or Sherwin Williams Naval are great nods to navy without going too nautical! You can also check out Sherwin Williams Cyberspace which is a more grounded, neutral navy with a decent charcoal base or even SW Sea Serpent, which is wicked beautiful.

Read more: The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors for Cabinets, Island, Front Doors and More! 

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Cyberspace

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

IMPORTANT DETAILS

READ THIS or kick yourself in the butt later if you don’t! 

• Paint colors often look slightly lighter than you think they will on an exterior because of the effects of natural light. It’s hard to see how natural light will play off of that wee tiny chip, so make sure to get tester pots and paint up some LARGE sample boards
• JUST because you want a certain color on your door, doesn’t mean your home will look good with it! Every home has its BEST paint color, which might be different from what you had in mind. Take a look at your siding, stone, brick, roof, trim and landscaping before biting the bullet!
• If your door is under an overhang and heavily shadowed, lean toward a color that is ‘slightly brighter’/more colorful so that the shadows don’t swallow it up
• If your door gets extreme bright sunshine on it, don’t be afraid to pick a color that is a tad darker and a tad brighter than you think you need. Extreme natural light can wash out a color

Not sure which front door color is best for you and your home? 

Check out my E-design and Color Consulting Packages 

READ MORE

The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors for Cabinets, Island, Front Doors and More! 

What Are the Best Paint Colors for a Front Door?

E-Design: A Front Door Goes from Formal to Fabulous! 

The Best Teal & Blue Paint Colors for Your Front Door!

The Best Paint Colors for the INTERIOR of Your Front Door

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, UPDATED IN 2021

The post 7 Best Teal & Navy Blue Front Door Colors : Benjamin and Sherwin appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I’m not going to lie and say purple (also known as violet or lavender) is the most popular paint color – it’s not. In fact, when I’m doing my E-Design, it’s one of the colors I’m asked about the least. Why? Well, purple has a bad rap as being either too feminine, too punchy, too royal or too Barney – and if you look at the history of purple, those keywords make sense!

However, TODAY’S purples are much different from the Barney-inspired hues of yesteryear, and in fact, are some of the most BEAUTIFUL paint colors on the market!

Ready Betty? (I was going to say Barney but it didn’t rhyme)

And BTW, I rely 100% on my E-design client’s photos and BM’s images for my blog posts, so there aren’t many in here – however, the info is SPOT on! 

1. Benjamin Moore Dreamy Cloud 2117-70

Soft and subtle, Dreamy Cloud is close to being an off-white, while still having enough body to hold the perfect hint of violet. Whereas a lot of today’s most popular purple paint colors have quite a bit of gray or brown in them, Dreamy Cloud has only been moderately neutralized, so while it will look purple, it’s held back by neutral undertones. It’s on the cooler end of things and winks a bit towards dusky lavender without being overly colorful.

Dreamy Cloud will hold itself well in a south-facing room. It can work in a north-facing room as well, but keep in mind it will appear quite cold.

The LRV of Dreamy Cloud is 76, meaning it will reflect quite a bit of light back into a room. In an intensely lit room with direct sunlight, it will fade out quite a bit but will regain its color once the sun shifts.

Never heard of LRV? Don’t pick a paint color before reading about it HERE!

2. Benjamin Moore French Lilac 1403

Not for the faint of heart! Unlike Dreamy Cloud which is more subtle, French Lilac commits to purple, without being obnoxious or ‘day-glo’.

French Lilac is slightly warmer and a bit more colorful than Dreamy Cloud. It sits in the light end of things but is close to the light-medium depths.

The LRV of French Lilac is 56, which surprises me as it comes across looking a bit lighter than that. With this LRV, it won’t add much light reflectance to a room, however, it won’t absorb much either.

3. Benjamin Moore Abalone 2108-60

Abalone is my favorite of the light purples because it’s SO subtle. Compared to the above colors, it will look like gray and it IS gray – a gray with a purplish-brown undertone. It’s a great way to nod toward purple without committing 100% (or even 50% – it’s just a wee nod).

With an LRV of 62, Abalone sits in between the two previous purple colors, and that LRV ALSO happens to be my magic number – read more about that here.

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Abalone and Barren Plain

4. Benjamin Moore Wet Concrete 2114-40

I love Wet Concrete (it’s great to put your footprints in too). Wet Concrete sits slightly towards the warm-pink end of things compared to cooler purples which lean towards the cool-blue end. It’s also a definite ‘earth-toned’ purple with its neutral base and isn’t as colorful as a typical purple paint color. No Barney found here!

The LRV of Wet Concrete is 27.0, meaning it’s going to absorb light, rather than reflect it back into the room. This can help a room feel warm, cozy and inviting or awfully heavy if you don’t have enough natural or artificial lighting.

Read more: Learn How LRV Can Help You Pick a Paint Color

5. Benjamin Moore Sandlot Gray 2107-50

Sandlot Gray isn’t a color you’d normally go to when thinking about purple as it has a good dollop of brownish/gray in it – giving it a more neutral look. However, it certainly falls into the purple spectrum with its warm purple base. Warm purples can pick up an almost pinkish-taupe look. This color will not look pink, however, you’ll see that it appears MUCH softer and warmer than a cooler toned purple that has less brown in it. Overall, Sandlot Gray is a GREAT way to get purple – without the punch!

Via Benjamin Moore

The LRV of Sandlot Gray is 44, a nice depth for a reasonably well-lit room.

6. Benjamin Moore Mauve Desert 2113-50

Mauve Desert is a lovely saturated purple that has just enough purple to commit, without feeling like you’re 100% in. Compare Mauve Desert with Sandlot Gray to see how much more purple this color is and how NEUTRAL Sandlot Gray looks in comparison!

The LRV of Mauve Desert is 38.0.

Click HERE or on the above images to see available packages!

Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on location

• at $6.99, they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

7. Benjamin Moore Smoked Oyster 2109-40

Smoked Oyster is a solid, medium-toned earthy purple with a gorgeous gray base. It says purple without being punchy.

The LRV of Smoked Oyster is 21.

8. Benjamin Moore Kalamata AF 630

Kalamata is a stunning purple and definitely one of the most committed of the bunch! And while it’s obviously purple, it’s not too punchy or overwhelming. It sits snug in between warm and cold (leaning slightly more to the warm side), meaning it would work well in a north or south-facing room AS LONG AS there’s enough exterior or interior light.

The LRV of Kalamata is 11 – BOOM – she’s a skookum one!

9. Benjamin Moore Passion Plum 2073-30

Oh, I do love Passion Plum! With an LRV of 12, Passion Plum will add some serious drama to any room in your home, but is particularly lovely for a bedroom! This luscious purple sneaks slightly towards the warm end of things and is perfect if you’re passionate about purple!

And one more for fun, this time, from Sherwin Williams…

10. Sherwin Williams Black Swan SW 6279

Black Swan is a WICKED dark violet that adds drama and glamour to ANY room. Just check out this eclectic living room below!

Black Swan has an LRV of 4, so there’s no messing around with this one – it’s bordering on black!

Finding these colors a bit STRONGER than you had in mind, but still have a passion for PURPLE? Check out these color reviews instead…

READ MORE

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Portland Gray & Cement Gray

Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Collingwood

Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Popular Gray

Don’t know which PURPLE to PICK?

Check out my affordable Online Color Consulting Services!

Chat soon

Originally written in 2017, updated in 2020

The post The 9 Best Purple (Violet) Paint Colors appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

JUST when you’ve finally picked your FAVOURITE paint color, you’re EXCITED and ready to run to the paint store – the sun moves (well, technically the earth moves, but let’s not get into those little details). Oh, the glory of exposure.

However, exposure is one of the most IMPORTANT considerations when picking a paint color. Not only do you need to consider the size of your room, your countertop, flooring, furnishings, and the color of your underwear, you ALSO need to figure out how the sun (or lack thereof) can affect your paint color.

And btw, the beginning of this blog post is INFO HEAVY. There’s no use looking at pretty colors if you don’t UNDERSTAND your room and it’s needs – so humor me on this lil’ journey (in other words, break out the box o’ wine, we’re in this for the long haul).

And seeing as I’ve covered north, south and east-facing rooms, I figure it only makes SENSE to talk about west-facing rooms as well – so here we go!

West facing light and how it can affect paint colors

Morning (until noon)

In the wee morning hours, west-facing rooms are the last ones to get those sunny rays, meaning they can look a little grayed-out and shaded.

Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream – this room is south-west, the left wall has the morning western exposure.

And remember, there is a difference between shadowed and shady. Shadowed is what you get when the sun is shining in, cutting the light and creating sharper edges. Shady is when you pour me a 6oz instead of a 9oz. Oh, and when a room is a little bit more gray-toned and subdued because there isn’t a lot of light coming in.

Noon

At noon, the sun is at its peak and its brightest/whitest. This light tends to wash-out colors the most. It’s also where there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel (pun intended) for west-facing rooms as those sun rays start tickling their edges.

Early Afternoon

As the sun starts going down (Elton John style) it starts warming up a west-facing room – adding light and a warm, bright, golden glow. This is similar to what you get in south-facing rooms.

This is the same wall space as the first photo. See how the afternoon light warms it up and brings it to life compared to the morning shot?

Late Afternoon

The sun is at it’s most red/warm in the late afternoon and casts the warmest light on a west-facing room. Not that your walls will be tinted pink (well in a glorious sunset they might be) but in general, it just casts a significantly warmer (think golden type of warm) light on a room.

When the Sun Goes Down

It’s dark. Nuff said.

That covers the basics. Now you need to know what to DO with that information, so let’s get into the guts n’ the glory.

Step 1: It’s all in the timing

(some of this is copied and pasted from east-facing rooms – I can only be so sharp and witty you know)

Before you even LOOK at paint colors, you need to determine how much time you spend in this room…

a) in the morning or

b) in the afternoon

If you use your west-facing room mostly in the morning

For you morning dwellers, you may want to choose colors that are warmer-toned. These colors might be similar to what you’d look at for a north-facing room, as they can help balance out that flatter, grayer morning light.

Pro: Warm paint colors can help to balance the shaded look of the room.

Con: When the room DOES have the sun shinin’ it will look warmer (somewhat like an oven – not to be confused with a Dutch oven which is what I first typed out). Now I wouldn’t say this is a CON necessarily as it depends on what your personal preferences are – if you love warm colors then you’re GOLDEN (literally). Also, if you simply don’t use this room at the ‘golden hours’ it might not be an issue for you.

Tips

• Warm colors that have a touch of green in them, can look slightly less warm than those without. The green offers a tiny bit of cool balance (but I find that a lot of people are sensitive to warm colors with green undertones – some of them can look a bit fugly under artificial lighting)
• Rich warm colors become GLORIOUS in the later afternoon light – as long as you’re comfortable in those warm tones. If you live in a really warm part of the world, this could be overwhelming as not only is the AIR warm, but so are the visuals of the room. On the other hand, if you live in areas that get a lil’ chilly (hellooooo Alaska!), you might appreciate the inviting warmth of a more saturated, rich, warm paint color
• You can also look at cool colors if they have a bit more ‘color’ to them and less gray in them. The increased color can help balance out the gray light in the morning hours

If you use your west-facing room mostly in the afternoon

In the morning hours, you might have a more shaded, muted room, however in the afternoon, HALLELUJAH, LET THE SUN SHINE IN! That’s right – seeing as I’ve been TOLD that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, mid-afternoon and early evening is a good time of day to be in a west-facing room.

You may want to use colors that a) are cooler toned (think blue/green/purple) and b) you can explore cool colors that are both a bit more colorful AND a touch more shaded (have a bit of gray in them).

These colors might be similar to what you’d look at if you had a north-facing room.

Pro: Cool paint colors can help to balance off the warm afternoon light in a west-facing room.

Con: Cool colors, particularly ones with more gray in them, can fall a bit flat in the morning and the room may not feel as inviting (meaning it can look more chilly). However, if you don’t use this room at that time of day then it may not matter as much to you.

Tips

• When that warm sunlight hits your room in the afternoon, it can enhance warm colors and this can be a bit too toasty for some folks – particularly those who live in warmer climates. Cool colors help to balance off that warm golden light
• And of course, you can choose a warm color, you might just want to choose a warm color that has a bit of an earthy base so that it doesn’t get overwhelmingly warm with those sunshiney rays coming in.

Does this mean you completely ignore the other half of the day? No. You just don’t give it priority. And while you may LOVE a color in the morning light, but not the afternoon, as long as it’s ‘okay’ and doesn’t look completely bugly, then it might just be a good choice – sometimes you can’t satisfy every single aspect with one magical color.

‘But Kylie, what if I’m in the room in the morning and the afternoon?’

Well, then we move on to step 2.

Step 2: Lighting is your friend

For that time of day when your room is at its darkest/most shaded, use interior lighting to supplement. This can put an ENTIRELY new face on your paint color. So, if you live in a room all day long, turn a few lights on in the shaded hours and see how your paint sample looks, as again, sometimes there isn’t one color to suit ALL purposes.

While they say that ‘daylight’ bulbs best mimic natural daylight, I find they really only mimic the sunlight at its peak (whitest). This isn’t always a ‘liveable light’ for what we’re used to with our old-school bulbs. I would opt for a warm bulb over a daylight bulb in a shaded space.

In the afternoon, it’s about light control via window coverings. Consider light filtering blinds (ie: cellular blinds) or drapes that allow light through, while cutting back on the intensity of it.

WE’RE ALMOST AT THE COLORS! BUT FIRST (sip sip)…

When I’ve talked about the best paint colors for north and south-facing rooms, it’s easier to peg down good color options as the light is more predictable throughout the day. However, with west-facing rooms having a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde complex, it isn’t as clear-cut and there IS no exact recipe. HOWEVER, I’ve come up with some pretty ideas.

And I know that is a TON of info – eight hours of specific research, three bottles of wine (and 17+ years of experience) on my end – it’s a lot to take in (wine included). So, you can take that all into consideration OR take a deep breath, totally ignore me (Tim has an uncanny knack for this) and just read the summary of things below, along with the best paint color options…

Taking the info supplied above, decide the following:

1. Do you use my room more in the morning or in the afternoon? Or do you use it at ALL hours of the day?
2. Do you prefer warm color options or cool color options?

Warm Paint Color Ideas for West Facing Rooms

A few notes on these color ideas…

• They’re good for west-facing rooms that are used in the morning as they’ll add some warmth to the more gray/flat light coming in the windows
• West-facing rooms that also have north-facing windows will benefit from the warmth of these colors. And while the north-facing light will further enhance the gray morning light, it will also help to soften the warm afternoon light
• If you have south-western light, most of these colors will hold up in the afternoon, but be aware – they’ll ONLY look warmer!

1. Sherwin Williams Classic Ivory SW-0051

Classic Ivory is a nice warm creamy yellow with a subtle neutral base. It will come to LIFE in the afternoon and help to balance off the more muted morning/gray light. Make sure you’re okay with yellow warmth before you commit to this one!

2. Benjamin Moore Navajo White OC-95

Navajo White has been a LONG time fave of mine. Its soft creamy look has just enough warmth to liven up those flat mornings, but not so much that you get overheated afternoons. Read more: The 5 Best Cream Paint Colors

3. Benjamin Moore Light Khaki 2148-40

Light Khaki is a light-medium neutral that is a mix of a creamy beige with a warm green undertone.

4. Sherwin Williams Lemongrass SW-7732

Lemongrass is a beautiful green with a warm slant and an earthy base.

5. Sherwin Williams Macadamia SW 6142

Macadamia is a fabulous beige with a warm undertone that centers around orange, but can flex mildly accommodate yellow as well. This will, of course, be brought out in the afternoon light! You might see it fall a WINK flat in the morning, because it does have a neutral base, but interior lighting can go a LONG way to lifting it up! Read more: The Best Beige Paint Colors

6. Benjamin Moore Wilmington Tan HC-34

Wilmington Tan is a golden color that in the morning, will look a bit more beige-gold, but will come to golden life in the afternoon!

Read more: The 5 Best Cream Paint Colors

Cool Paint Color Ideas for West Facing Rooms

A few notes on these color ideas…

• West-facing rooms that are used mostly in the afternoon will really suit these cooler tones (as long as you LIKE cool colous!). The coolness will help to balance off some of those warm rays. Just pay attention to blue tones as some of them can mix with the warm (yellowish) rays coming in and cast a vague green tint on the walls!
• If you have west-facing rooms that also have south-facing windows. These rooms will be CONSIDERABLY warmer in the afternoon and again, these cool colors can help to balance that light
• In the morning, they COULD feel a little chilly-willy and flat, in which case, adding a bit more ‘color’ vs more ‘gray’, is a great way to bring things back to life

7. Sherwin Williams Silver Strand SW-7057

Silver Strand is a subtle approach to color. It’s a blue-green-gray blend, but its HEAVY on the gray and more subtle on the blue-green, while still leaving some decent color on the table (er, walls). It will look that bit flatter on the morning light but will balance the afternoon light out while keeping a more passive look. Read more: The Best Blue Green Blend Paint Colors

8. Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue HC-147

Woodlawn Blue is touch-and-go as it might fall a bit cool in the morning, but MAN is it pretty. It’s a blue with a passive gray in it and a touch of green to soften it up. It’s the green that saves it for me!

9. Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue HC-144

Palladian Blue is a SUPER popular blue-green blend with a soft gray backdrop. Also, check out SW Rainwashed and SW Sea Salt for a similar approach.

10. Benjamin Moore Abalone 2108-60

I’m not going to lie and say that Abalone will be GLORIOUS in the morning hours, you’ll need a bit of interior lighting to help you along, however, with its blend of gray with a passive warm purple, it’s just beautiful in the afternoon. BM Portland Gray is also beautiful but a bit more of a commitment to purple. Read more: The Best Purple Paint Colors

11. Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green 2145-40

Fernwood Green is a super cool lighter green (with a touch of warmth) and a nice life to it. Not too colorful, but it’s definitely not resting too hard on its slightly neutral base. I also love SW Liveable Green, although its a wink cooler. Read more: The Best Green Paint Colors

Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue

Read more: Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

Read more: The 8 Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages!

Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• Samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on location
• At $6.99, they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needing for traditional paint sampling
• If you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

The Best Neutral Paint Colors With Decent Undertones

Not everyone wants color, in fact, MOST of my e-design clients are wanting gray, beige and greige on their walls, which brings me to another question I’m often asked…

‘Do I have to paint my west-facing room a color – can I paint it gray, beige or greige?’

Abso-tootly! However, keep in mind, the more neutral it is (the less color it has and the more beige-gray it looks) the more flat and drab it might seem in those morning hours.

Look for neutrals that have at least a wee nugget of color in them to off-set those shadows a bit! You’ll also want to make sure that your interior lighting is sufficient to help colors come to life.

12. Benjamin Moore Indian White OC-88

Indian White is a soft, creamy neutral with a subtle beige base so that it isn’t overly yellow. It’s quite similar to Navajo White which was mentioned previously. Read more: The Best Cream Paint Colors

13. Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream OC_96

I’ve been using Gentle Cream for MANY years in my own homes with a variety of exposures. This heavy cream is a great way to add warmth to a room without going into the darker golden-beige end of things. Read more: Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream

14. Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170

Stonington Gray is a lovely cool gray with a very slightly stormy blue undertone (color review HERE). While it will lie flatter in the morning, it will provide some nice balance in the afternoon light. It could even pick up a tiny wink of green when the blue undertone hits the yellow sun rays, but it would be subtle. Read more: Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

15. Benjamin Moore Sandy White 2148-50

Sandy White is a light creamy beige tone with a really neat, vague green undertone that adds interest if you’re looking for something a bit beyond beige.

16. Sherwin Williams Gray Screen SW 7071

Gray Screen is a beautiful, gentle, light gray with a decent flexible blue undertone (meaning it can flash slightly blue-green or blue-purple). Remember, it WILL be chilly in the morning (too cold for this gal) but could balance that afternoon light out nicely. Read more: Gray Paint Colors: the 3 Undertones You Have to Consider

17. Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan SW 7531

Canvas Tan is a beauty. It’s a tan, so it won’t come off as golden as a beige, but its also not in the greige family. Read more about The Best Beige and Tan Paint Colors

18. Sherwin Williams Knitting Needles SW 7672

Knitting Needles is a gray with a vague stormy purple undertone. Again, cool in the morning, but still ‘pretty’ and will offer some balance to the warm afternoon sun.

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream

Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan

Do you have a west-east, southwest or northwest facing room? 

While it might seem confusing, having dual exposures isn’t that bad when you’re armed with the right info!  Check out this blog post on ‘how to pick paint colors when you have 2 exposures‘.

Interior Furnishings and OTHER Considerations

Like I’ve mentioned, it’s not just your exposure that you have to consider (indecent or otherwise), there are MANY more things to consider when picking the best paint color. If this info doesn’t get you well on your way, check out my e-design, it’s affordable AND fun!

Not sure which paint color is best for you?

Check out my E-Design and Virtual Color Consulting Services

Chat soon,

READ MORE:

The Best Paint Colors for an East Facing Room

The Best Colors for a North Facing Room

The Best Colors for a South Facing Room

The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colors

The 5 Best Beige Paint Colors

KYLIE M INTERIORS E-DESIGN    VIRTUAL PAINT COLOR CONSULTANT & ONLINE SERVICES  DIY DECOR BLOG SPECIALIZING IN BENJAMIN MOORE AND SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS

Originally written in 2017, AWESOMELY updated in 2020

The post The 18 Best Paint Colors for West Facing Rooms appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Partner post: How to Update Your Fireplace – 4 Fireplace Update Ideas

If you’ve been following my blog for a while (bless your lil heart) you know that I LOVE to paint anything that men HATE to paint -brick, wood, you name it, I’ll paint it (including my body).

And I’m not picking on men here, I swear. It’s just that in my decorating adventures, I’ve found that men are the LEAST likely to want to paint brick or solid wood pieces – EVEN IF they are butt-ugly.

Does the thought of painting this make you break into a Richard Simmons style sweat?

And I’m actually DEDICATING this blog post to the men (and the odd women) who despise painted brick and are desperately hoping to find a wall paint color that makes their brick fireplace look fabulously updated!

The first thing I’m going to say about these color suggestions is that these are ONLY ‘guideline colors’

Guideline colors are colors that get you off on the right foot – without being definite. There are SO many colors of brick out there, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to cover each and every one. I am my own personal hero, but I’m not THAT good.

Instead, I’m giving you one main color to explore and then other colors that are similar but have different undertones and depths. This way, you have a good selection to play with, to see which one resonates best with your brick.

Please note these two important details:

• These color suggestions are NOT for exteriors (although you can take some very general guidance from them). Paint colors can look CONSIDERABLY different on an exterior compared to the interior.

• MOST of these suggestions are with ‘softening and blending’ in mind, rather than accenting and highlighting – I can only fit SO much into one blog post!

• There’s no guarantee these colors WILL go with your particular brick, they’re just a place to start and you can adjust as needed depending on your brick and other interior finishes.

But before we start, we need to discuss your INTENTION…

HOW TO ENHANCE A BRICK FIREPLACE

If you LOVE your brick and want it to really come to life, you can do this via CONTRAST. Just remember, many warm colors don’t love being partnered with colors that are cooler AND lighter than them, so you have to tread carefully. Often, it’s best to contrast with a COOL color that has some DEPTH to it (opposites attract and make each other stronger).

In this next photo, while the green undertone in the paint color is a CONTRAST to the pink undertone in the brick, because it’s LIGHTER, it’s not doing a good job of CONTRASTING – it needs much more depth (such as Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray).

• to REALLY get things popping choose a DARKER cool color like a navy blue, gray-green or gray-blue

• some bricks can also humor a more medium-toned blue-green blend

HOW TO TONE DOWN & SOFTEN A BRICK FIREPLACE

In this next photo, the yellow undertone of the walls made the red-violet hues in the brick POP in comparison. However, in the photo on the right, the muted greige-taupe warmth tones down the look of the brick and modernizes its approach…

See this WHOLE HOME here

• find a paint color that flows somewhat seamlessly with the MORTAR (which often has a warm violet or taupe undertone)

• the odd warm gray with a green undertone can work, depending on the color/undertone of the mortar around the brick

• pick-up on the colors/undertones of the brick and choose neutrals with these undertones

• some mortars lean a bit warmer, picking up a subtle ‘tan’ look which means some tan paint colors can soften the intensity of some brick fireplaces

• remember, nothing will make your brick go away visually (short of painting it or refinishing it), this is more about softening its impact and modernizing its look

The 5 Best Paint Colors to Go With a Red or Red-Orange Brick Fireplace

This is one of the easier bricks as it suits a variety of paint colors!

1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS DOVETAIL SW 7018

MILD CONTRAST

Are you feeling brave and want a paint color with a bit more DEPTH to partner up with your brick? Dovetail is a beautiful, medium-toned warm gray. It can be a subtle complement to your brick as isn’t overly colorful, while still pulling into the warm gray often found in this type of brick. You can consider Dovetail as an ‘accent wall’ color and pair it with a light neutral or use it on ALL of your walls.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Dovetail: Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray, Sherwin Williams Classi French Gray, Benjamin Moore Metropolis

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Dovetail

2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NATURAL TAN SW 7567

SOFTEN

Natural Tan is a fabulous (and popular) neutral tan color – it’s like slapping your nicest pair of khaki pants on the wall! Natural Tan is slightly warm but is overall, a relatively neutral tan paint color.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Natural Tan: Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan, Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground, Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Natural Tan

3. BENJAMIN MOORE SIMPLY WHITE OC-117

CONTRAST

With its fresh warm yellow undertone, Simply White is a great way to create a bright look without the starkness of a more standard white paint color. The brightness will contrast with the depth of the brick. 

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Simply White: Sherwin Williams Pure White, Benjamin Moore White Dove

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Simply White

4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS WEB GRAY SW 7075

CONTRAST

If you want to have a bit more fun, Web Gray is a beautiful way to contrast with your brick and add some energy to the room. I recommend partnering it with a soft white or off-white paint color.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Web Gray: Benjamin Moore Trout Gray, Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray

5. BENJAMIN MOORE COLLINGWOOD OC-28

SLIGHTLY SOFTEN

Many red-brick fireplaces, particularly the darker ones, suit WARM gray paint colous (as well as taupes) that have a violet undertone. Collingwood is a light warm gray with a gentle violet undertone and is often as COOL as you can go.

Paint colous that have a similar approach to Collingwood: Sherwin Williams Popular Gray, Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist, Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray

FULL Paint Colou Review of Benjamin Moore Collingwood

Kylie M E-Design

IF YOU DON’T LIKE YOUR RED OR RED-ORANGE BRICK, AVOID THESE COLOUS…

If you have a surface you don’t love (like a red brick fireplace), the key is to not CONTRAST with it. Taking a low contrast approach means your brick won’t look any more red, orange or pink than it already does, and to do this, you’ll want to avoid cool paint colous. Cool colous (being opposite to the warmth of your brick will contrast, and therefore, ENHANCE the warmth of your brick. 

• avoid blue, green and blue-green undertones in gray or greige

The 5 Best Fireplace Update Ideas

The 5 Best Paint Colors to Go With a Brown Brick Fireplace

You can find brown in a LOT of brick blends, but some bricks commit to it MUCH more than others. These blends can also include cream, red, purple, peach and more!

1. BENJAMIN MOORE KINGSPORT GRAY HC-86

TONE-DOWN

Kingsport Gray is a medium-toned greige that leans more brown than gray.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Kingsport Gray: Sherwin Williams Mega Greige, Benjamin Moore Alexandria Beige, Benjamin Moore Pashmina

FULL Review of Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray

2. BENJAMIN MOORE BALLET WHITE OC-9

Ballet White is a beautiful warm neutral for brown brick fireplaces. It’s a cream that’s MAJORLY diluted by a tan/greige base, cutting back the degree of yellow that can pop up. Just be careful as it won’t necessarily suit a brown-PINK brick.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Ballet White: Sherwin Williams White Duck, Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Ballet White

3. BENJAMIN MOORE MUSLIN OC-12

TONE-DOWN, SLIGHTLY CONTRAST (THE LIGHT DEPTH OFFERS THE CONTRAST)

Muslin is a soft, gentle beige with very flexible undertones that suit MANY of the brown-base brick fireplaces. While it won’t necessarily look ‘exciting and stimulating’ it might help to tone down the pink and neutralize your space.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Muslin: Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige, Sherwin Williams Natural Linen, Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige

FULL Review of Benjamin Moore Muslin

4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS LOGGIA SW 7506

TONE-DOWN

Loggia is a light-medium beige with SUPER muted undertones, so no overly golden colors will pop up on you.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Loggia: Sherwin Williams Balanced Beige, Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth

5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ANEW GRAY SW 7030

TONE-DOWN & UPDATE

Anew Gray can be a stretch for a lot of brown brick fireplace, but it’s worth a try! Anew Gray is a light-medium greige that is pretty well-balanced.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Anew Gray: SW Mega Greige, Sherwin Williams Versatile Gray, Benjamin Moore London Fog

FULL Review of Sherwin Williams Anew Gray

The 10 Best Gray and Greige Paint Colors

IF YOU DON’T LIKE YOUR BROWN BRICK, AVOID THESE COLORS…

Click HERE or on the above image for available packages!

Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

• samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on location

• at $6.99, they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling

• if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

The 4 Best Paint Colors to Go With a Pink or Salmon Colored Brick Fireplace

I’d love to show you some LOVELY images of rooms redecorated with a pink brick fireplace, however…they don’t exist. Also, in order to show you photos of REAL HOMES with REAL BUDGETS, I only use photos from my Online Paint Color Consulting clients.

Both of the fireplaces above have pink tones

This next photo shows a stone, not brick, but it CERTAINLY has those pink undertones! Which sample do you think works best with this fireplace?

If you guessed the far-right – YOU’D BE RIGHT! Why? Because the pink undertone picks up on the undertones in the stone and mortar.

BENJAMIN MOORE CEDAR KEY 982

TONE-DOWN & MODERNIZE

With its beige base and slightly gray-taupe undertone, Cedar Key can work nicely with a pink-toned fireplace. While it won’t necessarily look ‘exciting and stimulating’ it might help to tone down the pink and neutralize your space.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Cedar Key: Benjamin Moore Baby Fawn, Benjamin Moore Maritime White 

BENJAMIN MOORE MARITIME WHITE 963

TONE-DOWN WITH SUBTLE CONTRAST

Maritime White is an off-white that has a soft, cream look, but also harbors a wink o’ pink.  

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Maritime White: Sherwin Williams Moderate White, Benjamin Moore Muslin 

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Maritime White

BENJAMIN MOORE METROPOLIS CC-546

For a look that’s more rich and exciting, consider Metropolis as an accent wall color. When paired with a soft off-white paint color, Metropolis will add depth to your space and could sit nicely with your pinkish fireplace. Or be brave and paint the whole damn room!

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Metropolis: Sherwin Williams Dovetail, Sherwin Williams Pewter Tankard

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Metropolis

BENJAMIN MOORE PALE OAK OC-20

TONE-DOWN & UPDATE

Pale Oak is a soft, gentle light taupe paint color with violet-pink undertones.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Pale Oak: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist, Sherwin Williams Alpaca, Sherwin Williams City Loft

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Pale Oak

IF YOU DON’T LIKE YOUR PINK BRICK, AVOID THESE COLORS…

• you need to avoid greens and blues and these undertones as they’ll CONTRAST with the warmth of the pink

• unless it’s in a baby’s room, pink and yellow can be totally nauseating combo

The Best Paint Colors to Coordinate with a Purple or Purple-Red Brick

I’m a BIG fan of brick with violet undertones as it’s often a rich, stately look, creating a beautiful focal point for a living or family room.

I apologize for the lack of light in this photo, I do rely on E-design clients to send me their photos and interiors can be tricky! 

SHERWIN WILLIAMS REPOSE GRAY SW 7015

Repose Gray is a light warm gray that favors a mild purple undertone. But be careful, it can sometimes flash a wink green or even blue – grays are known to do this.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Repose Gray: Not much, maybe the slightly darker SW Mindful Gray

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Repose Gray

SHERWIN WILLIAMS ANEW GRAY 7030

Anew Gray is a gorgeous, light-medium greige that sits nicely between gray and beige.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Anew Gray: Sherwin Williams Mega Greige, Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, Benjamin Moore London Fog, Benjamin Moore Cumulus Cloud

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Anew Gray

SHERWIN WILLIAMS ARGOS SW 7065

CONTRAST

Argos is one of my fave green-gray-blue blends and its cool approach is a pretty contrast to some violet-inspired brick fireplaces.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Argos: Sherwin Williams Magnetic Gray, Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray, Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp

FULL Paint Colou Review of Sherwin Williams Argos

BENJAMIN MOORE CLASSIC GRAY 1546

Classic Gray is an off-white warm gray with a subtle purple undertone.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Classic Gray: Benjamin Moore Silver Satin, Sherwin Williams Incredible White, Sherwin Williams Eider White

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray

SHERWIN WILLIAMS GAUNTLET GRAY SW 7019

Gauntlet Gray is a gray paint color with a solid brown/taupe base.

Other darker grays to explore: Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray, Benjamin Moore Metropolis, Sherwin Williams Dovetail

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray

Colors and undertones to avoid on your walls if you DON’T like your purple brick…

• true blue never works

• yellow/cream can be touchy

• green can work if you are looking to further enhance the tones of this brick, however, if you want to keep things on the down-low, then refer to the wall colors listed above

The Best Paint Colors to Coordinate with a Yellow and Orange Brick Fireplace

This brick is not as common as others (thank God) because it can be challenging to update – and the more yellow it is, the more challenging it is. If you want me to be brutally honest with you, this is one brick that I would paint. You could paint the walls and say ‘Well it looks better than it used to…’ or you could just paint the brick and say to yourself, ‘NOW I can decorate my room the way I WANT to without being held hostage by this damn brick!’

However, for those of you who are enamored with your brick, I DO have a few ideas up my sleeves…

If you don’t believe me, then here are a few color thoughts for you…

Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray

You’ll be living on the wild side with this one! Yellow and gray is a lovely color combo in the design world! Chelsea Gray is a lovely rich-toned charcoal gray that will tap nicely into the grout of your brick fireplace, bringing a sense of calm and balance to the room.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Chelsea Gray: Sherwin Williams Classic French Gray, Sherwin Williams Dovetail, Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray

Benjamin Moore Whitall Brown

If you’re dealing with predominantly yellow brick, this is the ONE color that I could really live with on my walls. Whitall Brown is a chocolate brown that is neutral; meaning that it’s not overly orange-toned nor too gray.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Whitall Brown: Benjamin Moore Brown Horse, Benjamin Moore Willow

Benjamin Moore White Down OC-131

White Down is a soft warm off-white. It’s a cream but has a strong neutral base to calm it down. It ALL depends on which colors your brick favors.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to White Down: Sherwin Williams Creamy, Benjamin Moore Ballet White, Sherwin Williams Steamed Milk

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore White Down

Benjamin Moore Navajo White OC-95

Navajo White is a lovely light cream with a warmth in it that is softened by a modest neutral base.

Paint colors that have a similar approach to Navajo White: Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream, Benjamin Moore Indian White, Sherwin Williams Antique White, Sherwin Williams Creamy

The Best Cream Paint Colors

Colors and undertones to avoid on your walls with yellow-orange brick…

• Opposites will attract. Avoid greens and blues if you are hoping to keep your brick fireplace as soft and gentle looking as possible. By pairing an orange/yellow toned brick with cooler tones, you will bring out the color of it which might be a good thing – but usually isn’t.

• Pink tones are DEFINITELY not good as pink and yellow/orange are pretty gross together (not including kids rooms) and I would also avoid purple 

Need help with picking the right color? 

Check out my Online Consulting for your own personal color consultation! 

Originally written in 2017, awesome updated in 2019

The post The Best Paint Colors to Go With a Brick Fireplace appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

How to Pick the Best Blue for You

If you’ve been trying to pick a blue paint colour for your walls, but can’t seem to land on a fave, I BET I know why! Either your room doesn’t SUIT blue (which we’ll get into below) or you’re looking at the wrong TYPE of blue.

The wrong TYPE of blue? Isn’t blue BLUE? Well yes…and no.

The Two Types of Blue Paint Colours

Blue likes to tip two ways – green or purple. So, depending on where your fave blue sits on the colour wheel, it will either slide blue-green or blue-purple.

Now, of course, that’s the simplified version (which is my go-to ) as your blue isn’t really mixing WITH green or purple – it’s mixing with yellow (blue+yellow=green) or red (blue+red=purple), however, sometimes it’s easier to call it as we SEE it.

And there are some blues that are pretty darned blue, but they can be swayed SO easily by their environment as WELL as personal perception, so today, we’re focusing one blue-green and blue-purple.

In the above bathroom photo, do you see plain old blue, blue-green or blue-purple? If you guessed blue-green you’d be the winner winner chicken dinner! You’re looking at Benjamin Moore Ocean Air which is a beautiful soft blue-green.

And because it’s definitely the most POPULAR these days, let’s hit on blue-green first.

Blue-Green

While blue-green is ‘technically’ cooler than a blue-purple, we know that it’s not all about technicalities when it comes to how a colour FEELS. Blue-greens TEND to feel softer and slightly warmer than blue-purples – go figure. And btw, this little detail could be very important if you’re thinking of painting ‘certain rooms’ blue – which we’ll get into shortly.

So, looking at a blue-green you should see blue FIRST with green mixed in. Now, if you add more and more green, you’re going to start tipping those scales and eventually, you’ll have a GREEN-blue, meaning it’s a green paint colour that leans into blue (think mint or aqua). In the last bedroom photo, you should see a blue that is nicely grayed-out – which is common with MOST popular blue paint colours. However, that is actually a blue-green – a mild one called Benjamin Moore Mount Saint Anne.

This next photo will show you a more obvious example of a blue-green…

The simple shot above shows Benjamin Moore Gibraltar Cliffs, which is a gorgeous watery blend of blue-gray-green (see more in this blog post).

This next photo with the rocking horse shows Benjamin Moore Sea Star in all of its blue-green glory!

A bit more about blue-green

• If you add ENOUGH green you’ll get colours like teal and aqua coming out of the woodworks
• Blue-green is a more popular choice than blue-purple for a beach, coastal, or even modern farmhouse vibe
• Most popular blue-greens are mixed with a solid dose of gray to calm things down

Blue-Purple

Again, blue-purple should technically be a WARMER looking colour than blue-green, but it tends to FEEL cooler in a room – especially if you put it in a room that it’s not meant for. That’s right, just because you WANT to paint a room a certain colour (ie: blue), doesn’t mean you SHOULD, and we’re going to hit on that shortly.

Now the interesting thing is that in my E-design, I rarely refer to blue-purple – it just doesn’t suit as many rooms/styles. And because I ONLY use my E-design client’s images on my site, I actually don’t have many good photos of blue-purple projects – that’s how rarely I come across it.

HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that it won’t suit YOUR room and in fact, most of the photos that I DO have are of my own home – well, our last few homes actually…

See more HERE

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool is a great example of a blue-purple (with a whole whack of gray). I can’t even TELL you how many people loved this freakin’ colour!

Here it is again in our entryway…

See more HERE

When looking at a blue-purple paint colour you should see blue – absolutely, but don’t be surprised if a lot of people see purple!

In another one of our homes, I played around with the navy blue vibe of Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray – a navy blue that leans slightly purple…

A bit more about blue-purple

• If you lean hard enough into the purple, you’ll start getting a periwinkle type of colour. Lean harder and you’ll get violet, the point where your blue becomes more of a purple with blue in it
• Blue-purple can feel a bit more formal than a blue-green, but it can also look more romantic and feminine, especially with a decent purple mixed in
• And don’t forget, even navy blue will have its preference for either green or purple!

Read more: The Best Navy Blue Paint Colours for Island, Cabinets, Front Doors and More! 

Blue-Green and Blue-Purple in North Facing Rooms

Here’s the deal Ally McBeal (totally dating myself, I know), blue in a north-facing room is a tough sell. Why? Well, blue is a cold colour. North-facing light is a cool gray light with a blue cast to it. Combine these 2 and you have a DAMN cold-looking room! That northern light will further glorify the cool tone of your blue paint colour, leaving things feeling a weeee bit nipply.

Here’s Anchor Gray again in our last home which was EXTREMELY north-facing (and colder than Tim’s ex-girlfriend’s heart).

However, there are some workarounds for this (which are different from reach-arounds).

Choose blue-green in a north-facing room – not blue-purple

Blue-green, although it’s COOLER than blue-purple, tends to feel softer and warmer and is better suited to a north-facing room than a blue-purple.

The above romantic farmhouse bedroom shows us Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue which is OFTEN mistaken for ‘blue’ when it is actually a blue-green.

And btw, I find the same can be said of east-facing rooms. While they don’t have that particularly cold cast, they are not warm feeling rooms in general and usually prefer blue-green (they told me so…or maybe it was the wine).

Use texture and warm ACCENT colours to add warmth to a north/blue-toned room

If you fall hard for a blue-purple, then you’ll want to add texture and softness to the room to help balance out that cold-on-cold look.

Notice how the red area rug and gold accent cushion add balance to the cool look of Steel Wool. In the photos of Anchor Gray you’ll see the same gold colour as well as texture which helps to balance out the cool paint colour and exposure.

And you might be thinking, ‘Ummm Kylie, you’re telling me that north-facing rooms don’t always suit a blue-purple yet YOU PAINTED A NORTH FACING ROOM BLUE-PURPLE!’ True. And the funny thing is that I’m generally not a FAN of blue-purple, however, when painting a room, it’s not always about what WE want, it’s also about what the room wants.

For example, let’s take a look at my Anchor Gray family room again. Notice the carpet – a gray with a soft purple undertone. Also, notice the stacked stone fireplace with its gray-purple veining…

Had I chosen a blue-green (which would’ve been WAY more up my alley) it would’ve been a hot mess. SO, for me, the happy medium was adding some depth (which I ALWAYS love) and leaning my blue slightly into purple. I can’t say I was ever CRAZY about the colour, but it was a great happy medium between what I prefer and the specific needs of my room.

Read more: The Best Paint Colours for a North Facing Room

Blue-Green and Blue-Purple in South Facing Rooms

South-facing rooms are MUCH better suited to blue – any type! Southern light can be SUPER warm and you might even find that a well-chosen blue will help to balance out the visual heat of a south-facing room.

Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray

The same can be said of west-facing rooms, however, they will have that more muted/flat light in the morning which will then get amped up from noon onwards.

Read more: North, East, South, West – Which Paint Colours is the Best?

And some more photos of beautiful blue-inspired rooms!