5/18/12

CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLOR


ITS A QUESTION OF COLOR.....
LEGENDARY GRAY - DUNN EDWARDS
Your Nest Design
Remember to balance your grays with lots of white, warm woods, a touch of black and some reflection - chrome, silver, mirror.  Gray makes other colors look great, but gray on its own can be a little depressing.  Give it a little lift and it will do the same for you.



Hi Claudine,
I read your article on gray paint while searching for info on the Internet. I'm building a new cape cod home, very traditional. White hardiplank with a stone walkout basement. I want to use a lot of gray in the house. The great room and kitchen are adjacent. I will
have butter yellow kitchen cabinet with distressed black color island. I'm looking for a warm gray paint to use for both areas. Can you give me some ideas of B.M. colors or S.W. colors I might use. I will be using white trim on the baseboards , window casings, and crown in this part of the house. Could you also recommend a white trim paint to go with the gray.
Also, I'm thinking of using a gray paint for the trim and casings in the front of the house with the walls painted off white or cream color. I did this when I lived in York, PA. and it looked very good but I thought I could have picked a better gray color for the trim. I will be painting the baseboards, window casing and crown with the gray. The rooms involve the dinning room, office, hallway, and staircase to 2nd level.
I will have oak flooring thru out and have not decided whether to stain dark or keep natural. Open to suggestions on this? I'm leaning toward dark. I'm trying to get the house to have a New England or cottage feel to it.
Thanks
John Wright
Huntsville, AL

Dear John,
Warm grays range from griege (gray beige) to taupe.   Generally they are grays with a brown undertone, or beiges with a healthy dose of gray.  Here are a few I like and am happy to recommend.  As paint can look so different depending on room size, ceiling height, available light, etc., it is wise to test a few colors to find your perfect hue, especially since these rooms are adjacent to rooms using black and butter yellow. 
DOLPHIN FIN - BENJAMIN MOORE

Dolphin Fin has a healthy dose of beige and can look very different depending on your lighting.  As with all paint selections, I recommend purchasing a sample pot of 2-3 colors you have in mind for a room and painting generous swatches on the walls - if the walls are white - or on poster board if they already have a color on them.  Leave a 2" border of white in this case so the current wall color will not influence the proposed color, and make sure you do two coats to get a true example of the paint color.
GRAY OWL - BENJAMIN MOORE
montana-nanashouse
Gray Owl is one of my favorites, here paired with another favorite - White Dove, a rich warm white that plays nicely with grays.
REVERE PEWTER - BENJAMIN MOORE
Revere Pewter is probably Benjamin Moore's most popular gray - loved by designers and consumers alike - it doesn't seem to have a beige undertone until you put it next to other grays.  It is wonderfully warm all the same.

FASHION GRAY - BEHR
Live Like You
A trip to your local Home Depot will be all you need to acquire this lovely hue - Fashion Gray by Behr.  It loves deep wood tones and crisp white trim.
PASHMINA - BENJAMIN MOORE
Colorforte
For areas where you need more light, try Pashmina - a lighter shade of gray.



SLATE - RESTORATION HARDWARE
Restoration Hardware
Slate is the color Restoration Hardware chose to paint their retail store interiors - and is available through Restoration Hardware - or can be color matched at your local paint store.
COMFORT GRAY - SHERWIN WILLIAMS
My So Called Home
Sherwin Williams' Comfort Gray is a cooler gray that works magic with beige and tan.
COPLEY GRAY - BENJAMIN MOORE
While Copley Gray is in the greige (gray/beige) family and is warm toned.
FLAGSTONE - MARTHA STEWART
I also like Flagstone by Martha Stewart - available at Lowes
To keep that fresh, traditional Cape Cod appeal, make sure you bring in fresh whites - in trim, furnishings or accessories.
Gray for painted wood trim? I would go dark - a nice charcoal - try one of these, but make sure all the grays you use in your home play nicely together - this will bring a cohesive look throughout.

KENDALL CHARCOAL - BENJAMIN MOORE
Dear Lillie
The darker gray looks beautiful against a beige or gray/beige and really pops with white.
GARRET GRAY - SHERWIN WILLIAMS
Dark flooring is more traditional and more formal, the natural is more 'cottag-ey' or rustic and casual. Both will work with your palette, and the choice will be one of personal preference.

Good luck in your choices, and don't hesitate to ask again - I know you have been very patient in waiting for my reply and I appreciate that as I've been travelling back and forth from California to Utah to help my mother.

Hi Claudine,
I recently stumbled upon your website and would love it if you can help me with my paint dilema. We want to update our kitchen by painting the cabinets a lighter color (because we dont get much sunlight and I'm thinking it will help lighten the space?) but I am having a tough time deciding on a color. Can you recommend one? The backsplash and floor have neutral colors creams, browns, and a light sage green (in the backsplash) and our countertops are black. Also what wall color would you go with and should it coordinate with our living room walls since they are kind of connected? I've attached two pictures for your reference. This space is very important to us because we spend most of our time here and entertain our guests in this space. Please help us! Thanks in advance, Yvonne

Yvonne:  Paint will give your kitchen a facelift that will amaze you.  Your glass tile backsplash is full of wonderful neutrals and freshly painted cabinets will look great with the black granite counter-tops.  You will have the added benefit of really bringing the backsplash to the forefront as a feature - right now it is being overwhelmed by the warm wood tones of the cabinets.  It's difficult to see all the colors in the backsplash, but see how these look with it for the cupboards:
EDGECOMB GRAY - BENJAMIN MOORE
Edgecomb Gray is a wonderful neutral putty color that is soothing to the eye and looks amazing with black and stainless steel.  Add silver knobs and you have beautiful classic style, like the kitchen below.
Jillian Harris
LAMP ROOM GRAY - FARROW AND BALL

close to LEGENDARY GRAY - DUNN EDWARDS (on wall)
possibly WHITE DOVE - BENJAMIN MOORE (on cabinets)
Homebunch
Just for the record, let me say I am seriously coveting this kitchen right now.  I love the color of the wall, in fact I just used it in a master suite (see 1st photo in this blog) and it is divine with white and silver and deep toned woods.  There is a serenity to this combination.   So, consider white cabinets and dramatic walls if you need calm in your life.

WHITE DOVE (CABINETS) - BENJAMIN MOORE
GRAY OWL (WALLS) BENJAMIN MOORE
But, if you are concerned about darkening your space, this lighter gray is also a perfect choice.  And if there is a hint of green/blue in the back splash - try this color (one of my favorites)
GRAY HORSE - BENJAMIN MOORE
which will look really wonderful with white trim and black accents -  you can use it on the wall or the cabinets.  

Generally speaking, stay in the neutral colors you will find in your backsplash and you will keep a pulled-together cohesive look to your decor.    And since your living/family room is visible and shares a wall with the kitchen, bring a little of the black and whatever neutral color you choose into that area as well - with fabrics or accessories.    Hope that helps!  Good luck!

Hey Claudine,
I came across your blog and really enjoy looking through all your wonderful pictures. My husband and I just purchased a home and we are trying to decide on paint colors...and it seems this is your area of expertise so I would love to get your ideas. We love grays, browns, reds, olive green, rust, and colors like this. We are thinking of going more neutral (browns and grays) for the walls and bringing in the reds and colors through accents and decor. Our trim is white and we use dark woods for most of our furniture. Our problems are we do not know what colors to choose that would work best together and how to transition from one color to the next in an open type floor plan. I would prefer not to have every room the same color. Can you give me any ideas with this amount of information?
Thanks for your help. You have a true talent.
Thanks,
Kim

DRIFTWOOD - BENJAMIN  MOORE
Dear Kim:   In choosing wall color I always try to keep to neutrals.  A neutral wall doesn't have to be boring, or disappear, but it will allow you to bring colors into your room as accents.   I like to chose a neutral that has a little gray in it (or a lot).  The graying down of colors makes them easier on the eye and easier to live with.  Most colors have a gray neutral.  There are green/grays, blue/grays, brown/grays or taupes, purple or lavender grays, beige grays, and just plain grays.  They are also considered neutrals.
Choosing color for your entire home can be daunting, but I have a couple of  easy to follow rules that can help.    Find one color you love.   Pick a neutral, like 'Driftwood' above or 'Intellectual Gray' below.  Then find 2-3 other colors that are similar and look beautiful with it.  Repeat these colors throughout your home and you will have a good flow and a cohesive look.  Don't choose too many colors - it can interrupt the flow and make it look choppy.
INTELLECTUAL GRAY - SHERWIN WILLIAMS


for example, all of these colors look beautiful together and have the same gray base that gives them the common denominator to work together

or in the examples above of Benjamin Moore paint colors - I might choose Camouflage, add Silken Pine, November Rain and Dry Sage to the palette - they look lovely together and will flow easily from room to room
Another example: I love Carolina Gull and might use it as an accent wall in a room with Gray Cashmere as the other 3 walls.  I can also use Silver Marlin, Sea Haze and Gray Owl in the same home and they will look beautiful.

If you feel you need more help, give me a starting point with one neutral color
from Benjamin Moore's palette that you love and want to use in your home,
and I will help you build your palette from there.
Good Luck!

17 comments:

  1. Thanks Claudine for taking the time to respond to my question. Your recommendations look great and I will be get samples soon to try on the walls.

    Thabks again,
    John Wright

    ReplyDelete
  2. Claudine, I have been following your site for quite some time now (love it!) and finally really really need some help with a paint color for my kitchen cabinets. We have a 1960's cape with fairly low ceilings, not a ton of direct sunlight, and I love the look of off white/tan cabinets - I'm scared of the stark white look! A friend suggested SW 6141 Softer Tan...do you think this will be too dark or should I match the cabinets to my current trim which is BM Linen White? HELP? My impatient (and color challenged (!) husband is waiting for my decision to proceed but I'm scared to mess up this one!

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    Replies
    1. Silly me, I replied below - hope you found it! See Dear Anonymous from May 22....

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  3. I just found your website and am in awe. Thank you for helping us colored challenged people out! I can't pick a paint color out for the life of me. Do you have any suggestions of a grey color to go with the Pottery Barn Mari Duvet? I am looking for a neutral grey (not too green or too blue). I need a medium color for the bedroom and a little bit lighter color for the bathroom. Thank you!

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  4. Dear Anonymous from May 22....

    Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long.. we have had much family illness and surgeries to deal with these past couple of months. But I wanted to let you know I have responded to your questions:
    http://yournestdesign.blogspot.com/2012/06/wall-color-removing-mystery.html
    I hope it helps you!
    Best wishes and hugs

    ReplyDelete
  5. First-Time Home OwnerThursday, July 05, 2012

    Dear Claudine,
    Thank you so much for your color advice! So awesome! My 27-year old son just bought his first house and will be painting the entire interior. It's an adorable modern-type home that has a wide-open floor plan. Walking in the front door, you can see the living room, kitchen/dining area, and loft area to two bedrooms and a bath. Any suggestions for a masculine paint theme that could be carried throughout? The only restriction (if you can call it that) are the kitchen cabinets that are very dark (Kraftmaid color Cabernet). Any advice from you would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! Amazing advice. He (we) are well on our way to making this home warm, inviting, and masculine...can't thank you enough for getting us started.

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  6. Dear First-Time Home Owner: just posted an answer to your question above - http://yournestdesign.blogspot.com/2012/08/color-advice.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought
    this post was great. I don't know who you are but definitely you're going to a famous blogger if you are not already ;) Cheers!
    My page > smo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Claudine! I love this article and I love the color grey! I'm hoping you can give me some advice! My family room and kitchen is painted in Behr's Maple Glaze (love this rusty color!!), my living room is in a warm golden color. I am looking for a warm medium grey, a creamy grey, for my entryway and hallway which runs through the center of my house connecting these rooms! I love BM Chelsea Grey which is the color of our master BR, but it's too dark for this hallway. Any recommendations on a color that would work well with my the Maple Glaze? Is there another color you would recommend rather than grey? I look forward to your feedback. Thank you! Kim

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    Replies
    1. Kim, replied in this post: http://www.yournestdesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/looking-for-warm-gray.html
      Best wishes!

      Delete
  9. Hi Claudine,

    Thanks for your helpful article on grey - so many greys out there with so many undertones! We love the BM Wedgewood Grey in our bedroom but we are looking for a lighter grey for our hallway as it's narrow and dark, which leads to our kitchen with BM white dove cabinets. Our tiles are beige but sometimes they make certain paint chips look dirty, such as Sherwin-William's Worldly Gray & Accessible Beige. I am torn between BM's Stonington Gray or Balboa Mist or something else entirely? Will you help me build a palette for our home? Off the hallway we currently have a very green living room wall color that I'm tempted to paint either the same color as the hallway to lend continuity or SW's Sea Salt/Comfort Gray or Silver Marlin to keep some of the green and fun. There is also the dining room to paint the same as the hall colour or add a hint of blue and coolness with SW's Misty or Harbour Grey. As you can see I've got a lot of colours floating around and desperately need some help with a coherent palette! Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Ashley.
      You have named so many of my fav walk colors!
      I would love to see a photo of the spaces if you can. SW sea salt is a wonderful color. BM sea salt is a lovely light gray you may want to try on the hallway.

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  10. Hi. I am so glad to have found your website--what great information and insight.

    I was hoping I could get a quick answer to give me some quick reassurance on a paint color I am considering. I recently purchased a couch in the color slate. It looks like a very dark, dark, charcoal, but next to some colors, I do see a blue undertone, next to other colors, I don't see it. I was thinking of painting in BM Silver Marlin, which comes off blue, but really is a light gray green on the color chips. Do you think this is a good choice?

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    Replies
    1. Any chance you have used Silver Marlin before, Claudine?

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    2. I haven't personally used Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore. It sounds as though it would go nicely with the slate, but try a sample on a board you can put on the wall, and also next to the couch to see how it looks. Good luck!

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  11. Hi! I'm loving your website and the recommendations of colors listed above. We are getting the top 3 levels of our 4 level split repainted and I would appreciate your help with the color flow. Our painter is using Dulux products but, I believe, we can color match them to your recommendations. I'm open to any recommendations. Some of the colors I like are Sea Haze, Gray Owl, Silver Marlin, Heather Gray, Colorado Gray, Gray Cashmere, Carolina Gull, Comfort Gray and Lamp Room Gray. (Any décor suggestions would be great too! i.e.: curtain colors)

    We have white trim on windows, baseboards, and railings ... and doors are white.

    Upper Floor: Dark Furniture in kids bedrooms with medium light (They both like Colorado Gray), Oak Furniture in Master Bedroom with good light, Upper Bath has medium light with light colored floor (also looking for complimentary color for bathroom cabinets).

    Main Floor: Livingroom and dining room connected ... has Dark Brown Furniture with good light, Kitchen has dark brown table with darker blue/green/teal countertop(which we have to work around for now) cabinets need painting and looking for color. There is a partial wall that separates the living room/diningroom from kitchen but it's not separated by doors.

    Third level: Entertainment room/playroom is one big room with white railing and one white post in the middle with medium light. We have just installed a gas fireplace which will be black/grey stones and dark wood mantle. Also, we have a deep red sectional. Downstairs bath is small with medium light - black granite countertop and grey cabinet, flooring is dark earthy tones (cabinets and flooring recently reno'd)

    So, those are the things I need to work around ... can you help? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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