Paint by Room
Let's talk one of my favorite subjects...paint colors!!!! Are you a light or a dark fan? Bold and bright or soft and neutral? Earth tones, deep jewel tones?
I like them all. Which can be a slight problem. I mean, you only have so many rooms. I could never just have one or two paint colors throughout my entire space. Although this is a completely valid approach. Anyone out there using only a few paint colors in their home?
Our colonial does not have a true "open floor plan"...each room definitely has a its own space, with a clear dividing point between it and the next. This to me means that I can have each room a different color. Yay!
I definitely didn't want the rooms to feel unconnected though, or jarring as you walk from one to the other. So for our downstairs, we went with a sort of overall feel...light and soft and neutral. All of the paint colors we used are the same saturation (intensity of color) and value (how light or dark they are), they just vary in hue (actual color). Here, I made this little visual for you:
{disclaimer....these colors (that I eyeballed of course) look great on my monitor, hopefully they look ok on yours!}
I like them all. Which can be a slight problem. I mean, you only have so many rooms. I could never just have one or two paint colors throughout my entire space. Although this is a completely valid approach. Anyone out there using only a few paint colors in their home?
Our colonial does not have a true "open floor plan"...each room definitely has a its own space, with a clear dividing point between it and the next. This to me means that I can have each room a different color. Yay!
I definitely didn't want the rooms to feel unconnected though, or jarring as you walk from one to the other. So for our downstairs, we went with a sort of overall feel...light and soft and neutral. All of the paint colors we used are the same saturation (intensity of color) and value (how light or dark they are), they just vary in hue (actual color). Here, I made this little visual for you:
{disclaimer....these colors (that I eyeballed of course) look great on my monitor, hopefully they look ok on yours!}-Kitchen: Benjamin Moore Barharbor Beige
-Bath: Behr Nurture
-Living Room: Benjamin Moore Smokey Taupe
-Family Room: Benjamin Moore Sweet Spring
-Dining Room: Valspar's Gravity and Polar Star (next to each other on the paint chip), color matched by BM
-Foyer: Unknown cream color painted by previous owners
-Bath: Behr Nurture
-Living Room: Benjamin Moore Smokey Taupe
-Family Room: Benjamin Moore Sweet Spring
-Dining Room: Valspar's Gravity and Polar Star (next to each other on the paint chip), color matched by BM
-Foyer: Unknown cream color painted by previous owners
All of the above colors to me are "neutral"...that is I could use more than one color palette with each of them. And when I put up my holiday decorations (or any other seasonal decor), everything still looks like it belongs. In fact, most of the time when I buy random accessories at Home Goods, etc. without exactly knowing where I'm going to put them (yes, its been know to happen!!), I come home to find that they could look good in more than one room.
So, what kind of paint color person are you? Anyone struggling with choosing a color? Anyone want to share their favorite color?
I'm torn when it comes to paint - I love bright and bold, but I'm also aware of what works best in my home. My living room is a stunning green though - Grape Leaves by Behr.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite color right now (it's in my entryway and will soon makes it way into my kitchen) is Sparrow by Behr. it's a stunning grey that could pretty much match any color scheme I think up!
I like light neutral colors (after the red living room saga). Stop! You're making me want to repaint every room! ;) Your home is so pretty and I love the colors you've chosen. You know my new fave color is the BM Smokey Taupe.
ReplyDelete~R
Great illustration. I love picking out paint. Color fascinates me. I am picking out a paint color for my playroom re-do right now. I posted on it today. I am at the swatching stage and then It is start the painting. I am a yellow girl and my home has from a french vanilla icecream to a buttery maize color. I have some soft blue to blue greens and sage greens in the bedrooms. Pretty much a medium value to pastel valued girl. Great post on color, spot On!! Kathysue
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favorite colors is Devine Blade, a bright, fresh green that can also at times read quite pale. Perfect for a kitchen!
ReplyDeleteJanell
I really like neutral colors. Our home is filled with lots of beiges, light blues, whites and soft greens. Those colors are very calming to me.
ReplyDeleteI love the colors we've used so far....Behr's Castle Path, River Rock, and Silverdrop. We pick BM Grant Beige for our kitchen and Family room. It's such a neat color to watch change over the day since it's a greenish/beige color. Love your grey dining room!
Chris
I love yellows and oranges a lot. Currently, my front living/dining room (and powder room)is a gorgeous deep color by Behr called Warm Terracotta. I have it paired with Behr Ultrapure White on the crown moulding and wainscoting. My kitchen and den are painted Behr's Whisper Yellow with Ultrapure white cabinets. I painting my master bath (and repainting my master bedroom) BHG Dutch Boy Orange Sherbet on the walls and Elegant Peach on the ceiling with white crown giving some gorgeous contrast. I just redid our kids' bath in Glidden's Celery Sticks, a nice fresh and light green (I love green, too.)
ReplyDeleteLove this post!
I think all your different paint colors really work. They're all about the same intensity, even if the hues are different, and I think that's a great way to tie different colors together. As for me, I've got everything from turquoise, navy, plum, medium gray, teal, blue-gray, and a sort of greige...in short, not especially neutral or coherent!
ReplyDeleteI am a color girl. Love them all and there lies the rub, only so many rooms and they need to flow. Still, I use red, yellow green, black and white and it all seems to work. Well at least I think it does. :)
ReplyDeleteI love these colors! I am currently (2 years in the works) trying to pick out colors for our new home. We currently have Cranberry by Behr painted into our built ins and above the fireplace. This rooms gets great light, and I wanted to paint the room a desert tan. I was told that because the Livingroom opens into the foyer, I would have to paint the foyer the same color. That is a bit too much for me, what do you think? I am horrible a this!
ReplyDelete