Pick The Ideal Paint Color, step by step

Q: First of all I enjoy your site. It inspires me to fix up my own home (you make it look so straightforward!). But if there was a class called Paint Picking 101 I would be getting a big fat F. So far every room I have painted in my new house is either too bright, too dark, too dirty looking and simply plain ugly. I am having the worst time finding a ideal tan tone and I am even messing up colors like light blue and cream, which I never thought was even possible! Do you have any foolproof colors you can recommend? A go-to blue? Cream? Tan? White? Yellow? Gray? I know natural light and other factors can change the way paint looks substantially so it is likely not 100% foolproof, but I’d enjoy to know your go-to paint colors so at least I have a shot of living in a house that does not make me feel like a total paint failure! Thanks so much for your assist! – Meagan

A: Picking the right paint color can frequently be a doozie, so do not get down on yourself! Take comfort in the fact that repainting, while annoying, is especially inexpensive and it can instantly transform your room from wrong to oh-so-right in an afternoon. And thanks to the transformative power of paint, we are the proud owners of an whole storage ottoman full of paint decks and swatches. Name any color or any brand- it is all in our little paint chip library of sorts. But although we have quite a slew of selections we still find ourselves reaching for some tried and true go-tos again and again when it comes to doling out room recommendations.

As you mentioned, paint colors can look quite distinct under distinct lighting circumstances, but for the most part there are a bunch of practically error-proof tones that we find ourselves recommending again and again. Some of them are bright and lively (better suited for only one wall or even a punchy piece of furniture) while others are classic and serene- ideal for an whole room or even an whole home. Here is the swatch suggestion scoop:

White- Benjamin Moore Decorators White, Glidden Dove White, Behr Cascade White, Sherwin-Williams Alabaster.

Cream- Glidden Antique White, Sherwin-Williams Creamy, Benjamin Moore Muskoka Trail, Benjamin Moore French White, Benjamin Moore Natural White.

Red- Benjamin Moore Million Dollar Red, Glidden Red Delicious, Behr Firelight, Valspar Fabulous Red (strong for a front door- might be too bright for inside).

Pink/Coral: Sherwin-Williams Comical Coral (shown below), Benjamin Moore Wild Aster, Sherwin-Williams Animated Coral, Behr Be Mine, Behr Silk Sheets, Behr Coquette.

Brown- Benjamin Moore Branchport Brown, Benjamin Moore Woodacres, Benjamin Moore Stampede, Sherwin-Williams Cobble Brown, Sherwin-Williams Van Dyke Brown (shown below), Behr Traditional.

Yellow- Benjamin Moore Hawthorne Yellow (it is the be-all end-all of yellow paint, which is notoriously hard to get right).

Green- Glidden Fennel (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Glidden Celery Sticks, Benjamin Moore Mosaic Glass, Benjamin Moore Hibiscus (strong for a cheerful kid’s room with white trim and brown furnishings), Benjamin Moore Soft Fern, Benjamin Moore Silken Pine, Benjamin Moore Sweet Pear, Benjamin Moore Dune Grass, Sherwin-Williams Lime Granita.

Purple- Glidden Silver Plum (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Glidden Delicious Plum (remarkable eggplant color for a front door), Glidden Black Tulip (the deepest moodiest purple-black that is dripping with drama) Benjamin Moore Nosegay, Benjamin Moore Violet Pearl, Benjamin Moore Iced Lavender.

Blue- Glidden Gentle Tide (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments, Benjamin Moore Saratoga Springs, Restoration Hardware Silver Sage (it has green undertones but looks blue-gray in most rooms), Behr Pensive Sky, Behr Flint Smoke, Behr Grand Rapids.

Navy- Benjamin Moore Spellbound, Benjamin Moore French Barret, Benjamin Moore Hudson Bay, Sherwin Williams Grays Harbor, Sherwin-Williams Naval.

Black- Glidden Onyx Black, Benjamin Moore Graphite.

Tan- Glidden Sand White (no longer available for swatches, but still in the computer so they can whip it up for you), Glidden Water Chestnut, Glidden Cafe Latte, Benjamin Moore Baja Dunes, Benjamin Moore Davenport Tan, Behr Harvest Brown.

Orange- Benjamin Moore Beverly Hills, Benjamin Moore Lion Heart, Benjamin Moore Corn Husk, Sherwin-Williams Marquis Orange, Sherwin-Williams Mandarin (shown below).

Gray- Benjamin Moore North Hampton Putty, Benjamin Moore Light Pewter, Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore Nantucket Fog, Glidden Silver Dust.

Beige- Benjamin Moore Clay Beige, Benjamin Moore Green Brier, Sherwin-Williams Ancient Marble.

Greige- Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige, Behr Ocean Pearl.

Oh and a word of warning: you do not want one of each of these colors in your house! Here is how we learned that a tighter color scheme can make your home feel bigger, more open, and a lot more cohesive and welcoming. Of course it does not have to feel expected or monochromatic since you can bring in distinct accent colors with art and accessories in each space to make them feel unique and interesting!

And a second word of warning: Paint colors look distinct in every room (due to lighting and other ever-changing factors) so we simply suggest grabbing a bunch of the swatches above and bringing them home to see which ones look best on your wall. We cannot recommend a specific color for your specific situation with any strong accuracy since we have no idea how it’ll “read” in your home (your eyes will be much better than ours since we are not right there in your space). Simply tape up a variety of swatches and pick the one that looks best to you (and get a few test pots of paint if you are still not sure)! That truly is the best way to get it right every time.

What about you folks? Any words of warning or paint color advice? Do you have some go-to hues that have worked out wonderfully for your casa? Any that were terrible that you’d enjoy to warn others about? Let us all assist Meagan out by dishing the paint picking dirt.