My “Go To” Paint Colors

My “Go To” Paint Colors

Over the (almost) 7 years that I have been blogging about paint colors, I have never shared a color palette of my “go to” colors with you guys. I receive emails and questions on my Facebook page all of the time asking what my “go-to” black is, my favorite gray, or my “go-to” white trim color. I thought that I would pull together all the colors that I’m recommending (and using) right now into one blog post.

Wrought Iron Benjamin Moore via Timeless Paper

If you have been following along with me over the years, you know that I only recommend and work with transitional colors that have that near perfect balance of warm and cool tones. If you’re new to my blog and my paint color palettes, transitional colors are the safest colors to work with because the have a that mix of warm/cool base that makes them less finicky to work with and they will compliment other colors in the space. These transitional colors are far more dependable than other colors and they tend to consistently work well in a variety of lightening situations.

So let’s jump in and let me show you why these colors are my go-to favorites. I’m also going into detail why each of these colors work so well to help you determine if one of these colors is right for your space.

Grays

Repose Gray Sherwin Williams via Clasen Design Build

What is the prettiest gray that’s the most versatile? This is probably the most common question I receive from readers and clients, especially those looking for a whole home color. It’s understandable that this is such a popular question with thousands of shades of grays out there. My go-to gray and the color I recommend the most is Repose Gray from Sherwin Williams.

Repose Gray Sherwin Williams

I call Repose Gray the perfect paint color because it’s a light warm gray with a near perfect balance of warm and cool undertones. No crazy hues jump out and the color consistently looks good in full natural light and artificial light.

Repose is by far the number one color that I recommend to readers and clients and everyone has always come back to me to tell me how much they love this amazing color.

Repose Gray Sherwin Williams via

Repose Gray Sherwin Williams

If you want to learn more about Repose Gray and why it works so well, I did a Color Spotlight on Repose highlighting more details about this color here.

Moonshine from Benjamin Moore is another fantastic gray that I recommend. It’s a little lighter than Repose Gray and just a little cooler (but it still has good warmth) it’s also just as versatile Repose.

Moonshine Benjamin Moore via

Moonshine Benjamin Moore via Locale Design Build

Mindful Gray from Sherwin Williams is my go-to main cabinetry color that I use and recommend the most. Mindful is one shade darker than Repose and on the same color card. You can see how beautiful it is in my craft room/office (it’s the cabinetry color and trim color). Repose is on the wall.

Mindful Gray Sherwin Williams

Mindful Gray Sherwin Williams

Another fantastic gray for cabinetry that I use and recommend a lot is Chelsea Gray from Benjamin Moore. It’s a little darker than Mindful Gray but it’s still balanced with those warm/cool undertones that I always need to see.

Chelsea Gray Benjamin Moore via Element of Style

For the darkest of grays, primarily used for cabinetry, I have recommend Kendall Charcoal from Benjamin Moore for many years now and it still one of my favorite colors. It’s a very dark gray with just the right amount of warmth.

Kendall Charcoal Benjamin Moore via Alexander Design Group

You can really see what Kendall Charcoal does best on this interior door from Melissa at The Inspired Room.

Kendall Charcoal Benjamin Moore via The Inspired Room

Here’s Kendall Charcoal on a kitchen island. Halo is on the walls.

Blue/Green

There are so many fabulous blue/greens paint colors out right now that I love and have experimented with. I recommend colors like Sea Salt from Sherwin Williams and Palladian Blue from Benjamin Moore for bathrooms a lot. However, when someone is asking for a beautiful blue/green, I almost always put Beach Glass from Benjamin Moore at the very top of the list and tell them to sample this color first.

Beach Glass Benjamin Moore via 2Design Group

If you’re looking for a cooler blue/gray, my favorite is called Solitude from Benjamin Moore. I only recommend this color in spaces with no natural light; bathroom, laundry room and closet because it is so cool, the slight warmth in the artificial light pops out.

Solitude Benjamin Moore via Eminent Interior Design

Navy

When it comes to navy, there are two colors that I use and recommend pretty much exclusively because they are just so consistently amazing. Hale Navy from Benjamin Moore is just hands down one of the best navy’s out there. If you’re looking from a true dark navy, you don’t need to look much further than Hale Navy.

Hale Navy is the perfect navy cabinetry color, if you’re looking for a great dark blue.

Hale Navy is also a fantastic wall color, especially used as an accent wall.

The other dark blue that I recommend a lot is called Stunning from Benjamin Moore. Stunning is the truest indigo color that I have been able to find. You can see that the color is slightly warmer than Hale Navy and has a tad more purple in the base, which makes it a true indigo.

Stunning Benjamin Moore via Sway Studio

Even though I didn’t include it in my “go to” palette, I do recommend Gibralter from Sherwin Williams as well, when people are looking for a more dark blue/gray mix. I primarily recommend Gibralter in spaces with no natural light because in these spaces, the color becomes a beautiful dark gray/blue in artificial light. (I never recommend this color is spaces with a lot of natural light because it goes too sterile and cool).

Gibralter Sherwin Williams via Kirsty Froelich on Decorpad

Blacks

Just like the dark blues, there are really only two or three blacks that I regularly use. My favorite all around black is Tricorn Black from Sherwin Williams.

Tricorn Black Sherwin Williams

Tricorn Black is not really a traditional harsh dark black but rather a dark black with a gray base. Again, I only recommend colors that have that mix of warm and cool tones because they will always work with any other colors and undertones going on in a space. I’m not a fan of true dark black because I think it’s too harsh in the home, which is why I love Tricorn so much. I believe ever color in interior spaces should have that balance.

Tricorn Black Sherwin Williams via Jeff Herr

I also recommend Wrought Iron from Benjamin Moore all of the time for both exterior and interior because to me, it’s the perfect alternative to a traditional black and less harsh. It’s really the perfect mix of very dark black/gray with a little warmth in the base to make it one of the most versatile colors out there.

Wrought Iron Benjamin Moore

This door is such a fantastic example of why I think Wrought Iron is one of the best paint colors out there because while it’s a very dark color, it has depth and the black is not as harsh.

Wrought Iron Benjamin Moore via Timeless Paper

Here is another example below of Wrought Iron on the island of a home I recently recommended paint colors and again, imagine if that island was a harsh and cool black. Wrought Iron brings just enough warmth and gray in the base to compliment both warm and cool tones in the space.

Whites

I saved the trickiest colors for last. In my opinion, white is the trickiest color out there because undertone is everything. If you do not know how to choose colors based on undertone, then you run the risk of choosing a white with a pink or peach base that could turn into a disaster. I have a great trick for instantly spotting undertones in whites here, if you want to see how I choose complimentary whites to recommend.

There are really only 3-4 whites that I pretty much exclusively recommend. My number one white that I use and recommend more than any other white is Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore because it has no strong undertone. To me, it’s the truest white out there and I think it’s the best trim and cabinetry color because it will automatically blend in with the colors and tones in the surrounding space.

In this home below, I recommended Decorator’s White for all of the cabinetry and trim work throughout the whole home. As you can see, it’s just a true white but it’s not a bright harsh white.

Decorator’s White Benjamin Moore

Trim Decorator’s White Benjamin Moore (wall color is SW Repose Gray)

Trim Decorator’s White Benjamin Moore (wall color is SW Repose Gray)

Another white that I like to use and recommend is called Frostine from Benjamin Moore. I usually only recommend Frostine in spaces that have very little natural light (bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, etc.).

Frostine Benjamin Moore

Frostine has an ever so slight blue/green undertone that will keep a white from looking cream in artificial light. If you have a very dark bathroom with no natural light, Frostine is an ideal vanity/cabinetry color and will look crisp white under that type lighting.

This space below is such a fantastic example of why Frostine is such a great color for poor lighting situations. As you can see, this foyer does not have a lot of natural light. Frostine was used on the wainscoting and the trim and most whites would look cream under these lighting conditions but Frostine looks crisp white.

Wainscoting and Trim Frostine Benjamin Moore via Chango & Co.

Lastly, even though I did not include it in my “go-to” palette today, I love and use Sherwin Williams Pure White in spaces where we don’t want white but want just an ever so slight hint of a warm gray.

Pure White Sherwin Williams via Vintage South LLC

So there you go friends! These are my favorite “go to” colors. As a reminder, if you fall in love with one of these colors, please be sure and sample the color by painting a poster board with the color first and taping to your wall. While these are great colors and pretty versatile, lighting conditions really impact the appearance of colors.

If you want more help choosing colors, I have a post with my tricks for choosing just the right color for a space by eliminating shades and undertones that you know you don’t want here.

Also, I regularly share tons of fresh color inspiration daily on Facebook here if you’re interested in daily color recommendations and ideas.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cheers!

Cyndy

Original article and pictures take www.thecreativityexchange.com site