Designers' Favorite Neutral Paint Shades - "My Reliable Choices"
When it comes to painting your home, neutral colours are a popular choice for their versatility and ability to create a timeless, elegant atmosphere. In this article, we'll explore some of the top neutral paint colours and provide tips for selecting the right shade based on your space's size, lighting, and purpose.
Top Neutral Paint Colours
Backdrop's Morning Ritual
Backdrop's Morning Ritual is a warm, light gray-beige tone that can easily be dressed up or down, making it ideal for bedrooms. Its taupe and lavender undertones shift depending on the amount of light in the room, adding a touch of sophistication to any space.
Farrow & Ball's Shaded White
Farrow & Ball's Shaded White is a sandy off-white with a warming yellow undertone, favoured by designer Christine Lemieux. This versatile shade can add a touch of sunshine to any room.
Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace
Chantilly Lace, a popular neutral paint shade among designers, creates a warm, bright backdrop that highlights and frames furniture and textures. This versatile shade is often used for walls, trim, and ceilings to give a space a cohesive feel.
Sherwin Williams' Alabaster
Sherwin Williams' Alabaster is a subtle off-white paint that exudes coziness. It shines brighter in bright light and starts to feel warmer and more cocooning during darker days in the cooler months. This versatile shade is a favourite among designers.
Benjamin Moore's Pale Oak
Pale Oak is one of the best Benjamin Moore neutrals according to interior designer Ashley Macuga of Collected Interiors. Its just-right balance of warm and cool undertones creates an incredible backdrop for a room's furniture, decor, and architectural details to take center stage.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Neutral Paint Colours
Space Size
For small spaces, opt for lighter neutral shades such as light beige or creamy whites to create a feeling of openness and airiness. Darker neutrals can make large rooms feel cozier but may overwhelm small rooms. Larger spaces can accommodate both light and dark neutrals, depending on the desired mood.
Light Conditions
Assess the amount and type of light in the room. Neutral colours have different undertones—yellow, pink, gray, or green—that can shift in appearance under lighting. For example, warm beige may appear yellower in sunny rooms, while cool beige may look grayer in dim lighting. Semi-gloss or satin paints can reflect light well in humid or small spaces like bathrooms, improving brightness and moisture resistance. North-facing rooms benefit from warm neutrals that counteract cool incoming light.
Purpose and Mood of the Space
Choose calming and soothing neutrals for bedrooms and sanctuaries to promote restfulness. For living rooms, neutral colours with warm undertones like cream, beige, or off-white create a welcoming, spacious feel and harmonize well with various decor styles. Consider the fixed elements in your room such as flooring, cabinetry, and countertops to ensure the neutral paint complements these features.
Additional Tips
- Test samples on your walls and observe them at different times of the day to see how lighting affects the colour.
- Bring paint swatches home and consider your existing furniture and decor during selection to ensure the neutral tone fits your overall style and mood.
- Neutral paint colours can be categorized broadly as warm neutrals, cool neutrals, dark neutrals, and whites—select a category that suits your design intent and space function.
By factoring in these elements—space size, lighting, room purpose, and existing decor—you can select neutral paint colours that enhance your space’s atmosphere and style.
[1] Houzz
[2] Apartment Therapy
[3] Architectural Digest
[4] My Domaine
- The living room can benefit from warm neutrals like cream, beige, or off-white, creating a welcoming and spacious atmosphere that harmonizes well with various decor styles.
- To add a touch of sophistication to any bedroom, consider the warm, light gray-beige tone called Backdrop's Morning Ritual, which shifts undertones based on the amount of light in the room.
- For a cozy feel, Sherwin Williams' Alabaster, a subtle off-white paint, can exude warmth and coziness, shining brighter in bright light and becoming even more cocooning during darker days in the cooler months.
- When it comes to kitchen interior design, a trendy or timeless neutral paint color like Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace can create a warm and bright backdrop that highlights and frames furniture and textures.
- The contemporary bathroom can embrace sustainability and art by incorporating neutral colors into its interior design, such as Farrow & Ball's Shaded White, a sandy off-white with a warming yellow undertone.
- To achieve a timeless, elegant lifestyle in your home-and-garden, consider interior design options that include neutral colors, like the various shades mentioned in this article, and carefully chosen decor and art pieces that express your personality and unique living spaces.
