15 Stylish Neutral Paint Colors That Work In Almost Every Room

 

Where should you start when selecting neutral paint colors?

So first, you need to determine if you are starting from scratch…or if you are working with what you have.  Do you have furniture or area rugs that you need to coordinate with or are you starting fresh.  If it’s the former, you will want to work with the tones you already have in your decor items; if it’s the latter, the world is your oyster.

 

From there, you want to decide which type of neutral you prefer.  Do you want cool tones or warm tones?  Or somewhere in between?  Hint:  There is no wrong answer here – as long as you like it and feel it works well with what you have and what you like.

 

 

5 Neutral Color Families

Here are the 5 basic neutral color families.  I’ve selected my top 3 choices for each one.  These are generally light enough to work as a base color for most rooms. But, if you have a low light or north facing room, you probably want to do on the lighter and warmer side.

 

Currently grays are the most popular neutrals.  In fact, they are the most popular overall, surpassing whites.  Both the cool and warm grays are hot right now.  But, as you’ll see, there’s a wide range of neutrals.

 

See which YOU prefer.  And, then TEST the colors (more on that below)

 

These are Sherwin Williams Paint shades.

 

1.  Cool grays

Grays are currently the most popular and stylish now, especially when it comes to wall colors.  Cool grays have blue and purple undertones.  They tend to be cool and crisp.  They go incredibly well with dark floors, especially dark brown flooring (especially ebony, espresso and dark walnut…brown colors without red undertones).

 

These are my top picks for cool grays:

• Reflection SW 7661
• Gray Screen SW 7071
• Network Gray SW 7073

For more cool gray choices see:  11 Awesome cool gray paint colors

Find paint samples here.

 

2. Warm grays

Warm grays, as the name implies are a bit warmer in tone.  They tend to have some pale green and pale beige undertones, so they make the space feel a little warmer and comfier.  These shades aren’t as stark as the cool grays and they tend to blend better if you have other warm tones in the room.

The warm grays work well with virtually any type of hardwood floors.  They work well with very dark, mid toned and light floors.  They even work with dark stains that have red undertones.  They would not be my first choice for red stained floors, but they can still work with them.

 

Here are my favorite warm grays.

• Silverpointe SW 7653
• Repose Gray SW 7015
• Ellie Gray SW 7650

For more warm grays and greiges check out 9 Amazing Warm grays and Greiges.

Find paint samples here.

3. Greiges

As the name implies, greige is a mix of gray and beige.  These truly bring in the best of both worlds with a mix of warm and cool.  There is a fine line between warm grays and greiges…it’s really just a spectrum.

 

 

 

 

These colors are really quite universal.  They will pull in both warms and cool colors in the room (whether that’s the floors, area rugs or other accessories).  They work with dark, light or mid toned hardwoods.  Greiges have more beige in them and are warmer; therefore they do work well with red stained hardwood floors.

• Agreeable Gray SW 7029
• Anew Gray SW 7030
• Mega Greige SW 7031

For more warm grays and greiges check out 9 Amazing Warm grays and Greiges.

Find paint samples here.

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4. Beiges

Accessible beige is a neutral color with taupe undertones.  Taupe is mixture of gray and green, so it’s softer than your typical builder beige.

 

It’s a welcoming color and it’s not as yellow as some of the more dated beiges.  It’s soft, subtle and neutral and complement most rooms.  The other 2 featured beiges here are darker versions of Accessible beige and can coordinate well with it as accent walls.

• Accessible Beige SW 7036
• Balanced Beige SW 7037
• Tony Taupe SW 7038

Find paint samples here.

 

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5. Taupes

Taupe is the 5th family of neutral paint colors.  Taupe is a mixture of green and gray with brown undertones  Here are my favorite taupes.

• Useful Gray SW 7050
• Mindful Gray SW 7016
• Gray Area SW 7052

Find paint samples here.

Testing Neutral shades of paint

I encourage you check the paint swatches first (see below) and look at them in your home and next to your furniture.   Look at them in real life (they look different on the computer) and your home.  Colors look different in different places pending on your lighting (and time of day).

 

See if you like them and once you narrow, go to the store and buy 2 to 3 samples – your favorites – and test them on the wall.  DO NOT SKIP this step.  It is worth the $5-7 to make sure you like the color on your walls.

 

Put 2 coats on the wall (just like what you’ll do when you’re actually painting.  Test the color on all 4 walls.  Look at it during the morning, afternoon and evening.  Check it with natural light and in the evening with artificial light.

 

If your walls have a color on them now (as opposed to a white or light cream), consider buying a sample of Extra White (from Sherwin Williams) to create a ring around the color for a better read.

 

Note: If you have a darker color on the wall, the colors on the other walls will reflect and may confuse you a bit.  If this is happening, consider getting some white foam boards from Michael’s and put the paint testers on there.  Note:  these boards a sleek and don’t look the same as the paint on the walls.  To get a more realistic look of the paint on the walls, use a foam roller (rather than a brush) as this will simulate the look of the walls better.

 

Please try to limit your sample choice to 3 to 4.  If you don’t, you are likely to get overwhelmed and second guess yourself.  And, it will make you more confused.

 

A better paint sample solution

It’s always best to test the paint colors in you own home and own lighting. The colors do look different pending your lighting and can even look different room to room.

 

You can definitely go to your local painting store to buy some samples (and a brush…be sure to paint with 2 coats), but I have a MUCH EASIER way for you. Check out SAMPLIZE.

 

 

Samplize offers 12” x 12” peel and stick paint samples that are EASIER, AFFORDABLE and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.

 

Here are a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients:

• Samples come right to YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, pending on location
• At $5.95, they’re more affordable than the samples/brushes/foam boards than traditional samples…and of course easier and way less messy
• If you keep the samples on the white paper, you can move them from wall to wall and room to room

 

They are amazingly accurate as they are made with 2 coats of real paint, so they are color correct.

 

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE.

Get The Printable version

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