Today, I’m sharing my paint colors with you, as they are the thing I get asked about most often.
For years, I didn’t share my paint colors, not because I didn’t want to spread them or fear they’d be copied, but for the opposite reason.
My fear was that knowing my colors wouldn’t be useful to anyone. It may hurt more than help.
I decided that I could share my colors responsibly. 🙂 Understand that just because a color looks right to you from the picture, doesn’t mean it will. No one is going to buy 5 gallons of paint in a custom color just because they saw it on Instagram.
If you’re concerned about whether or not a color is right for you, my advice is to get a sample pot of paint, paint it on some poster boards and pin it up around the room in question. Look at it in every light to see if you like it.
It’s my job to tell you that there is a perfect order to making decorating decisions in every room in your home, and choosing a paint color is step 4 out of 5. Yes, there is an order to decorating!
If you’ve ever painted your walls and hated it, it’s probably because you’re making your decorating decisions in the wrong order. Don’t worry, I can help!
Today, I’m sharing my paint colors with you and including photos of the colors in each room, in different lighting, so you can get a real sense of how they change.
We’ll start with the bedroom I painted this the first year we moved here and until this morning I thought it was a cozy grey. But when I went to look for the paint can, I couldn’t find it. So, I used a swatch of a comfortable gray that I had, and traced it on with my finger behind the mirror and it was very light. This color is actually Oyster Bay, which is the same color as the one in the laundry room below. I was shaken!
This room gets northern and eastern light, and on its northern side is a huge tree that reflects the green color at certain times of the day.
The laundry room is also the most perfect color in the world for me: Oyster Bay. This is enamel, so it’s a little shiny. It looks much greener than it does in our bedroom. This room has a large south facing window that reflects our backyard.
I also thought this room was Oyster Bay until I found the paint can. I’ve gotten a little darker — it’s like I’m more moody than OB, if you will. I love him. It is one of the personal neutrals.
This room is completely outside my comfort zone, changing color every 90 seconds, with every cloud, lamp and pillow you bring. The color I want is the bottom right, but it has a mind of its own. The walls, trim, and ceiling are all the same color, but the trim is of a higher luster, whatever the painters think is best.
20 years ago, my sister painted a room in her house with sea salt (the lightest color on this page of the Sherwin-Williams color wheel). I loved it and painted a room the same color. Since then, I’ve loved the use of blue/green in this particular strip. I knew I liked one color, so it made sense to go darker or lighter.
In this house we have the third, fourth and sixth colors on the strip.
The trim (in most rooms) and kitchen cabinets are the same color of trim I used in my last house.
It has become darker at the cuts and embedded parts in the anterior chamber.
And the white walls everywhere are so white.
Want more information about arranging decor? Click here to learn more.
All my paint is from Sherwin Williams because it’s right down the street from my house, the painters use it, and they always do it right. Not sponsored but I sure hope so!
