So here they are: the main colors that we’re tossing on the walls in our new house!

The ceiling and trim work will be painted Ben Moore’s Wedding Veil. Wedding Veil is a gorgeous true white with blue based undertones. It’s very bright and crisp, playing well with shades of blue, grey and purples.

The bedrooms and two full baths will get different colors outside of the grey family (and a post of their own), but the “opens spaces” (the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, mud/laundry room) will all be the soft silvery shade of Ben Moore grey, Marilyn’s Dress.

The office play room will be separated from the main space by glass French doors so while it will be it’s own room, it will be clearly visible. Keeping that in mind, I went just a shade or two darker on the color swatch from Marilyn’s Dress and found Sweet Innocence.

For accents in both decor and paint, we’re choosing navy! My favorite navy is the deep, rich tone of Hale Navy.

I won’t lie, I am probably the most low maintenance Paint Selector (I’m making that a thing) in the history of time.

I really don’t hem and haw over shades and colors, I never paint swatch or test and I typically don’t even bother with grabbing paint color cards from Lowe’s.

My typical mode of selection involves a little Pinterest browsing, some light Googling and then slapping it on the walls.

I think the key to choosing paint colors efficiently and being pleased with the end results lies in knowing what color family you gravitate towards.

 I don’t care for shades of tan or off white. Anything that could be considered cream, ecru, ivory or taupe is a big No for moi.

After learning what you don’t like, knowing what tones you find pleasing to the eye is the next step.

Open Concept Paint Color SchemeWe like grays, greens, whites and shades of blues in the blue family – meaning if you were to head to that scary wall of colors in the Lowe’s paint department, you would start in the blues and then go to the lightest swatches of gray etc.

In most cases, I prefer a bolder color choice than my husband so I always make myself choose a color one shade lighter than the one I fall in love with. In my experience, paint always dries darker than the color on the swatch (another reason why I like to check Pinterest for images of “real” rooms).

Picking soft neutrals like our new main color for our open convent reno means that I can bring in bold pops of pattern and color with my decor – a wild animal print pillow here, a fun painting there, a rug in a non traditional texture – all of it allows me to add a little personality without overwhelming my husband’s senses.

 

To see these colors in action, check out our Renovation Reveals:

Dining Room

Entry

Playroom

Kitchen