SOURCE: Piper Phillips Stromatt
While I don’t always love following trends I do recognize that it can make life easier for homeowners who want to pick their own paint colours. In the last decade it’s been all about gray walls but now we’ve seen that era come to an end. So what do you do if you’re ready to paint? What is the go-to for walls that look up-to-date and fresh? Currently it’s all about creating a warm, livable environment but with colour rather than just neutrals. While that may feel confusing it’s actually really easy to find saturated colours that offer warmth and easy livability.
I’ve pulled together my favourites from Sherwin Williams and these are all great options if you want to avoid overwhelmingly bold or cold colours.
1/ Cavern Clay SW-7701
SOURCE: Sherwin Williams
The idea of orange on your walls might seem really bold but look at how lovely and warm it is when applied to walls. And just because you’ve added a bold colour to the wall doesn’t mean you should shy away from colour in the rest of your room. This reddish orange looks great paired with the mid-toned blue furniture and the bold artwork. While it’s definitely possible to pick an orange that feels cold, this one is going to give any room a cozy, warm feeling.
If you’re not ready to embrace this colour in a main living area you could consider it for a laundry room or powder room. It would bring those ordinarily dull spaces to life.
2/ Perfect Greige SW-6073
SOURCE: Sherwin Williams
Greige can be a hard colour to source, particularly if you’re not a designer. There are a lot of greige paints that end up being quite cool because they have blue undertones. This one has a red undertone which keeps it warm and makes it a great choice for any room.
I like to recommend this colour when a client has a lot of colourful furniture pieces and artwork. It’s the perfect backdrop to more bold colours and is a great alternative to white walls for showing off art.
If you want to learn more about how to pick the perfect beige or greige paint, read this post.
3/ Urbane Bronze SW-7048
SOURCE: Vintage Revivals
I’ve made no secret of how I feel about gray. Generally I find it dull and boring but this gray is anything but boring. It’s the deepest shade of gray but it’s the brown that brings the warmth to this colour. It feels very nature inspired and even though it’s a brown gray there are definitely hints of green which makes it feel very livable.
This colour feels sophisticated and luxe and can be used for all your walls but if you prefer just a pop of colour then consider adding it to base cabinets in your kitchen or bathroom. It’s also a great colour for doors and windows.
4/ Softer Tan SW-6141
SOURCE: Nolan Painting
Here we are with another neutral but this one is again chosen because of its warmth. This paint colour will leave your room glowing so if you have a dull, lifeless space that needs a boost, you should definitely consider Softer Tan.
The undertones of this neutral are a mix of yellow and green and that’s why it feels so light and bright. It’s also a colour that works really well with almost any other colour so it’s a great solution if you have flooring or architectural details that are not ideal. It can help to neutralize a too-bold colour that you don’t love in your home.
5/ Taiga SW-9654
SOURCE: Sherwin Williams
This colour feels very historical to me and reminds me of a lot of the greens we love from the Benjamin Moore Historical collection. It’s a green with a lot of gray undertones that keeps it from being too bright. The gray helps neutralize and subdue the green but overall it reads more like a warm green colour and less like a gray colour.
This colour looks great in a space that has a lot of natural wood throughout. If you have a home with a lot of wood detailing this colour will help to complement and create cohesiveness.
6/ Evergreen Fog SW-9130
SOURCE: smc.living
We’ve all been loving on this colour for quite some time. Sherwin Williams selected this as their Colour of the Year in 2022 but it’s still going strong in 2024.
This colour is a total chameleon and will read differently depending on the natural light in your space. South facing rooms with tons of natural light will see this appear much lighter than in the north facing room with little light flowing in. In those spaces this will be much more deeply saturated and dark so testing the paint in your own space is important here.
From white to deep charcoal, this colour works harmoniously with both colours and neutrals. It’s just such an easy colour to love so give it a try.
7/ Agreeable Gray SW-7029
SOURCE: Home Bunch
This is a colour that will change dramatically depending on your lighting conditions. In a space filled with lots of natural light (like the one above) it will read very light and neutral. You can see the cabinets have a hint of gray but otherwise look very, very light.
If you use this same paint colour in a room with no natural light it will definitely feel like a different colour. It becomes dark and muted when there’s no light to brighten it up. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing because there are lots of times when a deeper, more muddy colour is exactly what we need. You definitely want to test this out in your own space before you commit.
8/ Elephant Ear SW-9168
SOURCE: Sherwin Williams
This beautiful paint colour is a warm gray and you can see from the image above how well it pairs with neutrals like white, black and gold. It feels really earthy and natural and very easy to live with.
It’s another colour that will work as a beautiful backdrop to simple, classic furniture, artwork and accessories but it’s not a colour that’s limited to one specific design style. In fact, I’d be comfortable using this colour with any design style from contemporary to traditional.
9/ Malted Milk SW-6057
SOURCE: The Decorologist
If you were to look at the paint chip for this colour you’d think you were getting a reddish taupe or greige colour but if you do a search online you’ll see that all the rooms have this pinky orange colour. This definitely makes the case for always testing the colour in your space before committing to the colour.
Aside from the discrepancy it’s a gorgeous soft colour that offers only a hint of colour. It could be used successfully in a main part of your home and would warm up a room that feels cool or doesn’t get a lot of natural light.
I love the black door paired with this colour but equally a creamy white would work really well with this colour.
Have you used any of these colours in your home? If not, are you thinking of trying any of them?
If you need help selecting colours for your home, contact me. Our paint consultations will help you avoid costly mistakes and get your paint colours right the very first time.
If you know your design style but you struggle with which paint to use, take a look at my Made-For-You paint palettes. They take the guesswork out and give you the confidence to get started.
