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The Best Neutral Paint Colors for Any Space

What is the best paint color for interior walls?

If only there was an easy answer!

A question that I get from home sellers and property owners is the question of which color to paint the walls. The answer is always the same: it depends. It depends on a lot: Why are you wanting to paint? What color is the existing flooring? Are there furnishings, and if so, what color? How is the lighting in the room? Does the room have shadows during the day?

In this article, I will attempt to break down this complex topic, so that you will feel more confident in choosing the paint color for your walls.

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Consider the existing surfaces and furnishings

Unless you are replacing all of the surfaces and furnishings in a room, you will need to select a color that coordinates with your existing color palette. First, determine if your surfaces tend toward a warm or cool undertone. If you aren’t sure, take a swatch of yellow-beige paint, and a swatch of gray. Your surfaces will look better when paired with one or the other.

One trick that professionals use is an electronic color reader, which gives a precise reading of existing paint colors. If you are trying to match paint to a wall, or determine the current shade, a color reader may be helpful!

In some cases, you will find that you have conflicting undertones in the room. For example, if the flooring is warm oak but the sofa is cool gray, you have mixed undertones. It is very likely that the room feels “off” if that is the case. Aside from refinishing the floor or buying a new sofa, adding a large beige area rug can help to minimize the clash of undertones.

Work with your undertone

After you have determined whether you have a “warm” or “cool” room, you can narrow down your paint choices. Warm tones include beiges with a hint of yellow, cream, and tan. Cool tones include off-whites with green or blue undertones, and grays. “Greige” is a gray-beige, formerly known as taupe, which coordinates with both warm and cool tones.

Below is a link to the Benjamin Moore White Paint fan deck to help you with your selection process!

What about white?

Oh yes, the white trend. Is this still trending where you live? White is tricky. It can appear extremely harsh and sterile, unless a house is either modern or beachy with a lot of windows. White also takes on undertones in a big way, especially in rooms with shadows. Just be aware of this and make sure that’s what you want before you pay someone to paint your room.

My favorite warm neutrals

Benjamin Moore has been my go-to brand for my last two houses, so I will only list their paint colors here. There are many other brands that are also high-quality with good coverage; an online search will help you to find the equivalent colors in other brands of paint.

My top 5 favorite Benjamin Moore warm neutrals:

  • Marble White (OC_34): light beige with subtle yellow
  • Vanilla Ice Cream (OC-90): Just like it sounds, looks like French Vanilla ice cream
  • White Blush (OC-86): Very light, with a hint of peachy pink (I like this for a bedroom)
  • Lemon Chiffon (OC-109): Pale yellow, like iced lemonade
  • Cotton Balls (OC-122): Appears white, but with subtle yellow undertone

My top 5 favorite Benjamin Moore cool neutrals:

  • Winter White (OC-21): Pale gray, appears pale blue or green depending on lighting
  • Classic Gray (OC-23): Warm light gray, deeper than Winter White
  • Moonshine (OC-56): Pale greenish gray, feels warm or cool depending on lighting
  • Gray Owl (OC-52): Warm medium gray
  • White Ice (OC-58): Very pale off-white with blue undertone

What colors are trending right now?

The general consensus is that the gray trend is ending, and that warmer colors are emerging. A great option to bridge the gap is to select a “greige” or taupe color that merges the gray and warmer trends, so that you don’t need to choose warm or cool. Here are a few of my favorites from Benjamin Moore:

  • Soft Chamois (OC-13): Cool, pale taupe
  • Ballet White (OC-9): Medium tan-taupe
  • Pale Oak (OC-20): Medium cool taupe
  • White Dove (OC-17): Very pale neutral taupe
  • Old Prairie (OC-42): Medium neutral taupe

Whichever color you choose, be sure to test it in your room before committing. Paint a sample board or paint directly onto the walls, and look at it in various lighting.

Observe the undertones and make sure you like them. Don’t worry if you don’t find the perfect color immediately–it is a process. If you are truly stumped, don’t hesitate to contact us for a color evaluation by a certified color expert! It’s much less expensive than making a mistake on a wrong color!

Hillary McAlhany, owner & senior creative consultant

Hillary McAlhany is the owner and Senior Creative Consultant of Gate City Design. She is a certified professional home stager/redesigner, E-designer & color expert. Although she is based in North Carolina, she offers remote design services outside of the central North Carolina region.

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