So many colors look the same on that little swatch? How are you supposed to choose? These neutral paint color picks are guaranteed to complement your decor.
Updated for 2024 color trends. Paint is one of the easiest ways to update your home. But choosing the right paint color for your rooms can be so overwhelming! Even when sticking with neutral colors, undertones can be so tricky.
I like to choose two, max three colors per room and try a sample so that I can see how the color will look in the room depending on the time of day and the lighting in the room. Samplize is a great resource for this. They have all the Benjamin Moore colors available as wall stickers, which is especially convenient if you want to see the same color in different rooms.
Current popular paint colors reflect a shift towards soothing, light tones. Shades of white and various off whites are current favorites, offering timeless elegance and versatility.
Here are the colors I find myself reaching for the most often:
1. OC-17
White Dove
I love this color, it’s a slightly creamy white, a little warm but still very light.
2. HC-173
Edgecomb Gray
A taupe gray, a real classic, a little bit deeper and more elegant but not too heavy. Very popular for living, dining, and master or guest bedrooms.
3. OC 26
Silver Chain
A ery light gray color, with almost no green undertones.
4. OC-20
Pale Oak
A light taupe, similar depth to Classic Gray but more brown leaning than gray.
5. OC 45
Swiss Coffee
Another warm off white, leans less yellow than White Dove.
6. 2121-70
Chantilly Lace
A basic, super bright white. I like using this for trim and doors, sometimes for rooms that have very little natural light.
Just a note – We’ve done Gray Owl in our house, when you actually paint it on, it comes out more green than gray
I agree with Chava. When we painted our bathroom with Gray Owl, the walls turned out more greenish-blue than gray. It still turned out quite nice though and complemented our marble look off white/gray tiles!
I’ve done some painting in my house lately aren’t the light white colors making a come back?
cool article! can you do one on kids bedroom colors?
My Gray Owl also came out green…
I did Pale Oak recently,
*and very happy with that color
I have Cedar Key. Very warm color
I just painted entire house in Athena 858 Benjamin Moore – really fresh and to the lighter side – has a touch of gray and tan – would call it greige – totally goes with gray and brown so super neutral and really goes anywhere – if you don’t want to pick diff colors for every room.
I also just pained my home with Athena. Very happy with the outcome!
I used Grey Owl for my baby bedroom and I love it.
I want to do Cedar Key for my kitchen cabinets. My home I had beige orange tones. Cedar Key matches my tile that is going in back of my stove. I just don’t want it to be too grey. Help
I just did my kitchen and family room Cedar Key! It’s gorgeous! More beige then gray actually I don’t see much grey at all! Best hidden secret paint! Sooo many compliments!
I love the lighter version of Revere Pewter (for smaller spaces) called Light Pewter. Also more of a greige!
I used Benjamin Moore Seapearl. It’s a very pale color and love it in all my common areas.
I did it too! I can’t believe Seapearl did not make it on the list. Looks good with all furniture and colors. Highly recommend as a warm but still clean white color.
Athena and Pale Oak are the same exact color btw
I just checked out Samplize–so cool! I love the concept. Perfect timing for me as well. Thanks for this post 🙂
Seapearl!! so fresh and clean
We just did Light Pewter in a few small bedrooms and we’re thrilled. It’s beautiful.
How about Titanium? considering it for my hallway, anyone tried it?
We just did White Dove and it’s a gorgeous warm white. Love it!!
This was so helpful, thank you! I saw it a few months ago and came back to it now that it’s relevant. I used pale oak for my kitchen/hallway and it’s beautiful, but it came out much lighter on the wall than I thought it would.