Favorite Paint Color of the Month {Winter in Paris}

Happy last day of January! I can’t believe we are already one month through the year, crazy stuff! We are finally getting snow in Montana and I love it. I figure if it’s going to be winter, we might as well have snow to go with it. Better now than in April I suppose.

So when I was looking at the paint color forecast for 2014, I loved Valspar’s “Zenergy” palette, especially Winter in Paris. You know how colors just jump out to you on the screen and you think, LOVE that! Well that’s exactly what I thought when I saw “Winter in Paris”.

Then I came across this beautiful living room makeover from The Blissful Bee and fell in love once again. The whole transformation is amazing, but I especially love the colors. I love how this paint color has a tint of gray, a little turquoise and is not too “baby” blue.

Winter in Paris by Valspar

The Blissful Bee

I’ve decided to name it my favorite paint color of the month. Now I realize this is the last day of January, but I have a ton of favorites and will feature a new one sometime next month, and then the next month and so on. Plus, the name is just fitting for this time of year.

My Cottage of Bliss

The Crazy Life

Has anyone tried this? Does it look as good in person as it does in the pictures? I would love to know! Have a wonderful weekend my favorite readers!

The Most Popular Paint Color Submission at FPC

Happy Tuesday my fellow paint lovers! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I received a submission from Lorell of her newly painted living room and family room and wanted to share it with you today because the color she submitted has become the most popular paint color here at FPC, and it looks beautiful in her home. What is it you ask? I’m sure you have heard the name, it’s practically a celebrity in the paint color world.... REVERE PEWTER by Benjamin Moore.
Here is what Lorel had to say about it in her e-mail:
"As my main all-over house color, I chose BM's Revere Pewter.  When searching for the best greige for my house, I purchased about 8 different samples of what seemed to be peoples favorites.  I get a ton of natural sunlight in my home, and most of them ended up looking almost purple on my walls.  I picked Revere Pewter because it has no red undertone.  It has more of a slight green undertone, which looks like a nice light and warm grey/beige with the natural light.
I painted my family room in regular Revere Pewter, and my living room with Revere Pewter at 150% (50% more pigment than the original, to darken it a little)."

The family room painted in it’s regular strength.

The living room painted at 150%. Thanks for sharing, such a beautiful color! Definitely one of my favorite colors, it's on my top 10 warm grays, and for more Revere Pewter inspiration check out these past posts. Have a great day!

*Revere Pewter at 50%

*Revere Pewter in dining room

*Color combination for Revere Pewter

*Stripes in a bathroom

*Revere Pewter in my sister's house

*Love this living room

*Revere Pewter in this kitchen makeover

*Garage makeover, painted Revere Pewter

My Top Ten "Turquoise" Paint Colors

Happy Friday everyone! Today I am sharing with you my favorite blue/green, or "turquoise" paint colors. I was looking through my paint decks trying to help a friend who was looking for the perfect turquoise the other day and realized there are so many I love. So I wanted to share them with you today. These blues are super popular right now and look great as accents, in bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms, cabinets, book cases – you name it! If you check out the blue section on the left hand side, you can see that there are a TON of them. 210 blues to be exact, our most popular color here at FPC. So if you are feeling a little overwhelmed and are wanting to paint something the perfect blue/green - then here are my top 10 picks. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Ours is going to be filled with football and Thanksgiving preparations. Can't wait! What about you, any fun plans this weekend? See you back here next week.

My Top 10 Turquoise Paint Colors

1. Gossamer Sky by Valspar

2. Hazel by Sherwin Williams

3. Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams

4. Catalina Blue by Benjamin Moore

5. Artesian Well by Martha Stewart

6. Marina Isle by Behr

7. Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore

8. Aqua Smoke by Behr

9. Tropical Surf by Glidden

10. River Mist by Martha Stewart

Here are mine - do you have a favorite turquoise you love?

Top 10 Favorite Warm Gray Paint Colors

Happy Friday my friends! I hope you have all had a wonderful week. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve posted color combinations, our summer schedule has been a little crazy, but today I wanted to post my favorite warm grays. So if you are looking for that perfect gray that is not too beigey, yet not too cool, here are my top 10.

(Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams, Meditation by Benjamin Moore, Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore, Sandy Hook Gray by BM, Shale by BM, Coastal Fog by BM, Anew Gray by Sherwin Williams, Mourning Dove by Martha Stewart, Wood Smoke by Glidden, Gull by Martha Stewart)

Can you tell I love Benjamin Moore grays?

Do you have a favorite warm gray that you have used in your home and absolutely love? I would love to hear about it. Have a great weekend!

Follow-up to Jenna’s House {paint color suggestions}

Thank you so much for all of your comments and suggestions on Jenna’s home. I think any one of the colors mentioned would look great and would say to anyone in a similar predicament to look at the comments here. There are lots of great suggestions for anyone trying to find a great neutral paint color, particularly one that goes with wood trim or cabinets. I also did a post awhile back with other suggestions on picking out paint colors that go with wood.
This home is great because it’s pretty much a blank slate. So, if this were my home? These are some options that I would look at. Looking at paint decks and trying to match it with pictures can be a lot different than actually trying out samples on the walls. These are just suggestions to look at. :)

I would start out with the kitchen since it has the most wood. I would get a few neutral paint colors that I love and put them on the wall and see what works the best. Here are some samples I would probably try.

Kilim Beige by SW	Buckwheat Flour	Putnam Ivory BM
Wheeling Neutral             by BM	Relaxed Khaki SW	Powell Buff by BM
Pavilion Beige SW	Latte – Restoration Hardware	Blonde by SW

Jenna mentioned that she has been looking at Tobacco Road at 50%, which has been a pretty popular color, especially with wood cabinets.  I think it’s a great choice. TR 100% is on the top, 50% in the middle and 25% on the bottom.

I would then move on to the dining area and great room. Here, depending on what color I picked in the kitchen, I would go a shade or two darker to give it some more contrast and to add more color to such an open, natural lit room. The wall with the clock on it would be a great breaking point for the dining area.

 

For this living area, I would probably paint it a different color than the kitchen and great room. Here are some options I woud look at.

Lenox Tan BM	Wickham Gray BM	Edgecomb Gray BM
Restrained Gold SW	Ramie by SW	Comfort Gray SW

For the bathroom I think a green/gray color would look nice. Here are some of my favorites, some have a little more blue to them which I like as well.

 

Svelte Sage by SW	Salisbury Green by BM
Aganthus Green by BM	Sycamore Green by Restoration Hardware

That is where I would start. I know colors can look one way on the computer or paint chip and totally different on the walls, so the key is sampling. I hope Jenna can find the perfect color she loves. Thank you so much for all of your input and suggestions.  You guys are awesome! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Paint Colors that go with WOOD {trim and cabinets} + My Favorite Neutral Paint Colors

One of my most frequently asked questions deals with paint colors that coordinate well with wood trim and cabinets. Today, that is what we are going to talk about! Most of the pictures that are submitted and posted on this site have painted white trim or cabinets, which I think looks clean, crisp and makes the paint pop – I love white, but not everyone has white cabinets or trim, or even wants them, or maybe you do want them but you have a stubborn husband or landlord.  So if you have any type of wood in your home and are trying to  pick out a paint color to go with it, this post is for you!


I know there are a lot of different opinions and tastes on what goes with wood and what doesn’t, but when picking out paint colors – I would leave wood in it’s natural element. Think earth tones and neutrals. That’s what God put wood with in nature and I would leave it that way in your home. I would try and avoid bright colors, especially yellows. The two will clash and there won’t be a harmonious feel.

If you have darker wood, I would definitely choose a lighter color, something that will provide contrast and showcase the trim – because that can be art in itself.

For lighter woods, go a little darker, once again to provide contrast.

If you have Honey Oak, or “orange” oak in your home, and really any type of wood, you will have to determine if you want your cabinets or trim to stand out and “pop”, or if you want your paint color to blend with the oak. If you want it to stand out, picking a cool paint color will give the paint and the oak a distinct contrast. Go with the purple, blue or green family.

Warmer paint colors, from the red, orange and gold family, will create a welcoming feel and will give your room more of a glow.

If you go with neutral colors, which I would most definitely recommend, you have the ability to not only create a harmonious feel between the paint and the wood, but you can add color elsewhere when you decorate. Neutral colors are meant to compliment just about anything, so you won’t have to worry about other colors in your home clashing with the paint.

So below I have listed some of my favorite neutrals. Colors that I believe will compliment the wood in your home.  These are meant to provide a starting point for you. Not every color will look good on your walls. Every home has different lighting, home décor and colors in general so what may look good on my walls might look terrible on yours. Just make sure to sample – that will give you the best idea of how the paint will truly look.

Another tip – most every paint brand (Benjamin Moore, Martha Stewart, Sherwin Williams, etc.) has a nuetral section that you can find in their fan decks or at the actual store, with a variety of colors to choose from. That would be another great place to start if you want more choices than the ones listed below.

Here are my favorite nuetrals – many have been featured here at FPC and are colors that I would use if I were to paint my home today. This is where I would start.

Hush by Benjamin Moore	China Doll by Sherwin Williams	Ancient Marble by SW
Gray Owl by BM	Consentino Chardonnay by BM	Upward by SW
Universal Khaki by SW	Blonde by SW	Revere Pewter by BM
Oat Straw by Behr	Ocean Pearl by Behr	Rice Grain by SW
Fossil by SW	Nutshell by Martha Stewart	Pebble by Martha Stewart
Cityscape by Martha Stewart	Kilim Beige by SW	Softened Green by SW

        

I have also included more photos of inspiration, to give you an idea of what certain colors may look like against wood.

Latte by Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin Williams

White Raisin by Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams

*not sure of the exact paint color name, but added it for inspiration. love the gray here with the wood trim. for more info click on the link below.*
Design Sponge

Manchester Tan by Benjamin Moore. Another one of my favorite neutrals. See more here.

Oak Ridge Revival 

Tobacco Road by Duron

 DecorChick! 

Tobacco Road again– see more here

Cliff Rock by Behr

From my cute sis-in-law’s house.

Cliff Rock again in the kitchen.

Spring Fawn by ColorPlace

Bing Cherry by Porter Paint. I showed this because of the light wood floors.

Home by Heidi

Betsy Ross House Moss by Valspar (National Trust Historic paint collection). Once again, I love this color with the wood floors.

Organizing Made Fun

Houzz

Grasslands by SW - Garden Web

Tate Olive by Benjamin Moore

*I scanned this from the “Pacific Northwest” pamphlet from Benjamin Moore.

Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.

*I scanned this one too, taken from the “timeless neutrals” pamphlet from BM.  You can barely notice wood trim on the bottom, but I loved it with the table and chairs too.

Neutral with Oak

Firehow

I would love to see the paint colors you have chosen to go with the wood in your home. If you have a paint color that you love, please send me your pictures and I will try to add them to this post. If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to comment or e-mail me at favoritepaintcolors@gmail.com. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and Happy Painting!