Using Purple Paint Colors Successfully
09/16/2008 04:08 PM by Gretchen Schauffler

Purple paint color is complex due to its hidden personalities. Purple color is unique because of it’s many incarnations. Purple can go red, blue, gray, cool, warm, bright, light or so deep. A purple wall can swallow everything around it. We have some amazing purples at each end of the spectrum to make you successful at using purple paint colors in your home. A little purple goes a long way.. so let me guide through our purple paint colors and how to get them to look like you want. There are purple neutrals that look beautiful with blues, grays, and crimson reds. They behave as a perfect compliment to neutral environments when you are looking to create mood rather than showcase a striking hue. These neutralized purple wall colors have a cool undercurrent that ties cool colors together in a home. I would not recommend them with yellows since their subtle tones can quickly gray out next to brighter ones.

On the NEUTRAL side we have Devine Latte™ and Devine Stone™ as cool neutral colors for purple palettes without too many purple hints. Devine Ginseng™, Devine Cappuccino™, and Devine Bavarian™ are neutrals with cool purple undercurrents that are great as an overall color through out a home, especially with white or black trim. Devine Mist™, Devine Twilight™, Devine Shiraz™ are warm neutral purples that have a red cast to them.

On the darker side, Devine Tempest™, devinegreen: Grizzly™, devinegreen: Goslin™, and Devine Skyline™ are cool, dusky purples that are tempered to be rich, not bright. Do not be deceived by their gray looking appearance. Once paint covers 400 square feet of wall and/or ceiling surface, purple grows in intensity. Our hues were created to soak into the walls. We aim to make you successful when using purple paint on walls.

True purple reds like Devine Merlot™, Devine Pinot™, Devine Bordeaux™ and its redder version Devine Cabernet™ create “hot” purple walls that pop the color of oak and boost the color of cherry. For a closer blue-purple feel try Devine Wind™, devinegreen: Water Lily™, Devine Laissez-faire™, Devine Thunder™, Devine Dusk™, or Devine Shantung™. We have lots of hints of purple in blues, making for some wonderful periwinkles, but they actually fall under our blue umbrella.

Purple Color Combinations: Embrace orange once and for all if you love purple. Think of a gorgeous sunset and you’ll realize that if you love purple there has to be room for orange. Colors like Devine Blush™, Devine Haze™, Devine Dust™, devinegreen: Lobster™ and devinegreen: Orangutan™ go great with our purple colors. The trick is to match the level of orange liveliness with its purple counterpart. Rich dusky purples love earthier oranges. Brighter purples, such a Devine Passion Fashion ™ love the companionship of more citrus oranges like Devine Mango Tango™, devinegreen: Poppy™, and Devine Organza™ as well.

Another color that makes purple sing is green. Green melts into purple so easily you won’t even have to work at making it work. Take a look at overall neutral color with hints of green like Devine Pecan™, Devine Hazelnut™, Devine Roast™, Devine Crunch™, Devine Glass™, and Devine Fescue™ to unify all kinds of purple accents. We have lots of green colors like Devine Moss™, Devine Cypress™, Devine Hosta, Devine Green Tea™ devinegreen: Peacock™, and devinegreen: Mallard™ that are stunning and can be served as a more colorful side dish to purple.

Red and purple are often found in nature and also in lots of art, textiles, and pottery. From beta fish to Raku pottery, examples of red and purple together are bountiful. Imagine a guest bedroom in Devine Thunder with an adjacent bathroom in Devine Sangria™. Every single one of our reds becomes a perfect choice when it comes to replicating nature’s purple/red combinations.

You can do blue and yellows with purple, but a word of caution: not every yellow or blue looks good with purple. Meet both these colors on their own terms. Pair up purple blues with blue purples. For yellow, the liveliest color in the rainbow, pair up the level of liveliness like you would orange. For example Devine Thunder goes better with Devine Birch™, and Devine Dusk goes better with Devine Ale™.

Read How to Use Purple Paint for a Nursery


  Textile Help

Painting a Baby's Room
How to Use Neutral Paint Colors

Back to Devine Blog