How to Use Neutral Paint Colors
09/18/2008 02:40 PM by Gretchen Schauffler
The main reason people want neutral paint colors in their home is because they want their space to be adaptable and uncomplicated. The assumption is that neutrals colors go with everything, and they do if you choose the right neutral paint color. To understand how to use neutral color combinations in your home, you have to know that neutral colors have hidden colors within. Taupe is not a color in the rainbow, but the rainbow hides inside every taupe. Think about the colors you have in your home. If you have lots of blues, a warm taupe that has a red or pinkish hue can make walls look fleshy. Instead, you may want a taupe that hides cool greens, or purples to enhance the cool feel of blues or try a yellow taupe to create a crisp contrast.
There is a reason why using taupe paint color outdoors so frequently goes wrong. Taupe houses look pink, gray houses look blue, and beige houses look yellow—that’s because the hidden color within these neutrals comes out unexpectedly. Here are tips on how to successfully choose a neutral paint color to flow through out your home without unfavorable color surprises. This is what Devine Color® is exceptional at, beautiful neutrals that refuse to be flat, dirty, anemic, or sallow. Look at our neutral colors next to natural surfaces such as granite, stone, and brick. Watch how our colors seep out from them.
Here is an overview of some of our neutral paint colors to help you decide the kind of neutral that best fits your home decor:
CREAM WALL COLOR: YELLOW NEUTRALS
When you want the warm, soft glow of yellow without yellow try Devine Shell™, Devine Custard™, Devine Vanilla™, Devine Sand™, Devine Peanut™, or Devine Oat™. These neutralized yellows have either hints of reds or hints of greens that create affinity with multiple décor and wall colors. We also have devinegreen: Siamese™ and Persian™.
KAKHI WALL COLOR: GREEN NEUTRALS
For neutral greens, try Devine Pecan™, Devine Macadamia™, Devine Crunch™, or Devine Glass™. These neutralized greens have hints of yellows, reds or blues as well. A great example of a neutralized green with a hint of blue would be Devine Almond™. Richer versions of these are found in our Espresso Blends™ palette like Devine Roast™ and Devine Hazelnut™. Take a look around all the color collections and see other versions sprinkled throughout.
GRAY WALL COLOR: BLUE NEUTRALS
Take a look at Devine Silver™, Devine Rain™, Devine Fog™. Also check out Devine Storm™ and Denim™. They are cool and warm versions of neutral blues with hints of greens, reds, and purples. The devinegreen: flora-fauna™ color collection has amazing richer, darker versions of blue neutrals as stunning grays. See devinegreen: Buffalo™, devinegreen: Beluga™, devinegreen: Komodo™ and also other versions sprinkled through out the collections like Devine Comtesse™.
WARM TAUPE WALL COLOR: RED NEUTRALS
Warm taupe is best experienced as temperature, not color. Those of you who are looking for warm neutrals that take after coffee colors and milk chocolates, take a look at Devine Muslin™, Devine Filbert™, Devine Sumatra™, Devine Mocha™, and Devine Medallion™—all variations of each other. For those looking to have beautiful “warm mauve pink” neutrals on their walls, look no further than Devine Grain™, Devine Pebble™, Devine Canyon™, or Devine Brick™. Success comes from finding the neutral that has the best affinity with your natural surfaces, fabrics, and art. For deeper coffee shades, look at Espresso Blends™ and the flora-fauna collection #3.
TERRACOTTA WALL COLOR: ORANGE NEUTRALS
Orange neutrals are a fantastic warm alternative. For light and soft creams check out Devine Feather™ and Devine Sand™, Devine Cashew, Devine Café, Devine Shade, and Devine Tamarind™. All of them have hints of red and yellow to make orange meet both ends of the spectrum. The entire Desert Lights™ palette is one beautiful terracotta swirl.
COOL TAUPE WALL COLOR: PURPLE NEUTRALS
Cool taupe often reveals hints of purple. We have taupe that reflects both red and blue versions of purple. Those that have a red to the purple play well with most colors and fabrics. See Devine Mist™, and Devine Twilight™. The cooler versions of taupe have sultry and smoky flavors to include purple. See Devine Stone™, Devine Latte™, and Devine Ginseng™, as cool neutral colors without purple hints. Devine Cappuccino™, Devine Bavarian™ are neutrals with cool purple undercurrents that are great as an overall color throughout a home, especially with white or black trim. For deeper cool shades, look at Espresso Blends™ and the flora-fauna collections.
Read How to Choose the Right Shade of White
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Using Purple Paint Colors Successfully
How to Choose Shades of White Paint
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doing a bedroom like to use taupe cld you help me with accent colors
— melanie pusecker 11/23/2008 02:55 PM #
Melanie:
All of our color collections offer you a variety of color combinations you can put together to paint your walls and ceilings with perfect color. If you start with one of our Devine Color neutral’s, the sky is the limit. We have paint palette pages that have perfect blues, reds, greens, yellows, purples, and orange accents as well as other richer neutrals. If you give me a direction of color, I can give you more specific recommendations…BUT…if you really want to do this right from the get-go and not waste any time getting the wrong color, read How to use our Devine Palettes. Buy our Trend-proof Color Collection. If you use this paint palette the way I suggest the colors will speak to you out loud and show you exactly which ones are the “perfect” ones for your home.
— gretchen Schauffler 11/23/2008 03:13 PM #
What color white is best for a steel, concrete and glass house with gray stucco outside that carries inside in areas and a gray mottled conrete floor. I want to put artwork on the walls and have the artwork pop. Thank you.
— Terri 12/01/2008 06:33 AM #
Terri:
Give Devine Latte, Ginseng, Muslin, devinegreen: Beluga, Buffallo, and Elephant a try. BUT…if you really want to do this right from the get-go and not waste any time getting the wrong color, read How to use our Devine Palettes. Buy our Trend-proof Color Collection. If you use this paint palette the way I suggest the colors will speak to you out loud and show you exactly which ones are the “perfect” ones for your home.
— gretchen Schauffler 12/01/2008 10:09 AM #