Our Calming Whole House Paint Color Scheme
A whole house paint color palette featuring neutrals, blues, and greens for a dramatic, classic, calming home.
Picking a house paint color scheme is tricky business. If I had a dollar for every time I lost sleep over choosing a paint color… okay, I’d have zero dollars and I’m being a tad dramatic, but it’s still nerve-wracking!
Choosing a paint color for one room is hard enough. Choosing paint colors that harmoniously work together throughout an entire house from room to room is an even bigger challenge.
It’s definitely one of the top questions I’m asked whenever I share a room in our house though. “What’s the paint color?”
So I thought it’d be helpful to round-up alllllll of the paint colors we’ve used in our house to have them in one convenient spot as our entire house paint color scheme for you to reference as you need.
If you ever need help choosing colors for your own home, here’s how to find the perfect paint color every time.
In a nutshell…
Tips for choosing a paint color
- Scour Google and Pinterest for paint color names (but DON’T completely trust how they look on your screen).
- Look at the paint colors in person at the paint store on sample paper strips.
- Buy sample pots of your favorite colors from the bunch. (This step seems like a pain to do but it’s absolutely worth it because even the paint strips aren’t totally accurate.)
- Paint your sample colors on a couple of white foam boards and tape them on different walls in the room. Look at the colors throughout the day (and even night) in different lighting to help you pick a favorite.
- Pick your winner! I almost always choose the lightest or second to lightest color on the paint strip or the darkest or second to darkest, but that’s just because I like lots of contrast. Medium shades don’t really do it for me, but that’s just my personal style.
If you want some ideas of my favorite colors, here are all of the ones we’ve used throughout our home.
Our Calming Whole House Paint Color Scheme
1. Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
This shade is a slightly creamy white. It has just enough warmth to help a room feel clean but not stark and “hospital-like”. And it’s great for trim too, but we use Sherwin Williams Simply White for a more true white on trim.
(More info about our living room here)
2. Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
We’ve painted all of our doors this almost black charcoal shade and love it! It makes every room feel high-end for just the cost of paint (and hides smudgey little kid handprints).
(I have a nifty trick for painting French doors, by the way. And it’s actually strangely satisfying.)
3. Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
This is about as true white as you can get. Refined, crisp, and clean. We have it on the walls in our home office, foyer, stairway, hallway, and primary bathroom.
4. Sherwin Williams Slate Tile
We used this color on the bathroom cabinets in the Lowe’s Spring Makeover many years ago, and I fell so in love with this hue that I had to find a place for it in our house. It’s a very deep blue with just enough gray in it to make it a calming, dusty shade.
(More info about our laundry room here.)
5. Romabio Blue Ridge Parkway
I love the richness of this color that is a true classic navy blue. It’s the perfect pop of color that still has the flexibility to act like a neutral.
(More info about our dining room here.)
6. Sherwin Williams Billiard Green (lower cabinets) and Benjamin Moore Simply White (upper cabinets)
I probably tested 12 different shades of green before choosing the winning paint color for our kitchen cabinet lowers. The name is very accurate, like the green felt you’d see on a billiard table, a very rich, handsome shade.
(More info about our kitchen here)
7. Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee (walls) and Romabio Carolina Sky (cabinets and mantel)
I love this soft, sweet blue on our built-in shelves and mantel in our playroom. It’s desaturated just enough so it’s not too shocking of a color. It would be gorgeous for an exterior accent on a front door too.
(More info about our playroom here)
8. Benjamin Moore Hollingsworth Green
This minty green we used on our powder room bead board has a sweetly vintage vibe. It’s a whisper of color that’s just barely bold enough to make a statement. It could be stunning on cabinets too.
(More info about our powder room here)
9. Behr My Sweetheart
Pink is tough, and I lost track of how many samples I tried that reminded me of Pepto Bismol. But this one we used in Olivia’s room is the perfect ballet pink that leans slightly peach.
(More info about Olivia’s bedroom here)
10. Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray
This is my absolute favorite medium gray with blue undertones, so it’s perfect for making bathrooms feel clean and crisp. It’s beautiful on trim contrasting with bright white walls too.
(More info about our kid’s/guest bathroom refresh here)
12. Kilz Rebel
This is one of the deepest, truest blacks you can get and creates a very dramatic, sophisticated feeling space.
We gave our bedroom a full makeover in winter 2020 with that heaping dose of drama.
13. Magnolia True White (walls) and Romabio Barefoot Dance (ceiling)
Just like the name says, Magnolia True White is white that’s bright and true. (Total honesty: I wasn’t in love with the level of coverage, so we never used it again.) But we are absolutely smitten for our Romabio paint on the ceilings in the peachy blushy Barefoot Dance color!
(More info about Regan’s room here.)
16. Benjamin Moore White Dove (walls) and Benjamin Moore Winter Gates (trim)
If you want the “Goldilocks” between bright white and ivory, Benjamin Moore White Dove hits all the right notes. It has just the slightest kiss of cream.
We absolutely love Winter Gates for trim and cabinets (pictured below on trim)! It has just enough yellow undertone to make it a warm gray and pairs beautifully with cream and ivory.
(More info about our guest bedroom here.)
17. Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue
I dubbed this one Southern “haint blue” just because it reminds me so much of the porch ceilings you see in Charleston. But it would be beautiful on walls too, if you’re not afraid of aqua.
(More info about our back porch here)
Got any favorite paint colors of your own? We always have plenty of room makeovers ahead of us, so we’ll take all of the suggestions we can get!
It’s best to vary your colors while still creating a feeling of continuity. In an open floor plan, it’s totally acceptable to paint all connecting rooms the same color when there is no definitive break between spaces.
That’s all up to your personal preference. Sometimes it can be fun to make the ceiling a statement or the trim a statement all on its own with a pop of color. But if you are using white for both, it’s best to use the same shade of white.
The answer to paint sheens will probably vary depending on who you ask, but I like to use flat on ceilings, eggshell on walls, satin on cabinets, and semi-gloss on trim and doors. I hardly ever use gloss, unless I’m going for an ultra shiny, modern appearance on furniture.
