Need recommendation for a whole-house paint color

[Anonymous]

We painted our primary living and communal spaces all Revere Pewter in 2012. I loved, loved, loved it until recently. Last fall, I started to get the itch and looked into whites. We started with the basement because it really needed it. I went with Alabaster white and it made the whole space so much more enjoyable and fresh. I tried a couple of whites as samples in the upper rooms to gauge how it would be with natural light (lots of western exposure for us) and Alabaster came out the clear winner there, as well. It's creamy and looks gorgeous at sunset. Our trim is a brighter white and I love the subtle contrast. The ceiling is the standard ceiling white from SW, so it's not all the same. Our guest bedroom is still RP and I feel like it looks drab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you go with edgecombe gray, one shade lighter than revere pewter?

+1

Revere Pewter is fine, but grey IS going out. So a lighter shade of grey will give you color you want, contrast with white trim, but also likely will avoid feeling that one wants to repaint to non-grey in a few years time.

Our house is mostly beige walls with BM Super White trim. Bedrooms have pastel colors on walls, but same trim. Hallways and Mudroom are CW Bruton White (which is a greige, despite the name) with same trim. I am not sure I want a house with everything the same paint, but YMMV.

[Anonymous]

We have a light-medium gray in our bedroom and a light gray in our master bath, and they are, by far, my favorite rooms in the house. They also work really well with my purple-based decor. (We also have a white in the dining/living rooms that is fine but boring and a tan in the family room that I cannot stand and will be getting rid of ASAP.)

I don't ever walk into my bedroom and think, "oh, no, we're out of style!", and I find it weird that people who are not selling their home care what the latest fashion in paint colors is. Do what makes you happy!

[Anonymous]

I'd do a Kylie M or Marie Killam edesign to pick the perfect color for you.

[Anonymous]

OP here... I'm loving the conversation but to answer a few questions.

Why the whole house one color? - We let our kids have a more personal defined space, but having the rest of the house one color is easier. Painting the master BR or dining room a different color, doesn't add joy for us. We have never had to repaint the entire house when we sell out, and will likely move out in 4-5 years, and want something more universally accepted.

Why do you want to be trendy? - We have pretty vanilla tastes and not picky at all. We are not trying to go with the trends and are open to different ideas - whether they are trendy or not. If it is something that the masses have tried and liked, we probably will too. We realize that times change, and just want to keep up. ..or at least be only 4 years out. We had taupe walls in our previous house and greige here. I loved the taupe walls I was leaving at the time I chose greige; but now years later I cannot see painting my entire house that color again. Since times change I may have the same feeling with the greige. And now is the best time to consider that.

Why not paint it gray if that is what you and your DH want? Great point! When I wrote the OP, I didn't think that we knew what we wanted. Later DH mentioned that he had already decided for himself. And as I was doing research (writing the OP) I figured out that I didn't love white either. There seemed to be too many differences and things to consider- cool vs warm vs LPV (?).

[Anonymous]

Unpopular opinion here, but I would find a "white" that is actually a pale color - like a very pale blue or pink. I have done similar and the "color" show more depending on what accent colors you use in paintings and furnishings, as well as lighting conditions, so much so that some rooms will come across as "white" and other will show the color.

Done well, it won't come across as the All Blue or All Pink house, but it will look more homey and "done" than the grey and white houses of the flipped world.

[Anonymous]

We just shifted from Edgecomb Gray to Simply White (after a renovation.) It's a billion times brighter and lighter. For a small house with a lot of color in art and furnishings, the right white paint is great.

[Anonymous]

I love our white. This said, we have to magic eraser more than we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular opinion here, but I would find a "white" that is actually a pale color - like a very pale blue or pink. I have done similar and the "color" show more depending on what accent colors you use in paintings and furnishings, as well as lighting conditions, so much so that some rooms will come across as "white" and other will show the color.

Done well, it won't come across as the All Blue or All Pink house, but it will look more homey and "done" than the grey and white houses of the flipped world.

That’s an unpopular opinion for a reason. Who wants a house that’s all almost pink or all almost blue?

[Anonymous]

Classic Gray is a lovely color. My realtor recommended it and I wouldn’t personally live with it long term but it looked nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you go with edgecombe gray, one shade lighter than revere pewter?

We have Revere Pewter in most of our home, but my sister has Edgecombe Gray. I love both. Since you're wondering about a white but maybe want a touch more color, I think you'll love Edgecombe Gray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We painted our primary living and communal spaces all Revere Pewter in 2012. I loved, loved, loved it until recently. Last fall, I started to get the itch and looked into whites. We started with the basement because it really needed it. I went with Alabaster white and it made the whole space so much more enjoyable and fresh. I tried a couple of whites as samples in the upper rooms to gauge how it would be with natural light (lots of western exposure for us) and Alabaster came out the clear winner there, as well. It's creamy and looks gorgeous at sunset. Our trim is a brighter white and I love the subtle contrast. The ceiling is the standard ceiling white from SW, so it's not all the same. Our guest bedroom is still RP and I feel like it looks drab.

What is your trim color? Thx!

[Anonymous]

I like Manchester Tan by Benjamin Moore. It’s a nice, warm neutral.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular opinion here, but I would find a "white" that is actually a pale color - like a very pale blue or pink. I have done similar and the "color" show more depending on what accent colors you use in paintings and furnishings, as well as lighting conditions, so much so that some rooms will come across as "white" and other will show the color.

Done well, it won't come across as the All Blue or All Pink house, but it will look more homey and "done" than the grey and white houses of the flipped world.

That’s an unpopular opinion for a reason. Who wants a house that’s all almost pink or all almost blue?

And who wants a house that is all builder's white or ubiquitous grey/greige?

[Anonymous]

My friend's whole house is Balboa Mist and it looks great everywhere. If you like gray, do gray.