Home Interior Color Schemes
Deciding How To Choose The Right Interior Paint Colors For Your Home can be overwhelming. No one wants to spend the time, energy, and money painting a room only to end up hating the color. Not to mention the many different color choices and paint types to choose from! You can’t just choose the color gray because there are thousands of shades of gray to choose from!
So how do you know which colors are right for your home? I spent a month deciding on paint colors for our home so take your time deciding what’s right. Below I share the paint colors we used in our second home (which I still love) and our third home.
I also discuss the option of Peel and Stick Wallpaper (which is a popular Home Decor trend) and how we’ve incorporated Peel and Stick Wallpaper in our third home.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:
- How to choose home paint colors
- The best paint supplies to use
- Our home paint colors (used in our second and third homes)
- How to paint furniture (to match your home paint colors)
- Painting vs. Peel and Stick Wallpaper
- Other cheap home hacks
- FAQs about choosing paint colors
- Tour our home
In case you’re curious (or in a hurry):
It’s an excellent neutral paint color that works with furniture and home decorations in any color. In fact, in the below pictures, you will see that we’ve used it in several rooms in our home.
I recommend our home paint colors to friends and family and those that ask for my help staging their home. Paint is the easiest way to transform a space so if you hate that red wall in your living room, then just paint it! Our first home had more tan/brown paint colors but it still sold in less than 2 days for the asking price so there’s proof that paint can make a huge difference in how your home looks and feels and is especially important when it comes to time to sell your house.
How To Choose Home Paint Colors
Here is what I did to pick out paint colors and this is what I recommend you do to pick paint colors for your home…
Look through past HGTV Dream Homes
Did you know that the HGTV dream homes have all of the paint colors used listed? When the next HGTV Dream Home is built, keep an eye on the paint colors they used!
Find out what your favorite home decor blogger loves
I know, I’m your favorite home decor blogger, haha, no really, keep reading for my home paint colors below
Are you are a fan of Fixer Upper? I sure am and I love some of the colors that Joanna uses. It’s okay to copy your favorite designer 🙂
Choose paint colors that are current neutral trends
If you plan to sell your home in the near furniture, choose neutral colors. Homebuyers like a bit of color but also prefer neutrals so they don’t have to paint as soon as they move in.
–>>Did you know that homes with a BLACK front door sell for more money?
Choose paint colors that match your furniture
Of course, you can always paint your furniture (see how I transformed our furniture below using paint). Also, just because you have a red sofa doesn’t mean you should paint your living room red. Think about the undertones in your furniture (blue, yellow, etc) and match the undertones so everything flows nicely.
Choose colors that create the atmosphere you want in a home
Our master bedroom is a soothing blue which creates a relaxed atmosphere. I also wanted something with a coastal vibe that reminded me of the beach 🙂
Keep things simple by keeping your options small
Don’t go to the store and pick 300 color swatches… that will just make things harder! Instead, look at some of the homes that you love and research the paint colors they used. Visit a model home for inspiration and take pictures of everything that inspires you!
Make an Inspiration Board or Mood Board
Creating a Vision (or Inspiration) board will help you see your colors and furniture together before starting a major project (keep reading for how-to).
Use one neutral paint color in several rooms
The question I get all the time is “How many paint colors in a house interior?” If you are painting your entire house (like we did when we bought our house) you will probably need to designate a color for every room in the house. To keep things simple, try designating 1 color for the main living spaces and 1-2 bedrooms. All of the colors that I picked were used in at least 2 rooms in our home so we didn’t have color overwhelm. I suggest to keep it under 5 total colors.
How To Create an Inspiration Board or Mood Board
Creating an inspiration board is different than a Pinterest board. I made my inspiration board by collecting my color swatches, inspirational home decor pictures, and attached everything to a physical board as a reference for our home.
I was so excited to make the inspiration board that I had it on display at our housewarming party. My friends laughed that I went through the trouble of making an inspiration board, but guess what? That’s what designers do!
If you’ve seen any HGTV house flipping shows, the designer always presents a visual board of some sort for the homeowner with the project colors, furniture ideas, etc. An inspiration board puts your ideas in one place so you can easily see how things will flow and work out.
To make an inspiration board, gather the supplies needed:
- Large cardboard box (or poster board)
- Markers
- Tape/glue
- Inspirational interior home pictures
- Color samples
Directions:
- Cut the largest side of the cardboard box so you have 1 large flat piece to work with (this will be your board)
- Write your home address at the top of the board and then just have fun attaching pictures and color swatches! Be sure to label which colors go in which room and any other notes.
Supplies to Paint Your Home
Now that you have some ideas on how to choose paint colors for your home, you need to make sure you have all the right supplies before you start painting. There’s nothing worse than starting a project only to find yourself running to the store to get more supplies.
As long as I have these supplies on hand, I can paint a 10 x 10 space in an hour. Please note, my hubby always says I’m efficient but not accurate (meaning, I can get a lot done in an hour, but I may have missed minor details, hehe).
Having the below supplies available on painting day will make the process go by faster and easier!
I also use these paint sticks to make Dollar Store Farmhouse Signs and other crafts! Check them out here!
By the way, here’s a little Paint Budgeting tip: You can get ANY name brand paint at ANY paint store… just give them the name and they will color match it. I take Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint colors to Home Depot and they make whatever color I want in the brand of paint that I choose (save some money by buying a non-name brand paint!).
With all the supplies to paint like a pro, you can start picking paint colors and paint your home!
Our Home Colors
Now that you have a few tips on how to choose paint colors and all the supplies you need, I’m going to share the paint colors in our home (including painted furniture and cabinets)!
I’m sharing the paint colors used in our second home (purchased in 2014) AND the paint colors we are using in our third home (purchased in 2018).
I’ll also discuss using Peel and Stick Wallpaper (which is a huge Home Decor trend recently) and how we’ve incorporated Peel and Stick Wallpaper in our third home.
Our Second Home…
We purchased our second home in 2014 (located in Northern Virginia) and I chose the paint colors for the entire house so we could paint before we moved in. It was easy to choose the paint colors based on what I knew about the house (lighting, space, etc) and after doing an Inspiration board (see the above steps to create an inspiration board).
Kitchen Paint Colors
The kitchen did not always look like this. The cabinets were brown, the walls were dingy white among many other changes that we made.
–>>You can read more about our kitchen remodel with before and after pictures HERE.
The wall color in the kitchen and breakfast room is Valspar Cream in My Coffee The Kitchen cabinets color is Behr Silky White
Dining Room Paint Colors
Our dining room did not have a chair rail so we installed one and painted Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige above the chair rail and Sherwin Williams Eider White below the chair rail.
–>>See the Before and After pictures of our dining room in this post.
Living Room and Family Room Paint Colors
The living room and family room are both Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige. I would love to add bead-board to this room since it has the crown molding but that may never happen since the hubby likes it the way it is 😛
As you can see, we have brown, white and gray furniture and these paint colors work with many neutrals.
–>>You can see more Living Room before and after pictures HERE.
Entryway, Stairs, and Hallways Paint Colors
Can you tell I like simple home decor? I believe less is more and support minimalism and cleanliness in our home and I really hate useless knick-knacks. The entryway is one of my favorite colors in our house – SW Perfect Greige.
It’s not gray and it’s not brown. It’s really hard to find a nice gray that is not too silvery or resembles a dark cloud, lol!
We painted Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige in the entryway, the stairwell and the hallway leading to the kitchen. The hallway also has a double-door coat closet, the door to the basement and the half-bath.
There is not a lot of natural light in our entryway but this color still looks good because the flow from the living room into the entryway and then into the dining room works. It’s also a great neutral if you have brown, tan, white or gray furniture (we have all of those!).
–>>You can see more Entryway before and after pictures HERE.
Master Bedroom Paint Colors
One wall in our master bedroom is painted Sherwin Williams Rain. The other 3 walls are painted Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige (same color as the main living spaces). Our last house had a blue master bedroom and we wanted to keep that rustic coastal vibe. Blue is also a soothing color but I didn’t want the entire room to be blue.
Master Bathroom Paint Colors
The master bathroom is painted Sherwin Williams Rain so the flow from the bedroom wall with SW Rain makes sense. Rain is very blue color and looks great with white cabinets, furniture, and burlap.
We painted the Master Bathroom Vanity Cabinets Sherwin Williams Repose Gray (they were dark brown) and added two shelves and molding (where there used to be an opening for a vanity stool).
Bathroom Paint Colors
The kid’s bathroom is painted Sherwin Williams Sea Salt with board and batten that is painted, Behr Silky White. The bathroom cabinets are also painted, Behr Silky White. Be sure to check out this post for how we remodeled our bathroom on a budget!
The half bath on the main floor is also painted SW Sea Salt and has a dark wood vanity so you can see SW Sea Salt is very versatile with cabinet/furniture colors. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt would look great in any room of the house if you are going for a coastal vibe.
–>>See more Master Bedroom & Bathroom before and after pictures HERE.
Our Home Paint Colors – How to choose color palette painting
As I mentioned, I choose the paint colors in our second home after creating a vision board (it really does help!) and doing some research (searching Pinterest, haha!)
Here are the paint colors used in our Second home:
- Kitchen – Valspar Cream in My Coffee
- Kitchen Cabinets – Behr Silky White
- Entryway – SW Perfect Greige
- Formal Living Room, Family Room, Office – SW Accessible Beige
- Dining Room – SW Accessible Beige (above the chair rail) & SW Eider White (below the chair rail)
- Master Bedroom – SW Rain (Accent wall behind the bed) & SW Accessible Beige (3 walls)
- Master Bathroom – SW Rain
- Master Bathroom Vanity Cabinets – SW Repose Gray
- Kid’s Bathroom and Half Bathroom – SW Sea Salt
- Kid’s Bathroom Vanity Cabinets & Board and Batten – Behr Silky White
- Boy’s Bedroom (not pictured) – SW Repose Gray
- Girl’s Bedroom (not pictured) – SW Eider White
–>>Here are all the paint colors used in our second home as an image if you would like to PIN IT FOR LATER…
Our Home Paint Colors
Now that you know what paint colors we used in our second home, I’m going to share the paint colors in our THIRD home (including painted furniture and cabinets)!
I’ll share the paint colors used in our third home (purchased in 2018) AND some of the updates we’ve completed so far.
I also discuss using Peel and Stick Wallpaper (which is a popular Home Decor trend) and how we’ve incorporated Peel and Stick Wallpaper in our third home.
Our Third (and current) Home Paint Colors…
We purchased our third home in 2018 (located in West Coast Florida) and this time, I waited to choose the paint until after we moved in. The entire house was recently painted white (every wall except the bathrooms) and I decided to leave it white for a while until I got used to the lighting in certain areas (this is a much smaller home and there are some dark corners in some rooms.
Entryway Paint Colors
The entryway doesn’t get much light, even during the day, so I painted the walls a light neutral color (Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist) above the chair rail and added this peel and stick wallpaper below the chair rail. The Doors are painted Benjamin Moore Gray in matte paint.
These paint colors worked well in our entryway because there is little light and it’s a very small space. If you have an entryway similar to ours, these paint colors and wallpaper should brighten the space!
Combining the right paint color with peel and stick wallpaper can make a huge transformation in your home. Just look at our entryway and how the paint and wallpaper go together beautifully!
–>>See more of our Entryway before and after pictures HERE.
Kitchen Paint Colors
I really wanted shiplap in our kitchen breakfast nook but instead of taking the time to cut, install, and paint faux shiplap, I went with this awesome peel and stick wallpaper.
In just a few hours of hanging wallpaper, I had a shiplap kitchen!
If you really like the idea of peel and stick wallpaper but have never used it before, I highly recommend reading my tips on using peel and stick wallpaper and checking out the different kinds of wallpaper that’ll instantly update your space!
Kitchen Cabinets Paint Colors
The biggest transformation in our third home so far has been painting the kitchen cabinets. I’m currently working on a blog post sharing how we updated our kitchen, but for now, I will only share the paint we used on the cabinets was this paint. Our cabinets are made with a mix of materials (particleboard, plywood, & Formica) and this paint worked on all of them!
I also used this subway tile peel and stick wallpaper on the backsplash in our kitchen which instantly brightened the space after painting the cabinets.
–>>See more of our Kitchen before and after pictures HERE.
Front Porch Paint Colors
I painted the front door Behr Beachside Drive (it was a faded red color) as soon as we moved in.
–>>You can see a Before picture of our Front Door HERE.
The only other rooms that we’ve painted have been the kid’s bathroom (in SW Sea Salt) and our mudroom (Real wood shiplap painted SW Eider White).
I’ve left the rest of the house white but will update this post if that changes 🙂
Here are the paint colors/wallpapers used in our Third home:
- Entryway – Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist (above the chair rail) & White Faux Wood Peel & Stick Wallpaper (below the chair rail)
- Entryway Doors – Benjamin Moore Gray
- Kitchen Breakfast Nook – Shiplap Peel & Stick Wallpaper
- Kitchen Cabinets – Linen Chalked Paint
- Kitchen Backsplash – Subway Tile Peel & Stick Wallpaper
- Front Door – Behr Beachside Drive
- Home Exterior (not pictured) – Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Kid’s Bathroom (not pictured) – Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover
- Master Bathroom (not pictured) – Shiplap Peel & Stick Wallpaper
- Master Bedroom (not pictured) – Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Living Room (not pictured) – Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Mudroom (not pictured) – SW Eider White
Pin it for later…our Paint Colors (used in our Third Home)…
Our Furniture Paint Colors
I paint a lot of our furniture, including the fabric of furniture! The reason why I paint furniture is that color trends change and sometimes I get bored with the color. Instead of spending money and buying different furniture, I try to improve what I have.
–>>My favorite paint to use on furniture is Chalked Paint because you don’t need to sand or prep the surface and Chalked paint can be used on a variety of materials (laminate included!).
Here are a few furniture pieces that I painted and their colors:
High-back chairs – painted with Linen Chalked paint ( U used a process to water down the paint to apply tot he fabric).
Dresser turned buffet (previously brown) – painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old Ochre.
Futon frame – painted with painted with Linen Chalked paint.
Wine dresser (previously black) – painted with SW Perfect Greige.
Here is the same cabinet painted Behr Seaside Drive…
Side tables (previously brown) – painted with ASCP French Linen.
Lamps (previously brown) – painted with ASCP Old Ochre.
Bench (previously brown) – painted with painted with Linen Chalked paint.
I also painted this Pottery Barn ladder shelf with Linen Chalked paint.
–>>I also use Chalked Paint to make my own Farmhouse signs!
Paint Versus Peel & Stick Wallpaper
Peel and stick wallpaper has become very popular recently since not everyone has access to tools to build their own Shiplap walls (thanks Chip and Joanna) or wants to tile an entire wall with subway tile. I love tiling but if I could slap up some wallpaper and call it a day, that would make me, the hubby, and my wallet happy!
You can find peel and stick wallpaper online at Target, Amazon, Home Depot, and more! I’ve linked my favorite peel and stick wallpaper and the ones I’ve used personally below.
What is the Best Color to Paint a Living Room?
Cheap Home Hacks that’ll Increase Value
Renovating a home can come with a high price tag if you’re not budgeting and deciding which updates bring the best return on investment. After selling our updated first home in just 4 years, we bought an even bigger house that needed a lot of updating. We sold our second home after 4 years while doing the much-needed work to produce a profit by following the same strategies we did in our first home.
If you enjoy updating your home, want to increase your home value or just want your home to look better, you should check out thee 10 Cheap Home Hacks That’ll Make Your House Look So Much Better.
How to choose a paint color FAQs
Choosing a Paint Color Scheme
If you still need help choosing a paint color scheme for your home, check out these bedroom paint color scheme combinations to get some inspiration!
Is it okay to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls?
I generally stick with “no” with painting the ceiling the same color as the walls. I keep my ceilings white because it makes the room feel bigger and taller.
What is the best neutral paint color?
This specific paint color is the most popular color for interior walls with my readers although I painted our most recent home with this neutral paint color and I love the neutral grayish tones.
How many paint colors in a house interior?
If you are painting your entire house (like we did when we bought our house) you will probably need to designate a color for every room in the house. To keep things simple, try designating 1 color for the main living spaces and 1-2 bedrooms. All of the colors that I picked were used in at least 2 rooms in our home so we didn’t have color overwhelm. I suggest to keep it under 5 total colors.
How do I pick a paint color for my bedroom?
I have a post that can help! Check out these bedroom paint color scheme combinations to get some inspiration!
Tour Our Homes
–>Tour our First Home here
–>Tour our Second Home here
–>Tour our Third Home here
Picking the right interior home paint colors can be frustrating but with these tips and suggestions, you can easily come up with the perfect colors for your home. For more home inspiration, be sure to Tour Our First Home here.
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