Popular Neutral Paint Colors Every Homeowner Loves

Neutral paint colors have gained popularity among homeowners due to their versatility and ability to create a calming and soothing ambiance within a space. If you’re considering repainting your home, this post will provide all the reasons to consider incorporating neutral paint colors into your design.

Understanding Undertones in Neutral Paint Colors

As we started updating our home a few years ago, I quickly learned how essential undertones are when choosing our Benjamin Moore neutrals. Undertones must be considered to achieve the desired outcome of your design.

Undertones are crucial when selecting neutral paint colors because they significantly influence the overall appearance of the color in various lighting conditions and settings. Here are several reasons interior designers know why undertones matter:

1. Accurate Representation:

Neutral colors often appear simple at first glance but contain subtle undertones that can affect their actual representation. For instance, a beige color might have pink, green, or yellow undertones that become more apparent when applied to walls.

2. Harmony with Other Colors:

Undertones help ensure that the neutral color harmonizes well with other colors in the room. Matching paint, furniture, and decor undertones can create a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing look.

3. Lighting Effects:

Different lighting conditions (natural, artificial, and light’s direction) can affect the undertones’ appearance. A neutral color might look warm in natural daylight but cooler under artificial lighting. Understanding the undertones helps anticipate these changes.

4. Mood and Atmosphere:

Undertones contribute to a room’s mood and atmosphere. Warm undertones (red, yellow, orange) can make a space feel cozy and inviting, while cool undertones (blue, green, purple) can create a calm and serene environment.

5. Complementing Fixed Elements:

Undertones should complement fixed elements in the space, such as flooring, cabinetry, and countertops. For example, if you have warm wood floors, choosing a neutral paint color with a warm undertone will create a more harmonious look.

6. Avoiding Unwanted Tones:

Without considering undertones, you might have a neutral color that removes unwanted hues in other room elements. For instance, a gray with green undertones might clash with red-toned woodwork.

7. Consistency Across Rooms:

If you’re using neutral colors in multiple rooms, consistent undertones can help create a unified flow throughout your home. This consistency makes the transition from one room to another more seamless.

This post is about popular neutral paint colors.

How to Choose the Best Neutral for Your Home

When looking for the right neutral paint colors for your home, the first thing to consider is how you want the room to feel. 

Cozy and Warm: Choose warm neutrals with yellow, red, or orange undertones.

Open and Airy: Choose cool neutrals with green, purple, or blue undertones.

Second, consider using a less reflective, low-sheen, or flat finish that helps bring out the actual color.

The third thing to consider is the lighting sources. You should consider both natural and artificial light. Lighting can change the look of neutrals more than other paint colors. Use a paint sample to try painting two coats on a square piece of primed drywall and move them around the room during the day to see how the paint changes. Turn on artificial lights to see how the color changes.

Lastly, for best results, consider the wood tones in your home; are they warm or cool? Match your paint color’s undertone to your wood undertone. For example, our current floors are warm with an orange undertone. For consistency, we had to use a warmer neutral on the walls. Choosing a cool neutral wall color would bring out the blue or green undertones of the paint, causing it to lose its actual color.

List of Neutral Colors

1. Collingwood OC-28
2. Pale Oak OC-20
3. Classic Gray OC-23
4. Balboa Mist OC-27
5. Manchester Tan HC-81
6. Muslin OC-12

Popular Neutral Paint Colors by Benjamin Moore

Painting is an excellent option if you’re looking to give your room a fresh, updated look. Benjamin Moore Color Collections provides neutral paints with a solid base, allowing you to add personality and color through furniture and accessories. Let’s check out the latest color trends regarding neutral paint colors. 

1. Collingwood

Benjamin Moore Collingwood was our choice for our open-concept living. This neutral paint color is on our entry, living room, and kitchen walls. It is considered between warm and cool gray with slight violet undertones. It has one of the most neutral undertones, making it one of my favorites.

As shown below, a lot of light is coming into one of the spaces, which means the color can look lighter or darker depending on the light source.

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2. Pale Oak

Benjamin Moore Pale Oak is a neutral greige, almost taupe color used in our primary bedroom. Pale Oak has warm undertones, almost yellow, yet depending on the light; you can sometimes see a hit of pink at different times of the day.

Our accent wall in the bedroom is Simply White, which contrasts very well with this color, making it the perfect neutral. 

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3. Classic Gray

Classic Gray is one of the most popular neutral paint colors for a reason. Benjamin Moore Classic Gray is a warm gray that borders warm whites. 

Its muted violet undertone is soft and pretty. It works well with average lighting, and you will love the contrast with a white color like Chantilly Lace OC-65.

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4. Balboa Mist

Benjamin Moore OC-27 Balboa Mist is a warm color with a violet undertone. It is one of the most liked pale grays and will sit well in a different light.

Depending on the sources, it has different shades, swaying from gray to beige. It has a beautiful contrast against the white in both photos.

5. Manchester Tan

Benjamin Moore HC-81 Manchester Tan is a warm tan color with a yellow-green undertone. It is considered neutral and has less of a tan look than most tan paint colors.

This color paint likely needs more light, so it would be better to use it in a south-facing room with large windows or with lots of natural and artificial lighting.

6. Muslin

Benjamin Moore Muslin is the best Benjamin Moore beige. It is a lighter beige color than most and has a warm orange undertone.

Due to its warmth, it would be beautiful in almost all rooms, no matter their light source. It will go well with organic and earth-like tones, as seen in the picture below.r light source. It will go well with organic and earth-like tones, as seen in the picture below.

Neutral Paint Colors in our Home

We decided to revamp the main space in our current home and paint the open concept living area in a poplular Benjamin Moore neutral paint color.

The project involved painting the entry, living room, dining room, and kitchen. We opted for classic neutrals, precisely the color “Collingwood,” to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere throughout the entire space. The new paint color truly added warmth and character to our home.

During my home office makeover, I experimented with the color “Classic Gray,” known for its neutral, light gray tones.

The impact of this choice has been truly remarkable, adding a fresh and inviting atmosphere to the space.

To complement this, I utilized Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, a popular white paint color, for the doors and trim, creating a cohesive and elegant look that ties the room together.

Our primary bedroom is painted “Pale Oak”. The undertones are slightly different from Classic Gray but very similar in color.

Instead of painting the entire room this color, we painted a board-and-batten feature wall “Simply White“, which was the backdrop for our fabric headboard. It was the perfect choice, as this is one of my favorite rooms in our home. 

Painting is an excellent option if you’re looking to give your room a fresh, updated look. These popular neutral paint colors provide a solid base, allowing you to add personality and color through furniture and accessories.

Consider using one of these popular neutral paint colors for your next home project or refresh. Have you tried any of these colors, or are you considering one? Please leave me a comment and let me know your favorite.

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