Taupe: A Sophisticated Backdrop for Today

eleandmac Too many shadows, works on the west coast no doubt.

Shanna White I loved my taupe walls in our always bright Las Vegas home! Looks great with white trim :)

Karen Ho Fatt I used to work with a designer who used it on everything. That is the only color she seemed to know. Mind you, taupe is always a safe color to use and works with almost all palettes as you have demonstrated above in the pictures.

ksiegelson some of these look boring and "model home-ish"

teacher1995 Am i right that your wood trim really has to be white to make taupe work?

myhouzzisyourhouzz I thought taupe (though nice if purposefully chosen) was passe'? So 2008. What's the new sophisticated neutral for now besides gray?

ds design studio @ teacher1995, not necessarily, it is one way to do it.
Photos #3 and #4 above show the trim painted the same color as the wall.

patscats2 I wouldn't call some of those colors taupe. I think of taupe as leaning toward the grey family and some of these walls had lots of green and gold in them. I lived with gray taupe for many years and now I'm so over taupe and get sick of looking at it in model homes and 9 out of 10 homes today. I think a lot of other people are sick of it also because when they walk in my house and see other colors than taupe, they are very complimentary and surprised at the pretty colors.

ellie48 I'm guilty. I love taupe/beige/greige. I think that family of color on walls is sophis. And timeless. Several of these pictures are especialy elegant, - and inviting. A good post. Thank you.

kate skouros i used to love taupe on the beige side. but that was my last house. my new neutrals are grayish and cooler. now whenever i see anything on the beige side it feels old and dated to me. i'll give it a few years though since in time i will tire of the gray as well.

colleen5192 I think it's a great post debbie! What's wrong with model homes, 2008 or that 9 out of 10 model homes use it? Hmmmmm...must mean there are a few designers who "like" to use the color. I find myself having to pull myself away from it. I love the fact that I can change my accessories and get a whole new feel to a room without having to paint. Great color for that reason and for those of us that just happen to really love the color, even in 2011!!! Thanks

ds design studio @patscats2, taupe is one of those colors that even designers can't agree on! And you're right, there are green taupes and gold taupes above. For me, #1 and #2 are what typically come to mind when I think taupe.

@ellie48 and colleen5192, glad you liked this one, thanks!

Thanks to all of you for your comments. It's always interesting to hear what the Houzz community has to say.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR Taupe encompasses such an enormous range. Since taupe just means a mix of brown or beige and gray -- not only can it be lighter or darker, it can swing further toward gray or further toward brown. And because browns or beiges and grays all have undertones -- the resulting taupe colors made by mixing them are all going to have undertones too.

Taupe has been a great neutral for a very long time and isn't going away any time soon. There are several included in the Benjamin Moore Historical Color Collection. Although grays are quite popular now, very few people want the grays that have no brown or beige mixed in, so most of the time when a client asks for gray -- what they really want is a taupe that just leans pretty far toward gray but still has the warmth that the brown or beige gives it. A very neutral gray generally feels too cold and blue to most people.

One of my personal favorites for a deep and dramatic taupe is Benjamin Moore Fairview Taupe HC-85.

kristenbj Does anyone have a favorite light colored taupe? I've been studying countless Benjamin Moore paint chips for my kitchen and can't decide! There is a ton of natural light and the wall I'm painting surrounds a wall of windows. My cabinets are beige with a slight pink/peach hue which i do NOT want to highlight!

Chris Frank One of my favorite light "neutral" is Natural Linen Benjamim Moore CC90.
So many colours look great with this and love the way it darkens in the evening.
Possibly your kitchen accessories could be deep coral. Why not paint your cabinets if you don't like them? Need free advice, my husband is a professional painter for over 35 years.

Chris Frank ps. I love the pics 5 & 6. I try not to think of what is "in" or "out" but what is right for the space and surroundings. Thank you for sharing these pics showing taupes.

kristenbj Thanks for the recommendation and I'm definitely considering painting the cabinets!

soleil6312 I think a good taupe is timeless, since it the color of ancient stone.

I am currently trying to find the right taupe. I have two Kelly Hoppen books that I love to refer to. She says taupe loves pure white but hates yellow. Finding the right one can be challenging. I am experimenting with Behr's Parisian Taupe at varying intensities (25-100% darker) and am still analyzing the changes, it's so chameleon-like. Seems to have a great balance of brown and rosy undertones but can look grayish in north light. (Good thing the grays are in) Bleeker Beige looks too safe of a beige, am considering trying Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige and Balanced Beige. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear it.

phenie53 Help! I've painted the hall and a couple rooms adjoining it with Sherwin Williams Macadamia. The rug for the stairs just came in today, and it's a taupe with a cream 3/4" diamond pattern. The problem: the rug's taupe has a hint of red, while the walls have a hint of green. Can one mix different shades of taupe? A decorator actually chose the rug, but I as well thought at the time that it would be the same shade as the walls. Any ideas as to how to make this work without changing all the wall colors...or changing the rug?

nekeya Debbie, what is the actual color of the walls in the first picture? I want to paint my walls taupe with accented blue walls but can't find that actual color. Thanks, Nekeya

ds design studio Hi Nekeya, since I didn't design any of the rooms in this idea book, I don't know what materials were used. You can click on the photo to get the name of the designer, and submit your inquiry to her. Good luck on your project.