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babibleu

Interior paint colors

6 years ago

Hi everyone, I need some advice and/or suggestions. We just moved to a new home and are repaint the interior. I am at a road block of what I should do. I was originally wanted all white on the trims and go with light gray (agreeable gray) on the walls. And the doors, fireplaces and cabinets is with darker gray. But is it wise? Thank you!

Comments (33)

  • 6 years ago

    No gray with the oak cabinets. Are you just painting or can other things be changed at this time? Kitchen ceiling light? Backsplash? Carpets?

  • 6 years ago

    just painting unfortunately. I am thinking of paint that oaks cabinet to moonshine color.

  • 6 years ago

    Painting the cabinets and all of the woodwork is a massive undertaking, and then you're still left with the rather yellow-toned wood floor and beige carpet. Definitely no to grays, but try looking at a "greige" paint instead. Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige might work for you on the walls, and I would just leave the rest of the wood alone if I were you. The gray/white thing is a trend.

  • 6 years ago

    I'd paint the kitchen area a light sage green or blue-green. Will complement the cabinets. And the walls an off white/soft white or light tan if you are going to keep the oak trim. If you paint the trim in one room, will you need to paint it all (including stair risers, etc)?


  • 6 years ago

    yes we are under go a whole house repaint. That's why I want to make sure I make the right decision. I just want to make the house looks brighter.

  • 6 years ago

    Is the kitchen a separate room? If so, I'd try green or blue in there to complement the cabinets. All the other spaces can be the same color. Maybe white trim everywhere and Revere Pewter for walls. Is your carpet taupe? gray?

    Then save to have the kitchen overhead light removed- it will remove some of the oak and give the space a lighter feel

  • 6 years ago

    I’d say keep the trims wood, paint the walls white (Swiss Coffee or similar)

  • 6 years ago

    Gray will not make your home brighter. There are many colors that will work with your cabinets, floor, and trim. I like SW Kilim Beige. Your cabinets are very nice. I would surely replace the backsplash when the budget allows.....no gray.

  • 6 years ago

    carpet is more of taupe colors.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Then I would go with a wall color in the off white/soft white/light beige family. It will be a nice neutral backdrop.

  • 6 years ago

    would repose gray in SW works?

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I'm sorry. I should've read your post more closely. You actually already painted everything gray? If so, you unfortunately did the opposite of making the house brighter. Gray is a cool, dark shade. Painting the trim white, besides being a massive undertaking, won't really help. It's too bad you didn't post earlier so you could've made a different choice.

    To anyone out there following this Dilemma, study the "givens" of the house you have (and the furnishings you plan to keep). If you come to Houzz early in the game, people can remind you to take into account flooring, trim, existing cabinets, existing rugs, furnishings, etc. You'll save a ton of money, time, and disappointment. A previous Dilemma also wondered why her gray cabinets didn't look right--wrong color for the floor, countertops, appliances with none of that taken into account. Her previous wood cabinets and flooring coordinated. The new cabinets didn't. It's like picking out a red blouse you like that doesn't go with a single other thing you already have--expensive to make that blouse work.

  • 6 years ago

    I don't think the painting has been done yet.


    Babibleu, you seem intent on gray, but you'd be wise to heed the advice here. Gray is not going to work with your space; in fact, you might want to even step away from the greige shades now that I think about this some more. Look at the colors in Housegal's examples above and note how bright and light those spaces feel. You will never achieve that with the gray and white combo you're considering.

  • 6 years ago

    we have not done anything to the house yet. The pictures I posted are what is currently colors/designs. We are looking into repaint the whole house to make it brighter and I was looking at light gray (agreeable gray for the walls) and debating if we need to paint the oaks wood, too. The quote came in with the whole house and oaks/trims/cabinets. It's time for us to pick the colors and I am struggling that's why I came here for advise.

  • 6 years ago

    I would probably bring in a few different colours and try them. See how it feels in the rooms. We can offer all kinds of advice based on photos that likely don’t show colours accurately but you, in real life, will need to see your options. Paint is so unique to the actual space it goes in.

  • 6 years ago

    Hooray that you haven't started yet. The house currently is so dark. IMO the problem is the gray not the trim. Your wood trim as is could look great with the right paint and save you a ton of $$$ if you don't paint it.

    Get a color consultant to advise you on paints with and without painting the trim. A consultant will take into account the natural and artificial lighting at different times of day, your furniture, and much more. It'll be money well spent.

  • 6 years ago

    Warm white walls everywhere, and keep the wood trim and cabinets. Use some of the money you would have spent on painting woodwork and put it toward a good lighting plan for the whole house.

  • 6 years ago

    I wrote this just for people like you - hope it helps.


    https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5832220/how-i-select-a-whole-home-color-palette

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    The proper paint colors will not emerge under the poor lighting conditions in your new home. Replacing and upgrading the lighting scheme and fixtures would be my first priority and my biggest splurge at this time. Otherwise, you're not likely to get the results you want from any paint job. Plan for LED can lights in the ceiling, no ceiling fans unless the weather conditions year-round require them, new under counter LEDs in the kitchen, a new and lower chandelier in the dining room. Bear in mind that the colors of your fabrics and textiles are what should guide your painting plan. I think you should put paint on hold for now, do the lighting and get your furnishings in. Live with it for a year and see what you love, hate and need to ignore or change. You'll be happier here if you figure it out in year 1, start doing it in year 2, finish in year 3 and then spend many happy years with the decisions you've made wisely over time.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Leave the wood trim and the cabinets. If after you have lived there for a while, you want to paint them, then do so, but, I think you will find that they are just fine the way they are and certainly are less maintenance. Pick a color that goes with that trim and those cabinets and your floors. Light greens, light blues, light aquas, etc, all go very well in your house. Do not pick anything with a yellowy tone to it. . Also, the paint on there is way to shiny. When you repaint, use an eggshell finish. It will get rid of the glare, and will show a lot less imperfection on your walls. Congratulations on your new home. Enjoy it. 2 coats of paint, will work best for you.

  • 6 years ago

    Jennifer, that link is blank.

  • 6 years ago

    Did your bid include the stairway? What color is moonshine? Are you painting all the trim in moonshine also or stark white? You could do an experiment with your color choices by getting some paint samples in the light gray (walls), white (for trim) and moonshine (cabinets). Paint some test panels in the wall and cabinet colors and some trim pieces from Lowes or Home Depot inthe white. Test them and see if you really like how it looks together.

  • 6 years ago

    our bid included all trims, wood works, cabinets, closets doors, doors, and staircase. Moonshine is more like a pearl light gray greenish?

  • 6 years ago

    Can you get a sample of the moonshine and test it with your other colors? I'm of the opinion that you should go ahead with the painting project. I don't think you will be happy waiting.

  • 6 years ago

    I’d hire a color consultant- many paint stores offer this service. They can get u samples, see everything in your home. This is a big job and you want the best use of your money. I agree the house seems dark- I would remedy that first.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    What is Moonshine? isn't it the color of these cabinets?


    Or Moonshine from BM (3rd color from top). That one appears as more of a green/gray. You HAVE to bring home a sample and see how it looks w/your warm, yellow-toned floors.



    for all of the oak wood trim, baseboards, closet doors, etc,,,,choose a nice white. BM Simply White would be fine.

    I would NOT use a house painter to paint those kitchen cabinets. The kitchen cabinets need to be prepped carefully and taken off-sight where they can be properly sprayed. If he's including painting those cabinets in your bid, I'd be very wary in having them do it. Ask them how they prep, and what products they use.

    With those floors (and they're nice floors) you have to be careful about the tone of the gray you use. And I wouldn't paint the kitchen cabs in gray. (I hope you are planning on getting rid of that huge light fixture in there and going with recessed or cans. that florescent light fixture throws off horrible lighting.

    What is it w/the gray? do you have gray furniture?

    why don't you bring in some actual samples and paint them on your walls?









  • 6 years ago

    we have not furnish the house yet. I am waiting for the painting to be done before we purchase any furniture. I like the cool tones and just thought gray tone would be it. we have seen his work of doing the cabinets. that's why we decided to go with him.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    how they look and how they last are two diff things.

    he must remove all of the doors/drawer fronts, take them to his shop, sand them, prime, sand again and then spray them with either a lacquer or a good quality enamel paint. If he does everything there at your home, I don't think it's a good job that will last you.

    as for your paint colors, I'll say it again,,,,go get some samples and bring them home. try them on your walls so you can see how it looks against your floors and with the lighting that's unique to your home.

    I posted a bunch of colors. try some of those.

    I like Simply White for all of your wood trim. it's a nice, neutral white.


    make sure you redo the lighting in your kitchen.

  • 6 years ago

    When someone is about to paint an entire house, that's the time to get a color consultant and possibly a designer if you're starting from scratch with furnishings.

    Yesterday, a Dilemma was all about a homeowner whose painter who recommened painting her wood cabinets, then everything looked off--floors, appliances, etc. She came to Houzz wanting to know why her newly painted cabinets made everything look blue. The painter and homeowner hadn't bothered to coordinate floors and wood trim.

    Naturally a painter is going to recommend painting the cabinets, which can cost almost as much as painting the rest of the house. You have beautiful cabinets, which coordinate with the trim everywhere. You could better spend your money on a new backsplash and/or countertops and maybe changing out a couple doors for glass door fronts. A color consultant can help you evaluate the light conditions of your house and suggest a palette for choosing furnishings if you don't want to get a designer. It saves money in the long run because they take everything into account--style, flooring, appliances, rugs, lighting.


  • 6 years ago

    Thank you. We will have to go back and reconsider. I have reached out to a few consultants, but I guess with the holidays they haven't gotten back to us.

  • 6 years ago

    How does Moonshine look with the granite and backsplash? You could think about doing the fireplaces with Moonshine to tie back to the cabinets. I would definitely make sure the greenish gray doesn't clash with with the gray you choose for the walls.


    Here are a couple of examples with light gray walls with white trim.


    Dibros Design & Construction · More Info



    Ritz Carlton Residences · More Info


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