Sharing all my paint colours and the spaces they’re in! Exact and colour matched neutral paint colors for whole house I’ve chosen for my own home plus some paint FAQ!
Of all the questions I get on this blog, on Instagram, and all up in my DMs… paint colours are right up there in FAQ. So it’s about time I made a blog post all about them! I’ve created a TikTok, IGTV, and even a YouTube video about them yet this blogger has neglected turning all that into a blog post. Not anymore!
In this post, I go through the exact colours we have painted plus the closest colour match to our exact shades in the Behr paint deck if you’re wanting more universally available paint. I’ll also link the room reveals mentioned here and if you are looking at coming up with a paint palette for your whole house, I do have a full blog post about that as well! You can find that right here. Looking for a full home tour? Here’s the most recent one on the blog and the most recent full home tour on YouTube!
To make things easy to find, I’ve split these into my white paint (because I get so many questions about our whites!), black paint colours, greens and other colours.
My White Paint Colours
Okay before I get into our whites, let me address the white elephant. Not all whites are the same. And yes, I truly believe getting your whites tinted is best. But I know that’s not everyone’s opinion. I love how bright and cheerful whites can be on walls but if you go with an untinted white, I find the effect is often sterile. Kind of hospital like. It’s just SO white. Most whites you’ll see on Instagram or in magazines are not base paint. They’re tinted. I also wanted to point out that like any colour, white looks different in each light, in each home, on each wall. If you’re unsure, bring those paint chips home and walk around with them!
OK- on to our colours! Our main living area (kitchen, living room, entryway, dining room) is painted Expert White from General Paint. General Paint and Para Paint both use the Colour Journeys system if you’re looking for a colour match/code. Since I know these colours aren’t available in the states, I took my Behr deck and for reference, have found the closest match if you’re interested- it’s Vibrant White from Behr.
The walls and trim are all painted this colour, just in a different sheen (I talk more about sheens at the end of this post) and the fireplace is also painted the same white.
Our bathroom is painted ‘Minimalistic’ from Behr. I LOVE the feeling of this white. It’s cozier than the more stark whites. I talk about this more at the end of the post when I address paint sheens, but in this bathroom we painted the walls, trim and ceiling all with this same colour.
My office and garage are both painted ‘Bit of Sugar’ from Behr. The lighting definitely changes the colours of the paint so keep that in mind when you’re choosing! I like to bring paint chips home and see them in the room on the different faces that will be painted!
The exterior of our house is a Hardie panel called Arctic White. Most paint suppliers will have codes for all the Hardie colours to easily match it. We’ve personally had it colour matched without bringing in any sample from Home Depot, Rona and Home Hardware.
Black Paints in Our Home
We really love black paint! We painted our primary bedroom ‘Broadway’ by Behr and after that… chose the same colour for our patio doors, the concrete wall cover outside, and even the playhouse! Here’s the thing, this one looks grey online and in the colour visualizer. But it really is black in person.
The difference? The actual kind of paint. Our bedroom is a flat finish (choose the highest quality paint if you are wanting a wipeable matte finish), the patio doors are a satin finish exterior quality paint, the concrete wall cover is a flat finish (wood tends to soak up paint differently depending on grain so I prefer a matte finish) and the playhouse is actually a colour matched solid stain. For more information on solid stain versus paint, I shared a whole blog post about that (pros and cons!) right here.
Green Paints In Our Home
Other than black and white, the main hue you’ll see through our home is green. Which is funny, because when we bought this home it was a pea colour painted green throughout and we couldn’t wait to get rid of it!
The kitchen cabinets are a grey/green colour we had matched to Dakota from General Paint. General Paint uses the Colour Journeys system for colour matches and codes, you can see that here. Thunderous from Sherwin Williams is almost identical, though. So much though that our cabinet makers couldn’t tell the paint chips apart.
Not quite what you’re looking or? My friend Morgan rounded up even more gray-green paint colors here.
The green in our basement bathroom is a custom colour match to the IKEA kitchen cabinets Bodarp Grey Green. I used up a can leftover from my dad’s kitchen renovation to save money on this one. For the sake of being able to share (it’s a gorgeous green on the walls!), I took my paint deck in there as well and the closest colour match is Boreal from Behr.
The green in the spare bedroom in our basement (now exercise room) is Forrester from General Paint (which again uses Colour Journeys system for matches and codes). The closest match from Behr is Pine Mountain.
In our basement playroom, which you can see in this video, the under stairs space is Dark Olive from General Paint. The closest match from Behr is almost identical, it’s called Black Bamboo.
Neutral Paint Colours in our Home
We love neutrals! Can you tell?
Our entire basement was painted a custom tint from the restoration company. I have colour matched it to Soft Secret from Behr and honestly this is the perfect soft warm grey. It’s a super light grey but feels much cozier in the basement than a white.
The basement playroom furniture is all painted. The IKEA pieces are painted Oyster Bar from MilkPaint by Fusion Mineral Paint. The playroom table looks so similar but is painted the same colour as our vanity.
The vanity and playroom table are Grey Mist from Behr that we had an enamel paint tinted to.
Speaking of painted furniture! The boys bedroom furniture paint is called Pebble from Fusion Mineral Paint (this has held up incredibly well, by the way with their Tough Coat!).
Other Paint Colours In Our Home
Our boys bedroom is painted a gorgeous muted blue called Nor’Wester from Behr. I love this colour, it’s totally blue, not at all grey, but acts like a neutral and feels so cozy!
Our daughters bedroom is the perfect blush pink called Peach Bloom from General Paint (Colour Journeys System). The closest match I found in the Behr deck didn’t photograph well. It’s called Stolen Kiss by Behr and in person looks almost identical.
Paint sheens
Paint sheens are one of those things that has traditional rules. But those rules don’t hold up super well anymore, so here’s my thoughts on that and what we have personally done in our home!
Typically, eggshell has been the paint sheen of choice for walls. While I generally prefer a flat look paint, some of our own walls are eggshell (the white), some are flat (our black primary bedroom) and some are satin (the bathroom). In the past, the more sheen, the more durability. For that reason, doors and trim are generally semi-gloss. We tested this in our last place and went with a satin finish (a step down in shine from semi-gloss) but we are HARD on our walls, doors and trim. We have four young kids who drive cars, trucks, and laundry baskets into every surface. I’ve found semi-gloss holds up well on doors and trim for us, so we’re sticking with that.
Additionally, high humidity spaces (bathrooms and kitchens) have been recommended to paint in a satin finish for wipe-ability (you know those water streaks that’ll drive you crazy!). That said, our kitchen is open to the rest of the house. We used our regular ol’ wall colour in eggshell there. But in our bathroom? We broke the rules and for ease, sprayed the entire space (ceiling, walls, trim) with a satin. Easy to wipe, easy to paint, looks beautiful, no regrets!
Ceilings are traditionally flat paint.
Here’s the deal, if you want to go with a flat paint or a less shiny paint than tradition suggests… go for it! But opt for a higher end paint. Almost every brand has different levels of their paint. Go with one of the higher level ones so you won’t be disappointed in wipe-ability.
Lastly, each paint company has different names for their sheens. Some companies have velvet while others have satin. Take a peek at their sheen card at the paint desk before you order so you know what you’re ordering!
What Brand of Paint Should I Use?
I’m going to be honest here. Paint brands are kind of like makeup brands to me. I buy them based on the colours I love, the availability (is there a store near me?) and the purpose of the project. These days, almost every brand has a great quality paint. I never go with the lowest grade paint and have very seldom been disappointed. Here’s some examples.
When we bought our last home, saving dollars and cents were our top priority. We had some half full discount cards (buy 6, get 1 free) to Home Hardware and they were having a great sale on paint. We bought all the paint for our first home there (Beautitone Paint). When I made over a kitchen at a friends house this year, she lives in a small town with only a Home Hardware, so we used BeautiTone again! It worked great.
As we updated rooms in our home, I was lucky enough to get a yearlong contract with Para Paint. We painted cabinets, walls, furniture… again, all great experiences! In our current home, I was excited to work with General Paint for our main floor. But again, we didn’t use the bottom tier of the paint from either of those lines.
When I made over a room at my sister-in-laws, she has a preference for Benjamin Moore Paint… we used Benjamin Moore paint there! I once saw a room I loved in a magazine and went out to buy that exact colour… it was Benjamin Moore… again, great experience!
The Home Depot in our city is just a few minutes drive from our current place and open latest… and on weekends. So for convenience, you know that I end up there when I’m working on a tight turnaround or a last minute project. Plus- I’m there so often for DIY supplies, so Behr paint is one I work with often too!
When we had a flood last year, the restoration company worked with a paint brand I’d never used before. I chose a custom colour and well… It looks great!
What I’m getting at is the brand doesn’t matter as much as the line you choose. Go with one of the higher end ones and I think you’ll be so happy with your choice!
Whew! What a full post, right? If you have any additional questions about paint colours in our home- let me know! I’ll do my best to answer in the comments section!
Wow. I love your black bedroom. I would have never thought of that but it is awesome.
I love love all your colors!😍
Thank you so much!
Was trying to match the Bodarp Grey Green as well. As of April 2023, closest color match is Behr Village Green. Also confirmed that Home Depot is able to color match to a piece/swatch as small as a quarter.