How to pick a neutral paint
Looking for a new color scheme for your house, or just looking to update a room?
One of the most popular and enduring choices is to choose a neutral. But don’t think neutral paint shades must be boring!
Used correctly, neutral walls can tie together a home, improve the sense of flow from room to room, make a space feel more open or cozy, and provide a backdrop for colorful art, rugs or furnishings.
Most people likely think of beige as the most common neutral, but neutral colors can include whites, off-whites, grays, browns, blacks and off-blacks. Even colors can be neutrals if they’re picked correctly. So how to pick a neutral?
Even the most “neutral” neutral will still have undertones — warm or cool shades that create the shade.
• Neutrals that have a cool undertone in their formula tend to be easier to decorate with and live with over time, particularly in spaces that are intended to be relaxing. That’s because cool tones, like gray, tend to be more soothing than warm ones. Warm colors tend to evoke behaviors of excitement and activity, so warm neutrals might translate into a room in which people don’t want to sit or relax.
• Neutrals with warm undertones can cast orange light in certain situations, so they might be best chosen when you have a certain décor to match or complement. When done correctly, warm neutral tones can give a room rich depth.
When looking at individual paint swatches, it can be difficult to see the undertones of neutrals. Help yourself out by holding swatches up beside each other to compare them. Take swatches home and compare them in the natural light of your rooms.
When you’ve chosen the right neutral for your home, call McLain’s Painting Services. We offer free estimates and color consultations!
