Paint Colors for Show House Revealed

One of the perks of getting a press pass to a Designer Show House is getting the full paint schedule for the whole shebang.  As a paint color consultant, I always love seeing what paint colors other designers use and the effects that are achieved with their choices.  Let’s start with one of my favorite rooms in the house, why don’t we?  The master bath:

sherwin williams contentedDesign by K Evers Interiors 

 

The soaking tub, the floor tile, the mirrors – oh so glamorous!  I love this bathroom, and I love the color used in the space:  Sherwin-Williams SW 6191 Contented.  The water closet (aka, the potty room) is a luxe dark wallpaper, but reads an inky black in the photo.  Man, I love this bathroom!  

sherwin williams contented

 

The black ties in well with the dark fixtures, the mirror frame, the floor tile, and the countertops. You can see a hint of the ceiling color in the photo above:  Sherwin-Williams 6189 Opaline.  The adjoining master bedroom is fresh and peaceful with the walls painted Sherwin-Williams SW 6190 Filmy Green.

sherwin williams Filmy Green

K Evers Interiors

 

Although the bedding and window treatments create a peaceful tone-on-tone effect in the space, the dusky purple undertones in the sitting area look surprisingly pleasant against the Filmy Green, as well.

sherwin williams filmy green

Design by K Evers Interiors

 

The small entry to the Show House features dark blue upholstered walls, while the trim is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Amazon Green 2136-30.

benjamin moore amazon green

Designed by R Higgins Interiors

 

The upstairs powder room has a fun mural painted over a base of Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere 2138-60.

benjamin moore gray cashmere

Designed by Starbuck Designers

 

The dining room walls were covered in a wallpaper, although it is difficult to see that in the photographs.  The ceiling is painted out in Benjamin Moore Shale 861, which I have used in clients’ homes on both the walls and once on kitchen cabinets.  It’s a beautiful color, but you have to watch out for the pink undertones in this one.

benjamin moore shale

Crysta Parish, Lead Designer – Dana Goodman Interiors

 

One of the guest rooms was painted out in Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray HC-173, which is a popular color with designers lately.  It works well with the strong green and the Chelsea Gray accent in this space.  Edgecomb Gray typically reads as an off-white, which may surprise you if you’ve seen it featured in design magazines and on Pinterest.

benjamin moore edgecomb gray

Designed by J. Haynes Interiors

 

This neutral is really more beigy than gray, and  has both pink and yellow undertones, and I find that it can be a good solution in a bathroom with certain ceramic tiles.  But again, it reads like an off-white in a light-filled room like the one in the Show House.

edgecomb gray HC173

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173

 

The kitchen walls are painted in Sherwin Williams Warm Stone 7032, which is a warm contrast behind the white cabinetry.  This color is a nice grayed brown.

sherwin williams warm stone

Design by Vicki Edwards

 

Both gray-based and tan-based neutrals were used as paint colors in the Show House.  Let’s take a look at some of the tan-based colors now.  The living room is painted Benjamin Moore Sandy Brown 1046, which has a peachy-yellow undertone.  Since I photographed the house prior to its public opening, the best shot I could get was while  Traditional Home photographers were on site, so forgive all the equipment in the room:

benjamin moore sandy beige 1046

Design by Mark Simmons Interiors

 

In the upstairs family room, the designer chose the wall color based on her inspiration for the room – the bird wallpaper.  The warm beige that serves as a backdrop for this space is Benjamin Moore’s Bar Harbor Beige 1032.

benjamin moore bar harbor beige

Designer Kim Zimmer

 

This guest bedroom by Scarlett Scales was painted Sherwin Williams Balanced Beige 7037 to act as a neutral backdrop to the vintage vibe of the space.

sherwin williams balanced beige

Designed by Scarlett Scales

 

Now it’s your turn!  Which colors do you like best in the Show House?  As you should know by now, color is relative and is highly affected by lighting conditions and surrounding colors.  As a paint color consultant or a homeowner, have you used any of these colors?  How did they turn out in your space?

 

 

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StyleBlueprint
9 years ago

Paint is so hard! Thanks for this as I’m in the midst of painting some rooms right now!

Cindy Gray
Cindy Gray
9 years ago

Thanks! I was there Saturday. I was able to thumb thru some of the resource sheets and get some of the colors. I would have sworn the entryway was black!

I really liked the bedroom with the repurposed mantle headboard. I want those lamps with the ironwork! I really liked the upstairs family room that was more transitional style across from the little sitting area and powder room that seemed more traditional.

The masterbath was just crazy! I bet 1/3 of the budget for the house is in there! 🙂 The kitchen almost looked too pristine for cooking!

I need the landscape designers to come to my house. They really made a lot that isn’t very wide really nice. I don’t think off white sofa’s on a porch at my house would last an hour. My two houndogs would roll in the mud and then take a snooze!

Thanks for the pictures and the info. I pretty much obeyed the “no photography” sign except in the laundry room.

Jean Molesworth Kee
9 years ago

Great post, Kristie… pinned most of them. Always great to see how light affects these colors on walls!

Patti Hutchinson
Patti Hutchinson
9 years ago

I love them all but I think the WARM STONE in the kitchen is my favorite!! I really like the subtle grey/brown of it and know it would work perfectly in my space. Thanks again for sharing and giving us so many details!!

Christine
Christine
9 years ago

This was a fantastic post, thank you. I still don’t understand why greens are popular in bathrooms, though…. it wreaks havoc on skin tones. Would love to see a post about how to use pale pinks, taupe, greys and other colors in a bathroom environment.

Lex Thompson
Lex Thompson
9 years ago

Kristy, the first two pictures of the master bath appear to me to have 3 different colors in it. The first picture appears to have a more blue color immediately behind the tub, with a softer gray-ish green on the walls which are on the left and right of the tub in the photo. On the second picture, the green there appears far more yellow based. Is it just the lighting in the room,or the way the picture was taken (or both) that makes them all look so different? Is it really just one color? And if so, which picture would you say most accurately depicts the true color?

Thanks!

Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer Johnson
9 years ago
Reply to  Lex Thompson

I was totally going to ask the same thing!!! Thanks for sharing with your TCE’ers

Lex
Lex
9 years ago

Thanks for the reply Kristie! 🙂

Cherie
Cherie
9 years ago

Where is this Show House? Who sponsors it? I must have missed this information along the line. Thanks. I like the colors in the kitchen very much.

Kelly
9 years ago

I think I love th master bath best! Beautiful! Is it me, or do you think there are a lot of beiges used? I am surprised- I would think grays or blue grays would be the favorite color used. Beige. Hmm…… What do you think?

Jeff Stevens
Jeff Stevens
2 years ago

Just wanted to comment that I recently built a home and used Sherwin Williams Contented as my primary color in my house. It is gorgeous in all rooms. I love how at certain times it looks like it has light blue tones, other times more grey, and then in normal lighting has soft green tones. I’ve never lived in a home that gives off such great energy. I do have vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan, but I always feel positive and energized. And I believe it is this paint color that does that.

Paula Van Hoogen
Paula Van Hoogen
9 years ago

The master bath WINS in my book. It is clearly the star of the show. Subdued plus enough pizzaz to ignite your senses morning and evening when bathrooms are used most. I would use this color for sure in a room with plenty of light. Thank you, Kristie for all the great photos!

Lee
Lee
9 years ago

Was glad to see the edgecomb gray but wondered what you thought of the partner color on the same swatch HC172 revere pewter. Does it also read off white like this?

Kelly Gabrovic
Kelly Gabrovic
9 years ago

I really like the color on the walls in the kitchen. I would love to know what color was used on the kitchen island cabinetry. Thanks!

Lisa
Lisa
9 years ago

Thanks Kristie! That was fun. I’m loving that bathroom floor and the blue entryway. I think the balaced beige would look great in a room I’m working on. I can’t tell from the pic, but does it look dark in a bedroom?

Kathy
Kathy
9 years ago

I love the pillows on the two chairs in the upstairs family room! Any idea where they came from? Or if they were custom made, what the fabric is? I have a room I want to do in those colors and that fabric would be perfect…

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