Sometimes a plain ole neutral won’t do the trick. Sometimes it’s just not enough. But then a bold color isn’t usually the way to go, either. Especially in the most public area of your home. That’s when you really need a superneutral to come to the rescue. What is a superneutral, you ask? Elusive and mysterious, a good superneutral is a chameleon. It works with lots of colors, but isn’t a predictable beige or off-white. It carries a hint of color, without screaming COLOR.
SuperNeutral to the Rescue
This is the color the builder chose to coat the interior of my client’s new home. The Decorologist was called in to intervene.
Living Room Before Color
We had to work with the undertones of several existing elements: the wood cabinets and floors, the carpet, and the granite countertops.
Kitchen Before Wall Color
As a Residential Color Expert, it was obvious to me that a superneutral was needed to save the day. Enter Benjamin Moore’s Winterwood.
Benjamin Moore’s Winterwood
We went through lots of my bag of “on-trend neutrals,” but all of them seemed to fall flat. So I called on my superneutrals and eventually found the one that worked perfectly with the orange and yellow undertones of the cabinetry and the green flecks in the granite.
Painted Kitchen
The client’s seated furniture was dark brown leather and she wanted red accents, so the wall color had to complement those choices, as well. This superneutral is subtle enough to let the other colors in the room to take centerstage, yet it’s not so neutral that it bores.
Living Room in Benjamin Moore’s Winterwood
Notice how we wrapped the entire room – walls and ceiling – in Winterwood. A stark white ceiling can be so . . . stark. Wrapping the room makes it all the more peaceful and enveloping.
Winterwood Walls
Contrary to popular belief, this actually makes the ceilings appear taller since the boundaries between planes are erased.
Kitchen with Painted Walls and Ceilings
If you need help choosing a superneutral for your home, contact The Decorologist to schedule your Color Consultation today!
I love the “superneutral” idea. Actually that’s why Full Spectrum paints are so great – they are Super-Color even as neutrals, since they are all so color-rich (no black in any of our formulas) that even a little color, or what seems like ‘beige’ is actually a minimum of seven colors mixed to create the luminous effect.
Thanks for the info, Barbara. I have not yet experienced Full Spectrum paints, but have heard great things about them!
Beautiful color Kristie. I was just looking in that color area for something nice to go with Cork. The color looks beautiful with the cabinets. Love it!
Oh yes! That room definitely needed a helping hand with a ‘superneutral’!
Beautiful job, Kristie! And a fun, clever post. 🙂
Love the way you tie it all together, with the color, and in your process. Great share. Thanks!
That’s a really great color! Perfect for the space.
Love it, thanks for sharing!
Good one, love that distinction superneutral!! Awesome!
x
Maria
Color is the first thing I changed in my house. The color you chose is beautiful! I aso love grey as a nuetral!
I love the living room in winterwood and the ceiling painted as well. I am painting my living room Fescue by Divine paints, and it is similar. I have dark leather furniture and think it would all be more grounded with a painted ceiling. I am terrified however, since there is no overhead light, just two small windows facing East. Do you think this would be too dark?
I love Benjamin Moore’s Winterwood- am intending to repaint my downstairs in this color. I live in one of these newer homes where one room flows into the other. The color of my kitchen cabinets calls for a superneutral so Winterwood will definitely go in there, too but can I paint the adjacent dining room a different color? The furniture in my LR/DR is neutral with blue and green accents. Is there a blue/gray color that would work well with Winterwood?
I am wondering why I can't find "Winterwood" in my Benjamin Moore fan deck. Is that color only available in the U.S. or does it have a different name in the Canadian fan deck? Love following your blog!
I don’t know – it’s in the Classic Colors deck. Are you looking for it in the Color Preview deck?
I watched your “Just the Right Paint Color” class and learned a lot! I would like to paint my bedroom yellow, and I’ve picked a color, but I believe it is too bright for the whole room. How do I create a superneutral so that I can use it to paint the whole room? Do I look to the left and right on the fandeck? Up and down? Do I add white?
Nicole,
Yellows can go much brighter than you expect, so make sure you tone down the one you think you like. Which color yellow are you considering?
Hi Kristie, I just watched your choosing the right color series…it was very helpful. I thought I would try winterwood in my foyer. Currently it is painted SW seasalt . Not that it is terrible but it is way too much color for a two story space with southern light. It actually glows in the afternoon sun!!! and I don’t mean in a good way. It also seems to get in a fight with my orangy floors in the sunlight. I made a board of this winterwood and I think it will work well…in the photos here it looks rather green???? In your video you said it looks green on the swatch but will go bluer on wall. If I put some up and it is too green…could you suggest a close color that would go bluer?? Colors beside my foyer are BM elephant tusk and SW accessible beige. Also on a side note, in your color video, you said san antonio gray was a good color for a boys room. I cannot find san antonio gray in the ben moore fan deck. Could you clarify that color???? thanks in advance for any help you can offer. I really appreciate your knowledge on color.
Hi Kate! SW Seasalt can definitely be too clean or juvenile in grown-up spaces. If Winterwood reads too green, you might try Gray Cashmere which leans more blue but isn’t baby blue. Lovely, sophisticated color. San Antonio Gray AC-29 is in the Ben Moore Color Preview fandeck. I’m so glad you are enjoying the Paint Color Workshop video! https://thedecorologist.com/product/just-right-paint-color-workshop-videos/
Hi Kristie, I just watched your choosing the right color series…it was very helpful. I thought I would try winterwood in my foyer. Currently it is painted SW seasalt . Not that it is terrible but it is way too much color for a two story space with southern light. It actually glows in the afternoon sun!!! and I don’t mean in a good way. It also seems to be in a fight with my orangy floors. Quite frankly a decorator picked it and I feel it is way too much color for a large space, the first one you see when you walk in my house and then runs the entire length of my uptairs between my front and back staircase. Very difficult to pick colors to compliment it for the bedrooms. I made a board of this winterwood and I think it will work well…in the photos here it looks rather green???? In your video you said it looks green on the swatch but will go bluer on wall. If I put some up and it is too green…could you suggest a close color that would go bluer?? Colors beside my foyer are BM elephant tusk and SW accessible beige. Also on a side note, in your color video, you said san antonio gray was a good color for a boys room. I cannot find san antonio gray in the ben moore fan deck. Could you clarify that color? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. I really appreciate your knowledge on color.