The story below is from our September/October 2021 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
There’s no such thing as “just white paint” – try our expert tips for choosing the right color palette for your interior spaces.
Picture yourself walking into your favorite paint shop.
You’re feeling confident about your color choice – notes in hand – but suddenly, the rainbow wall of chips looms wider than you’d remembered.
You’d come for white … but there are dozens of whites: some bluish, some buttery and some that blush almost pink.
Maybe gray is safer, you think, reaching for a chip that looks right. The instant you pull it from the shelf, however, the color seems to shift, looking suspiciously lavender.
Sound familiar? Then take a deep breath. We asked an ensemble of local design professionals to share the single interior paint color they’d pick if they had to choose just one – a fail-safe, go-to hue that looks good just about anywhere.
Here’s what they shared.
Elaine Stephenson + Seely Stephenson Nicholson, Elaine Stephenson Interiors, Inc.
This mom-and-daughter design duo didn’t have to think long about the paint color they’d pick.
“We both agree it’s Benjamin Moore Classic Gray,” says Stephenson, who has owned her own firm since 1998. “It’s just the perfect gray… It adapts well to any lighting. You can use it for trim color, for wall color, for both.”
Nicholson recently had a client ask for a light, bright, airy design, but with an important caveat: “not just white,” she explains. Ultra-pale Classic Gray was the perfect fit.
The two like the shade so much that they used it extensively in their own mountain home in North Carolina, and it’s an easy solution for anyone who suffers from paint-selection anxiety.
“If you needed to give somebody a paint color for any room – bedroom, living room, kitchen, whatever – and you didn’t know anything else going in the room, you could feel pretty confident that whatever you ended up putting in there would look good with it,” Nicholson says.
Nick Guacheta, Black Eye Interiors
As a local artist, emerging designer and self-proclaimed “art snob,” Guachetá can’t help but love color-blocked focal walls and spaces that highlight great art. Maybe that’s why, when asked for a shade that would work anywhere, he strays toward a gallery favorite.
“In any room? I’d have to say Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore. It’s a warm white,” he says.
There’s a reason why white works so well, and so often, he explains:
“White is second-to-none as far as adaptability … It can make a wall look sculptural and important, or it can be the perfect canvas for adding the color or character you want with additional elements – scenic views, art, book spines, fabrics,” he says. “And Swiss Coffee exists in an uncanny valley between proper neutral white, and a conversational warm white. Depending on how you continue the décor, it can appear clean and museum-like or it can blush red with invitation.”
He’s used this shade in living rooms and bathrooms, he says, but he also thinks it would make a clean, refreshing choice for a bedroom, too.
Jim Hudson, The Taubman Museum of Art
When it comes to creating interior spaces specifically for fine art, few local design professionals probably have as much niche experience as Jim Hudson, the Taubman Museum’s exhibitions and galleries manager. During his time there, the walls have been painted a rich red to complement 17th-century Florentine paintings (that red is Sherwin Williams’ Show Stopper, in case you’re curious), and they’ve been bathed in the deep-water blue currently in the museum’s Outside Eyes exhibition. But the shade Hudson uses the most is solidly neutral:
“Our go-to color in this building is white,” he says. “It’s called Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.”
It’s a clean, quiet color that doesn’t attract a lot of attention … and that’s the whole point.
“My goal as a designer?” he says. “I want them to remember the art and not the color of the walls … As long as [visitors] have a good subliminal feeling about what they saw, that’s a home run for me.”
Homeowners can easily borrow that strategy as they decorate around a diverse art collection.
“Most folks have very eclectic collections, where you might have a landscape mixed with something that’s a little pop-art,” he says. Selecting a shade that allows those pieces to cohere can be challenging, but it’s not impossible.
“[In] my house, the great room where we have most of the artwork [has] gray walls,” he says. The shade was selected by Hudson’s wife, who is an interior designer herself. “If you’re matting artwork and you can’t figure out the color of the mat, either go with white or gray. Gray’s not going to detract from anything … Some people might consider that a cop-out, but it works.”
Emily Mangus, Emily Mangus Interiors
Ask her for her go-to hues, and Emily Mangus – whose high-end residential designs feature harmonious color palettes that flow from room to room – insists that she needs two whites in her toolbox: one that reads cool, and another that feels warm. Those shades would be, respectively, Paper White by Benjamin Moore – a barely-there shade reminiscent of snowmelt – and the aforementioned Chantilly Lace.
“White walls are a classic go-to. They allow for art, furniture and accessories to steal the show,” she says. She’s used her favorites in residential and commercial spaces, from bedrooms to hallways to bathrooms.
Not sure whether a warm or a cool white is right? “The warmth of the furnishings, sun exposure, etc., guides whether a cool white or a warm white is appropriate for the space.”
Jessica Durham, magnolia
At magnolia – a local home décor shop known for its clean lines and classic style – a neutral palette is the preferred backdrop for other pieces, particularly layered textural elements:
“Glass or something furry, layering a rug over another rug, leather, fabric – I do use a lot of different materials,” says Jessica Durham, the shop’s resident interior designer. She’s also a fan of using white walls to highlight art – one of the quickest ways to elevate and personalize a space.
“I’m a huge lover of art myself. I started purchasing original art ten years ago, and it really transformed my space,” she says. “I encourage people to start a little at a time… Go to art shows or local stores or purchase when you travel… If you buy something you love, you’ll find a spot for it.”
Her go-anywhere pick for white is Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, a creamy shade which graces the interior walls at magnolia and appears on the cabinets in her own kitchen.
“I’ve used a lot of whites, and some are wonderful, and some aren’t,” she explains. “This is just the most consistent for people looking to put white on their walls.”
Let it play against on-trend rattan and woven woods, she says, and watch it come alive.
Susie Whiteside, Whiteside Designs
When it comes to color, Susie Whiteside likes to do things a little differently.
“You can’t help but follow the trends, right? But I’ve always wanted to buck it,” says the longtime designer and local artist.
Maybe that’s why her suggestion for a go-to hue involves placing it in an unusual location: the ceiling.
“It’s often overlooked, and it can make a huge impact in the room without you even realizing it,” she says. “It really is a fifth wall.”
Her favorite choice for that fifth wall is a soft gray-blue, Sherwin Williams’ Lullaby, followed closely by Blown Glass by Valspar.
“I’ve used it successfully no matter what the color is on the walls. It works with any color trim … from really traditional homes to current new construction,” she says. It also goes a long way in freshening up the current gray-and-white trend, she explains, which can sometimes feel cold. “And of course, it would look smashing with navy and coral.”
Whiteside’s own home is filled with softly shaded ceilings, so she knows firsthand that it can create “a subtle, finished feel.” But when she suggests the idea to clients, she’s sometimes met with initial skepticism. “You do get some raised eyebrows and some questions,” she admits.
If you’re feeling skeptical yourself, try Whiteside’s simple trick: paint two coats of the color on a large posterboard or foam board, and then place it on your ceiling against the trim, experimenting in different locations.
“I say try it!” she says. “I haven’t had anybody say they were sorry.”
The story above is from our September/October 2021. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!
