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I know I have mentioned in past posts that I love working with Sherwin-Williams paint colors. The pricing is comparable and their products are top-quality with many green-friendly options (which I personally love being a Mom of three littles). Not to mention, their color options are endless. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of great paint color choices out there, but I feel most comfortable with Sherwin-Williams since I have seen the colors look amazing on walls time and time again. Also, Pottery Barn (and that means West Elm too) has recently teamed up with SW to coordinate their designs and colors. Check it out here: Pottery Barn Paint Colors.
All that being said, I wanted to start at the beginning of the paint deck and go through each section to divulge some of my favorites and try out some new ones. A few disclaimers that I should mention first:
-Paint colors are chameleons in different artificial lighting settings within the home, as well as with natural lighting at different times of the day. ALWAYS, get a paint sample and test it out before committing to a color. It may look great on a paint swatch, but could look totally different once you’ve painted your whole house! I recommend painting a decent sized swatch on your wall, possibly on many different walls where lighting will change, and take a look at it in all of the lighting throughout the day. The color will change from morning to night and you want to make sure that you like it at all times of the day.
-Paint colors also come in different finishes. Sherwin-Williams offers a broad span of choices: Flat, Flat Enamel/Matte, Satin/Eggshell, Low Sheen Enamel, Low Luster, Semi Gloss, Medium Luster/Gloss and High Gloss. My personal opinion and favorite choice for interior walls in most areas of the home is to use Satin/Eggshell. It’s the perfect in between. Not too shiny, but not too matte. Too matte of a paint color and it will come out looking flat and won’t bounce any light around. Not to mention it will show dirt and smudges easier. A high gloss or shiny finish can be glaring with lots of harsh natural or artificial light shining off of it. It can be fun to mix it up and do a satin stripe juxtaposed next to a gloss stripe for a paint detail, but if you plan on playing it safe for your overall paint job, Satin/Eggshell is my tried and true finish of choice.
Okay, now that we covered the disclaimers, let’s get started!
Black
There is literally only one black color swatch sheet in the SW deck and I have my two favorites: Tricorn Black SW 6258 and Black Magic SW 6991. These both look great and come out looking like a true dark black with no hints of different hues. I have honestly not tried any of the other blacks, but Domino SW 6989 looks like an interesting one to try.
Black can be a great accent color, especially in a kid’s room. Picture a big chalkboard-like wall for endless fun or even a star constellation mural painted over a black wall. Trim, such as crown molding, is also a great way to add a pop with black paint. I love this black accent wall in the photo below. It adds depth and a dynamic contrast against the white bookcase, furniture and accent pieces.
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White
I did a post not too long ago about painting your walls white (Paint it White), and in it I included some ideas and tips for taking the plunge into this trend. The SW paint deck has two white/off-white color swatches with many varieties of white. My go-to white of choice for a pure white-white is Extra White SW 7006. I have this color in my home on all of my trim and on walls that are below chair rail. It’s the perfect white and also looks good on ceilings. If you are looking for a slightly off-white, Creamy SW 7012 and Antique White SW 6119 are both nice ones to try. One of my clients used Antique White for all of her trim and it turned out amazing paired with Kilim Beige as her overall paint color.
I have not tried Alabaster SW 7008, but it also looks like a good one. Whites can be tricky and turn different shades on you in different lighting, so don’t forget to get a sample and test it out first. Sherwin-Williams makes trim paint that is latex instead of oil-based that I definitely recommend, but don’t be afraid to go all out and paint your walls white too!
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I read all postings on your blog. Based on your recommendation, I painted the living room, stairwell, and upper hallway in Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige #6106. I absolutely love it!! i also noticed that you said Nomadic Desert #6107 and Latte #6108 complement the Kilim Beige since they are all on card #16. I plan to paint the kitchen in Nomadic Desert. I would like to know if there are any Sherwin Williams colors in the gray spectrum for use in one of the bedrooms. I got numerous cards from Sherman Williams in the gray spectrum but I can’t really tell which shades complement the Kilim Beige. Any recommendation is truly appreciated.
Karen Kelton
I would love to know this too! I have kilim beige all through the main level. I want to incorporate some greige that looks good but am having a hard time selecting one…kilims golden tones are throwing me off. But my painter is coming Saturday! Would really appreciate some suggestions a sap. SW all the way! Thanks,
Hi! I’m so glad that you like the Kilim Beige. Try using Repose Gray, Mindful Gray or Dorian Gray (even Dovetail for one accent wall). They are all on the same paint card and would be a nice complement with the Kilim Beige since these grays have a bit of a bluish undertone to them. Requisite Gray and Functional Gray could be an option as well! Grab some samples and test them out. Would love to hear!
Hi! I’m so glad that you like the Kilim Beige. Try using Repose Gray, Mindful Gray or Dorian Gray (even Dovetail for one accent wall). They are all on the same paint card and would be a nice complement with the Kilim Beige since these grays have a bit of a bluish undertone to them. Requisite Gray and Functional Gray could be an option as well! Grab some samples and test them out. Would love to hear!
sorry to post twice!!