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Rugh Design

Clarity in Color, Perfection in Paint.

Hey Laura! What is the best white for my ceilings?

Question's and Answers with Laura Rugh

Hey Laura! Volume VI

In this edition of Hey Laura! I answer questions about finding a front door color for an Urbane Bronze exterior, considering floor color when picking a wall color, the best white for ceilings and much more. For quick and easy navigation use the list of topics below!

  1. Front Door Color to match with Urbane Bronze Exterior
  2. Great Furniture Color to pair with Agreeable Gray walls
  3. Why Can’t I find a Warm Greige!?
  4. Help! I am being Blinded by my White Exterior.
  5. Should I consider the color of my floor when picking a wall color?
  6. Make small rooms feel bigger using color
  7. The difference between Agreeable Gray and Gossamer Veil
  8. Light French Gray undertone
  9. The Best White for Ceilings
  10. Avoiding the cave feeling in a windowless room

I am excited to bring you my answers to some of your comments found around Rugh Design! Please visit any of my Blog posts or color schemes pages from the Color Wheel and leave a comment to have chance to be featured in future Hey Laura! posts.

If you can’t find the answer you are looking for I would love to be your Color Consultant! You can hire me for an Interior or Exterior Color Consultation as well as for an eDesign. Or if you don’t have a need for a full blown consultation but would still like some help check out my Color Question Consultation.

Let’s get started!

Front Door Color to match with Urbane Bronze Exterior

From the Best Front Door Colors post Lisa asks:

Hey Laura!

We just painted our exterior Urbane Bronze (LOVE) with Dovetail trim. We added horizontal stained cedar tongue and groove around the door and also have two fairly large frosted glass sidelights. Now I’m trying to figure out a door color. I’ve considered white, but agree it may be hard to keep up. My husband isn’t thrilled about aqua. It’s currently Iron Ore, which he likes, but I think we need more contrast with the new exterior color. My other thought is to sand it down and stain it but it has a lot of detail and that sounds like a nightmare. Any suggestions?

– Lisa

Hi Lisa,

I love Urbane Bronze too! My old house had an Urbane Bronze front door as well as the trim. What if you did a light gray front door? Worldly Gray would be a good color to pair with Urbane Bronze and Dovetail and will keep the scheme monochromatic.

My front door using Urbane Bronze SW 7048

My front door using Urbane Bronze SW 7048 with a green main body color and teal trim.

One other option is a medium blue color like Steely Gray. It has a gray undertone to it so it’s not super bright and it will still give you some contrast against the Urbane Bronze. If you need further assistance, I would love to help through a front door consultation!

Laura

Great Furniture Color to pair with Agreeable Gray walls

From the Agreeable Gray color scheme page Monica asks:

Hey Laura!

We are painting our living room Agreeable Gray. Just wondering are there any other couch colors that match besides white? Any suggestions?

– Monica

Hi Monica,

I actually have Agreeable Gray in my new home and I love it! White is definitely not the only couch color that will go with Agreeable Gray. I have a sectional in a gray-blue fabric that works perfectly.

Agreeable Gray with a Blue couch

My blue-gray sectional works perfectly with Agreeable Gray.

You could also go with just a gray sofa to pair with Agreeable Gray. The great part about going with a neutral sofa is that you can have fun with pillows and accessories to add pops of color. I would love to hear what you end up choosing for your sofa color!

Please feel free to sign up for an À la Carte eDesign if you need further help!

Laura

Why Can’t I find a Warm Greige!?

From the Top 5 Neutral Paint Colors post Tina asks:

Hey Laura!

I can’t say how excited I am that I found your post! This is exactly my dilemma. We live in a 1970s all brick ranch house that doesn’t get much natural light. My small kitchen (w/maple and chocolate glaze cabinets) is Alabaster and I like the light airiness. I have been through several “Greige” colors for my living/dining room and hallway, but haven’t found the right “warm” greige (not wanting straight-up gray). I really want a soft beige with a hint of gray. I have so many paint samples around, I feel like I could open a pop-up paint store! Lol! I’ve tried Revere Pewter (it was too dark and gray which cast a coolness), so I just painted the living room Accessible Beige. But once again, it looks gray instead of a warm greige and is looking too cool. Ugh!! Help!! Does a warm greige even exist or should I start from scratch? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

– Tina

Hi Tina,

Thanks so much! I’m sorry that it has been such a challenge to find the right paint color. There are warm greiges, but it sounds like your lighting is casting a cooler light and causing the colors to go more gray. If Accessible Beige is not working, one color that I like is Natural Tan. It has more beige to it, but still has a hint of a taupe/greige. Test out a sample and see how it looks.

Natural Tan vs Softer Tan

Softer Tan is one more to try. It is definitely more of a beige, but because of your lighting, it could be just perfect. Keep me in the loop of your progress. I would love to hear what color you settle on!

Laura

Help! I am being Blinded by my White Exterior.

From the Best White Colors: Undertones Explained post Heather asks:

Hey Laura!

Thank you for your thoughtful and creative posts. I read you mentioned Alabaster may be too bright for an exterior and although I like the color a lot – I think you’re right. What other whites or off whites would you recommend for a south facing home? I’m wanting to go outside and not be blinded by the light. Thank you!

– Heather

Hi Heather,

Thank you!! I enjoyed writing this post so much and I’m happy to know that it has been helpful. Yes, Alabaster gets pretty light on exteriors. I would look for an off white like Canvas Tan.

Depending on whether you want to go cooler or warmer, Accessible Beige or Agreeable Gray get lighter on exteriors, but still have some color to them. Accessible Beige is warmer while Agreeable Gray is more gray/cooler. Start with Canvas Tan and see how it looks first. Let me know if I can help you find the right exterior color through and Exterior Color Consultation. It also helps to see your other fixed elements on your exterior to make the best color choice.

Laura

Should I consider the color of my floor when picking a wall color?

From the Whole Wheat color scheme page Teena asks:

Hey Laura!

This page just taught me that I have an ANALOGOUS color scheme, ON PURPOSE! I can not decide which color I like the most. I like them all! The problem is I just can’t commit to any of these colors on the wall. What I learned a couple of days ago is to complement the flooring and then that should be the best color for the space. Is that true? My flooring is a 70’s carpet light beige. It has buff in its undertones. I’m not ready to part with it just yet. I’m looking at Believable Buff or Whole Wheat but it is for a north facing wall with no direct sunlight that shows a lot of blue and pink during different times of the day. Will I get the more gold, buff, or green when those blue rays coming in?

– Teena

Hi Teena,

So fun! I love that you have an analogous scheme. So, if you are keeping your beige carpet, it is true that you should take the undertone of the carpet in consideration when choosing a wall color. Either go with a color that has a beige undertone also, or go with a complementary color (blues, greens). The best way to see how your lighting will affect your colors is to get a sample to test out. Believable Buff and Whole Wheat have very golden undertones.

Softer Tan color block

I might try a beige like Softer Tan to update a bit while still staying in the warmer beige undertones. If you are still struggling, I would love to help you through a Color Consultation. I will be able to see your carpet undertone and find the right shade of beige for you.

Laura

Make small rooms feel bigger using color

From the Meander Blue color scheme page Melanie asks:

Hey Laura!

My great nieces have a very small bedroom – think 10×10. Will Meander Blue make the room look smaller? I thought that Bravo Blue would be a better choice, but they really like the Meander Blue and I don’t want to dissuade them if there is no reason to.

– Melanie

Hi Melanie,

Thanks for reaching out! Meander Blue is perfect for a small room. Cool colors tend to create the illusion of space along with a soothing and relaxing feel. So, either blue color works to open up the room.

Meander Blue has a tiny hint of green to it, which makes it more of an aqua blue that works perfectly in kids rooms with some fun accent colors like purple, hot pink and bright yellow. Enjoy your paint project and send me a picture when you are finished painting!

Laura

The difference between Agreeable Gray and Gossamer Veil

From the Agreeable Gray color scheme page Anne asks:

Hey Laura!

I just discovered your site! I am torn between Agreeable Gray, Gossamer Veil (both SW) and Balboa Mist (BM) for my living room. They all look kind of the same, but can you help me distinguish? I think am painting the front hall White Duck (SW).

– Anne

Hi Anne,

I’m so glad you found me! I love Agreeable Gray. My new home is painted Agreeable Gray and it has been the perfect neutral backdrop for my furniture and decor. I categorize Agreeable Gray as a warm greige. It’s not a true gray and doesn’t get too cold or concrete feeling. Gossamer Veil is tiny bit lighter than Agreeable Gray, but does have a similar greige undertone. Balboa Mist is very similar to Gossamer Veil, but it a teeny bit cooler.

Agreeable Gray vs Gossamer Veil vs Balboa Mist

You are you right they are all very similar! I would test out samples to see which one you gravitate towards in your home. White Duck will coordinate with any of them!

Please feel free to sign up for a Interior Color Consultation if you need further help!

Laura

Light French Gray undertone

From the Light French Gray Color Review post LW asks:

Hey Laura!

We were going between Colonnade Gray and Light French Gray. Our floors are lighter. We chose Light French Gray but now I’m worried about the blue showing up. Our house is transitional modern. What to do?

– LW

Hi LW,

Thanks for reaching out! Light French Gray can get a slight blue-lavender undertone, but it shows up in different lighting in different ways. I have seen Light French Gray look lovely in certain spaces, so it really depends. If it isn’t too late, test out a sample and see how it looks in your space.

Light French Gray SW 0055 in Foyer from Kim Wiederholt

Light French Gray SW 0055 in Foyer from Kim Wiederholt

Agreeable Gray is my go-to warm greige that is also very similar to Colonnade Gray if you need a back up choice! Let me know how it goes and what you end up deciding on.

Please feel free to sign up for a Interior Color Consultation if you need further help!

Laura

The Best White for Ceilings

From the Greek Villa color scheme page Melodie asks:

Hey Laura!

I’m so glad to have stumbled upon your site and happy that you are using Sherwin-Williams colors; it’s so helpful. I used a Color Muse to analyze my existing ceiling and beam color and it showed a match to Greek Villa. My existing walls matched to Alabaster (though the existing walls are pretty dingy). I understand that these two are analogous colors (as you show) and I’m finding that in bright natural light, they do seem to work together. But, during cloudy Pacific NW days, the ceiling looks like putty; yuck!!! I am hoping that the added light reflection from new Alabaster paint will help brighten the ceiling. What do you think?

– Melodie

Hi Melodie,

I’m so glad that you found me! Color matching can be tricky and unfortunately, it isn’t always 100% correct. If your ceilings are looking dingy, I would consider painting them a brighter white. Extra White is my go-to bright white that is perfect on ceilings to really brighten and open up spaces. It also pairs well with Alabaster for a wall color.

I think you will be really happy to freshen up your home with a new bright white! It makes such a huge difference and I have seen the results in my own home. Keep me posted on your progress!

Laura

Avoiding the cave feeling in a windowless room

From the Agreeable Gray color scheme page Tori asks:

Hey Laura!

I’m having a hard time coming up with a color for a room that has no windows, but is off my kitchen and connected to the laundry room and a half bath. The kitchen (and living room/dining room) are Agreeable Gray, my laundry room is white and I’m leaning towards my half bath being Sea Salt or Silver Strand. All my trim is either Pure White or Extra White (don’t remember which one)! Do you have any recommendations for what color would go well in a windowless room surrounded by those colors? It’s mainly a storage type room that I keep the door closed to off my kitchen because it’s in need of a major refresh! Thanks so much!

– Tori

Hi Tori,

Love your color palette! I would consider trying Eider White (one shade lighter than Agreeable Gray) to keep the room from feeling too dark while still coordinating with the other adjoining rooms.

Eider White vs Silverpointe

One more option is Silverpointe, which is similar to Silver Strand, but a bit lighter. If you did Silverpointe in the spare room, you could do a medium-toned blue/green-gray in the bathroom, like Oyster Bay or Acacia Haze. I would love to know what you end up deciding on!

Please feel free to sign up for a Interior Color Consultation if you need further help!

Laura

Leave more Comments!

I hope to continue to post answers to questions on a regular basis. So feel free to leave your comments! Each color scheme page and each blog post has a dedicated place to leave comments.

If you are in need of color help I would love to be your Color Consultant! You can hire me for an Interior or Exterior Color Consultation as well as for an eDesign. Or if you don’t have a need for a full blown consultation but would still like some help check out my Color Question Consultation.

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- Laura

Comments

  1. We’re buying a new home, and it has a ‘workshop’ that is currently window-less, so I love the Eider White suggestion — not sure that will necessarily fit (because we don’t have same situation as that reader, with their off-kitchen location), but at least it gets me thinking about how to “open up” the space. With that said, I think some windows are in our future 🙂 Thanks for the great posts!

    Reply

  2. Hi Laura, So glad I found your website. Based on your suggestions and photos, we’ve decided to use Eider White through our home. We are doing a classic black and white Modern theme inside and out. I was going to use your coordinating trim color, Extra White. But I have a couple questions- do I use this on both trim and ceilings? And is Eider White still good for a North facing home? We are on a lake, so it’s all glass in back with a 22’ GR ceiling. I think the Pure White won’t be too bright for the exterior on North facing based on comments? Windows and garage doors are Iron Ore.

    Reply

    • Hi Kim,

      Thanks for reaching out! Yes, I do think Eider White will work great. I really like Extra White on both trim and ceiling for a classic bright white that helps to open spaces up.

      Keep me posted on your project and send some pictures when you are finished!!

      Laura

      Reply

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