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Monday, January 29, 2018

High Contrast Paint Colors of My Little House

Neutral paint colors for creating beautiful contrast and flow in a small ranch home.



What color did you paint your front door?

What is the color of the dark accent wall in your bedroom?

What color are your base kitchen cabinets? 

I get so many questions about the paint colors in our home that I thought I would share a big 'ole post answering all your burning questions.  We live in a small 1970's ranch style home, so the ceilings are low (or average) and the rooms are small and closed off.  I have found the best way to maximize flow is to keep the colors coordinating and palate neutral.   I love creating contrast and interest throughout our home by adding a pop of Iron Ore to walls, doors, cabinets, and furniture.  It's the best way to make our spaces feel larger without being too heavy. 

Sherwin-Williams paint colors

Before I get to the paint colors,  I thought I would share a few pros and cons of the different paint sheens that I used throughout our home.  

TYPES OF PAINT COLOR FINISHES

GLOSS / SEMI-GLOSS: Durable and easy it clean.  It reflects light and calls attention to any imperfections.  It's best for trim and high traffic areas such as a kitchen, bathroom or mudroom.

SATIN / EGGSHELL:  Slight sheen and more reflective qualities than flat paint.  Looks flat when viewed straight on, but has a slight sheen when viewed on an angle.  Still a durable paint, but not as durable as gloss or semi-gloss

FLAT / MATTE:  Does not reflect light, which helps hide imperfections.  Absorbs stains, scuffs and fingerprints and is not suitable for surfaces that are to be cleaned.  Best for ceilings and low traffic rooms.

Flat paint is definitely my favorite, but I learned real quick that it wasn't the best option when you have a house full of pets and kids.  Now, I stick mostly to semi-gloss for my trim, satin for my doors and eggshell for my walls. 

HIGH CONTRAST PAINT COLORS USED IN OUR SMALL RANCH HOME
(All Sherwin-William Paint colors)

living room paint colors

         Sherwin-Willaims Iron Ore and Balanced Beige
Door Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Window Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Balanced Beige (eggshell)
Trim and Plank Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

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Modern farmhouse entryway painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Balanced Beige

Sherwin-williams paint colors

Accessible Beige painted Dining room paint colors
Sherwin-Willaims Iron ore and Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige
Door Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (eggshell)
Trim & Molding Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint
Vintage Buffet Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Accessible Beige

Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige

Sherwin-Williams Balanced Beige and Accessible Beige

mudroom paint colors
Sherwin Williams shell white and Iron Ore

Door Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Shell White(flat)
Trim Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

Mudroom painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Shell White
Our mudroom and my office are part of the addition we added a few years ago.  We have plans in the future to extend our kitchen, but until then let's just say both spaces are in phase one.  The walls were temporarily painted with leftover flat paint (Sherwin-Williams Shell), but definitely, need to be repainted.

Office paint colors

Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Shell White(flat)
Accent Wall: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Trim Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

high contrast office painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Shell

High contrast office painted in Sherwin-Willaims Iron ore and Shell



Master bedroom paint colors

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray
Door Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray (eggshell)
Accent Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Trim Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

High contrast bedroom painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Worldly Gray

High contrast bedroom painted in Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray and Iron Ore

High Contrast bedroom painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Worldly Gray
SHOP THE SPACE










kitchen

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Accessible beige

Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (Eggshell)
Upper Cabinets: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint
Lower Cabinets: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald Line in satin
Trim Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Accessible Beige
SHOP THE SPACE




Basement bathroom

Sherwin-williams Iron Ore and Sherwin-Williams On The Rocks
Door Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams On The Rocks (eggshell)
Trim Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

High contrast painted bathroom in Sherwin-Williams On The Rocks

Sherwin-Williams paint colors, sherwin-william on the rocks
SHOP THE SPACE




Accessible Beige painted basement

Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige and Iron Ore   
Door Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (eggshell)
Fireplace Color: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Emerald line in satin
Trim and Plank Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams off the shelf white semi-gloss Super Paint

Accessible Beige painted basement

Basement painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Accessible Beige


Basement painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Accessible Beige

High contrast basement painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and Accessible Beige
SHOP THE SPACE



Out of all the Sherwin-Williams paint colors I've used throughout our home, Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige is by far my favorite.  It's the perfect greige and looks great in any room and light.  It also pairs nicely with my white trim and Iron Ore painted doors.  I tend to repaint my home often, but I have a feeling Accessible Beige and Iron Ore are going to be around for a while.



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Neutral paint colors of a high contrast home




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  1. I am in love with IRON ORE! I just painted niches and nooks with Hale Navy.I have been thinking about a dark slate. I think this just saved me a ton of time! Thanks Katie! Laura

    I know HD color matches Ben Moore. Does Home Depot do that with SW paint? Do you know?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Home Depot color matches to SW, BUT I wouldn't recommend it. Iron Ore is a dark color and needs to be mixed with darker pigmented paint (yellow vs white). I don't think Home Depot does this, which results in a much lighter color. I would just stick to Sherwin-Williams. It's more expensive, but if you wait until a 30% off sale you can get a gallon (or two) for a reasonable price.

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  2. Wow! This is so helpful. My whole house is balanced beige and we just painted a console iron ore. Then I stumbled across this blog. I’m trying to redo my bedroom and maybe my fireplace area. This will help me tremendously. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete