HOUSE OF RAD PAINT COLORS

Paint colors are such an important part of any home. Here I'm sharing the paint colors we chose for our home and why we love them.

I had a very clear vision of what I wanted for our home in terms of layout, storage space, and overall color scheme before we even drafted plans. I also knew I wanted something that walked the line between both modern and timeless which in my mind meant bright whites, true black and warm wood. My goals when choosing paint colors were to create a bright, clean aesthetic that could work with any style of furniture and decor.

Our entire interior is one shade of white. And when I say entire interior, I mean entire interior. I chose Sherwin Williams Pure White for the white cabinets, walls and trim.

Some people tried to talk me out of doing the same white on both the walls and the trim. I get it, it's definitely not the most common choice. The decisions to paint the walls and trim all the same color was three-fold:

1. I wanted a white bright space, plain and simple. I wanted a true white interior and didn't want two different, albeit similar, whites competing right next to each other. I also knew I didn't want any gray or yellow in my wall colors which tends to come through when you have two different whites next to each other. A lot of people want this contract, I just didn't.

2. I had originally wanted big black-framed windows with no trim. I was eventually told that our humid climate wouldn't allow for that, so at the very least I wanted our window trim to seamlessly blend in - disappear if you will.

3. Utilizing the same white for the walls and trim helps creates a simple pallet for the eye, making rooms appear larger and ceilings appear higher.

I love black accents - black doors and windows are my absolute favorite and were our very top priority when building our home. I also love the drama of black cabinets, but only when it's done in moderation.

With an almost all white kitchen, I knew painting all of the pantry cabinets black would be an incredible contrast and allow me to add some depth without the black overpowering the kitchen. I used the same black on the kitchen island and all of the downstairs interior doors.

This choice to use Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black was the easiest paint decision I made. I had been following The House of Silver Lining for months and I fell in love with the black color Shauna used in her new home, The Forest Modern.

I was so confident in my appreciation for Tricorn Black that we also used it outside on our trim and exterior doors.

Unlike the inside of the house where I wanted a very bright white, I wanted a much warmer white for the exterior. I don't really have a clear explanation about why I wanted a softer white for the exterior, other than all of the white homes I had pinned and saved as inspiration had warmer whites. I also knew that being in the sunlight would brighten any color we put on the exterior.

The white exterior paint we chose was Sherwin Williams Shoji White. I love it. We have quite a few white houses in our neighborhood and most of them are bright white. They all look beautiful, but I think the softer white helps break up the modern farmhouse vibe a bit and our exterior is quintessential modern farmhouse. I'm a super contemporary girl myself, but this exterior design fits in with the neighborhood aesthetic so here we are!

Like I said above, we used the same color for the black exterior paint as we did on the interior, Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black. The great thing about Tricorn Black is that it really is a true black. There are a lot of beautiful blacks that lean charcoal or navy, but Tricorn has a very rich, deep pigment that reads black in any light. I have found this to be true whether inside with plenty of lighting or outside in the bright sunshine.

There are a lot of beautiful blacks that lean charcoal or navy, but Tricorn has a very rich, deep pigment that reads black in any light. I have found this to be true whether inside with plenty of lighting or outside in the bright sunshine.

Upstairs we decided to shake things up a bit. I love the black and white contrast of our downstairs paint colors, but I wanted to go even more neutral upstairs. Why you ask? Well it’s pretty simple: Our kids’ bedrooms and play room are upstairs and I wanted a very neutral color pallet that wouldn’t add to the utter chaos that is a toy-strewn bedroom.

The upstairs walls and trim are still Pure White. We also opted for white doors upstairs. Same style door, same style hardware, just in different color ways. We painted all the bathroom cabinets Sherwin Williams Dovetail – it’s a mid-tone gray with just the tiniest hint of beige.

I've received plenty of questions about the stain color of our warm wood toned built-ins, but they were custom stained on site. We used samples of our pre-engineered white oak hardwood flooring and developed a custom stain to compliment them. We also did the same with the beams on our living room ceiling.

What are some of your favorite paint colors in your home or your dream home? Leave me a comment and let me know! Until next time.