Scared of Color?: This Guide Makes Choosing The Best Sherwin Williams Paint Colors Easy

Professional Photos By Christa Tippmann Unless Otherwise Noted

Here’s a decorating secret: the quickest way to update a room is fresh coat of paint.

And I don’t mean adding another coat of white!

After years of monochromatic spaces dominating mainstream design, color is back and better than ever. The right color can bring instant personality and depth to a space. Color can actually make you feel things (it’s science!). Whether you’re looking to bring quiet grounding energy to a home office or a moody, sensual feel to the bedroom…colored paint is the easiest way to do it.

Unfortunately, for a lot of people it can be hard to go big with color. They’re afraid:

• It will be too trendy (and they’ll have to repaint in a year or two)
• They’ll choose the wrong thing
• They won’t like it once the color is up on the walls
• It will be hard to match other colors and bring everything together

In other words, color feels scary. Is this true for you?

I want to encourage you though… you can and totally should give color a chance.

In this guide you’ll find the basics you need to know to help you choose the best Sherwin WIlliams Paint Colors for your home (the pros I work with love this paint and I am a big fan of their colors and color selection tools, which is why I use SW most of the time).

I’ll cover:

• What I mean when I refer to “neutral paint colors”
• How to identify neutral paint colors when you’re at the store
• How to use online tools to select the perfect Sherwin Williams paint colors from the comfort of your home
• Ways to use neutral Sherwin Williams paint colors in your home
• Some of my current favorite Sherwin Williams paint colors

Pin these neutral Sherwin Williams paint colors to save them for later >>>

The Secret To Choosing The Best Sherwin Williams Paint Colors

Although vibrant, bright colors have their place in design, my personal opinion is that when you want to choose the perfect paint color for your home, you want to look for a color that is:

1. Timeless
2. Neutral

“But how can a color be a neutral?” you might be wondering.

Glad you asked!

Defining Neutral

In the traditional sense, neutral colors are colors without much, well, color. When most people think of neutrals they’re talking about non-colors like grays, whites, creams, browns, and blacks. These shades do not appear on the color wheel.

But if you’ve ever struggled to pick a white paint, you know that most of these so-called neutrals aren’t without color. Instead, they contain tiny amounts of the various ROYGBIV colors you learned about in elementary school. And these hints of color give that white paint a subtle undertone of color.

Here is a good guide to understanding paint undertones if you want to learn more.

Creating Neutral Colors

Similarly, any color on the spectrum can move toward becoming a neutral when mixed with base neutrals (grey, white, black, etc.) or even a hit of an opposite (complimentary) color.

When I use to the term “neutral color”, I am referring to colors that have very little intensity. They are not bright and saturated; think of these as neutrals that have been injected with just a hint of color. This makes them appear muted.

For example, the pure form of the color orange can be bright and vibrant (SW 6886 Invigorate). But when it is mixed with neutrals it morphs into lovely, earthy shades like Rookwood Terra Cotta (Mid-Tone) or El Caramelo (brown with just a hint of orange).

Sherwin williams Color categories

Color exists on a spectrum, and although you probably don’t need or want to dive too deeply into the details, it’s helpful to be aware of this when you’re choosing paint colors to decorate your home.

The graphic above shows how Sherwin Williams categorizes their paint selections in their color finder. Each color family is broken down into:

• Brights
• Mid-tones
• Muted

You can see this in action in the rows of color chips shown. The top row shows brights at various intensities, the middle row shows mid-tone greens, and the bottom row contains the most muted green paint colors.

Paint Saturation

You’re probably familiar with this concept because you’ve seen it on the paint strips you get at the paint store. The most concentated (saturated) version of a color is located at the bottom of the color card and the shades become lighter and less saturated as you move upward.

All the colors on one strip are related to each other.

To quickly understand the characteristics of a lighter color, look to the corresponding color at the bottom of that strip. There it’s easier to understand what the base color is! This is especially important if you are trying to choose a white paint and want to make sure it won’t look yellow, for example.

Designer tip: Choosing two colors from the same strip is a great way to be sure they will work well together.

Neutrals Are The Secret

In my designs I don’t always choose neutrals, but it’s usually where I start. Neutral colors are the secret to choosing a color you won’t regret.

My designer paint deck holds all the best Sherwin Williams paint colors and has a section specifically labeled “Neutrals.” Trust me, these swatches are well loved!

If I know I want a green paint, for example, I completely bypass the “COLOR” section of the deck and flip straight to “NEUTRALS”.

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A post shared by Suzette (@suzettegebhardt_creative)

You can do the same thing online using the search features on the Sherwin Williams website:

Step 1:

Visit the color family page.

Step 2:

Click on the general color you’d like for your room (here, I chose green).

Step 3:

Click the colored squares in the third category to explore the muted (neutral) options for your chosen color.

Step 4:

Click View Details on any color you’d like to explore. It will take you to a page with a TON of valuable information about that color.

• The row of colors at the top is the paint strip (like you would get at the store) and shows related colors.
• The color description will provide information about any undertones and whether the color is warm/cool.
• There are coordinating colors listed at the bottom (great for choosing matching trim or cabinetry colors).

And if you scroll down further, you can see examples of what the color might look like in various rooms of the home (or an exterior!).

These tools are fun to explore when you are thinking about dipping your toe into the world of decorating with paint.

As you play around, notice whether any of the colors bring up noticeable reactions. If you pay attention, you will find that you will be instinctively drawn to certain colors- they make you feel peaceful or happy, for example.

Use this as your guide!

Now that You’ve Found The Best Neutral Sherwin Williams Paint Colors, how should You use them?

For years the go-to technique for homeowners who wanted to add a little color to a room was simply painting an accent wall.

It’s quick and easy; I get it! I have done it many times myself. BUT there are so many other ways to use these gorgeous neutral colored paints.

I want to encourage you to stretch yourself a bit! So I’m going to briefly touch on some ideas for decorating with paint that you might not have considered.

Color Drenching

This paint technique is trending right now for good reason. Basically, it just means painting every single surface in the room in the same color- trim, door, ceiling… all of it!

I did this in my home office and it is probably my favorite spaces in the world. It feels like a big hug. Even the cabinets are green!

Paint the Ceiling

Referred to as the “fifth wall”, the ceiling is a fun place to play around with color. If you are hesitant to paint all the walls this is a great place to start!

I love a sky blue on the ceiling so much I stole this trick for in my own bedroom!

Go Halfway Up the Wall

This is an especially great idea when you have tall ceilings (you get color but it cuts your painting time down significantly!).

Simply tape off the wall at your desired height (I like halfway or 2/3 of the wall height) and paint below the line.

Add Style With Stripes

One of my favorite designers, Raili Clasen is the master of this. She has so many cool examples of ways you can paint stripes to perk up a room on her IG account. Take a scroll and thank me later!

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A post shared by Raili Clasen | Raili CA Design (@railiclasen)

Refinish a Piece of Furniture

Paint isn’t only for walls. A quick coat of paint can perk up a tired, outdated piece and is the perfect way to bring one of the neutral Sherwin Williams paint colors into the mix.

You can paint:

• Boring bookcases
• Thrift store dressers
• Stools or benches
• Cast off lamps
• Ugly old upholstery (yes, you can PAINT fabric!)
• Wood boxes
• If you haven’t caught on… you can paint almost anything!

Trim

Colorful woodwork is making a comeback and no matter what design style you prefer, you can definitely hop on this trend!

I’ve seen some gorgeous spaces lately with full on colored doors, crown molding, and baseboards. It is such a fun look and if you choose a neutral paint color, you are much likely to love it long term

Other options include running a wainscot (like beadboard, v groove or other paneling) along the lower portion of a wall and painting it a fun color. Then you can top it off with a great coordinating wallpaper.

While I know it has been trendy for awhile, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention shiplap/wood wall paneling- it’s the perfect place to add a hit of neutral color and I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it. I like the lines!

Go For Texture

A final option for incorporating some neutral color would be to skip the actual paint and consider a textured wall treatment instead.

Roman clay or limewash offerings typically already come in a perfectly curated range of neutral colors and they are easy to apply.

These soft textures will add a soft, vintage feel to a kids’ space and are a great way to mix things up!

SW doesn’t currently offer this product, but Portola Paints is my go-to for these specialty finishes Their color selection is outstanding and already expertly curated – which takes the guesswork out of choosing the perfect color!

More Paint Palettes To Consider

My Current Favorite Neutral Sherwin Williams Paint Colors

Now that you have some ideas about why you want to opt for neutral colors and how to use them, I’m excited to share what colors I am currently obsessed with.

These colors are subtle and easy to mix with other colors, which makes them the perfect bridge into color-land for those who have previously shied away from the rainbow.

Sherwin Williams Neutral Red Paint Colors

Reds are warm and inviting. You might consider most of these selections to be “brown” but these selections all have red undertones. These colors are deep, lush and warm.

Perfect for a moody, masculine den or a cozy guest room!

Sherwin Williams Neutral Orange Paint Colors

Again, these “oranges” skew brown, but when you compare them to the red-browns in the previous image, you can see the difference! Oranges have a little life and tend to feel invigorating- and that comes through even in these subtle, muted shades.

Sherwin Williams Neutral Yellow Paint Colors

Yellows get a bad rap. I think maybe it’s because people mistakenly get “yellow” undertones in white paint when they didn’t mean to. But a little bit of yellow in a color mix adds brightness and lifts the color up a bit. I’m obsessed with all three of these choices! I would use these in a kitchen or laundry room!

Sherwin Williams Neutral Green Paint Colors

Greens are my favorite- and there are SO MANY ways to go green. I especially love greens with a hint of blue or smoky gray-greens. They feel very grounding to me; this means they are perfect for home offices, bedrooms or bathrooms.

Sherwin Williams Neutral Blue Paint Colors

Blues are popular for a reason! Again, I love smoky blues with a hint of gray but you really can’t go wrong with any neutral blue you choose. Sherwin Williams really does have some of the best neutral blue paint colors I’ve found.

Sherwin Williams Neutral Purple Paint Colors

I have a friend who is thinking about painting a room in her house with a purpley-brown shade and ever since she brought these to my attention I am seeing purple paint inspo everywhere. Purple is unexpected and fun- and when you choose a more muted, neutral shade… you can’t go wrong!

Did any of these colors speak to you? I’d love to hear your faves!