Best Minimalist Neutral Paint Colors
On a scale of 1 to 10, how sensitive are you to color? {With one being “I am most comfortable with white and off white” and ten meaning “I like using color in bold ways and I like a lot of vibrant hues and shades in my home.” }
If 1 to 3 was your answer, if you consider yourself a minimalist, or you just don’t want to commit to colored walls, this is the blog post for you. Read on to learn how to know which neutral is best.
If you want to find a barely there neutral, and the idea of yellow walls makes you cringe, read on! Today’s blog post is all about the best neutral wall color for minimalists and people who don’t like a lot of color. Spoiler Alert: 90% of the time, the answer isn’t white. I’ll go over how not to end up with yellow walls by mistake. Plus you’ll learn which neutral is right for your furnishings. I’ll also share my six best paints for people who don’t like color on their walls.
What is an Accented Neutral Interior Decorating Scheme?
What is A Neutral Wall Color?
In this post, we will discuss how to pick the best Neutral Wall Color for your home if you don’t want color on your walls. But first, what does neutral even mean?
Neutrals are colors that do not have a strong or noticeable hue. Neutrals are paint colors that “go with everything” and provide a blank canvas backdrop for your furnishings.
Here are the main neutral paint color categories:
- White: True white paints are those without any discernible undertone and are very bright with an LRV over 90. These are colors like Sherwin Williams Pure White, Extra White or High Reflective White, Behr Ultra Pure White or Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace or Super White.
- Off-White and Cream: These are slightly darker than pure whites with LRVS in the upper 70s and 80s. Creams are warm whites with complex undertones that keep them from entering “pale yellow” territory.
- Gray: No longer in fashion, gray is still undeniably a natural because it doesn’t have a distinguishing hue. Gray ranges from off white to deep charcoal and everywhere in between. There are also warm grays that lean toward greige and cool grays with blue undertones.
- Greige: This is an in-between category of neturals that encapsulates those colors between gray and beige. These are generally warm grays that have very little saturation. Greige often can have a slight pink or green undertone.
- Beige: Beige is a light tan or very pale grayed out brown color that is not discernibly any hue. Beige has a range of undertones from pink to yellow.
- Taupe, Tan and Brown: These are darker in value than greige and beige. Where they differ is in their parent hues. Taupe is like dark greige, and Tan is essentially dark beige. Brown is also in this category and can range in value from tan to nearly black. Brown can have red or purple undertones.
- Black: Don’t forget that black is also a neutral color.
PRO TIP: Because of today’s trend toward warm neutrals, in general, off-whites, Greige and Beige paint colors are going to be the best choices for Minimalists.
What are your fixed elements?
Before you can pick your neutral wall color, you need to analyze your fixed elements in your space. These are surfaces in your interior you are not going to change like tile or flooring. For example, if you have gray flooring, you will want to choose a white, off-white, gray or greige wall color. But if you have a brown granite countertop, you will be better choosing a warm natural like cream, greige, beige or tan. The main rules to remember are:
- Warm neturals go better with warm fixed elements
- Cool neturals go best with other cool fixed elements
Consider Chroma Preference
If you haven’t already, make sure to read my post about clean colors. High chroma colors are splashy, saturated colors with a lot of visual energy. My guess is, if you are reading this- you do not fall into this category.
Low chroma colors are earthy, muted and complex. Generally, people who are color sensitive or color-averse prefer low chroma colors.
What Are your Furnishings?
After you’ve looked at your fixed elements and determined if you like low or high chroma, the next step is to look at your furniture. If your upholstery is tan, beige, deep greens and blues or earthy reds and browns you will have to go with a low chroma neutral wall color like cream, beige, tan, taupe or brown.
If you have high chroma furnishings, like saturated jewel tones, I’m not sure why you are reading this post, but you will need to go with mostly gray, off white or white paint.
In other words, beige and other warm neutrals look dirty when paired with clean high chroma furniture, artwork and textiles. Conversely, clean-colored walls will make low chroma furniture look off and dingy. So if you are considering a baby chick yellow for your walls, please hold off and keep reading.
Why White Walls Are Not Always A Good Default
Speaking of white, this leads me to common mistake number one. White is not necessarily a foolproof choice. White walls can be gorgeous in a well-lit house with big windows and tons of natural light. So if you have a brightly lit room and you want white walls, you have a green light from me!
However, if you do not have a lot of light, hold up! One of the most shocking things I learned in my training for becoming a certified color expert is that white paint is not a cure-all for a dark room. In my training, I learned that white walls in a dark space can make a room look sad and draw attention to the fact that it has bad lighting.
Take a look at how bad the white paint looks in my dining room which has almost no natural light. It looks so dingy!
Another consideration is white walls work best when a room is decorated with a lot of white fabrics, textiles and furnishings. If you have colored fabric on your furniture, pure white walls will look blank. It is key to repeat white throughout the space in multiple places and surfaces to make it feel cohesive.
So what is a minimalist to do if they do not have a ton of beautiful light or white furniture? Keep reading.
PRO TIP: You need to have plenty of natural light and white furnishings to pull off white walls.
Avoid This Common Mistake: Don’t Pick Yellow!
Don’t be fooled by yellow paint masquerading as a neutral. This is a mistake I see out in the wild all the time. Below is a collage of yellow paint colors I have seen during my color consultations where a client has tried a light “neutral” only to find that it is yellow.
A classic example of a yellow paint that someone could choose by mistake is “Timid White.” While you may indeed feel timid about picking a wall color, I assure you this is not the right color for you.
The reason yellow is not a neutral is that it will electrify other colors, whereas a neutral will not. Remember, a neutral doesn’t have a discernible hue, so there is naturally less contrast.
For example, take a look at an example below. I’ve used two Ben Moore colors: Sterling Silver in a field of Acadia White. Do you notice how the gray paint color looks almost purple when it is next to the yellow? That’s because yellow is across the color wheel from purple and Sterling Silver has subtle violet undertones that you’ll only notice when paired with yellow. (Violet and yellow are complementary colors and will have the most contrast.)
Now to compare and contrast I’ll show you a second example. We will keep the Sterling Silver the same, but surround it with a lower choma, less saturated (and less yellow) paint color called Slumber Sloth from Sherwin-Williams. Notice how the two colors are much more compatible.
The slumber sloth is a blend of colors so it will not have that same electrifying energy when placed next to the purplish tones in Sterling Silver.
PRO TIP: If you are not sure if the neutral paint color you are considering is yellow, make sure to compare it to a pure white like Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace and a true neutral gray like Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray. You can do this on Plan Home or use paint chips. Just make sure to use natural daylight when analyzing paint colors.
If you want to find a warm white, check out my Warm White Paint Sample collection at Samplize (affiliate link.)
What’s The Best Warm Neutral Paint Color For Minimalists?
Here’s my list of the best warm neutral paint colors for minimalists. For this list I only selected paint colors with the following criteria:
- Warmth with no yellowness
- Light LRV (I picked colors ranging from 71 to 52 to give you some options)
- Low saturation and low chroma
- Smokey Taupe by Benjamin Moore: (LRV 54)This is probably the best true neutral I’ve used from Benjamin Moore and falls toward the darker end of my collection. In certain lights it has a touch of pink to it, but nothing like Muslin.
- Minimalist by Sherwin-Williams: (LRV 52)This is a gorgeous paint color with more warmth than Slumber Sloth. Ironically, even though the name fits, it is the most saturated pick in this collection. It comes from the Sherwin-Williams designer series and plays well with greens and blues as well as earthy reds and browns.
- Accessible Beige by Sherwin-Williams: (LRV 58)There’s a reason this is the most popular paint color from the world’s largest paint manufacturer. It just works. It goes with everything and is so not offensive in any way shape or form. If you want your walls to be a blank canvas, this is your color!
- Slumber Sloth by Sherwin-Williams: (LRV 56) This color leans gray and is almost completely unsaturated while maintaining minimal warmth.
- Wind’s Breath by Benjamin Moore: (LRV 69.6) If you can’t paint white (see above) here’s your best alternative. It’s the color to go with if you want a barely there neutral. To my eye this paint reads gray when I see in on the walls so make sure to brush it out before committing. It may not be warm enough for you!
- Ballet White by Benjamin Moore: (LRV 71.97.) If you are afraid to commit to a color on your wall, Ballet White is to the rescue. It is similar to Wind’s Breath but a little less gray and ever so slightly saturated. However, Wind’s Breath and Ballet White are very light in value so if you want a paint color that you’ll barely notice, Ballet White is definitely one to consider.
Buy Large Samples of this collection of Neutrals For Minimalists. (This is an afflilate link which means I will earn a small commission from your purchase at no additional cost to you! Thank you for supporting my small business!)
How To Know Which Neutral Is Right For You
Here is your step-by-step process to pick your winning minimalist paint color.
- Start with a few large sample of the colors you are deciding on. Then head to your local paint store and pick up a couple of small cans of your top choices.
- Prep your surfaces.
- Brush out the samples covering a large area (one foot square or larger.) When I brush out I try to find a place where I can isolate the wall color between two sections of trim. This way I can completely cover the color underneath and see what the new color will look like.
- Don’t forget to do two coats. This makes a difference!
- Let the paint dry. Drydown will affect the final color. Paint can lighten or darken as it drys, depending on its unique recipe so don’t judge it until it is completely dry.
- Look at your brushouts at several times of day in all different lights.
If you still need help, I am available for in person color consultations in Vermont and I also offer virtual paint color consultations for clients online. Sign up today!
