All The Paint Colors In Our Home
Probably my most asked questions about our home is paint colors. Choosing the perfect paint color for your home is accomplished through testing a lot of different color samples. I’ll get more into detail about our specific paint colors as we go along. Let’s tour through our home and see all the paint colors I chose!
Living in the forest, I knew pretty early on in the design phase of our home that I wanted a very dark exterior. So moody and dramatic. Doesn’t fit my personality by any means (ha! ;)) We have a good mix of European-style stone with board and batten siding.
Exterior Paint – Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams
The dark gray looks almost black against the snow. Love it! I tried quite a few different dark gray colors on our exterior and found Iron Ore to be more of a true dark gray. No blue or green undertones. More of a brown base undertone I’d say. It’s a beautiful color that I’ve used on interiors as well.
Our exterior doors are painted in Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams.
Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams
I found Tricorn Black to be a good “solid” black without the blue or brown undertones. It’s a pretty popular color. We used three different colors on our interior doors, but all the black doors are painted in Tricorn Black. We also have gray and white doors. All the doors on the main level are black. You’ll see gray doors on the upstairs level on the boys’ bedrooms. White doors are on closet pocket doors and various other doors like the bonus laundry room upstairs.
The black looks gorgeous with the brushed gold hardware by Emtek. You can see more of this powder bathroom HERE.
Our dining room is also painted in Tricorn Black. Best decision ever!! You’ll notice that the baseboards and ceiling crown are all the same color. Painted in a satin sheen.
Tour more of our dining room and shop room sources HERE.
The shiplap in our hearth room is also Tricorn Black.
Interior Paint – Pure White by Sherwin Williams
I frequently get asked to recommend a “good” white interior paint color. That’s a little difficult to recommend in a room or space I’ve never seen or been in. White paint can be tricky and can be affected greatly by the natural lighting in a room and artificial light. The floors also play a key factor. I tested about five different white paint colors before I finally landed on Pure White by Sherwin Williams.
When choosing paint color, I always recommend painting several samples on white poster board. You can carry the poster board from room to room to see the paint in various settings. It helps to try white paint samples side by side because it’ll help you learn the undertones in the color. I’ve seen white paint have pinkish, gray, blue, yellow and even green undertones. So tricky!
In our home we have a ton of huge windows and 12 ft ceilings on the main floor. Our hardwood floors natural finish allowed for a more crisp, bright white. It’s a stark white that I have found to have very little undertones, if any. We used the same white in our beach cottage which you can see HERE.
All of our baseboards, trim and moulding are also Pure White in semigloss finish. Our walls are a flat enamel sheen. The enamel part makes them more durable to wiping down if scuffed.
See more of our master bedroom and sources HERE.
To avoid a boring all white hallway on our upstairs level, we added shiplap. Eventually, I’ll probably do a gallery wall of blown up black and white candid photos of the boys. I’m kind of loving the clean slate though. So simplistic allowing the details to stand out, like the sconce lighting and accent door color.
Doors – Cape May Cobblestone by Benjamin Moore
A new favorite gray color! I’d say Cape May Cobblestone has some taupe undertones and slightly blue, depending on the lighting. Doesn’t it look gorge with that brushed gold hardware?! This is our middle son’s bedroom. You can tour it HERE. He was fully in on the design! Impressive for a teen boy!
While we’re upstairs, I’ll show you another paint color I’m obsessed with! I haven’t really showed much of these built ins since I haven’t got around to styling them, but let me tell you this paint color is beyond gorgeous!! It’s a deep blue/green color. Blue is more dominant though. I can’t wait to share more of this space when I get it styled.
Midsummer Gale by Pratt & Lambert
Black, white and gray are the predominant colors in our home but I had a fun time incorporating these deep hued pops of color in various spaces. Our laundry room is another space where I played with some color.
Laundry Room Cabinets – Essex Deep Green by Pratt & Lambert
Everyone claims this room the favorite of the house. I think it’s because of those green cabinets. So deep, so rich and bold! You can see more of our laundry room and sources HERE.
Shauna’s Office – Agreeable Gray by SherwinWilliams
Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams is a “greige” color. Meaning it’s a warm gray with a combination of gray and beige. It’s subtle but soothing. I had my cabinet maker paint my built ins to match the wall color. I’ll be sharing more of this space later on as I get it styled to completion. Still working on it. Snails pace. Story of my life.
One last color to share that has been my all time favorite gray for years is in our master bathroom.
Master Bath Fireplace Shiplap – Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore
If you’ve been following along with us since before we moved into The Forest Modern, you’ll remember that our previous home interior was painted in Revere Pewter. It’s just a good neutral gray that looks good in most lighting situations. I don’t feel like it has blue or lavender undertones which is common with gray paints. You can see more of this color in our previous home HERE. You can also tour more of our master bathroom and find sources HERE.
Our Black Cabinets
Our custom cabinet maker used M.L. Campbell Wood Finishing Systems varnish in color 25-17 Black. It’s a true solid black with no undertone.
Cabinetry/Floating Shelf White Oak Stain
THE MOST ASKED QUESTION, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I know what you all are talking about when you’ve asked how the “yellow undertone” can be prevented when staining wood to have a natural finish. That’s the nature of raw wood to darken when a stain or lacquer is applied, even if it’s a clear matte finish. I absolutely did not want my cabinet panels to read “yellow” after they were stained. The raw oak is naturally so beautiful where you just don’t want to touch it with chemicals but obviously need to, especially in a kitchen where the wood needs to be protected.
I wish I had an easy answer for you on how my cabinet maker and I figured out the formula. It was through trial and error. The clear stain that he applied to the first sample board obviously had a yellow undertone. We decided to add a little bit of white paint for an almost “white wash” or lime wash effect to break that yellow undertone. After about 5-10 sample trials, we figured out the magic formula which was just a teeny tiny hint of white paint added to the clear stain mix. The result is beautiful and a true natural looking oak. No yellow or even orange undertones. Photography is even hard to capture the true “color” but if you saw them in person, you’d probably think they weren’t even treated with a clear stain. They are so natural looking and exactly the look I wanted.
Master Bath (see more HERE)
Teen Bath (see more HERE)
I hope this is a good resource for you as you are working on projects in your home. Thank you for following along with us! More room reveals to come!
Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing all the colors – they play so well together. Love, love, love.
Thank you Marcy!!
Thank you for posting this….And thanks for answering my paint questions before this post!! 🙂 You have done an amazing job on this beautiful home…..it has been such an inspiration for our current custom build. ???? ???? ????
I’m so happy to hear this post was helpful to you Danielle! Best of luck in your new home! Hang in there! Building is a journey!
Love your dark and moody home! Your taste is impeccable and it is such a gorgeous mountain home. Thanks for sharing your sources
Thank you so much Angela!
Dear Shauna,
Your house looks … grandiose, good and subtle! I like the colors used: pure black, white, shades of gray. Silky golden accents!
For me, black would not be indicated, though I love it. Especially in the kitchen and dining room. Cook every day! We meet family and friends weekly, and we eat. We had very dark colored furniture and did not try to clean the finger marks, water stains and splashes of food!
I wish you wonderful Easter Easter with your loved ones.
With love, Mia
Hi Mia, thank you for your sweet comment. Hope you had a wonderful Easter!
Love the midsummer gale color- so pretty! Thanks for sharing!!
Me too!! thank you!
Love, love everything about your home.
I would like to know where you purchased the cushion in the Hearth Room – large ovals in dark grey I think on white background. Could not find the source on your blog or website.
Also, couldn’t find the source of the off white cushions with black geo lines on your bed in the master retreat.
Would appreciate knowing the source for both cushions!
Thank you very much!
Hi Barb! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a sweet compliment. That particular pillow in our Hearth Room is from Homegoods. The pillows in our bedroom are from Tonic Living. You can find the direct link to the company that made them on my master bedroom tour. They make beautiful pillows and drapery!
Thank you so much Shauna for sharing all this beautiful colors with us. I can’t say it enough…your home is amazing!!!
Denise, you are always so sweet! Thank you!!!
Thanks Shauna ????
Simply stunning! The entire house is outstanding. Thank you so much for sharing all the sources. It’s so inspirational. Would you be so kind and let me know what color you painted your ceilings and the finish? So appreciate you and your talent. All the best, Anna
Hi Anna, thank you for the kind words about our home! Our walls and ceilings are Sherwin Williams Pure White in flat finish.
Love your home which is a great inspiration for planning my own home. Staying in South Africa and not having all of the wonderful colours and fittings that you have access to in the US, but forces me to think more creatively. Love following you blog.
Hello! Thanks so much for following along all the way from Africa!
Hi! Love all the info here. Can you please pass on what exact brand & sheen of stain you used for your rift cut cabinets? I’m going through the same process and love your result!! Yours don’t appear shiny, and my painter is insisting on satin but I feel
It’s to shiny. Thanks in advance ????
Hi Natalie, I believe my cabinet maker used M.L. Campbell varnish which was clear with a hint of white paint mixed in with it. Ours look pretty matte. Good luck!
Your home is amazing! What do you think about do Pure White walls with Pure White kitchen cabinets? The island will be black and some wood shelves, so it won’t all be white. Do you think it would work?
I think it would be beautiful!
Shauna,
Your home is gorgeous and very inspiring. We have such similar tastes, score for me! …I love that you’ve already done a lot of the leg work, sweat and tears for me it seems! You immediately had my attention when your described your home’s architecture. Modern Chateau Farmhouse!
We are doing a whole house renovation on a house with a French Chateau look and feel, but I wanted to transform it into more of a modern farmhouse look with those French architectural elements. As you know, there are not many inspirational photos with homes with this “vibe”. When I saw your house designed with all these components in mind, and it was a new build, it made me realize what I was doing was going to look darn good…I can only hope it turns out as stunning as your home did!
I especially thank you for posting all your resources…who does that?! So incredibly grateful to you for sharing everything. Very kind (and time consuming for you).
I do have a question for you: What color did you paint your gutters on the exterior? And what color are your metal roofs? Did you paint them or did you order them with a finish from the factory? The metal roof almost appear to be bronze? Or is it an Antique Black?
Thank you again for being my “virtual” designer.
Warmly,
Nikki
Hi Nikki, thank you so much for all your kind words! Sounds like your home is going to be amazing!! Hope the process is going well for you. Our gutters and metal roof were factory painted and are black. Some gutters are more of a tan color to match our stone. You definitely want to order them with the factory paint so they hold up to the weather. Good luck!
Your kitchen has been my inspiration! Beautifully done! My cabinet maker and I were reading word by word how you stained your cabinets. Do you know what brand your clear stain was? Also was it a stain or sealer? Thank you so much for your time and sharing your kitchen and home with all of us!
Hello Shauna! Thank you for sharing your tips with us! It’s been such a pleasure learning through you on design and color choices! I fell in love with your kitchen and I’m getting ready to do my cabinetry…would it be possible to receive from you the brand of clear stain you used for your oak cabinets? Thank you!
Hi Yasmin, I believe our cabinet maker used M.L. Campbell product but not sure exactly. We mixed it with a hint of white paint.
I love love love your home! We are currently building a home in Denver and I am very inspired by all the colors (or non colors hah) in your house. Thank you so much for all the detailed information! I do have one question however, would you say that your black cabinet color and Tricorn Black SW is fairly similar or what was the reason behind the two different black colors in your home? Looking to possibly do black kitchen cabinets myself but our builder wants to do all Sherwin Williams. Would really appreciate any answer you may have on this, differences, similarities and what sheen you use for the cabinets!
Hi Rebecca, thanks so much for the compliment! I’d say Tricorn Black is almost identical to the black on our cabinets. Our cabinet maker used a specific paint product on our cabinets which is why they are not Tricorn black. Good luck with your new home!
I love your house! Could you tell me the height of your baseboard trims? and also what size you went with around the doors & windows? Thank you!
Hi Kim,
Our baseboards are 12″, door trim 4″ and no trim around windows.