The past several months I’ve been compiling a list of paint colors that I would call the best Go-To-Paint Colors around right now (and likely for very many years to come). 
I wanted to give you the cliffs notes version to paint colors! Sometimes the number of paint color options can be enough to make your head spin (in rainbow colors)! It might sound easy enough to pick a paint color but then you have a billion different hues with a billion different undertones and intensities. It makes me feel anxious just talking about it.:-) This post is meant to help save you time and headaches from paint color option paralysis by giving you 38 tried and true beautiful paint colors to begin with rather than millions! I hope it helps!! Please feel free to ask questions and if you want to share your favorite go-to paint colors in the comment section I would love to hear them!
38 Beautiful Go-To Paint Colors
WHITE
1 Behr Pure White– This is what I use for all of my trim, doors, and white wood work. It is a nice clean, pure white.
2 BM White Dove– This a VERY popular choice among interior designers for painting trim, cabinetry, etc.
3 SW Alabaster– This is a nice white for trim and cabinets if you are wanting just a touch of yellow undertones and warmth It’s white but with a little hint or creaminess.
via Sherwin Williams
OFF-WHITE-
4 BM Simply White– This is an off-white with yellow/green undertones. I recently used it in my living room and 2 story foyer. I’ve written a whole post just about this paint color!
via Young House Love
5 Valspar Tequila Coronada– This off-white is basically a cream color. I’ve used it in my master bedroom and in the finished part of my basement. I like it a lot!
My Bedroom Paint Color
6 BM Swiss Coffee– This is a nice off-white if you are looking for more brown undertones rather than yellow.
GRAY
7 Behr Dophin Fin- This is a great light to medium gray with no obvious undertones. We used it in our sons’ bedroom and my friend used it in her laundry room. It is gorgeous against her crisp white laundry cabinets.
via Handmaid Tales
8 BM Classic Gray– This is a beautiful warm light gray! It is so warm that it is almost “greige” rather than gray. A lovely backdrop to any room that gets at least some natural light.
9 SW Light French Gray– This is a pretty perfect medium gray with no undertones. I spotted it at Pottery Barn Kids a couple of months ago during their kids story time. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it! It is gorgeous especially against white.
10 BM Stonington Gray– This is a medium gray color that leans very much on the cool side
Decor Hound via Pinterest
11 Behr Wet Cement– This is an eye-pleasing dark gray. When designing our “man-cave” media room I wanted a nice dark gray. It took me 3 tries before I found this color and it really is a winner!
Our Media Room Paint Color
GREIGE
12 BM Cloud Nine– I recently discovered this color and think it is a beautiful light beige/greige.
13 BM Revere Pewter– I have a friend who is in the process of painting most of her home this color. It looks lovely! A definite medium gray/beige.
BLUE
14 SW Rock Candy– Need a blue-ish gray tinted white? This is your color! It is a very subtle, pale blue/gray.
15 BM Ice Cap– This is a soft powdery blue color but with just enough gray that it doesn’t read too baby boy blue.
16 BM Summer Shower– This is a gorgeous medium blue!
17 SW Krypton– This is a striking medium blue with some purple/gray undertones. A friend of mine recently moved and had much of her home painted in this color. How did she pick this color? She had it in her previous home and loved it so much she wanted to use it in her new house too.:-)
via NI Block Homes
18 BM Mount Saint Anne- Another beautiful medium blue!
GREEN- Greens with some blue or gray undertones are what I’m drawn too right now.
19 BM Healing Aloe– I’ve admired this color from a far for awhile now. It is a light to medium soft green with gray undertones. I recently added a chair rail and white wainscoting to my upstairs hallway and painted this color on the upper portion. I love it!
20 SW Sea Salt- A beautiful sea green.
via 12 Oaks Blog
21 Restoration Hardward Silver Sage– Another green with a lot of gray hence the name.
via Danielle Oakley
PINK
22 BM White Aster– A pretty soft, pale pink paint color.
Danielle Oakley Interiors via Pinterest
23 BM Love and Happiness– A lovely medium pink color and I can’t help but love it’s name too!
via Studio Mcgee
YELLOW
24 Behr Butter– We used this color in my friend Lolly’s master bedroom makeover. It’s a pale to medium creamy yellow. It doesn’t demand a lot of attention so works great as a backdrop to other features in a room.
via Provident Home Design
25 BM Vanilla Cookies– Medium tones with a stronger saturation this paint color will brighten any room!
via Pinterest
26 BM Weston Flax– This paint color has a touch of brown undertones giving it a subtle medium mustard vibe.
27 BM Hawthorne Yellow– A very deep rich yellow. Looks amazing for a front door doesn’t it?
via Pinterest
ORANGE
28 BM Buttered Yam– If you must do orange this is a good one! A not too bright medium orange.
BHG via Pinterest
PURPLE
29 BM Dreamy Cloud– Such a pretty pale purple with a touch of pink undertones.
30 BM Spring Violet– I really like this medium purple paint color because it is a bit muted giving it a more sophisticated feel.
NAVY
31 BM Hale Navy– This is a true navy but a little toned down so that it doesn’t read overly bold. A very approachable navy paint color.
32 BM Gentleman’s Gray– This navy has green undertones. It would look awesome in a man’s office or “man cave” or boys room especially paired with green decor accents.
via So Happy Home
33 BM Deep Royal– This is a lighter Navy with no obvious undertones.
via Studio Mcgee
34 BM Old Navy– This a deep Navy, the perfect nautical navy in my opinion. I used it to paint a furniture piece in my son’s recent bedroom makeover and I love it!
BLACK
35 Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black– a gorgeous, deep black. Beautiful on doors and moldings!
36 BM Jet Black– Another beautiful rich black!
RED
37 BM Caliente– This is a very cheerful red. A very true red.
via Decorpad
38 BM Deep Rose– I love this paint color because it reminds me of the perfect deep Christmas red.
via Homebunch
After you narrow the colors down to 3 or so for a room try my tip for finding the “right” color for the space the first time!
I hope this cliff notes version to paint colors comes in handy for you–now or in the future!! Have a wonderful week! Do you have any go-to favorite paint colors?
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Why is choosing a paint color so paralyzing? Even for design lovers. I love that you showed each color in a space. That really helps. I am trying to decide on paint colors for two more rooms in our home and am “stuck.”
I think it’s so hard because every room has different lighting then the next so a color in one room could look much different in another room. Also the colors already going on in the room can change the look of the color. Color is tricky but the posterboard trick works everytime. I really recommend it!
hi beautiful website. I can’t seem to find royal navy its gorgeous but it doesn’t display thst color it doesnt exist. I tried emailing BM but no response. 🙁
I’m so sorry for the confusion, Peggy! I made a mistake…the color is actually called Benjamin Moore Deep Royal. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!!:-)
The pink you posted is called Wild Aster. You have it written as White Aster.
Thank you for the post, the colors are just what I was looking for as we decorate our home. I love the Behr butter color you posted and was going to feature a similar wall of white molding in a nursery. Can you tell me what white you used to pair with the Butter colored paint? There are so many whites to chose from!
Thanks!
I love Behr’s Ultra Pure White for baseboard and trim.