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Picking out paint colours for your home can be a fun and creative journey. Whether you’re refreshing a room with a new coat of paint or designing a new house, selecting the right paint colours is essential to creating the aesthetic and atmosphere you want. The colours you choose significantly affect a space’s mood and ambience, so it’s essential to consider your style, the room’s purpose, and how natural light impacts the colour. Discover the timeless beauty of paint colours such as Natural Cream, White Dove and Chantilly Lace that I used in my home to create a beautiful and elegant atmosphere. Sharing real-life examples and expert tips on how to use these colours.
Picking the Correct Sheen
Paint sheen refers to the level of gloss or shine on the surface of the painted wall/furniture piece. The type of finish of the paint on your wall can influence the overall atmosphere and long-term resistance to wear and tear and cleaning of the room. Sheen plays a major role in how the finished look of your room will turn out. In addition, the way this paint colour looks and feels in the room can be changed with the type of finish you use.
When selecting a paint sheen, consider the room’s specific needs and the look you’d like to achieve, and choose one that balances style and practicality.
Learn more about paint sheens and what a designer recommends for each paint sheen and space in your home.
PRO TIP: When painting my home, I chose to paint the walls and trim the same colour but in different paint sheens. I usually pick eggshell for the walls and semi-gloss for the trim. This gives them a different look but ensures they flow well together. Learn more about paint sheens here.
Natural Cream
Benjamin Moore Natural Cream is a beautiful neutral paint shade that adds a hint of sophistication to any area in your home. Its warm yet grey undertones help create an inviting and comforting environment, perfect for living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.
Benjamin Moore Natural Cream is a timeless colour that will bring versatility to your design style, whether you’re going for traditional, transitional, or contemporary. It looks great with neutral shades like white, gray, and beige, and it can also add a pop of colour when paired with brighter hues like blue and green.
This paint colour differs depending on how much natural light you get in your space. It is also important to consider what paint sheen you choose, as this will also impact the look.
Where I used it: Kitchen Cabinets in pearl finish* and Powder Room board and batten in a pearl finish.
*Please note the kitchen cabinets were professionally manufactured and painted (read more here). The closest sheen to this professional finish is pearl.
Want to learn more about my Cream Coloured Kitchen? Read more here.
Chantilly Lace
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is a stunning and fresh white paint shade that can bring a tidy and contemporary vibe to any room in your house. This paint colour has a vivid and pure white base that can make your space appear refreshed and luminous.
Chantilly Lace gives any room a modern and contemporary feel with its sleek and minimalist look. With its ability to blend warm and cool tones easily, this paint colour makes coordinating other elements in the space a cinch!
This paint shade is excellent for kitchens, bathrooms, and any other area where you want a vibrant and airy feel. Additionally, it can complement spaces with lots of natural light and make the room feel more open.
Where I used it: Hallways, Kitchen walls, and my Office/Guest Room in an eggshell finish.
White Dove
If you’re looking for a timeless and beloved paint colour option, Benjamin Moore White Dove will surely add a bright, airy feel to any room in your house. Its warm, creamy undertone adds cozy vibes and depth without feeling too stark or cold.
White Dove paint is an excellent option for any interior design – it’s flexible enough to fit in with traditional and modern vibes alike. You can easily blend it with warm and cool hues to create a cohesive look in the space.
This paint is the perfect option for any room where you want to achieve a spotless, airy atmosphere. Its reflective properties can even brighten up areas with limited natural light and make the space feel bigger.
Where I used it: Living room, Dining Room, Primary Bedroom. Walls in an eggshell finish and trim in semi-gloss.
Seapearl
Benjamin Moore Seapearl is a popular and versatile paint that can bring a feeling of serenity to any corner of your house. Seapearl is the perfect choice for a peaceful, calming retreat for bedrooms, bathrooms, or any other area. It looks great with both warm and cool hues, so it’s a breeze to coordinate with other features in the room.
This paint colour is sophisticated, timeless and versatile, making it the perfect choice for anyone wanting a classic, elegant look. Whether you have a traditional or modern design style, this paint adapts to all lighting conditions – natural or artificial.
Where I used it: Primary Bathroom walls in a semi-gloss finish.
Pale Oak
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak is an excellent selection for any room in your home! This warm, balanced hue has a soft, versatile neutral tone with a taupe undertone and a hint of grey. No matter your design style, this paint colour will bring warmth and depth to your space.
Pale Oak is a great choice for living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, creating a tranquil and soothing ambiance. It is becoming a popular choice for cabinetry along with Natural Cream. With its classic look, this hue is simple to match with other colours, whether you go bold with a statement wall or more subtle shades to complement it.
This paint colour has a fantastic ability to transform depending on the lighting. It can create a warm, inviting ambience in darker settings and take on a cool, refined look in brighter areas.
Where I used it: Primary Bathroom vanity cabinet in Pearl finish.
October Mist
Benjamin Moore’s October Mist paint colour is ideal for adding a calm, serene atmosphere to any room in your house. It has a gentle green-blue-grey tint that will lend your area a peaceful, tranquil vibe.
This paint colour is highly versatile, blending easily with warm and cool colours in a room. It is a great selection for rooms flooded with natural light, as it amplifies the brightness and creates an airy atmosphere. The hue is also ideal for those with limited natural light, as it brings a soft and subtle appeal.
Where I used it: Pax Hack Wardrobe in the Office/Guest Room in a Pearl finish.
Tea Light
Bring a burst of life to any room in your house with Benjamin Moore’s vibrant Tealight paint colour! This beautiful colour has a rich and saturated teal-green tone that will bring a fun and energetic feeling to your space.
Tealight is an excellent pick for adding some pizzazz to your walls, doors, and other features in the room. With its ability to pair well with both warm and cool shades, it’s easy to match it with other elements in your interior.
This paint colour is the perfect pick for areas that require a bit of life and vigour, like playrooms, home offices, and even dining rooms. It can also make a great choice for more confined areas, as it can create the illusion of space and make the room look larger.
Where I used it: The Bonus Room in an Eggshell finish.
More home decor ideas
- The Best Off-White Paint Colours
- Cream Coloured Kitchen Cabinets
- The Perfect Greige Paint Colours
- White Dove Painted Brick Exterior
Hi
Love your colors.
We are going to redo our kitchen. I like the color of your cabinets.
I don’t want to use gloss as it shows imperfections so can I use satin on kitchen cabinets? Or is semi gloss better
Thank you 😊
Author
Hey Denise, my cabinets are closest to a Pearl finish, a satin would work as well! Hope this helps.
Emma
So inspirational.
Hello!
Your kitchen is gorgeous and such an inspiration. What sheens did you use on the kitchen walls and wainscoting?
Author
Thank you so much Andrea. The kitchen walls are eggshell and the bathroom wainscoting is pearl finish, but I could have used semi-gloss as well.
Perfect
Thank you this is helpful. Do you happen to know what Sherwin Williams dupe might be? Thanks
Author
For what colour?
What are your thoughts on doing two different whites for trim and walls? White dove walls and simply white trim?
Author
I think that would look nice, it’s a more traditional look and creates more of a contrast between the two so they stand out more.
So inspirational ! I love what your doing ! I plan to repaint my living and dining room. I will use White Dove for the walls and the trims. What about the ceiling ??? I have a Victorian new house with a lot of trims. Want to make it more farm house.
Your thoughts for the Color of the ceiling ?
Thank you so much !
Author
Sylvie, Thank you so much! My living room and dining room are white dove everything. When you switch the sheen it makes them appear a little different but match perfectly. If you did white dove: walls eggshell, ceiling flat, trim semi-gloss it would be a nice mix.
Emma x
Hi Emma, I will be emulating a lot of your paint colours.
What colour have you done the interior doors?
For example the doors to your bedrooms and bathrooms?
Author
I believe they are all White Dove by Benjamin Moore! I haven’t repainted any but I think that is what the previous owners used!
Can you help with the comparable Sherman Williams paint colors for your kitchen cabinets and walls and also your bedroom?
Author
No, unfortunately, I don’t have anything comparable. Paint colours are very hard to replicate/match and get the same outcome. You might be able to find similar, but not exact. Sorry!
Hi Emma! Thanks for sharing! Your house is beautiful! I too am painting my cabinets in natural cream and after going down a rabbit hole researching the paint color I came across your post! I’m trying decide which paint to use from Benjamin Moore. Did you use advance? What sheen did you use? I’m concerned about it potentially yellowing and leaning towards Aura but would love and appreciate any feedback you might have.
Thanks again!
HI Emma, I’m considering painting my kitchen cabinets natural cream as well. It is north facing and I’m a little worried it might feel too dark or yellow. Thoughts?
Author
Hi Jenn, I think it depends on how many windows you have. I don’t think it will look yellow, the undertones are more grey… though if you don’t have many windows, it might appear darker than you’d like. My recommendation is to get a sample can and paint it on a larger surface to hold up in your kitchen. The little chips always look a little darker than they are when they are spread out on a larger surface.
Author
Hi Clayton, That’s so exciting! I had my cabinet fronts custom-made and painted so I am not sure what they used since it was done professionally! If you are planning to paint them yourself I definitely recommend a good primer like BIN Zinsser so you don’t have any chipping!
Hi Emma.
I had my kitchen re-done and my cabinets are natural cream like yours – which I love. And painted my walls Chantilly lace.
2 questions for you
1. All my lowers are drawers and I used the same handle on all and it looks a bit too much how can I fix that? Which ones should I change?
1. I have a mud room off the kitchen which is pretty open and need to paint the walls and bench (want it to all kind of go together) do you have any suggestions what to paint it?
Author
Hey Christina,
Send me a photo of your kitchen cabinets so I can make a suggestion with the handles. For the mudroom, I would paint the walls Chantilly lace but I might try something different for the bench seat to give it a little bit of visual difference. You can also send me a photo of that and maybe I will have a different idea!
Hi Emma! What a lovely home, I especially love your kitchen! We are putting a built in bench into the corner of our kitchen as a breakfast nook, and I’m thinking I’d like to use a more bold color to make it look like a custom piece of furniture. We’re using white dove for all walls & trim, and the kitchen cabinets are still TBD but leaning towards Swiss Coffee at the moment. Do you have any favorites or recommendations for the bench color? I’m using BM Essex Green for the walls in our pantry, which I love for that space, but thinking that might be too bold for the breakfast bench in the kitchen. Thanks in advance oxo!
Author
Hi Erin, it sounds like a beautiful kitchen reno! Have you considered leaving the bench seats wood? A light oak colour might be nice. If not, I wonder if a brown/grey colour might look nice? Like BM Weimaraner? If you think Natural Cream is too subtle. I think it would look nice with the Essex Green and other paint colours. Happy to chat over email, or feel free to join my design group on Facebook – we share design dilemmas etc over there!
Love love love! May I ask where you purchased your kitchen cabinets and any other details you can share about them?
Hi Emma,
Great article!!! I understand that you often paint the walls and trim the same color (only in a different paint sheens), but what do you suggest for the celling? Thanks a lot :)!
Thank you, Emma for sharing all your paint colors and advice! Love your home; the colors are so peaceful and sophisticated! It’s so helpful that you specify what in the pics are a certain color unlike other sites that only say, e.g., the picture below is painted xxx, but I don’t what what in the pic they’re talking about – walls, cabinet, trim… Thank you!!!
Author
Maude, You can do the same thing for the ceiling but with matte, or try a shade lighter (or reduce the strength of the paint a bit)
Author
Tes, I am so glad you found this helpful – it was a last-minute decision, so I am so happy you like it!
Author
Kimberly, the insides of the cabinets are IKEA and I worked with a company that makes explicitly cabinet fronts, panels etc, for IKEA cabinets but in the custom style and colour you want. The company is AllStyle Retrofit, you can find out more details about our reno here: https://emmacourtneyhome.com/kitchen-reno-details-links-faqs/
I love your choice of colors. Very pretty home. If I paint my living room White Dove like yours what color for my front door? It looks like your front door is a different color. Can you please share this color or suggest a color? ThNk you
Author
Hi Nita! Since my home is old, it isn’t open concept. The front door is part of the hallway where everything is Chantilly Lace! The walls in the hallway and the door are Chantilly lace, which does pair very nicely with White Dove as well!
So the door with the half stained glass is painted Chantilly Lace? Oh my if so it sure looks different color doesn’t it? Thank you
What a beautiful home, and I’m so impressed that you did so much of it yourself!!
What did you do with your floors? I’m whitewashing mine as well, but find that they are peeling:(
Any advice for a whitewashed floor that will stand the test of time?
Thx so much!
Author
Hi Leanna, Thank you so much! We didn’t do anything with our floors aside from the kitchen which we had replaced. I don’t have any experience with whitewashing floors, however whitewash, since it is diluted paint, really shouldn’t peel. However if you paint your floors with white paint, rather than whitewash, I believe the right prep, primer and paint is essential! Ours were already painted white, so I don’t have much advice but I would check with your local paint store to see what they recommend!