A Secret for Creating A 25 Color Whole House Color Palette

January 28, 2020
26 Comments
Posted in: interior design, interior paint colors

Originally, I had put this large palette of colors together nearly four years ago.

This was after I received a note from someone who used my favorite no-fail whole house color palette.

You can see that no fail paint palette in this post.

And, she wrote to tell me that one of her “no-fail” paint colors had failed.

uh oh… That’s no good!

I quickly read through the note to find out that her failed color is Benjamin Moore Horizon 1478.

She said the paint color looked like Crest Toothpaste and that her husband was horrified.

Please review 21 interior design mistakes you need to stop making, so that you can avoid many of the mistakes that I and others have made.

Okay. Let’s first examine what the problem could be.

I used Benjamin Moore Horizon before we sold our home several years ago.

This was after a lot of research. And, I had heard so many great things about it from trusted sources. The master bedroom and bathroom were both painted Horizon. It is a light gray with a hint of blue-green. However, the bedroom faces south-east. It’s a bright room.

And, the bathroom has no windows except for a skylight. So, yes, it is a dark room. Truthfully, I thought the color looked great in both rooms; especially the bathroom. Our bedroom, architecturally, was very boring. Therefore, I think more mouldings and artwork could’ve made the color that much nicer.

The color in the bathroom matched our gray carrara marble perfectly. However, it did not look anything like Crest Toothpaste.

So, what happened here that the color failed so miserably? Here are some possibilities:

The paint was mixed incorrectly.
She used a painter who unscrupulously went out and “computer matched” with a cheap off-brand. Look for paint in a plain bucket. If he can’t show you the original bucket, I would wait until he’s gone and then change the locks. Have a male call him with a stern voice and say: YOU’RE FIRED.
Somethin’ is going on with the lighting in the room. It could be either the natural light. Or, it could be artificial light. If the paint is going green, what bulbs are you using? What happens if you switch the bulbs with something else? Of course, this is in a room that has no windows, or a room too dark to use without lights on.
Something is reflecting into the room to cause the light to be tinged with that color.
There are some odd angles going on.
OR, it’s a north or northeast facing room.

This is why I say: no matter how glorious I say a color is or you read the same thing in 16 other places; you must always test and compare what is on the wall to your paint chip!

And, also remember that the paint color is not going to make the room. It’s everything else; particularly the architecture.

Alright, that was the lecture. Now, for the fun.

Remember, a while back I did these two Downton Abbey paint posts?

60 Downton Abbey Colors Like You’ve Never Seen

The Most Romantic Paint Palettes Ever (also based on Downton Abbey)

Color palette inspiration can come from anywhere. As most of you know, I’ve frequently used art for inspiration. Nature also inspires me.

But, what is a challenge is capturing a palette from nature unless we have a visual. So, paintings or photos of nature work best.

In this case, I took a number of images from the TV series Downton Abbey and used them as inspiration for a whole house color palette of 25 colors.

These are colors you can mix and match. Like in the other Downton Abbey posts, I took photos I found and turned them into beautiful watercolors. There are a few different apps that do this. I believe I used sketcher. But, it depends on your device, what’s available.

I’ve had lots of requests to do a paint palette around the pale blue, gray, green images, particular. And, also for Cora’s bedroom.

But, especially this image, below.

Awww… it always makes me so happy to see these love birds together.

It is the perfect “beach color palette.” And, you can see it in so many interiors these days. Even IF the home isn’t on the beach, it’s always easy on the eyes. I’ve used similar palettes for jobs in Westchester County for homes not near a beach.

Like, this home in Bronxville with an analogous color scheme of green and blue-gray. In fact, you can see in Sunday’s post a home I did 17 years ago with a similar color palette. It’s the dining room with the oval back chairs.

Another photo of the Bronxville home with a seashore palette.

However, many other designers have embraced this color scheme, as well.

Mark D Sikes. I know I’ve already featured this room recently. Maybe even two times. But, that’s just how much I love this vignette!

via Elle Decor – Alessandra Branca – photo Simon Upton

Above and below Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair

Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair

I think those colors and a few more would work nicely for our palette. Of course, you won’t necessarily use every color.

And, that brings me to a very important point when creating a whole house color palette.

People generally think of colors and color palettes as the WALL COLORS, primarily. Of course, the wall colors are very important, but they are not the most important element. Check out this post to find out THE most important element when decorating a room.

However, in addition to the wall colors, there are many other elements in the room. And, each of them is a color!

Therefore, when creating a color palette for a room, we should be taking into consideration– everything as part of that palette. Super important, I think.

Let’s continue with more inspiration images and then I’ll share rooms that could very well have been inspired from these images.

They weren’t, but they could’ve been.

I don’t know who this character is, but adore the water and the beach palette.

Lovely soft green living room by Leeann Thornton

Phoebe Howard

Steven Gambrel

Love this fetching image of Lily (or is it Rose?) in that glorious frock. I think the bear looks ready to devour her. ;]

Maura Endres @m.o.endres on instagram

Violet obviously cooking up some plan or other at the Dower House. Or maybe, she’s just admiring her enviable surroundings. Hard to tell.

I love the way this photo turned out as a water-color.

Handsome muted gray-green monochromatic palette for this library by Suzanne Kasler

Anna visiting Bates in prison. These are similar colors in the Downton Abbey kitchen.

Meg Braff – via House Beautiful

One of the most interesting characters on the show, IMO is Lady Edith. I’ve come to the conclusion that her main problem is that she was born 100 years or so too early. She’s a modern woman and out-of-sync with her place in life, it seems.

love surrounding Lady Edith with the beautiful serene work of Barbara Barry. I know that Barbara’s work is highly influenced by art and nature.

James T Farmer

Don’t you love this chair? I also adore how this image mirrors the rooms above and below.

Miles Redd and Gil Schafer

Time to move onto Cora and her bedroom.

The color appears to have changed over the years, but that could be the lighting. It’s TV. The colors could be very different from how they appear.

However, I think what’s so wonderful about Cora’s bedroom… It’s a monochromatic confection of apricot and full of warmth as is her character.

Suzanne Kasler is so adept at these soft color schemes.

And then, there’s that yummy apricot-colored silk-damask headboard. For the show, it’s probably not silk, but back then, it most likely would’ve been.

Suzanne Kasler’s bedroom

Above James T Farmer’s rooms are always sublime.

You know, I saw the movie last September, but don’t remember what happened. haha. However, it was wonderful to see these characters again.

A Whole House Paint Palette Featuring 25 Benjamin Moore Colors

Of course, you probably won’t use all 25 colors unless your home is the size of Downton Abbey! haha! But, the colors could also appear in a fabric and you can mix them up.

please pin to Pinterest for reference

I know… You want to know what the colors are. ;]

Note: All Colors By Benjamin Moore.

Row 1

Newburg Green hc-158

Caribbean Teal 2123-20

Stratton Blue hc-142

Palladian Blue hc-144

Woodlawn Blue hc-147

Row 2

Peale Green hc-121

Great Barrington Green hc-122

Georgian Green hc-115

Green Thumb CSP 870

Glass Slipper 1632

Row 3

Elephant Tusk oc-8

Consentino Chardonnay 247

Ivory White 925

Sweet Daphne 529

Quiet Moments 1563

Row 4

Heritage Red hc-181

Chili Pepper 2004-20

Fresh Air 211

Cotton Balls oc-122

Stonington Gray hc-170

Row 5

Kingsport Gray hc-86

Richmond Gray hc-96

Nantucket Gray hc-111

Timson Green cw-470

Cleveland Green 1525

Note: Most of these paint colors are in the Laurel Home Paint and Palette Collection. But, not all. I was still developing the collection when I originally put this grouping together. And, I had to edit, ruthlessly since my max number was 144 colors. Therefore, if the colors below are not in the Laurel Home Paint Collection; they were on the short, short list.

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xo,

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