Beige and Beyond!  5 of the Best Neutral Paint Colours

Gone are the days of boring old beige – beige has reached new heights in the last few years as homeowners have embraced the versatility of what was once considered a basic ‘builders’ colour.

One of the front runners in the Battle of the Beige is Sherwin Williams as they embrace the new beiges and give us a range of colours that will satisfy even the pickiest colour connoisseur (like me…)

(click on the colour names to learn more on the Sherwin Williams site)

Sherwin Williams Barcelona Beige SW 7530

Barcelona Beige is a soft, slightly warm beige with a light/medium depth (LRV 47). Overall it’s one of the most neutral beige colours as it isn’t overly warm, but it also isn’t grayed-out.

• Barcelona Beige is a great way to get a warm beige paint colour, without it being overly yellow/orange toned like some of the others
• Barcelona Beige is slightly better suited to south-facing rooms than north-facing rooms
• The LRV of Barcelona Beige is 47, so if you have a dark or shadowed room it could weigh it down

Read more:  Don’t Choose a Paint Colour Without THIS NUMBER (LRV)!

Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige SW 6106

Kilim Beige is warmer than many beige paint colours without fully committing to yellow, orange or pink. It leans slightly more to the brown/orange end of things, not the yellow end, without becoming obnoxiously peach-toned. Compare it to Macadamia to see the difference.

A few thoughts…

• Kilim Beige loves north-facing rooms as it balances out a cool exposure
• Kilim Beige looks good with ‘most’ wood tones, but avoid OVERLY yellow ones
• The LRV of Kilim is 60 – so while it will reflect some light back into the room, I wouldn’t expect it to work ANY great wonders in a dark room

Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert SW 6107

Being the light/medium version of Kilim Beige, Nomadic Desert as the same look, just on a slightly deeper level. It’s on the warmer end of the beige scale with a blend of undertones that lean just a wee bit more orange than yellow, but not by much.  When thinking of ‘beige’, Nomadic Desert is likely a little bit darker than the average person traditionally thinks of, but isn’t so heavy that it will weigh down a space. There’s a wink of red in there, but not enough to make things go pinkish.

A few thoughts…

• Nomadic Desert LOVES most wood tones but can fight a bit with overly yellow ones
• Nomadic suits both a north or south facing room, as long as it is well lit
• With an LRV of 50, it won’t add nor absorb light in a room. This means that it could feel a bit dense in a low-light or dark room, but may calm down an overly light and bright room

CLICK on the above images to see available packages! 

Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige SW 7036

Accessible Beige is a gorgeous beige that has a soft and subtle taupe base to it. It really is a lovely blend of beige and gray, leaning more to the beige end of things. (Accessible Beige is the lighter version of Balanced Beige).

Read more:  Colour Review of SW Accessible Beige

Food for thought…

• Accessible Beige is really happy with most wood tones (it told me so)
• Accessible Beige is a great tone for a north or south facing room without the risk of it looking heavy or drab (check out its FULL-colour review here)
• Accessible Beige doesn’t have a super high LRV, sitting above 50, but not by much. So while it is a lighter colour, if you have a dark room it might feel a bit drab

Check out my SUPER cool video on Accessible Beige…

Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan SW7531

Canvas Tan is a LOVELY beige paint colour. Canvas Tan is soft, fresh and bright and has considerably less warmth in it than the colours above – making it feel more ‘neutral and tan’. However, it’s not so neutral that it borders on becoming a ‘greige’. Compare it to Accessible Beige and see a shift in ‘freshness’.

A few thoughts…

• While Canvas Tan suits many wood tones it prefers wood that doesn’t have ALOT of colour in them (so no overly red cherry tones)
• Canvas Tan is one of the most NEUTRAL neutrals – it holds itself as a pretty standard ‘tan’, without sneaky undertones
• Canvas Tan certainly has a higher LRV than most of the colours on this page (64). So, if you have a dark room, it will help it to feel a weeee bit brighter. In a bright room, it should hold itself REALLY well and won’t lose too much depth when faced with direct southern light

Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground SW 7568

Neutral Ground is a beautiful soft ‘tan’ inspired colour. It’s like a lighter version of Canvas Tan and because it’s lighter, it can come across just slightly creamier.

A few thoughts…

• Neutral Ground is great if your room has lower light as it might not look quite as heavy as Canvas Tan
• Neutral Ground has an LRV of 70, so it’s lovely and light, without being off-white or washed-out.

Sherwin Williams Wool Skein SW 6148

Wool Skein is one of the nicest beige paint colours on this page (and my fave – because really, it’s all about me…). It is light and fresh without becoming tooo light. It is a warm neutral, and leans more to the yellow side than any of the colours above WITHOUT being obnoxious about it – in fact, compare it to Canvas Tan to see the shift from a beige that is neutral (Canvas) and a beige that is similar, but slightly warmer (Wool Skein). It can also pick up a vague (really vague) green undertone, but nothing to worry about at all.

Read more: Colour Review, Sherwin Williams Wool Skein

A few thoughts…

• Wool Skein works well with most wood tones
• Wool Skein is super flexible with a variety of accent colours and can work well in a north or south facing room, but it ‘prefers’ south (it’s a bossy little thing…)
• Pairing Wool Skein with blue or cool tones can bring out the warm tones a bit more
• If you have warm-toned woods that have strong yellow, orange or red tones, this could bring out the subtle green undertone in Wool Skein
• The LRV of 64 keeps this colour fresh and bright, without being punchy. It may subtly enhance a dark room and sit quite evenly in a bright room, without losing too much colour in intense light

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on the best beige’s, thanks for visiting!

Chat soon,

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Kylie M Interiors    Interior Decorating and Design Ideas.  Virtual or Online Color Consulting Services and E-design.  Based in Nanaimo BC and serving Vancouver Island and the whole darned World!