I have shared my favorite Benjamin Moore paint colors here, but I thought I’d share my favorite Sherwin Williams paint colors, since I know I’m not the only paint geek out there. 😉 I always follow paint color trends, and while I may not always agree with the direction they’re going, I can share my favorites with you. I have incorporated some of these colors in my own home, and have admired some of them from afar or have used them on client projects.
Many of these fall under the umbrella of Sherwin Williams’ most popular paint colors, but all opinions are my own. Either way, I think you’ll appreciate them as much as I do, because I know choosing a paint color, or a full color palette can be daunting. All of these shades to be neutrals in their own right. Color can be neutral! And as a cabinet painter, I would consider any of these colors for kitchen cabinetry, as they’re all quite versatile.
Naval
You all know my affinity for all things navy, so I’m guessing it’s no surprise that Naval is on my list of favorites from Sherwin Williams. Hale Navy is another popular navy, but I find Naval to be more saturated with more depth as a result. I used it in my laundry room – it’s beautiful!
Mineral Deposit
This is a color I have had in our master bedroom since we first bought our house. It was the first room I painted, and I have to admit, even I’m surprised that I haven’t repainted it, since I’m known to change paint colors regularly. It’s a beautiful, tranquil blue that is so restful and perfect. I still don’t see it going anywhere soon. And as a side note – my husband was the one who picked this out of two colors from which I was trying to decide. Winner.
Anew Gray
I’m excited to be painting some cabinets in this color, but it’s equally beautiful as a wall color. It’s a pretty, warm gray that’s not too light and not too dark, and plays well with existing brown finishes (like so many of us have to work with in our homes). It is one of Sherwin Williams’ most popular griege paint colors.
Seeing it on cabinets gets me even more excited to paint them for a homeowner.
Cyberspace
My love of contrast is showing up in some of my favorite Sherwin Williams paint colors, I know it. I just can’t get away from it – contrast is a beautiful thing. Case in point with the way Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick has highlighted her gorgeous fireplace in her new home with this rich gray – Cyberspace. Don’t be intimidated by dark colors! They can be so striking, and don’t necessarily have to read as “dark” when you incorporate light furnishings or artwork into the room. Or, use it a an accent, like Sarah did with her fireplace.
Light French Gray
I wish I had a room like this one in my house, because I think Light French Gray is perfect in here with the light wood floors, white trim and cathedral ceiling. It’s a beautiful medium gray/greige.
Again – Light French Gray paired with some beautiful molding and light hardwood floors – beautiful look at Naptime Decorator.
And here it is in her finished home office. Check out the full before and after of this space here.
Ethereal Mood
This is another color that I have in my own home and continue to love, even after having it for many years. Again, you know that I’m one to paint a room late at night if the mood strikes, so I hope this tells you something about how much I like this color. This color carries downstairs to our basement, and pairs well with the board and batten that we installed down there. Plus, it works with the beiges/browns that aren’t going anywhere anytime soon (if ever).
Creamy
Ok, I’ll say up front, that I don’t care for the name of this paint color, but don’t let that turn you off. Creamy is a great off-white that I’ve used in a lot of kitchens. It’s warm, without being yellow, and is a great color if you have to work with existing finishes like beige/brown counters or floors. This is a client kitchen that I painted (before the floors were refinished). It’s also a great option as a trim color and one of Sherwin Williams’ most popular paint colors.
Gauntlet Gray
Gauntlet Gray is a great color for just about anything – walls, cabinets, even as a striking exterior paint color. I’ve used it on kitchen cabinets in this two toned kitchen with Repose Gray on the uppers and Gauntlet Gray on the lower cabinets. It’s a warm gray, which makes it a great option for people wanting to bring gray into their homes without it feeling cold.
It plays well with white trim and a stone exterior on this pretty home from The Gray Cottage.
Here it is in a bathroom from Homearama in 2017.
Sea Salt
Sea Salt has been a favorite of mine for awhile and I just can’t seem to quit it. We have it in our Jack and Jill bathroom, and it’s also a great option for a restful bedroom retreat.
Looking for more? Check out this post on my favorite Benjamin Moore paint colors.
Before you dive into painting a room, I highly recommend either getting large scale paint swatches, or even a sample quart of paint so that you can see the color before you spend money on paint. Also, when putting paint samples up on the wall, put them against a white neutral backdrop vs. the existing wall color. It gives you a more true read of the paint color.
Did I miss anything? What are some of your favorites?
46 Comments
Catherine Kapsner
October 4, 2018 at 11:35 pmThank you for all the color info. Could you tell me where you got your headboard? I just love it. BTW you do beautiful work.
Heather
September 7, 2019 at 10:08 pmIn the exterior home photo, is the gauntlet gray only on the lower porch portion and a lighter tone on the rest of the house? I have similar stonework on the lower portion of my home and am looking for a gray that pulls the gray from the stone. Is there a way I can send you a picture of my home to get advice on what to do about the trim color on my house if we went with gray?
Catherine
October 6, 2018 at 10:34 amGreat info. Could you share where you got your headboard? I love it.
Jenny
October 7, 2018 at 4:27 pmI got it at the Frontgate Outlet near us. I had searched for a LONG time before I found one that I loved, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was THE ONE. I absolutely love it. I was able to track it down on One Kings Lane though – here is a link – https://rstyle.me/n/cvrhjpcb3sf.
Catherine
October 7, 2018 at 10:49 pmJenny, thanks for info.
astylishhomebody
October 12, 2018 at 2:30 pmCan you make your picture of the paint colors pinnable? I would like to save it to my pinterest board. Thanks,
Jenny
October 12, 2018 at 3:20 pmAck! It should be pinnable!
astylishhomebody
October 12, 2018 at 9:06 pmThank you. I love these colors. You have great taste.
Nicole
Dana Houlihan
November 9, 2018 at 7:37 pmHello! I love the photo with Cyber Space on your fireplace wall. However, I was wondering the name of the color on the other walls surrounding it? Love the contrast! Thanks so much.
Jenny
November 10, 2018 at 6:42 pmThat’s not my fireplace Dana – I was just sharing the color and giving some examples. But all of the sources are linked in the blog post! 🙂
Susan Gianelloni
May 9, 2019 at 11:38 amOnce I pick out my wall color, can I just use the same color on the ceiling but mixed with white?
Jenny
May 9, 2019 at 5:16 pmSure! You could have the paint store lighten it 25%, 50%, whatever you like!
Carla
August 30, 2019 at 4:58 pmI’m in the process of looking for colors to paint the exterior of my house, I have a black front door, black roof and brick trim. The current color of my house is a light tan.I really want something different like gray. but I know grays can be tricky. I really like the gray cabinets you have displayed.I like both the upper gray and lower which one would you recommend for an exterior of a house?
Jenny
August 30, 2019 at 8:40 pmSo much depends on the other exterior features of your home – hard to make a recommendation without a full picture.
Donna
September 15, 2019 at 10:02 pmRepose gray, we painted our home last year this, and every day I drive into my driveway I am so happy I picked this color. Our front door is a dark gray and white trim, everyone that drives by loves it.
Terry
October 10, 2019 at 9:20 amWhat is your opinion of the trend of alternating paint colors on the walls? Painting one wall one color and another color on the other wall. I just want someone with interior design experience opinion.
Jenny
October 14, 2019 at 5:02 pmI’m noticing a comeback in accent walls – just one wall a different color from the rest and I really love it. Especially when it’s a wall that has molding or some other detail that demands the attention. 🙂
Nicole
October 17, 2019 at 9:47 pmWe have grey kitchen cabinets and I was going to paint the walls a lighter grey but I’m not sure if that is too much grey. The cabinets resemble the gauntlet grey. I was thinking about agreeable grey for the walls. The kitchen is open to the living room and eat-in kitchen. Any thoughts?
Jenny
October 24, 2019 at 8:02 pmI think gray on gray can definitely work!
Bonnie
October 30, 2019 at 7:54 pmHave oak cabinets and oak trim through out. Having my cabinets painted aged white, one shade darker than creamy. Thought of creamy but didn’t want it to look too white. What’s your opinion especially with leaving oak trim?
Jenny
October 30, 2019 at 9:34 pmI have done kitchens where the cabinets were painted, but the trim was left alone. I think the key is to paint the trim around the cabinets themselves, but you can leave the perimeter trim, if that makes sense.
Lynda Wilson
November 1, 2019 at 4:39 pmI have a small powder room. We have Anew Gray by SW on the walls. I’d like to paint the wall (as a feature wall) that would be on the same wall as the sink and toilet. What color(s) choices would work well for this? I’m hesitant to go very dark as it could make the bathroom feel smaller. Thank you for your opinion.
Jenny
November 5, 2019 at 9:50 pmIt really depends on the space and the finishes that you have. You could always go a shade or two darker than the Anew Gray if you want to stay in the same color family, as a safe bet.
Judith Escamilla
November 9, 2019 at 8:50 amOn your picture of the office here with the walls painted with Anew, what color is the ceiling painted? We have a high, angled ceiling and the white is overbearing, I’m considering painting the walls with Anew but need a ceiling color to tone down the white.
Jenny
November 9, 2019 at 6:37 pmI don’t know the color of the ceiling in that photo – you would have to check the original source that it’s linked to and see if you can find it there.
Salina
December 1, 2019 at 9:21 pmWe just bought a house and want to make quite a few changes from the flooring, cabinet color, wall color and even the backsplash. I love the grays in this post. If my flooring is going to be dark grayish brown and my granite countertops are a great mixture of black, cream, and grays what color should I paint the cabinets, wall, and backsplash? I was thinking of a light gray on my walls, maybe the gauntlet gray for the cabinets? What do I do with the backsplash? Can I add a creamy color in? I don’t want to have so much gray that it’s overload. Thank you for any help you can offer!
Jenny
December 1, 2019 at 10:04 pmDepending on the dominant color in the counters, you might want to go lighter on the cabinets. A darker floor with darker cabinets can lead to feeling dark overall, depending upon how much natural light you have. It can go either way, it’s hard to tell without photos of what you’re choosing.
Claudia
April 21, 2020 at 3:10 amMy kitchen is open to the living room. The walls are Repose gray with white ceiling, I want to paint my kitchen cabinets. Do you think repose gray (upper cabinets) and the color you used from your blog (lower cabinets) Would look good? Thank you for your feedback!
Jenny
April 22, 2020 at 9:49 pmI think that would be lovely Claudia.
Kacy Fleming
May 19, 2020 at 9:56 pmI”m considering painting my dark wood cabinets Creamy to work around our existing brown,black,gray granite. If I use Creamy on my cabinets should i use it also as my trim color? My trim color in my whole house currently is Valspar Swiss Mocha. I am also considering painting the wall color SW Accessible Beige.
Jenny
May 26, 2020 at 8:15 pmThat’s really a personal preference – my general rule of thumb is that the trim and cabinets don’t necessarily have to match, but they should at least go with each other, if that makes sense.
Dianne Penny
July 21, 2020 at 11:11 amJenny, how do I get your help on picking out an exterior color for a home? Thank you.
Jenny
July 23, 2020 at 4:08 pmBelieve it or not, exterior paint colors scare the crap out of me! I recruited the help of a friend and blogger when we painted our exterior. I’m happy to offer my advice, but exteriors are way harder to remedy if you don’t like them! Check out The Creativity Exchange and Maria Killam’s blogs – they both offer great color insight!
Heather S.
July 27, 2020 at 2:57 amIn your Sea Salt bathroom photo, can you share where you purchased the rug, brand, style name, etc? I love it!
Jenny
July 31, 2020 at 11:51 pmIf memory serves, that was a deal from TJ Maxx!
Lynne
August 6, 2020 at 5:24 pmGreat info! Do you happen to remember where the comforter in your master bedroom was purchased? Thank you!
Jenny
August 12, 2020 at 11:24 pmPottery Barn!
Lynn
August 14, 2020 at 2:26 pmJust painted the interior of our home SW Creamy & could not be happier! Used BM Simply White trim. Very large great room faces both east & west. Wood floors are shades of my medium with some light gray shading. Vaulted ceiling is old growth dark planked pine. My husband no longer teasing me about multiple sample pots of paint!
MaryAnn
April 14, 2021 at 1:11 pmWhat color is the exterior of the house…I love it!
Jenny
April 14, 2021 at 10:21 pmI believe it’s Gauntlet Gray – based on the information I shared in the post.
Jennifer
May 18, 2021 at 11:23 pmI have an open floor plan with large southern facing windows. What wall color do you recommend for Creamy cabinets? I want to keep it light in there as the floor and counters have red/brown tones. Thank you Jenny!
Jenny
May 23, 2021 at 3:45 pmDover White (Sherwin Williams) is a great cream color for cabinets.
Jennifer
May 23, 2021 at 4:51 pmYes what color to paint the walls though to keep the light and airy and open look? Thanks.
Hana
July 24, 2021 at 11:37 pmHi! Love your style! We are building and have an east facing open floor plan with light floors. I love the idea of anew gray on cabinets (or white but liked the idea of change) but wasn’t sure if it would still look warm with lighter floors. Also doing champagne hardware. What do you think? Thanks!
Jenny
July 26, 2021 at 7:33 pmThis is exactly the look we’re going for in our remodel! I would get some larger samples to make sure you love it, but I’m all for it!
Dena Cohen
January 23, 2022 at 9:55 pmI want to paint the exterior of my house a gray color. Is there a free site that will let you take a picture of your home. Then allow you try different color to see how it would look?