5 Designers Weigh in On Picking the Perfect Paint Color
T H E P A I N T S E R I E S
S U M M E R T H O R N T O N
Meet Summer:
Favorite Paint Brand:
Farrow and Ball is my go to most of the time - it's the best quality and ages well so you can't really go wrong with it. Sometimes we'll specify Fine Paints of Europe when we have special level-5 high gloss finishes.
Go-To Paint Color:
Our work is all about color and personality, so we rarely use the same color twice. However, a few recent favorites are Calamine, St Giles Blue, and Brinjal.
Tips For Making a Selection:
A L D O U S B E R T R A M
Meet Aldous:
Favorite Paint Brand:
Being British, I naturally love Farrow and Ball, as the colors are based on historical examples and meticulously curated to narrow down your options to tasteful, time-tested colors only. This is a huge help when making a selection as half the work is already done.
Go-To Paint Color:
Any warm shade of mint green, which is the signature color of two of England’s grandest institutions, Eton College and Cambridge University…although they call it blue!
Tips For Making a Selection:
H O L L Y H O L L I N G S W O R T H
P H I L L I P S
Meet Holly:
Holly, owner of The English Room in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an interior designer, tastemaker and popular design blogger. Holly is known for her elegant, eclectic interiors with a penchant for contemporary art. More on Holly here!
Favorite Paint Brand:
I love Farrow & Ball for their sophisticated and distinctly English palette. Benjamin Moore is also always a favorite of mine.
Go-To Paint Color:
Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17
Tips For Making a Selection:
Always get a large 3' x 3' sample board and tape it to the wall. Live with it for a few days to see how the nuances are affected in your home. You'd be surprised how colors can change throughout the day and night.
L I N D S E Y C O R A L H A R P E R
Meet Lindsey:
Georgia native, Lindsey Coral Harper is an interior designer based in NYC. Her designs are fresh and modern with a twist on the traditional and radiate bold pattern, texture and color. In 2019, Lindsey opened up Coral, a brick and mortar store in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. More on Lindsey here!
Favorite Paint Brand:
Now that's tough, there are so many great brands out there. I use Benjamin Moore a lot, Pratt & Lambert and Farrow & Ball have great colors, as does Donald Kaufman. Fine Paints of Europe have beautiful, really rich pigmented colors which are great for exterior doors and shutters.
Go-To Paint Color:
I do have a few favorites that I often use, but they look different in every space so I am constantly finding new favorites. A true favorite is Farrow & Ball Hague Blue.
Tips For Making a Selection:
It is best to test paint colors in the actual room where they are going to live. I prefer to put 3 to 5 swatches of the color range I want to use on the wall or on sample boards and look at them in the morning, noon and night. The light in a room makes a big difference on how the color will look once applied to the walls. It's much more expensive to have to paint the room over than it is to try a few test spots. I would always suggest sampling several until you find just the right shade!!
E R I N K E S T E N B A U M
Meet Erin:
Favorite Paint Brand:
I have two! Benjamin Moore and Farrow & Ball.
Go-To Paint Color:
I also have two! Benjamin Moore Decorator's White and Chantilly Lace.
Both are clean, crisp, bright whites that almost always look great. Chantilly Lace is a tiny bit warmer and brighter than Decorator's White but both are solid choices. I love colors that are chameleons and change in different light as they add so much depth and interest to a space. In our closet, we painted all the cabinetry Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue and it's the most gorgeous moody blue-green that is so enveloping and sophisticated.
