We love our modern whole house color scheme. We’ve been living with most of these colors for seven years now (and we haven’t repainted a single room – we love them that much). It’s high time I shared our favorite paint colors in one easy to reference place.
This is why it took so long to share our colors: Our paint colors are from the discontinued Martha Stewart paint line at Home Depot. When the line was discontinued, I grabbed an extra search of every color we used in our home. (See also: What to do when your favorite paint is discontinued) The paint chips have worked in a pinch when I needed to order some touch-up paint. But they don’t even have the colors in their computer anymore, so they have to use their tool to scan the paint chip and create a custom formula.
The most common question I get on the blog is What color is _____ room? And until now it hasn’t been an easy question to answer because I can’t point them to an existing paint color they can order.
I also get asked often about the Martha Stewart color formulas. Unfortunately, I don’t have all the color chips, just the ones we used in our home and a few others. Even at the paint store, they prefer to scan the color of the card rather than use the formula.
Finally, I have a new way to match colors and share our favorite paint colors with you.
This post contains affiliate links to the products I use and recommend. I may receive a small commission on purchases made after following an affiliate link. See my full disclosure here.
Now, I have a magical new tool that makes it EASY to match and share my favorite paint colors. It’s the Nix Mini color sensor. (Exclusive for School of Decorating readers: Save 10% on your Nix Mini with coupon code NixDecorating. Expires Oct 31, 2017.)
When my Nix Mini first arrived and I opened the box and saw the lanyard to hang it around my neck, I thought how cheesy. But as soon as I started playing with my Nix Mini, I had it hanging around my neck like a stethoscope ready to check up on every color in my home. Seriously, it’s so fun to play with!
The Nix Mini can scan the color of any surface and match the color to most major paint brands using the Nix Paints app.
For all you graphic designers, it can even tell you the Hex, RGB, CMYK, and CIELAB values for the color using the Nix Digital app so you can take offline colors online. (You might also be interested in the Nix Pro color sensor with advanced features for designers.)
It’s like the Adobe eyedropper tool for the real world.
But it’s not just for painted walls. You can also:
- Scan colors from a favorite fabric.
- Scan the gorgeous turquoise blue water from your latest vacation photos.
- Scan the exterior color of a trendy restaurant you love.
- Scan the color of your favorite journal.
- Scan your favorite blouse.
- The list goes on…you can scan ANY opaque surface.
The Nix Mini works in conjunction with a free phone app, Nix Paints, to display the scanned color along with matching paint colors. You can choose from 15 major paint brands. You can even save your favorite colors into projects and rooms.
Get your own Nix Mini. Use code NixDecorating for 10% off through October 31, 2017.
The first thing I did with my Nix Mini is scanned every wall color in my home so I could share them with you here. I matched our wall colors to current colors in the Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paint lines.
Before I take you on a color tour through my home, a few things to remember:
- These are not exact matches (although some are amazingly close). So I wouldn’t use these new paint colors to touch up my old paint, but they’re perfect if you want to get a similar look in your home or recreate a color in a different room.
- The photos look different than the digital swatches. This is due to a combination of lighting and photography. I assure you the listed Martha Stewart colors are the ones shown in each room.
- The recommended colors below each photo are the closest matches based on my scanned wall colors.
- If you admire any of the colors in my home, now you can get the look in your home with these paint recommendations.
You’ll notice in this color tour of our home, we repeat the same wall colors in some rooms. That’s because we love the colors. It’s also part of my whole house color scheme philosophy—you only need a handful of colors to create a gorgeous home that looks cohesive, yet allows every room to have its own personality. All of these colors are variations of the main five colors in our modern whole house color palette.
Modern Whole House Color Scheme – Living Areas
Living Room
We also used Zinc for the office walls and an accent wall in our master bedroom.
Dining Room
We also used Plumage for the wall color in my youngest son’s room. His bed color is Enamelware (see the Guest Bathroom below for color matches).
Foyer and Hallways
Driftwood Gray is our default neutral wall color. We use it in all the hallways and open, connected spaces including our kitchen, foyer, stairwell, and loft.
Laundry Room
Trim and Doors
Because I know you’ll ask, the trim color throughout our home, on all the molding, windows, and doors, is Divine White by Sherwin Williams. The color is still available today.
Modern Whole House Color Scheme – Bedrooms and Bathrooms
Master Bedroom
In our bedroom, we added an accent wall in Zinc (see Living Room above for similar colors) to make it a little cozier.
Master Bathroom
My favorite trick for choosing a bathroom color is to choose one or two shades lighter than the adjacent bedroom color.
Boys Bedroom
Guest Room
We also used Azurite for the mural in the playroom and for an accent wall in my craft room.
Guest Bath
We also used Enamelware for my son’s bed. It looks great in his teal bedroom (see it under Dining Room above). And we used Enamelware to paint the new wet bar in our basement.
Basement Family Room
Because we have a walkout basement with a lot of windows, we were able to get away with white walls. In a basement without natural lighting, white can look cold or sterile.
Home Gym
Fun fact: My husband chose blue for our home gym after reading a study about how people work out better in a blue room. I like it because it keeps this windowless room looking bright and refreshing. The full-length mirrors help too.
Want help choosing colors for your home?
Check out my Create a Cohesive Home with Color class and learn how to confidently choose colors for your whole home.
You’ll learn:
- How to describe a color—what hue, tint, tone, shade, neutral, and undertone mean and how understanding them can help you choose colors
- How to choose colors and neutrals that coordinate with the existing finishes in your home (like your wood floors, tile, carpet, countertops, etc.)
- The trick to see the undertones in neutral colors so you can choose the right white, beige, or gray (and not be surprised when you paint it on the wall)
- How to build your whole house color palette with a detailed 7-step process to make the color decisions easy
- How to decorate with accent colors, wood tones, and metal finishes to make your home feel cohesive while still giving each room it’s own unique personality
- How many accent colors to use and where to use them
- The do’s and don’ts of mixing metal finishes (yes, you can mix metal finishes!)
- How to mix and match wood tones for furniture and decor
Learn more about Create a Cohesive Home with Color