Interior Design

16 Calming Paint Colors to Soothe Your Southern Home

16 Calming Paint Colors to Soothe Your Southern Home

16 Calming Paint Colors to Soothe Your Southern Home, by Kaitlyn Yarborough.There’s little calm to be found in a Southern home. Between the kids and the dogs, and the family dinners and the holiday celebrations, a Southern home might be filled with happiness and love by the buckets—but it is not filled with calm (not even by one bucket). At best, there are fleeting moments of calm. These are typically spent in the peace of our personal spaces, whether you consider that place to be your bedroom, kitchen, den, or screened-in porch.Turns out, there’s something you can do to make these spaces feel even more relaxing, and it comes down to design. What sounds more soothing: ocean blue or fire-brick red? Cool gray or canary yellow? (Exactly.)

While it’s undeniable that blues, grays, and greens are inherently calm colors, the buck doesn’t have to stop there. There are neutrals, pastels, and high-pigment paint colors across the spectrum that make for a serene space, and we’re spilling all the secrets.

RX_1907_Calm Paint Colors_Muted TurquoiseMuted Turquoise

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Sherwin-Williams Quietude (SW 6212) is a deep celadon that’s perfectly calming for a bedroom,” says designer Meredith Ellis of the peaceful pop of color she gave the master bedroom of Southern Living’s 2018 Idea House.

 

Hanna Seabrook Living Room in Louisville, KentuckyChalky Green

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Elly Poston Cooper

Give your home an earthy tone by going with a pale green. It makes a more interesting backdrop when decorating with a mix of neutrals.
In this Kentucky home, designer Hanna Seabrook chose Vert de Terre (No. 234) by Farrow & Ball for the perfect aged green.

 

St. Teresa, FL Beach House Screened in Porch SinkHaint Blue

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Elly Poston Cooper

Every Southerner knows that brushing your porch ceiling with a pretty haint blue keeps the wasps (and bad spirits!) at bay, but we’ve also been known to use it for a screened-in porch ceiling, too. Why? Not only is it tradition, but it instantly makes the space feel more charming.
In this Florida beach cottage, the porch ceiling was coated in Embellished Blue (SW 6747) by Sherwin-Williams.

 

Chapel Hill House Living Room with Blue SofaWarm Gray

Photo: Ngoc Minh Ngo; Styling: Ed Gallagher

Make your living space both comforting and stylish with a warm-toned gray (including the trim!). You’ll find a soothing pick with Dunn-Edwards Bay Salt (DET642).

 

The Kitchen Island Tan

Photo: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

This isn’t your typical khaki. Warm up any living or kitchen space with an island-inspired creamy tan color, especially when pairing with sand or cocoa hues.
In Southern Living’s 2017 Idea House, we paired tan Wellborn cabinetry in Dormer Brown (SW 7521) by Sherwin-Williams with a tanned cream wall color, such as Sherwin-Williams Whitetail (SW 7103).

 

Ginny Stimpson's Fairhope Bay House Master BedroomDusty Teal

Photo: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

When designing a bedroom, choose a dark and cozy palette to complement your place of rest and relaxation.
In this Fairhope retreat home, you’ll see Abigail Borg’s Laburnum Teal paper on the back wall of the master bedroom—but we’re taking note of the complementary deep teal on the surrounding walls: Scarborough 501-5 by Pittsburg Paints.

 

Holly Williams Colonial Revival Remodel in Nashville, TN Pink Dressing Room ClosetPale Blush

Photo: Annie Schlechter; Styling: Matthew Gleason

Don’t be afraid to “think pink,” especially when outfitting your personal spaces. In this case, it was Holly Williams—Nashville shop owner, musician, and the granddaughter and daughter of the famous Hanks—who coated her closet and dressing room in a warm blush pink that feels both calming and luxurious.
To get the look, go for Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball. “It brings a ladylike elegance to the edgier items I’m drawn to,” Williams says.

 

2019 Idea House Queen Guest BedroomOcean Blue

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Liz Strong

There’s nothing quite as serene as blue-green. If you’re not into all-over color, instead opt for a painted trim, like seen here.
Decorator Heather Chadduck Hillegas covered this bedroom’s windows and baseboards in Sherwin-Williams Jasper Stone (SW 9133) to contrast walls painted in Alabaster (SW 7008).

 

Whitney McGregor Greenville, SC Dining RoomSage Green

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Lizzie Cox

Sage Green is like a fresh breath of air, lending an earthy antique feel to any room.  In this South Carolina cottage, decorator Whitney MacGregor, gave the dining room a more formal look to match her antique furniture by adding panels of molding to the plain drywall and hanging her art inside each panel.  Find a true sage green in Dunn-Edward Belize Green (DEC782).

 

This post – courtesy of Southern Living, written by Kaitlyn Yarborough.