I'd love to see some photos of rooms with those colors identified under the photos.  I have a new listing where the kitchen is light blue and the rest of the house is light pink.  I told the owner I felt like it was a perrenial baby shower and we don't know yet if it's a boy or a girl.

Well, I have to say, I've only used it once.  But absolutely loved it!  I tend to use Sherwin Williams.  Have you heard of the paint scents?  I thought it was BM but not sure.  It's paint that you can add scents too.  I wanted to try it

I don't have a lot of experience selecting colours (colors to the Yanks in the lower 48, Alaska and Hawaii).  I use Parker on my own home.  It works fine.

Kathy,

You have picked some of my favourites from Benjamin Moore.  I get a better price at ICI paints though so tend to use them more.  They can colour match most manufacturer's paint.  They also have a great selection of colours.  They also have a finish like the ulti-matte called ceramic matte.

~Kimberly~

American Traditions paint from Lowes is excellent quality.  They will match any color and costs about 22 dollars per gallon.  It is a great alternative to the more costly paints!!!!

I love American Traditions...no roller splatter....

Too funny, I logged on to blog about using colour when staging!

My favorites are the Farrow & Ball colours. I use them in all of my own homes. I'm hoping to get painting my son's new bedroom furniture this afternoon. It will be in F&B's Railings.

We don't have a Lowes in Canada. Too bad. I would like to try the American Traditions. I don't think I have seen it here before.

Dane: I also like Farrow & Ball but they too are a more expensive paint like BM. I think for staging purposes most people want to keep costs to a minimum and so they usually colour match the paint chips. I actually don't mind Behr from Home Depot. The colour choices are not as nice but again you can colour match. In my own home I choose to use a better quality of paint.

Ardell: I am going to post some pics of the befores and afters. Actually I am trying to get them together. I am so bad when it comes to organizing my digital photos and downloading them from the camera. I have been having problems with my camera recently and I am looking at buying a new one.

Cindy: I have heard of the paint scents, but just in passing and I can't remember where.

I love Benjamin Moore Devon Cream and Rich Cream for great neutrals.   Can't go wrong with neutrals for staging homes.

Love Benjamin Moore! It has the consistency of pudding so no drips. And the colors are so saturated, it doesn't take multiple coats. 

I like Philadelphia Cream and Blond Wood which is a nice camel color.  A friend of mine has her dining room in Olive Branch which is a sage-y taupey green and a really nice color.

Great topic.

Connie, Janine: Thanks for including your favorites! I wish it was easy to paint, I would find myself changing the colours every month.

Update: We now have a Lowe's in Canada!!! Maybe I can try some different paint brands now.

Happy Painting!

I love Benjamin Moore's new Aura line, it's just beautiful and dries within the hour AND ECO FRIENDLY! Saves a great deal on labor!

Cheers,

Cindy 

Kathy,

Do you guys have C2 paints up there? This is a great paint company because the paint deck is made up of actual samples of all their colors. I use this company all the time.

Ann

We still recommend Porter to our clients because it is good quality and lower price.  However, for those of us in the states, I was recently told that Lowe's has the Benjamin Moore colors loaded in their computers so you don't have to color match.

Cindy: I haven't really been in the paint store lately so I haven't seen the new Aura line. I will have to check it out.

Ann: I have just been introduced to the C2 colours at our local SIF Roundtable. There is a seminar planned for sometime next month but unfortunately I won't be able to attend. Everyone is raving about the C2 paint. There aren't any stores in my area that carry it, hopefully soon they will be closer.

Thanks Dana: I will have a look at the site.

Jo: I don't know if we have Porter in Canada. Where do you get it? Lowes? We do have Lowes up here now, so if it is there then I will check it out. Thanks for the tip.

Ardell: Here is a picture of a room I did with Buckhorn and Maple leaf Red.

I just did a 4 hour color consultation yesterday with all Benjamin Moore. 12 different colors. Color sets such a nice atmosphere in room! It would be hard to pick my favorites though, becasue I love different color combinations and how they make me feel!

Julianna: That is why I love doing what we do. I can't change my own paint all the time so I am able to let my creative juices flow by helping others to make colour selections.

Those colors sound yummy.  I like "Chilled Chardonnay"  it's a great Benjamin Moore color too.

Kathy

I am such a Benjamin Moore fan!  My second choice is Behr.  I really love an eggshell finish. My all time favorites in Benjamin Moore is Natural Wicker and Pearl Harbor.  When I meet with my clients I carry my Benjamin Moore samples and Sherwin Williams.  The Behr sampler is too heavy, so it stays home :)

I will have to look for chilled chardonnay Cindy, I haven't seen it. What is the number? Is it in the Designer Classics fan deck?

Teresa: Behr is a good paint option for homeowners. It is a good quality and the price is right.

Kathy,

Good question, all I know is it is new. I'll have to find out.  I saw it in a room.  It actually does looked like a glass of chardonnay!

Cindy: I looked in my fandeck and can't find it. It must be very new. I will go have a look at my local BM dealer.

Dane: Yes we do have a Lowes in Canada - it's almost open - passed the store a couple of days ago, on Caledonia I think. 

I work with builders and they love the brown tones - they just don't know they are brown tones!  LOL - they think it is "builders beige!"  And, my favorite flipping realtor loves oatcake by Behr paint.  

Graphic:  pitanga - new color for playrooms!

That's funny Margaret, builders beige. The graphics on here is a fantastic source for colour names...lol batoko...new colour for bathrooms.

Kathy, now that's just weird, I couldn't find it either.  I don't know what the deal is.  I'm gonna call BM and ask them.  Maybe it's a US color only?

Keep me posted Cindy

Hello All...

Yikes! My very first post on ActiveRain! A little bit scary...but here goes...

I work with Benjamin Moore a lot--and most of the painters I work with seem to prefer it...some of my favorite colors include: Putnam Ivory (looks very rich/velvety) and a really lovely green called Lewiville Green. Love them so much, I used them when I painted my own house recently. Oh...and that's Deep Rose in the  bookcase niche. Wow! What a difference! Before and Afters are below--but don't think the pictures do it complete justice.

Paula: Beautiful job! I love how you pulled the colours out of the bench seat. It looks great. I like the punch of colour in the niche too.

Dear Kathy,

I have compiled a list of the paint colors recommended by stagers, redesigners and decorators that I have read about in either an article or forum post. Every time I hear of a great color, I add it to the list. I have only used some of them myself, so I am not here to make any recommendations, but I would be happy to share it with everyone. 

Most Popular Paint Colors:

BM's HC-6 Windham Cream ~ the perfect color for staging because it is a very subtle yellow that feels very neutral, very warm and works with a lot of colors.

Sherwin Williams:

6106 Killim Beige

6107 Nomadic Desert

6119 Antique White (trim)

6121 Whole Wheat (walls)

6123 Baguette (fireplace insert)

6125 Craft Paper (brown d/r)

6128 Blonde

6129 Restrained Gold & (Benjamin Moore) 2004-20 Chili Pepper go very well together

6135 Ecru

6163 Grassland

6211 Rainwashed ~ seaside green

6212 Quietude ~ seaside green

6219 Rain

6226 Lanquid Blue

6228 Refuge      

6258 Tri-Corn Black

6327 Bold Brick (red d/r)

6381 Anjou Pear ~ may be too yellow

6387 Compatible Cream

6388 Golden Fleece

6390 Bosc Pear

Sherwin Williams:

6414 Rice Paddy ~ modern green

6415 Hearts of Palm ~ modern green

6421 Celery

7039 Virtual Taupe

7533  Khaki Shade

7694 Dromedary Camel

Benjamin Moore:

HC-6 Windham Cream, soft yellow.

HC-9 Chestertown Buff

HC-25 Quincy Tan

HC-26, Monroe Bisque, (sandy-beige) one of my favorites

HC-29 Dunmore Creme 

HC-34 Wilmington Tan

HC-42, Roxbury Caramel

HC-44 Lenox Tan

HC-68 Middlebury Brown

HC-90 Crown Point Sand in my living room, this is a very nice tan with a hint of green.

HC-92 Wheeling Neutral

HC-98 Providence Olive

HC-114 Saybrook Sage

HC-115 Georgian Green

HC-116 Guilford Green

HC-119 Kittery Point Green

HC-120 Van Alen Green

HC-140 Prescot Green which is more of a blue green but very good looking.

HC-146 Wedgewood Gray

Benjamin Moore:

224 Grecian Gold ~ walls in model master

430 Landscape

541-Veranda View

542 Cornstalk

1053 Sierra Hills

1093 Fresh Water ~ Trim in model master

2080-20 Confederate Red

2106-10 Java

2143-40 Camouflage

2144-40 Soft Fern

2162-60 Mystic Beige

2165-60 Dark Beige

Benjamin Moore:

AC-3 Texas Leather

AC-6 New Chestnut (Brown)

Recently, I staged an older home and used

AC-16 Kentucky Haze for the master bedroom and

AC-17 Sea Pine for the master bathroom.  

Lowes:  American Tradition:

3002-10A Warm Buff - Nate Burkus painted whole house (satin)

                 Swiss Coffee - Nate Burkus painted kitchen cabinets (semi-gloss)

Porter:

6833-3 Diana Gold

6868-2 Raffia Gold

6705-2 Beige Chiffon

Behr:

300F-4 Almond Toast

3A5-4 Anamite (green)

3A5-5 Olive Sheen (green)

ICC-60 Brown Bread

180D-6 Mineral Red

Glidden:

        - Water Chestnut (flat)

Thanks Christine for sharing all the colours. Can't wait to check them out.

My partner and I usually use Sherwin Williams, love Restrained Gold and a host of others.  We have also found a few Bennie Moore colors we like.  Thanks for the suggestion on pairing RG with Chili pepper, I will check it out!

Kathy, The secret to my color success is a class that JoAnne Lenart-Weary and Cindy Stefanik offer. It's called Color with No Regrets. If you love color, you will love this class! It works so well, they have a patent pending(and I can't tell you about it). You can check it out at: "Color With No Regrets"

Thanks Deborah, I will have a look.

 I also reccomend JoAnne Lenart-Weary's color class. Even if you think you have a pretty good sense of color, this class now can explain what colors go together and why. Wow! it makes life easier. It boils down to a formula that takes about 3 minutes and it works.....Leslye

Chilled Chardonnay is an older color of BM. I think now they have a different name for it. Ask your BM dealer and they can show you this color. It is beautiful. I have used it several times.

Thanks Leslye: I did check out the website for Joanne Lenart-Weary's color class and it looks like it is only availalbe in the states. I am located in Canada so I might have to pass this one up. I did notice something about a webinar, so I will have to read more about that. Perhaps that is something I could do. Thanks for the tip.

I love BM colors as well and recommend them to clients. I recently attended their marketing show in Montreal to announce the new trends for 2008 - bravo!  They certainly know how to appeal to the marketplace. 

I tell clients that they can have them matched wiby other brands, if they prefer.  I do vary somewhat depending on the client's home but I also have my «tested» and «true» colors.  Here they are: 

CC248 - French Vanilla

CC216 - Butter Milk

CC220 - White Sheaf

CC160 - White Rock

OC85 - Mayonnaise (when nothing else seems to work)

Just recommended a couple of new colors - will see how it will turn out - 2165-50 jasmin and 2165-70 pecan butter - one color for the wall and the second for the moldings..

A few favorite Ben Moore colors of mine are Powell Buff and Stone House. 

Both are warm and rich yet fairly neutral for staging.  Both work great with greens, reds and browns.

Cathy Lee    www.cldesignservices.com 

I'm not familiar with Powell Buff, but I do like Stone House too. It's a nice neutral color that works well with many other colors.

fyi Benjamin Moore colours are different for Canada and the U.S...you can call BM to have them give you the equivalent in each country......hope that helps!

a Canadian living in the US

Thanks for the heads up regarding colour differences in the US.

Hi Kathy,

I love benjamin Moore Paints!  They are great.  My husband and son also use them exclusively in our Custom Interior Painting.  Thw quality is unbelievable.  Did you know that there is Titanium in the Benjamin Moore formula.  It stands up to 15 years of non fading quality.  Others may fade in time, not Benjamin Moore.

As far as Colors go, since it is very personal with homeowners, it depends on their color personality and choices.  Also, depending on the light and use of the room, we select our colors accordingly.  I am a huge Color Fan and Educator.  It is fun to do a variety of colors in the various homes we stage, redesign and do colors for those that are selling or staying.  Lots of fun and nice that we have such choices at our disposal.

Hi Kathy:

Benjamin Moore paint is awesome, definately my personal fav. and actually the only paint manufacturer I have ever used, personaly and professionally.

My own home was recently sided in Maibec siding (natural wood siding from Quebec) and they allowed us to customize all of the siding and trim using Benjamin Moore colors that we choose, the house looks great and they guarantee the paint for something like 30+ years.

Irene: I didn't know that about the Benjamin Moore paint....titanium. It definately has staying power. We just repainted our home to sell and I only needed to use one coat to recover the old paint. Because I used the ulimatte it was even possible to touch up after 4 years.....no demarcation lines!

Lori: I love Benjamin Moore paint however I would like to try the new C2 paints. I hear they are really good as well. I haven't been able to attend the seminar yet but hope to in the future.

Hey Kathy:

Actually I have never heard anything re: the C2 paints (other than from reading on AR). The seminar sounds like a good idea.

Also, have you worked with the new fan deck from BM, I received it with my "box o colors" from BM but havent yet used any of the colors.

ps. i bookmarked your blog, some great colour advice for future jobs...

Yes I like when other people give their fav's. They are tried and true colours. Of course colour is very subjective....Thanks for stopping by Lori.

I just found your great post here and had to comment. I've actually become superstitious about using Benjamin Moore's Monroe Bisque on listings of mine that I have staged. It works like a charm and every time I've used it the house has sold quickly and I always get a ton of positive feedback from people who come into the open houses. I actually wrote a post on my own blog about it, along with a picture of a staged room featuring Monroe Bisque. It amazing to me that a paint color could make such a difference! Here's the post:

http://fostercityblog.com/category/is-staging-worth-it/

American Tradition is great, also Valspar paints from Lowes are good too, I have used them in my home to neutralise some of the rooms, coverage is great.  Thanks for sharing so many colors I will keep them in mind for the next job.

Shobha

Hi!

I'm looking for a recommendation on a good BM sage green color for a kitchen I'm staging...

Homeowner had a proposed pallette done by a color consultant--and she recommended Clarkesville Gray (HC-102) for the kitchen (but called it a sage green, which I'm not really seeing). Other colors on the first floor already include Putnam Ivory and Lenox Tan...

I'm thinking the Clarkesville Gray looks too brown and would like to suggest that she changes the kitchen color (hasn't painted yet) to Nantucket Gray (HC-111)...has anyone used this color before? It looks more sage-y to me...Kitchen has white cabinets and counter.

I'm also recommending Silver Marlin (2139-50) for the dining room on that floor--hopefully it won't look too washed out...but I think the room is already kind of dark, and I think the blue/green/gray of this color will coordinate nicely, instead of going with another brown based neutral.

Need to get back to the client ASAP, so any quick comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I love Beach glass CC 606. I think it's more sage than Clarkesville Gray but you would have to check it in your light. I think it will blend beautifully with the Putnam Ivory and Lenox Tan. Silver Marlin and Beach glass look beautiful together so I don't think that would be a problem. Can you see the dining room from the kitchen? Let me know how it turns out. Post some pics!!

Thanks Kathy, for the recommendation! That's a great color--in fact, I might suggest it instead of Silver Marlin for the dining room--its a little richer. The kitchen and dining room are separated by a small hallway that's Putnam Ivory

I love clarkston grey - it is a classic color.... a greenish-gray. 

I think she was looking more for a sagey green than a grey. But it is a lovely colour too.

Try viewing Wetherfild Moss (hc-110) for a rich sage, and Rosemary Sprig (2144-30) for a cooler one.

Ben Moore has different names and numbers for US and Canadian colors, and some colors are exclusive to certain countries. You can view and compare both US and Canadian Colors at www.colorcharts.org.

Wethersfield Moss                                            Rosemary Sprig

I work part-time as a color consultant for Ben Moore. These are the two colors of sage that we sell the most of, by far.

Best of Luck,

~Michelle

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