Posted on July 12, 2023 by KylieMawdsley
THE MOST POPULAR OFF-WHITE & LIGHT GREIGE & TAUPE COLORS
With design trends leaning warmer by the day, I’m getting more and more requests for warm paint colors, ESPECIALLY greige, and taupe.
Does this mean that beige and cream are becoming more popular too? YOU BET YOUR BOOTY THEY ARE, but I’ve got other blog posts for those bad boys. Today, we’re looking at the TOP greige and taupe paint colors for you and your home.
But first…
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GREIGE & TAUPE
MANY of my clients and readers ask if greige is the same as taupe, and the answer is NO. There are MANY ways of defining these two colors, and not everyone agrees (and that’s cool beans with me). In my crazy lil colour world, greige and taupe are separated by one main difference…
UNDERTONE
What is an undertone? Have you ever picked a ‘neutral’ paint colour, only to find your walls look blue, green, violet, or some other surprising hue? That’s an undertone. This is why so many grays look blue, beiges look orange, and creams look yellow – they ALL HAVE UNDERTONES. And so do greige and taupe.
GREIGE HAS A GREEN UNDERTONE (green-yellow)
TAUPE HAS A VIOLET UNDERTONE (violet-pink)
Some people lump them all together using ONE of the above terms – either greige OR taupe. Others switch them around as they think taupe has a green undertone and greige has a violet undertone. LONG STORY SHORT, you do you, boo. The main goal is to choose the UNDERTONE you want and worry about the name of the colour later (or never).
Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray (which you’ll read about below)
BTW, a few of the colors recommended below BORDER the warm gray worlds AS WELL AS the beige worlds.
Why?
Our perception of paint colors CHANGES based on the room they’re in. A warm gray that looks a bit too chilly for a north-facing room can warm up and look like the PERFECT TAUPE in a south-facing room. A beige that looks too warm for a south-facing room can look perfectly grayed out and TAUPE-ISH in a north-facing space.
LEFT: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray / RIGHT: Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
Perception also applies REGARDLESS of a room’s exposure. What I see as a taupe, you might see as a warm gray. A colour that seems AWFULLY TAUPE TO ME could look pretty darn greige to you.
ARE GREIGE & TAUPE STILL TRENDY?
When it comes to the most popular colors, greige, and taupe are DEFINITELY in style. Many are shifting out of gray and craving something warmer, but today’s modern beiges go too far. This is where greige and taupe come in handy.
This is also why covering a RANGE of colors is good, to see which one hits YOUR happy place.
1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS MODERN GRAY 7632
Modern Gray is a taupe paint colour that’s slowly growing in popularity – largely due to the shift in trends. And while its undertone is super passive, its soft taupe approach can be a great happy medium between finishes that lean into the gray-violet world and a homeowner who prefers the warmer end of things.
However, because of the subtlety of its undertone, don’t be surprised if Modern Gray picks up a vague flash of green in the right situation! The LESS committed a neutral is to its undertone, the more likely it is to respond to its environment and pick up others.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Modern Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF MODERN GRAY
2. BENJAMIN MOORE PALE OAK OC-20
Many of my clients mention Pale Oak as an option when they want a relatively neutral gray. Trust me, Pale Oak ain’t gray, and it SURE as heck ain’t neutral!
That’s right, while Pale Oak’s undertones can be quite passive, but in some rooms, they lean reasonably well into a warm pink hue (as shown below)…
Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF PALE OAK!
3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS AGREEABLE GRAY 7029
While Agreeable Gray passes as a warm gray in some rooms, it’s really a greige at heart. But while some greiges lean HARDER into their warm base, Agreeable Gray is a more subtle nod to warmth with SUPER subtle and flexible undertones.
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF AGREEABLE GRAY!
4. BENJAMIN MOORE EDGECOMB GRAY HC-173
Hands-down, Edgecomb Gray has the LEAST undertone as it relates to the most popular greige and taupe paint colors, to the point where it’s hard to really say whether it IS a greige or taupe.
PHOTO V1 PHOTOGRAPHY
Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF EDGECOMB GRAY!
5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS WORLDLY GRAY 7043
While Worldly Gray is like the redheaded stepchild compared to the popularity of Agreeable Gray, it can be a beautiful choice for those wanting a wink more green in their greige. And I say this lightly, as the green is still SUPER subtle.
You’ll also see that Worldly Gray is a touch WARMER than Agreeable Gray. This means that if you have a north-facing room and find AG a touch nipply, Worldly Gray will give you a wink more passive warmth.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF WORLDLY GRAY!
6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS POPULAR GRAY 6071
When it comes to taupe paint colors, Popular Gray is at the top of MY list. With its ‘slightly more noticeable than average’ violet undertone, Popular Gray is a great way to add warmth to your walls while still nodding at finishes that prefer the grayer end of things.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Popular Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF POPULAR GRAY
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7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EGRET WHITE 7570
Admittedly, Egret White is DARN CLOSE to being a warm gray, not a taupe, but given the right environment, it acts like the PRETTIEST TAUPE on the market. With INCREDIBLY passive undertones and an almost off-white LRV of 70, Egret White is a beautiful choice for almost any room.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Egret White
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF EGRET WHITE!
8. BENJAMIN MOORE CLASSIC GRAY OC-23
Just like Egret White, Classic Gray is more warm gray than anything, but holy heck, can it look perfectly taupe in the right space.
Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CLASSIC GRAY!
9. BENJAMIN MOORE LONDON FOG 1541
London Fog is a great shade if you like a neutral with a bit more meat on its bones. With an LRV of 56, London Fog sits on the DARK SIDE of the light range. And along with this slightly lower LRV, it’s known to play a few Jedi mind tricks related to undertones.
Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore London Fog
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF LONDON FOG!
10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS INCREDIBLE WHITE 7028
While Incredible White is popular in some crowds, it’s not MY personal favorite.
Why?
While Incredible White has beautiful taupe undertones of violet and pink, it has a LOT of them. While some are looking for this commitment to colour, I find that most of my clients prefer a more subtle approach to these particular hues, honing on more on the likes of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, Egret White, and City Loft.
Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s not the right colour for YOU; make sure you compare it with other colors and are okay with how its undertones sit in your space.
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Incredible White
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF INCREDIBLE WHITE!
10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS VERSATILE GRAY 6072
With its LRV of 48, Versatile Gray is a popular but slightly darker taupe paint colour. With this LRV, Versatile Gray sits in the light-medium range – popular for BRIGHT rooms and those wanting to see a bit more contrast with their white trim.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Versatile Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF VERSATILE GRAY!
11. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ANEW GRAY 7030
While Anew Gray is listed as a slightly darker version of Agreeable Gray, its undertones are even MORE passive and less committed. This means that while it CAN grab a touch of green or violet – it doesn’t really love to grab either unless encouraged to do so (based on surroundings, exposures, and light bulbs).
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Anew Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF ANEW GRAY
12. BENJAMIN MOORE CEDAR KEY OC-16
Cedar Key is a SUPER ninja. While it favors the beige end of things, put it in the right room (i.e., north-facing), and it can look surprisingly TAUPE. Cedar Key can be a great option if you have finishes that CATER to beige, but you want your walls to add a new layer while still COORDINATING with your finishes.
Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Cedar Key
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CEDAR KEY
Did these colors hit the spot? Are you looking for greige and taupe paint colors with more DEPTH? KEEP READING!
READ MORE
Sherwin Williams 10 Best WARM Gray Paint Colors
The 8 Best WARM Gray Paint Colors from Benjamin Moore
How to Pick Paint Colours When You’re An OVERTHINKER (OR HAVE ANXIETY)
The 6 Best DARKER Greige & Taupe Paint Colours – Sherwin Williams
Benjamin Moore’s 8 Best DARKER Greige & Taupe Paint Colours
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Chat soon,
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This is a great post! I’m one of those who has been eyeing Pale Oak. Searching for that “perfect” taupe for an accent wall that coordinates with lighter grays (couch), but leans into beige and isn’t too dark…! Picturing the perfect light linen color…In a room with East, South and West facing windows, vaulted ceilings and lots of LED can lights. Other walls are Alabaster, trim is pure white, floors are acacia, staircase has black spindles…