The Perfect Gray Paint Colors for Colonial Homes

We love colonial homes. Or, at least homes that were built in the 1920s. We have lived in three 1920s houses to be exact. And have loved them all. While Colonial Homes definitely lend themselves to the ability to have a different color in every room, when we moved into our current house six years ago, I was determined to keep it neutral. Gray was “in” at the time, and I think it has stood the test of time. We have updated a bit, added a few more neutral shades, and pops of color through decor and accessories. 

Disclaimer: Obviously paint looks different in different houses with different lighting, so a paint swatch is always a good idea. 

One of the first action items for us when purchasing a house, and I’m guessing for others too, is to add our own personal touch with paint. Many thanks to a sweet designer friend for coming over with a paint deck and pointed us in the right direction! Even our dog, Hutch, got in on the act. When it came down to it, I wanted colors that were calming. There was enough excitement in our lives with little kids and jobs and all the things. I wanted to feel (or at least try for) a sense of tranquility and relaxation when walking into our house at the end of the day. While our house is far from open concept, we do generally have large openings and rooms can be seen from other rooms. It is definitely not closed off, so all of the paint colors we chose needed to work together. In fact, we even chose two colors from the same color strip. This seems to be an easy way to ensure continuity. Interestingly, I didn’t like the middle color but loved the bookend colors on the color strip. 

Colonial Kitchen: Wickham Gray

Let’s start in the kitchen with one of my favorite grays, Wickham Gray. It is the perfect kitchen gray for our house. It is light and airy with hints of green. There is just enough color to pop against the white baseboards and cabinetry, but it is not overwhelming. I’m pretty quick to give away a sample of our leftover paint for others to check out in their spaces. Here is a link if you want more details on our kitchen’s “facelift.” She’s due for a complete remodel in the next few years. Because it’d be nice to have adult cabinets that actually close.

Colonial Dining Room: Coventry Gray

Our hallways throughout the main level and upstairs are Coventry Gray. We also have it in our dining room, bedroom, and master bathroom. It is a deeper gray and feels very “historic” to me with its undertones. Also, it doesn’t show sticky finger prints quite as readily as lighter grays. (Why can’t our kids just eat sitting down?) Again, it’s a really nice contrast with the white baseboards and crown molding and adds a bit of moodiness. (Ugh- this photo is making me crave springtime. Anyone else? Anyone?) You can check out the details of this spring dining table decor here.

Colonial Living Room: Silver Gray

Our living room and the upstairs bathroom are Silver Gray. In the lighting in our house, this color has a definite blue tint. We originally had this color in our son’s room as well as the upstairs playroom. The upstairs playroom has been converted to my husband’s home office. It is painted one of my favorite colors of all time… but more on that at the end of the post. As you can probably gather from the variety of rooms we used Silver Gray in, it is a fairly versatile color. If you want to learn more about how we warmed the living room up using color and plants, you can click here.

Colonial Kids’ Rooms: Horizon

Horizon. I LOVE Horizon. A good friend introduced me to the color a few years ago. (She also taught me how to paint and helped me paint my son’s room- sooooo nice and a wonderful teacher!) I had wanted a slight contrast to the faux shiplap walls that we were painting white. But, just ever so slight. Horizon is the perfect option if you don’t want white walls but want something very neutral and light and airy. I loved it so much that I just finished painting our daughter’s room with it. (She requested an ombre turquoise wall, but you know… pot-A-toes, pot-a-toes). TIP: Have the swatch and number ready when asking for Horizon to be mixed. There is another paint color called Horizon Gray, so you don’t want the two to be confused… I may be speaking from experience…maybe…

Colonial Office: Wescott Navy

Okay, this is NOT a gray color- gasp! In fact, I consider it to be a color but word on the street is that navy can also be a neutral. So it kinda-sorta fits. Wescott Navy. It is the most lovely of navy paint colors with a charcoal-esq tint to it. It is perfect for offices and laundry/mudrooms. In my opinion, it is perfect for everything but especially for Colonial and Modern homes. This color was discovered in, of all places, the kindergarten hallway. If you’re a parent (or have watched Big Little Lies- kidding!), you know a lot of things can be discovered and discussed while dropping off/picking up children at school. This time, a bunch of us were standing in the hallway waiting to go on a field trip. I think our painter was at our house, and both my husband and I were not loving the color we had originally chosen for his office. Naturally, I felt the need to share this with everyone. Then, someone texted someone else, and Wescott Navy became my favorite navy of all time. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, as the kindergarten saying goes 😉

Okay, that’s it! In my opinion, The Best Gray Paint Colors for Colonial Homes plus an added best-navy-of-all-time paint color as a bonus. What do you think? Have you tried any of these colors? Which are you most likely to try? Which Benjamin Moore colors are your favorites?