Last week I did a few Instagram stories in my kitchen.

Afterwards, I got several direct messages asking about the paint color we have on the walls.

The answer is, it’s a diluted version of Farrow and Ball’s Elephants Breath.

In other words, we lightened it by adding white paint!

Farrow and Ball is known for gorgeous paint colors.

You can find one of my favorite books showcasing this company’s best paints here!

 

Some of these gray interior paints we’ve used for years and in several different projects.

So, when I say they are a favorite, I’m not understating it!

Finding the right paint color, while not exactly serious business, can be extremely frustrating if you get it wrong (trust me, I know.)

However, these colors here are all fairly fool proof.

Pro tip: you can always ask the paint store to add some degree of white paint to soften the look- try experimenting with 25% and 50% white.

For example, in the image above we used Farrow and Ball Elephant’s Breath in our back stair case, but when we used it again in our kitchen (seen below) we added quite a bit of white paint to the mix.

This is great for coordinating rooms which flow into each other.

Because they are different variations of the same color, you know for sure they will work perfectly together.

However, because they are a bit different, you still get the visual interest of different shades, instead of one paint color through out.

Makes sense, right?

 

 

 

 

1. Farrow and Ball Elephant’s Breath: Classic Gray/ Taupe Paint

We have this stunning taupe/gray paint in on our kitchen walls and also in our back hallway and mudroom area.

The top image in this post is the mudroom area/back staircase.

I’m such a HUGE fan of this chic and versatile paint color.

I consider this color to be the perfect greige.

UPDATE: There’s now a whole blog post dedicated to this classic gray paint – Farrow and Ball Elephant’s Breath.

SAMPLIZE PEEL AND STICK PAINT SAMPLE OF ELEPHANT’S BREATH

2. Benjamin Moore Cape Hatteras Sand – a beautiful pale yet true gray paint.

 

Here’s a lot more info about the white trim paint color we went with in our living room.

basket  //  fur lumbar pillow  //  sconces

 

 

Since I first published this post, I’ve gotten so many specific questions I ended up writing a whole post all about Cape Hatteras Sand.

 

You might’ve noticed some blue, cool undertones in my living room.

 

This cool tone you’re seeing is because we’ve complimented the gray wall paint with a beautiful blue ceiling paint -it’s Benjamin Moore’s Morning Sky Blue.

 

I also wrote a whole post all about the best interior paint colors for ceilings, since I get a lot of questions about this very topic.

SAMPLIZE PEEL AND STICK PAINT SAMPLE OF CAPE HATTERAS SAND

 

 

For my husband’s home office we wanted something light, bright a bit more modern.

After trying out several different neutral paint colors, we chose Balboa Mist by Benjamin Moore.

It’s become one of our favorite gray paint colors, I would use this again and again.

I’m currently trying to convince my friend to use this in her dining room, I think it would be stunning!

SAMPLIZE PEEL AND STICK PAINT SAMPLE OF BALBOA MIST

4. Benjamin Moore Sea Salt – the faintest grayish tint – seen here in natural light.

 

galvanized metal star

 

Last, but not least at number four, is Benjamin Moore’s Sea Salt.

We have this pale gray paint color in my son’s room.

This neutral gray color truly works for every living space.

It’s such a great neutral wall color – sort of a light greige, and one I’m sure he will happily live with for years to come.

Side note: Don’t you just LOVE all the names of these colors?!

SAMPLIZE PEEL AND STICK PAINT SAMPLE OF SEA SALT

Conclusion:

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this quick round up of my favorite interior gray paints!

I always love to answer you interior design related questions!

In fact, they tend to be the inspiration behind some of my best and most informative posts around here.

For example, I’ve dedicated a whole post to the best white paint trim colors to use, if you’re looking for ideas and inspiration!

Another GREAT idea! Large self sticking paint samples! Don’t they sound brilliant?

If you’re at all curious, you can check them out and order them here!

Samplize – self adhesive non paint paint samples

So which shade of gray and beige is YOUR favorite?

If you do end up using any of these paint choices in your home, let me know! I’d love to see it.

You can always see more of our current home here.

And, I’ve answered the most popular questions asked about the decor in our home here.

If you have any other questions, please shoot me an email or leave it in the comments below.

Additional Gray and Greige Paint Color Inspiration:

If you’re looking for even more gray and greige paint color inspiration, be sure to check out these other posts by clicking on each title below-

• The best cream wall paint colors
• Benjamin Moore White Cumulus Cloud Paint Review
• An expert’s advice on the best kitchen cabinet paint colors
• Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray Paint Review
• How to pick the best Benjamin Moore Paint color
• Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan

A few more things…

Design lovers! Have you joined our fun and VERY helpful design Facebook group?

In this group – members share photos with their design questions and dilemmas from their own home.

We all chime in with our best advice!

This is a great group for getting those hard to find pieces and sources and also some fabulous FREE design advice.

If you have any other questions, please shoot me an email or leave it in the comments below.

Also, don’t miss this post on the top wallpaper trends, it’s a good one!

Lastly, to help you even further with your home projects, download my FREE DESIGN CHEAT SHEET, it’s loaded with all sorts of quick tips and handy measurements.

Click here to grab that, it’ll be super helpful!