10 Easy Pieces: Architects’ Barely-There Color Paint Picks

There’s a time for bold color and a time for stark white. Then there are the in-between paint colors—those subtle shades closer to white, yet reminiscent of washed-out watercolor. Barely-there hues can have a real impact—interiors that impart a gentle warmth, a soporific grey, or healthy pinkish glow. Here, we’ve profiled architects and designers for their favorite nuanced shades.

Above: French architects Ronan Le Grand and Konrad Steffensen of Corpus Studio favor Pointing from Farrow & Ball. “It’s a warm, creamy yellow-white with a touch of pink,” Konrad explains. Here, they’ve applied the nuanced yellow-white to a Parisian apartment renovation. Photograph from A Paris Apartment with Artful, Architectural Interventions from Corpus Studio. Above: “I’m a great lover of shades of white and I use the whole palette of nuances constantly in my work,” says architect Anki Linde of Paris-based firm LSL Architects. “The choice of color is, of course, determined by the placement of the room: north/south-facing, floor, style, and type of interior.” Her favorite colors are from French paint manufacturer Argile, in particular Sable Gris: “a grey pinky white—the pink in white is always good as they give us all a better complexion. We tend to look healthier. And the combination with grey softens it all further.” LSL painted the bedroom of an apartment renovation in the Camargue area of France with Sable Gris, as seen here. Above: For their design of the Schloss Teutschenthal hotel in Germany, architects Lea Korzeczek and Matthias Hiller of Studio Oink applied Farrow & Ball Elephant’s Breath on the walls of room interiors. “At first glance, the color appears to be a warm gray with a soft clay undertone,” Lea explains. “Depending on how the light hits the color, it can appear slightly pinkish or more blue-gray. These subtle nuances and this versatility fascinate us about this color—which we also used in our Washington DC project.” Photograph of the Schloss Teutschenthal interiors courtesy of Studio Oink. Above: A reprise from our post 10 Paint Colors with Cult Followings: Architects’ All-Time Favorite Paint Picks, NYC interior designer Bella Mancini has long-favored Benjamin Moore Nimbus (seen on bed frame). “We use it again and again and again,” she says, “We pick it without even meaning to. It is a versatile gray that goes bluer or browner, depending on the light.” Above: Designer Jill McNair has a flair for detailed color. In her own Peckham London House, McNair painted the main living space in Dulux DH Linen Color, a yellow-based white that brightens historic London interiors. Photograph by Beth Evans from Italianate Modern in Full Color: Interior Design Jill MacNair’s Own Renovation in London. Above: Designer Louisa Grey of House of Grey prefers Bone, Shell, and Quill from Atelier Ellis for its natural, breathable, and bio-based qualities in addition to color subtitles: “We love using them for their subtle depth and sustainable qualities,” she explains. House of Grey is currently using the shade, and its variants (also available are Half Bone, Shell, and Quill and Double Bone, Shell, and Quill.) Photograph from Atelier Ellis of the half level in situ. Above: Designer Michaela Scherrer is the doyenne of custom barely-there color. In her own Pasadena home, documented in our first book, Michaela has mixed her own white paint using bases such as Decorator’s White and Paper White while introducing tints drop by drop. As she explains in our post DIY: How to Mix the Perfect White Paint with LA Designer Michaela Scherrer: “When I mix whites, I often muddy them: I add a bit of umber or black to take away the sharpness and create a more relaxed mood. If you want warmer results, introduce a bit of ochre or yellow. And if what you’ve got is too yellowy, add purples or blues. One shift and your results can be so much more refined.” Above: Drew Lang of Lang Architecture went with Farrow & Ball’s Borrowed Light for the main bedroom walls of a Brooklyn brownstone remodel. The brief was to bring light and spaciousness to the historic space and Borrowed Light fit the bill—an ultra-pale blue with brightening qualities. Photograph by Ty Cole for Lang Architecture from A House United: Reimagining a Brooklyn Brownstone. Above: Architect Bretaigne Walliser, co-founder of New York-based TBo favor Benjamin Moore White Dove. “I know it’s a well-covered favorite—we especially like it because it has a yellow-taupey undertone that makes it a really versatile shade to use against wood elements, both historic and contemporary,” she says. The bedroom of a project in Society Hill, Philadelphia faces west and is “drenched in golden, late afternoon light.” They applied White Dove here where it renders relatively warm and rich in this instance. Photograph by Kate S. Jordan courtesy of TBo.

For more light color paint favorites from architects and designers, see our posts:

• 10 Easy Pieces: Architects’ Favorite White Paint Picks
• 10 Easy Pieces: Architects’ Favorite Warm White Paint Picks
• 10 Easy Pieces: Architects’ Favorite Cool-Toned Neutral Paint Picks
• 10 Easy Pieces: Architects’ Favorite Butter Yellow Paint Picks
• 10 Easy Pieces: Architects’ Favorite Blush Pink Paint Picks