Interiors

Tips & Tricks: A Designer’s Most Commonly Asked Paint Questions

byTeam GM

5 years ago

You asked, our design contributor Kate Lester answered! We tend to be big fans of whatever design wisdom Kate has to share, and today she is answering her most commonly asked paint questions she gets on Instagram, from her favorite white paint (there’s a big difference between shades) to which color best matches each room in your home. Keep reading for Kate’s tips to a perfectly painted home…

Hi guys! It’s Kate Lester, from Kate Lester Interiors and I am back on the blog ready to talk design. Most days, if I am breathing, I am talking about paint: what colors we’re loving, what finishes we’re using, and the perfect sheens for every area. In fact, if I had a dollar for every time someone asked about our favorite white paint, I would, well... let’s just say I would be doing a lot more sipping drinks with umbrellas and a lot less designing. Ok, I digress, let’s get to it.

Photo by Kate Lester

The most commonly asked question I get on our blog and social media is “OMG what is that paint color?” and for good reason. We spend endless hours buying small paint samples, painting them on 12x12 white poster board, and then looking at them day and night to find just the right hue. So, because you are Gray’s loyal readers, and we love Gray, I am going to save you countless hours of pondering. I’m going to share some of my faves right here, right now in this blog post.

Photo by Lauren Pressey

WHITE PAINT

Let’s start with white. White is white, right? WRONG. White is most definitely not white. In fact—there are hundreds of “white” paint colors and they are not all created equal. Some are too creamy, some are too gray, and some are just plain chalky. I am so picky when it comes to white paint, that I pretty much only use one white paint, like, ever. When it comes to white, Simply White by Benjamin Moore is the most perfect white in like 99% of spaces. It looks good in basements, east-facing rooms, west-facing rooms, and even rooms with minimal natural light. The key to this color is the balance in the pigment, and the fact that it has very little yellow, blue, or gray in it. The absence of those colors makes for a crisp, clean white that is a showstopper every time. White is a no-brainer if you are going for a room with a gallery wall or more colorful artwork; I think it’s the perfect backdrop to really let art and photography shine!

Photo by Lauren Pressey

BLUE PAINT

Next let talk blues. Being by the beach, my designs are always infused with coastal influence, (which is why we love the GM brand!) but I really try to keep things interesting by not always falling back on a traditional navy when a client is excited about blue. At our studio we tend to categorize blues to keep it simple: light blues, coastal blues, classic blues, and deep blues. Below are a few of my favorites for each category that have been Kate Lester tested and approved:

Light Blue: Mount Saint Anne by Benjamin Moore

Coastal Blue: Moody Blue by Sherwin Williams

Classic Blue: Slate Tile by Sherwin Williams

Deep Blue: Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore

If you really want some secret designer insight, I firmly believe that the key to a great blue is the addition of a little gray in the pigment, so you will see that many of my selections lean that way. Having trouble selecting a type of blue? Look to your art, fabric or accessories and pull a color from there!

Photo by Lauren Pressey

GRAY PAINT

After blues and whites, I would say the third hardest color to get right is gray. Sometimes it looks purple, sometimes, pink, and sometimes it even turns blue. You don’t know how many sample pots of gray I have had to go through to learn this. Let me save you some time and energy and tell you that the most amazing gray is Light French Gray by Sherwin Williams. No purple or blue here folks, just a really fantastic gray that looks good in the morning, noon and night.

Photo by Lauren Pressey

BLACK PAINT

Now that we’ve covered the Kate Lester Interiors staples, let’s move on to black. Let it be known that I 100% believe that black is, in fact, the new black. I am currently obsessed with black windows, black islands, black furnishings, and my golden rule is that all rooms we design should have one piece of vintage and a little bit of black! The biggest pushback I get from clients when suggesting black is that it may make a room feel dark or sad. The interesting thing, is that a hint of black actually grounds a space and ups the contrast, in turn making everything crisper and brighter. So please take note when I say that Fade to Black by Portola Paints is the most amazing black. Now be brave and go out and buy some black paint and get busy!

Photo by Kate Lester

GENERAL PAINT TIPS

Ok, now that we’ve gotten colors squared away, let’s talk tips. When you are picking paint colors and getting samples limit yourself to three samples per color. Too many options will literally make you crazy and then you’ll just end up going with Swiss Coffee and every time someone does that an interior designer dies a little bit inside. Once you have your three trusty samples, paint them on 12x12 sheets of white poster board—NOT ON THE WALL where your old paint color is! Your old ugly paint color will reflect its horribleness onto the new color and it will make it virtually impossible to see how fabulous the new color will look in that space. Once your samples are painted, tack them up or lay them out in the room. Then look at them in the morning, afternoon and evening. This is very important, as some colors change with direct sun, and shade. When you see a color get ugly at night you will thank me that you found this out before you painted your entire kitchen!

Photo by Amy Bartlam

PAINT SHEEN

Once you have your color selected, you are good to go, right? Nope. But we’re almost there. Now it’s time to pick the sheen, which is actually just as important as the color itself. One rule of thumb is usually a Pearl or Semi-Gloss sheen for paneling, doors, trim and baseboards. For walls and ceilings, I tend to stick with flat because it’s the easiest to touch up and reflects light really nicely. Whether you are painting one room or a whole house, try to have fun with it and remember it’s just paint! If it doesn’t look right, redo it! Paint is one of the easiest ways to rehab or refresh a space, and it’s easy to change—that’s what makes it great! So get your sample pots, pour yourself a cocktail and have a paint party!

Did you learn something new about the ins and outs of the world of interior paint?

Consider us fully enlightened… We’ll take any tips we can get from the pros, and we can’t thank Kate enough for sharing her precious paint secrets with us. Now, what interior design questions do you want us to cover next?

P.S. Don’t forget to follow along with Kate’s work on Instagram and on her website!

Xx Team GM

Photos: (Header) Lauren Pressey