Paints & Finishes

Design mavens reveal their favorite colors for living room walls—and why those hues work so well in this public yet intimate setting.

Bring out your home’s best features—and hide its flaws—with these trendy trim colors.

Looking to update a finished basement, or windowless bathroom? Our expert recommends paint hues that can brighten dark, shady spaces in your home.

Choosing the perfect paint color for your living room, kitchen, or bedroom can take a ridiculous amount of time. What starts with a simple tour of the hardware store’s paint chip display, can evolve into a pretty painstaking process—especially if you choose the wrong color and have to start all over again. These 9 simple shortcuts will help you select the right paint color every single time.

Learn to discern between these two popular paint finishes and how and where to use them to best effect.

Discover the warm white hues that designers love for transforming interior spaces.

Step away from the paintbrush! You might just be committing one of the most common color mistakes. Before you decide on a paint color for the room you’re redecorating, take a step back and gather inspiration. Discover ideas by flipping through magazines and collecting imagery that appeals to you. Then, put them together in a folder or portfolio you can peruse when you have leisure time. As you review your choices, define the mood you want to evoke. Will this room be the place where you relax and unwind? Or, do you want the color to bring energy into the space? The ideas that bubble to the top will lay the groundwork for the room’s color palette.You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch. Let colors from key elements that you love throughout your home inform your choices. Once you have an idea of the colors you want, take full advantage of the sample sizes available at the paint store. Paint a few 2×2-foot squares in different areas of the room, and live with them for about a week. Take note of what you like and dislike at different times of the day, in both natural and artificial light. Wading through paint colors for your next room can be overwhelming, but don’t lose hope. Some of the top color experts weigh in on what to avoid when beautifying your home. Click through to read their advice.

While it’s true that over the past few years white walls have taken a back seat to walls in trendy gray, deep jewel tones, bright hues, and even black, it’s also true that white never really goes out of fashion. For evidence, just check out these smart decorating strategies that make white walls shine.

Your home is your refuge, so why not paint it in soothing hues? Create a tranquil, spaa-like space with these stunning paint colors.

Whether your tastes run to neutrals or brights or something in between, you’re sure to find a color scheme to your liking among these 9 go-to palettes endorsed by a colorful group of design experts.