For the last six weeks or so, I’ve been touring around with CIL paints and visiting with DIYers at a bunch of different Home Depots to help people get over their “paint paralysis”. You know what I mean: It’s when you’re terrified to start painting a room for fear of picking the wrong colour and having to do everything all over again. So you just live with a colour you hate instead for years and years. It’s a stealer of joy in the lives of many innocent people for sure. So first of all, it’s just paint. If you try something crazy and mess it up, it’s not really that big of a deal to do it over again. Second of all, have no fear! If you just want a nice paint colour that you know will work and make your home look instantly refreshed and updated, I’m here to help!
In my last few weeks of helping people choose paint colours, I’ve of course spent time talking to people from all different walks of life, with different homes, and different tastes. Despite all their different decor needs though, there have been a few colours that everyone has seemed to love and that have looked great no matter what accent colour, tile sample, or cabinet colour they’ve brought to me. This is valuable information so listen up! Here are my all-stars of the CIL paint line up!
The Cool Grey: Veil
If you’re looking for a really fresh, clean grey then you can’t go wrong with Veil. In speaking with some of the CIL experts that I’ve met with, they told me that this one is definitely one of the most popular for stores all around the country, and with good reason!
The Warm Grey: Zeppelin
I will not hide my love for this colour. This is an exact match of the colour that I’m slowly painting in every room of my home. It’s become a bit of a joke at my Home Depot colour expert session that every customer I speak with always leaves with at least one can of Zeppelin. It looks good with everything! It’s one of those colours that looks slightly different in every light, sometimes lighter, sometimes richer, sometimes beiger, sometimes greyer, but it always makes me love a room so much more when I paint it this colour!
The Rich Greige: Seagull Grey
Even though this colour is called a grey, it’s really more of a rich khaki type of colour. It’s an updated version of a classic and can really bring a cozy feeling to any room.
The True Beige: Beachcomber
A lot of people have been wanting to find that perfect beige and it seems that Beachcomber is the one that we almost always land on. It’s not too yellow, not too warm, not too cool, and not too pink. It just always looks great and feels classic and yet current at the same time.
The White: Atmosphere
People are really getting away from wanting to use stark whites in their homes and are looking for that white that’s again, not too warm, not too cool, not to creamy, but just right. Even though you’ll find Atmosphere grouped on a paint chip with a bunch of blues, it just seems to have that certain softness to it that everyone is looking for these days, whether it’s for a wall, trim, or cabinetry.
So those are the colours! Great to know for when you want to paint a room, but don’t want to spend a whole lot of time messing with paint chips and samples and just need something that will work. Now!
I’ve still got a couple of more stops left so make sure you come visit me if you’re in South-Western Ontario! Here’s where I’ll be:
October 16th: Home Depot in Burlington, Ontario
October 23rd: Mystery Store! TBA!
Stay tuned to my Facebook page for where that mystery store will be! I’ll let you know as soon as I hear!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.