Don’t stress about finding the best gray paint for North South facing homes, these are the best ones and I’ve used them all in my own home.
My friends will tell you that I have such a “thing’ for paint. I am always looking for walls to paint and I love choosing different colors.
Personally (and this is NOT a sponsored post), I love Benjamin Moore paint. I can’t quite explain it but I think they have a depth of color that is not found in other paints.
I’m not a paint specialist, I just have very defined ideas of what I like and it’s mainly gray and taupe colors. And I have an entire Pinterest Board dedicated to gray and taupe paint colors.
These are the colors that I have in my house and I love every single one of them.
Note: The direction that your house faces impacts the light on your walls.
My house is North South facing and these colors work beautifully.
Also, I thought gray and taupe would be waning a little but the trend seems to have hung on, like forever!
I have neutral flooring (bamboo wood and some light tile) and I painted my kitchen white. My ceilings are Behr Almond Cream and they were that color when we moved in and these colors match perfectly.
I have subsequently moved from this house but the new owners actually wrote me a letter saying how much they loved the paint colors and they were not going to change them at all!
Below each color suggestion, I have sourced pictures from Pinterest so that you can see the color in a variety of situations.
Revere Pewter
My all-time favorite: Revere Pewter. I have this in my kitchen and in my study (slightly darker)
Depending on the light, there are very subtle undertones to Revere Pewter.
When I look at this picture from Dear Lillie, it has a slight green undertone. This is what it looked like on my walls but I loved it, especially in my kitchen with white kitchen cabinets.
In this bathroom, it looks very light with maybe a hint of purple but not enough to make it look blue.
I especially love it in this room. It doesn’t have any undertones and reads as a perfect “greige”
Edgecomb Gray
Second all-time favorite: Edgecomb Gray
This is on all my common area walls and in my living room. If you look at the paint chip with these colors you will see they are adjacent to each other.
Stonington Gray
I fell in love with this image and knew that I had to have Stonington in my house somewhere.
I had originally “color matched” (never a good idea to be honest) a weird taupe color for my son’s room that veered towards the pink (I know!!) and so I decided that his room got to be Stonington and it’s stunning!
Coventry Gray
This is a true blue gray. I used it in my bedroom, master bath and will carry it on into my closet. Since my bedroom is not visible to the rest of the house I felt like I could paint it whatever color I liked and this seemed so restful and peaceful and it is!
Inukshuk
I searched “taupe paint Belgian look” on Pinterest and came across this image on the House Beautiful site.
If you are searching on Pinterest for more images about this paint, also look at Smokey Taupe because that was it’s previous name.
I used this in my kid’s bathroom and the laundry room.
It’s a beautiful Belgian linen look!
Final thoughts on the best gray paint for North/South homes
I hope you enjoyed my round-up of my best gray paint for North / South facing houses. I would love to know which one is your favorite and if you’ve used any in your home.
You might also like to read:
Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets for Busy Moms
Ridiculously Easy Vegetable Gardening in Fabric Pots
10 Brilliant Projects that use Drop Cloth (Restoration Hardware curtains anyone?)
Well, I’ve got a North (with a tad east) facing home. I spent $176 at SW today for Extra White for kitchen cabinets and primer, and Nebulous Gray for kitchen walls.
I have scoured Pinterest for months for the best combination of colors. Never, in all that time did I se anything about the importance of which was your home faces. Until today and that’s all I’ve seen.
I feel like I’ve made yet another mistake!
Author
Picking paint colors is one of the hardest things to do!! And light plays such an important role in how the color looks in the end. But I think you have done great! I couldn’t find a SW Nebulous Gray but I did find a Nebulous White that has a hint of gray in it. If that is the color you are using it is going to make the Extra White pop and look stunning. I would love for you to send me a pic of how it turns out [email protected]. Thanks for reading the blog and being part of the GwG community xx
Can you recommend a warm white for an exterior that faces south? I am trying to find a white that’s not too bright or gray, but also that doesn’t look yellow or pink. I want a soft white for the exterior of my home (black windows) with wood accents in the gables. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
Author
Hi Jen, your house is going to look beautiful, what a stunningly classic combo of black windows, white and wood! I have a few options for you. I was also looking for a non-stark white without undertones to paint my porch that we had built when we moved in. I have a lovely paint person that I like and she recommended the Valspar One Coat Exterior Stain and Sealer in All Weather White and it looks lovely (it is South Facing). We are on a corner lot and I didn’t want anything to be too bright and in your face and 18 months down the line it is still looking lovely, there are no undertones that I can see. Also check out these two blogposts which might be useful too: https://www.younghouselove.com/painting-our-brick-house-white/ + https://plankandpillow.com/the-best-white-paint-colors-for-exteriors/ Good luck, you are going to make the right choice xx
I love all your colors! My downstairs living room dining kitchen area all faces North and I had the hardest time finding a grayish color that didn’t turn purple. Can you tell me what direction your bedroom faces so I know if that paint will work in mine. Thanks a bunch
Author
Hi, thanks so much! Choosing paint colors can be so difficult! My bedroom in the house I am referring to (we have subsequently moved) was North facing. I painted it Coventry Gray and I have some examples of that color on the blog post. The room was at the back of the house and was heavily shaded by trees so Coventry Gray read quite blue on the walls but it was definitely not purple at all. I loved it, it was a very peaceful color and perfect for a bedroom and would be a great match for any accent color, I mixed in white, linen and touches of gold. If you find it a bit dark you can always ask them to mix it slightly lighter at 75% or 50%. A tip though, always photograph your formula so that if you run out of paint you can get the exact same formula mixed up. I learned that the hard way 🙂 Good luck, it’s going to be beautiful, Jen
Lots of great information for the interior. Do you have any gray or greige suggestions for the exterior of a house that faces north?
Author
Hi, so exciting to be painting the exterior of your house! I actually would still recommend the 2 best paint colors for North facing which are Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter or Edgecomb Gray. Revere Pewter, to my eye, has a very, very slight green undertone to it which I think softens the color a little bit and elevates it from a plain gray or beige. It’s a very multi-dimensional color and I am actually about to paint all my hallways and entrance hallway in RP. Edgecomb Gray, on the other hand, is the ultimate “greige”. It has no obvious undertones to it and is complementary to so many other colors. It is a much lighter color than Revere Pewter so it will just be what you prefer. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Gray / Greige colors if you want to explore even more which you can find here https://www.pinterest.com/gorgeouswgrace/gray-grey-greige-paint-colors/ Good luck!!! I would love to hear how it all turns out! Don’t overthink it, you will do great with your choice. Jen xx
Hi. I love the article. I have this idea of what I want my home to look like…Warm gray/greige walls, alabaster white trim and dark floors. The problem is my living room sits squarely in the middle of the home and faces North. There are no windows only a sliding patio door that lets in light from the West and kitchen/dining room windows that lets in sunlight from the South and West, respectively.
The walls are currently a yellow/tan color. I’ve tried Revere Pewter, Agreeable Gray, Mindful Gray, and Light French Gray. They all look too cold with blue or purple undertones.
I’m thinking of sampling Edgecomb Gray. Can you recommend paint colors that will be warm in the current layout? Thanks so much.
Author
Hi! So glad you loved the article but I completely understand how difficult it is to pick paint colors. Mindful Gray and Light French Gray definitely have blue undertones so your eye is really accurate. I have some suggestions for you: I had Edgecomb Gray in my old house and I absolutely loved it. It is a light and subtle color but is most definitely a “greige”. Another suggestion similar to Edgecomb is Gray Owl by Sherwin Williams, it can be a cool color but in some light can read slightly greenish which will warm it up. Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams is a warmer greige. My friend painted her house in SW Pashmina and she had dark floors with not that much light. It is definitely a warmer greige but just check that it doesn’t read purple or pink in your light. In my new house I have painted my living room SW Functional Gray. It is dark so you would want to go 50% or even 75% lighter. It’s a beautiful neutral that is really warm. My tip for trying out colors is to paint them on whiteboard leaving an inch strip around 3 sides. I then tape the board up against the ceiling (if I don’t want to paint it) and that gives me a better read of the color than if I paint it directly on the wall. Your yellow/tan walls are going to make any sample color read slightly off when you are trying to look at them. I hope this is helpful, good luck, super exciting, it’s going to be amazing!! Jen
I am trying to pick a paint colour for a condo we’ve never seen! I have Pale Oak and Silken Pine in my current home but the condo faces north so not sure if those two colours will work. I tend to run hot (thank you menopause) so cool tones are my preference. Any thoughts?
Author
Hi, congrats on the purchase! Menopause, the club no one really wants to join yet here we are 🙂 I love both those colors you mention but they are both warmish colors, I would focus more on the grays with a bluish undertone. In my previous house my bedroom was north facing and there were quite a few trees. I painted it BM Coventry Gray and loved it! Because it was quite shady the color read quite dark so you might want to go with it 50% lighter. It reads very definitely blue/gray in a north facing room. The 2 colors that I think you would love are SW Light French Gray and BM Stonington Gray. They are both very much grays, which a slight hint of blue undertone which keeps them cool. One last suggestion is SW Storm Cloud which is very dark so you would want to go at least 75% lighter but it is such a stunning color, I have it in my dining room and study, both of which face North. Have fun! Jen
I have a south facing house. what do you think about Stonington gray for the exterior? I love it in my bedroom and want a soft look for the outside. with white shutters and door. Im also looking at gray owl, silver satin and gray cloud. what do you think? thank you!
Author
I’m just a little jealous 🙂 Your home is going to look so stunning!! I personally LOVE Stonington Gray, it is a beautiful neutral gray with no crazy undertones and is so lovely with white trim. I painted my son’s bedroom this color and it’s so gorgeous. Gray Owl has a slightly green undertone to my eye, so you may want to look out for that. Silver Satin and Gray Cloud are very gray, so there isn’t a real depth to them but that is just my opinion. Your house is going to look beautiful, have fun choosing your colors, and enjoy the new refresh. Jen
I am trying to figure out a good greige or taupe color for a north facing home w/ a rustic red brick and more of a creamy greige mortar. Do you have any recommendations on what would look best with a rustic brick? Thank you
Author
Hi, I love red brick houses! One of the best creamiest, neutral greiges is Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth. It has a rich depth to it that I love. It is quite dark, so you might want to get some samples at 50% and 75% to see if you like it slightly lighter. Some advice about buying paint though, Home Depot carry Benjamin Moore paint whilst Lowes is Sherwin Williams. Just be careful about “mixing” the two stores, you can get BM at Lowes and SW at Home Depot but just know that their online catalogs may not have the same paint formulas and also they are mixing it in different base paints. So buy the paint from the same place as you got the samples, that way you know it is correct (trust me, I’ve made this mistake before). I used to live in the UK and they had a lot of dark red brick houses and I loved their color combo of creamy trim and Duck Egg blue shutters so I thought I would let you know that combo too as it’s very European. SW Creamy and SW Dutch Tile Blue are a perfect match if you want to go for this look. Enjoy your home and the paint experience, you will do great! Jen
I love Agreeable Gray, but the rooms I want to use it in – kitchen/dining area, living room, master bedroom – are all NW exposure. The windows in the rooms are large, but I have a shaded yard. I’ve got samples on the walls, but really feel like I won’t know how AG will behave until the rooms are completely painted. I want a warm neutral, but am worried I’m going to end up too cool due to the lighting. Any thoughts or advice?
Author
I love Agreeable Gray too but with North facing light it is going to change so much. It really does read cooler and takes on much more of a “blue” undertone (which I know is so strange because when you see it in the pot you can’t even imagine it going that color). To really test it I recommend getting the biggest piece of white cardboard and paint it only to ONE edge. On the other 3 edges leave at least an inch white. Then pin it up against the ceiling (and it will give you a much better idea of how it is going to work against the ceiling and then the white edges won’t pick up any of the other colors currently on the wall). My favorite warm color is Edgecomb Gray by BM. For me it really is the most perfect, neutral color. It is quite light so you could even try it 50% darker, just be sure to get the paint from the same store every time and in the same base. I do also love BM Revere Pewter which does have a greenish undertone but in a north-facing room will read more neutral. I also absolutely love SW Functional Gray which has a definite brown undertone which can be a little scary but it is a very warm gray. You can cut it 50% to go lighter, I think it’s so versatile. I have it in my current home, and it pairs well with BM Revere Pewter and SW Storm Cloud. It doesn’t pick up any undertones which is great. Good luck! It’s going to look wonderful when you are done. Jen
Hello –
We recently purchased a house with BM revere pewter on the walls. We love the color! This room has a lot of light all the time due to the 2 story wall of windows. He tore up the flooring and pulled out the kitchen cabinets, so we are starting from scratch in this open family room/kitchen combo. I am struggling with what color Luxury vinyl plank flooring and color kitchen cabinets to put in… any suggestions to match the BM revere pewter paint?
Author
What an exciting project! I love that the Revere Pewter is working out for you, I am about to paint all my common areas in Revere, it really is the best color! In terms of luxury plank, I would caution you against anything too dark. I have seen so many homes where literally every footprint, dog hair, etc shows up. In contrast, I think the light gray plank is a “fad” and is not going to age well. To my eye RP has a very, very slight green undertone to it and for that reason, I really love the natural-looking oak vinyl plank, for example, the “Fresh Oak” at Home Depot. In terms of the cabinets, you can’t go wrong with Edgecomb Gray which is adjacent to RP on the BM color chip. It is very light but definitely not white. The other color, which I think is stunning but it depends if you like a deeper color is the new BM Color of the Year which is Aegean Teal (possibly for an island or lower cabinets). Have fun picking it all out, have faith in your decisions, it’s going to look incredible!!
Wow, so glad I came across your blog. We are painting the kitchen cabinets to go along with Repose Gray walls (this is the wall color throughout the house). I was aiming for a “soft putty” color for the cabinets, but finding the perfect shade was easier said than done. We have gone from SW Natural Cream to Edgecomb gray, which is the color we finally decided on. I can’t believe it’s been so hard to find the perfect color! The kitchen is in a north/east corner of the house. Final decision today; hope we made the right one.
Marilyn
Author
Hi Marilyn, I LOVE your color choice, possibly two of my most favorite colors and you really can’t go wrong with them at all! It is going to look absolutely stunning!! Thanks so much for reaching out and I am so glad you love the blog, take care, Jen
Hi Jen! We currently have Neutral Ground Trim, Doors, Crown Molding, etc.. Our LR and Kitchen cabinets are Canvas Tan (Along with our ceiling I believe). Our Open concept LR/Kitchen is North East facing in the morning and South West in the evening. We have some shadowing and darkening as you would expect from the NE exposure. Is there a wall color you would recommend? We have neutral (mostly beige) large tile on the floor. My granite is neutral tan, with some brown. We considered so many colors, and thought maybe Natural Tan or even Canvas tan on the walls. Would Edgecomb Grey work as well or is there another perfect color you would recommend? We live in a coastal area near the beach, so don’t want to go too dark. Right now we have Camel Back/SW which is very golden. 🙂
Author
Hi Julie, your color scheme sounds lovely and warm. I would definitely go lighter on the walls but I don’t think Edgecomb Grey would work. I would stick to a more creamy, light color like SW Swiss Coffee or SW Natural Linen. I hope this helps! Take care, Jen