How often have you sampled a paint color and it’s so close to what you want but not quite exact and there are no other color options that will work? It actually happens almost daily for me in my design/color consulting business and today I wanted to share some super easy tricks that I use for creating a custom paint color mix and what you can do to easily tweak a color that’s too warm, too cool, etc… If you know these super easy tricks, you will quickly see that a whole new world of color options open up and you are no longer confined to only the colors on a fan deck.
There are a myriad of times that you may run across needing a custom paint color. The most common time that I find myself needing a custom color is when a client wants a cabinetry/interior door/accent wall color that will bring the contrast to a space, while at the same time complementing/blending with the wall color. There is only one way to guarantee that a contrasting color will blend with the wall color and that’s by having a portion of the wall color mixed with the contrasting color.
I recently worked with my friend Julie to help her customize some contrasting paint colors for her gorgeous new modern farmhouse that is currently being built. Julie has done such a fantastic job with the home and it’s so fun to watch it all come together. I’m so happy for her that it’s finally in the homestretch.
Julie’s wall color in her main great room is Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice, which is a stunning light warm gray.
Julie was looking for the perfect contrasting color for her kitchen pantry door that would also compliment her wall color. She loved Sherwin Williams Stardew but the color was too blue and too intense for the space, so I recommended that she mix 50% Stardew with 50% of her wall color (SW Crushed Ice) because not only would the light warm gray Crushed Ice take the edge off of the intenseness of the blue, but the color mix would guarantee that the color would compliment the space and her wall color. The color combination and mix turned out so beautiful!
This color mix turned out to be the perfect light blue/gray. While Julie plans to paint her front door black, the painters used the custom paint mix to prime her door and I really fell in love with this color on the exterior as well.
The porch ceiling below is full strength Sherwin Williams Stardew.
Isn’t that the dreamiest color?
This is what this color mix looked like on the backside of the door inside the home.
After Julie saw her pantry door and loved the color, she asked me about the possibility of going darker with the same color. I recommended that she simply go down one shade of Crushed Ice (SW On the Rocks) and down two shades of Stardew (SW Blustery Sky) and have the guys at Sherwin Williams do a 50/50 mix of the two colors and paint a sample of the custom color mix and see if we like it.
We didn’t just like the color, we LOVED it!! See below:
Once Julie saw the paint sample, she decided to take the leap and paint the beautiful rich dark blue gray on her kitchen island. It turned out so amazing mixed with her beautiful quartz countertops.
Isn’t the color incredible?!! We were so excited to see that the color turned out even better than we envisioned and it was exactly what her kitchen needed. This color mix was guaranteed to compliment her wall color in the space because her wall color base was in the custom mix.
If you want to diffuse the intenseness of a color (take the edge off) and you don’t want to mix with your wall color, have the color diluted with white or a light warm gray like Repose Gray or even Crushed Ice, which is very similar to Repose. If you just want to diffuse the color a small amount, ask for 25% of white/light warm gray or if you need the color diffused more, ask to have the color mixed 50/50 with either white or a light warm gray.
If a paint color is too warm, ask to see a fan deck or look at paint color cards in the store and find a similar color that is about one hue cooler and do a custom mix with your main color. So if your color is just a tad too warm, ask for a sample of 25% mix with the cooler color and if you need more cooling, ask for a 50/50 mix. You would do the same thing if your color is too cool. Just find a very similar color that is about one hue warmer. It’s very important to sample the colors first just in case the color is not what you envision.
You can also do a mix at home by using a plastic disposable storage container and using a plastic spoon. If you have two color samples, mix one spoon of one color with one spoon of another color to do 50/50 of the colors. Stir well and then sample. You can adjust one spoon of one color to two spoons of another color to get a 75/25 mix and so on.
Another color mix trick that I use frequently is to have 25% of a wall color added to Sherwin Williams Ceiling Bright White to get a beautiful complimentary ceiling color to a wall color for my clients who do not want a bright white ceiling color.
So do not feel limited to only the colors on the paint fan deck. If your color is not quite right, try mixing it with another color like your wall color to get the perfect custom color.
Thanks for stopping by today friends!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Nancy says
Cyndy-
That is a great tip !
The house looked beautiful ! Loved the colors …
She must be very excited !
Cherylan says
The color and surface selections in this home are so current to my eye, I see way cool colors.
So this looks like an all cool environment. Some of the wall and trim colors may have a red component to the that we can’t see clearly. Is this home going to stay “cool” , mono cool, are are there warmer pops coming into the mix of finishes or furnishings?
Jan says
I have never thought of doing these mixes! So glad you taught me this. Thanks! Sometimes it is just not quite right, I am thinking your way of mixing alleviates that.
Kathlene says
What color are the cabinets and trim in the kitchen?
Maye says
Please share the nMe of the blue cabinet and the brand
Maggie S says
I love this idea! Sometimes you have an idea, of the color you want, in your head and can’t find it!! I especially like the idea of mixing 25% of the wall color into the ceiling paint!!
Jenn says
Hi Cyndi!
What finish did you use on the island and doors? Matte? Eggshell?
Thank you!
Julie says
I just found this post and saw it in the nick of time as I’m trying to pick colors for my bedroom and newly renovated master bath. This is such a great suggestion and I think it’s going to save me a lot of time and anxiety! Thank you!
Kristin P says
Curious what quartz this is. It is gorgeous!
Lynn says
Do you happen to know which quartz this is?
Rob says
When you say 50/50 mix do mean 1 quart of each color or 50% of each paint code into the mix
Roberta says
Love the mixing of paints ! I do it alot and when people ask i have to tell them that i mixed a few colours together ! Lol i love the idea of yours for the ceiling colours ! Thanks for the hints ! Roberta 😊
Connie says
This is genius! And gorgeous! Do you know trim color? Any photos of completed home?
Elizabeth Sharpe says
I love the color of the island, beautiful! Did you use matte finish for the island? I’m also wondering if you have any finished pictures of the kitchen and what quartz the island is? Thank you so much!!
Diane Schneider says
Your colors are beautiful. Just beginning my renovation and this is going to be my inspiration kitchen! If possible, could you please lmk the quartz countertop and what you used as the backsplash? I will do the same with the perimeter cabinets in a soft white. Thank you!
Lezlie Moore says
What color mix combination did you use for the island?
Meridith Monk says
What color formula did you create for the island?
Cindy says
I would love to know what quartz countertop this is as well. Thanks!
Cindy Skelton says
Hi Cyndi
I went with the SW Crushed Ice on my kitchen walls and it is perfect with my blue and white cabinets.
Can you please tell me which quartz counter top this is?
Thank you.
Susan Aimes says
Love Stardew. We’ve used it on an accent wall. The rest of the open concept is Alabaster which is too white for me. I feel like I’m back in apartment living. I’m not sure what to pair with Stardew though. I’m going to look hard at Crushed Ice. I’ve just read it can have some weird undertones.. I also love the mix of Stardew and Crushed Ice. Beautiful! I hope my SW will mix that for me.