Best neutral

[Goosethemoose]

I’m looking for one or two neutrals to use throughout a Victorian house, so potentially colours with a “period” sort of vibe.

For ease I want to use the same colour in all the bedrooms and in the hallway. The rooms are either NE or SW facing and the hallway is quite dark. Preferably not grey as it’s on the way out… Has anyone got any neutrals they really love?

White, there is a huge range, from crispy to warmer tones.

Timeless.

Little Greene has an enormous range of whites. And other neutrals. And the darker tones that complement them.
Silent White comes in various tones.
www.littlegreene.com/silent-white

Dulux, Timeless. It's a creamy colour but not like magnolia, perfect for halls, stairs and landings.

I have had James White on my cottage walls all throughout the upstairs for 15 years. I absolutely love it. I would say it has a slightly green undertone to it. In other houses I have used Dulux nude glow which is sort of pinky and looked lovely in an Edwardian place that I did. Quite warm and feminine. Do you know what other colours you want to use? If you are going totally neutral I would look at all the F&B whites. They will tell you what the base is, get some samples and paint some largish patches in different areas so you can see what the light does to them.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I don’t know what other colours we’ll use - our two sons’ bedrooms will possibly use teal/navy tones, and the headboard in the master is a sort of light grey. Nothing else set in stone yet.

I don’t like plain white, I want a very gentle wash of colour. I really like Crown’s Smoked Oyster from their period collection but it’s quite lilac-y, I worry we’ll get bored of it within a few years. I don’t like brown, or magnolia. I guess I’m looking for a sort of cream… but then if the carpets are going to be cream it might all be a bit bland?

Try Stone from Paintand Paper Library. Different depths too so can mix it up a bit. We have Stone 4 in our sitting room and everyone comments on what a beautiful colour it is. Also good at pulling different colours together.

We’ve had Timeless and it’s very safe but boring. Creamy if you like a warm white.

I really like Crown’s Smoked Oyster from their period collection but it’s quite lilac-y, I worry we’ll get bored of it within a few years

But any pale colour will need a refresh after a few years anyway

Yeah, I worry the whole thing will be a bit boring tbh! My husband likes off-white, I swear he finds magnolia a bit intense(!). Maybe I should aim for a very very pale blue instead? I worry creams will look dirty in a dark hallway and I don’t like gray. Hmm.

A lot of the F&B “whites” are not really white at all and are more like pale greiges. If you have a poke about on their website there is a section which puts them in groups according to their undertones. Neutrals with yellow/red undertones work best in N facing rooms.

I would also look at Paint & Paper Library which has loads of neutrals and their “Architectural” range has the same colour in lots of depths so you can choose how pale or dark you want to go, and you can also see the undertones by looking at the darker versions. I really like their Slate range, it’s a stone colour, not cream not grey not brown but just a warmish neutral.

Pointing by F&B is a lovely colour for everywhere IMO but it is on the creamy side.

Thanks, some great tips! I’ll take a look. It’s hard to tell via a screen as well, I think I need to get some testers on the walls and go from there…

Farrow and ball - dmity
It is a lovely warm white with a pinkish tone.
We have loads of it in our Victorian house, very versatile and pretty

F&B Shadow White, not white at all, perfect greigey/putty colour to me. I have it in our dark hallway and stairs and it's fab.

Egyptian Cotton.