Top 10 Paint Colors That Make Every Room Look Expensive

A deep, saturated teal-blue that makes any room feel like a members-only library in Mayfair. Hague Blue is the color designers reach for when a client says "I want something dramatic but not scary." The depth absorbs light in a way that makes crown molding pop and bookshelves disappear. It works in bedrooms, dining rooms, front doors, and bathroom vanities. At $115 per gallon, Farrow & Ball charges luxury prices — but the 40% higher pigment concentration means the color truly is different.

Sherwin-Williams' 2016 Color of the Year earned that title and then kept earning it — Alabaster remains one of the most-used whites in residential construction. It's a soft, organic white with barely-there warm undertones that works in literally any lighting condition. North-facing room? Still warm. South-facing with blinding sun? Still soft. Designers love it because they never have to worry about it clashing with anything. It's the diplomatic white — gets along with everyone.

If White Dove is the warm designer white, Simply White is the bright designer white. It has just enough warmth to avoid looking blue-cold under LED lighting, but it's clean and crisp enough for modern, contemporary spaces. Benjamin Moore named it their 2016 Color of the Year, and it's been the default spec for kitchen cabinets, trim, and ceilings ever since. The trick: it pairs perfectly with White Dove on walls — Simply White on trim, White Dove on walls creates subtle dimension without visible contrast.

Not quite black, not quite navy — Railings is the dark neutral that designers use when they want drama without the cave-like flatness of pure black. In daylight, it reads as a very deep blue-black. In evening light, it's almost pure black. This chameleon quality makes it the most versatile dark paint on the market. It's named after the ironwork railings outside Georgian townhouses and looks exceptional on front doors, kitchen islands, built-in cabinetry, and accent walls.

The best-selling paint color in North America, and for good reason — Agreeable Gray is a warm greige (gray-beige) that makes real estate agents weep with joy and designers grudgingly respect. It's the perfect "I don't know what color to paint" color because it genuinely works everywhere. The warm undertone prevents the cold, depressing feel of true grays. Home stagers use it as a default because it photographs well and appeals to every buyer demographic. It's not exciting, but it's never wrong.

The warm gray that started the greige revolution. Revere Pewter has a light, muddy warmth that makes open-concept spaces feel cohesive — it transitions from kitchen to living room to hallway without looking different under changing light conditions. It was the color of the late 2010s house-flipping boom, and while trend-chasers moved on, designers kept specifying it because the undertones are genuinely balanced. It plays nicely with both warm and cool accent colors, which almost no other neutral can claim.

A sophisticated mid-tone gray with the slightest lilac undertone that prevents it from going flat or cold. Pavilion Gray reads differently in every room — moody in a north-facing bedroom, airy in a sun-drenched living room — which is exactly why high-end designers love it. It's refined enough for a period home and modern enough for a new build. Named after the original Brighton Pavilion, it carries an inherently architectural quality that makes walls feel deliberate rather than just painted.

When designers want a true, no-undertone black, Tricorn Black is the default specification. It's the blackest black in Sherwin-Williams' lineup without venturing into the "novelty" territory of ultra-blacks. It reads clean and decisive on front doors, window frames, fireplace surrounds, and bathroom tile. The trend of black-painted interiors — from moody bedrooms to dramatic dining rooms — lives and dies on the right black, and Tricorn Black is it. No green, no blue, no purple — just black.

The whitest white in the Benjamin Moore collection — and the one designers reach for when they want walls, trim, and ceilings to match in a crisp, modern, monochromatic scheme. Chantilly Lace has virtually no undertone, which makes it the only white that doesn't shift color dramatically between rooms. It's the architectural white: clean enough for gallery walls, bright enough for small bathrooms, and consistent enough for whole-house application. When in doubt about which white, this is the safe answer.

A deep, saturated teal-blue that makes any room feel like a members-only library in Mayfair. Hague Blue is the color designers reach for when a client says "I want something dramatic but not scary." The depth absorbs light in a way that makes crown molding pop and bookshelves disappear. It works in bedrooms, dining rooms, front doors, and bathroom vanities. At $115 per gallon, Farrow & Ball charges luxury prices — but the 40% higher pigment concentration means the color truly is different.

Sherwin-Williams' 2016 Color of the Year earned that title and then kept earning it — Alabaster remains one of the most-used whites in residential construction. It's a soft, organic white with barely-there warm undertones that works in literally any lighting condition. North-facing room? Still warm. South-facing with blinding sun? Still soft. Designers love it because they never have to worry about it clashing with anything. It's the diplomatic white — gets along with everyone.

If White Dove is the warm designer white, Simply White is the bright designer white. It has just enough warmth to avoid looking blue-cold under LED lighting, but it's clean and crisp enough for modern, contemporary spaces. Benjamin Moore named it their 2016 Color of the Year, and it's been the default spec for kitchen cabinets, trim, and ceilings ever since. The trick: it pairs perfectly with White Dove on walls — Simply White on trim, White Dove on walls creates subtle dimension without visible contrast.

Not quite black, not quite navy — Railings is the dark neutral that designers use when they want drama without the cave-like flatness of pure black. In daylight, it reads as a very deep blue-black. In evening light, it's almost pure black. This chameleon quality makes it the most versatile dark paint on the market. It's named after the ironwork railings outside Georgian townhouses and looks exceptional on front doors, kitchen islands, built-in cabinetry, and accent walls.

The best-selling paint color in North America, and for good reason — Agreeable Gray is a warm greige (gray-beige) that makes real estate agents weep with joy and designers grudgingly respect. It's the perfect "I don't know what color to paint" color because it genuinely works everywhere. The warm undertone prevents the cold, depressing feel of true grays. Home stagers use it as a default because it photographs well and appeals to every buyer demographic. It's not exciting, but it's never wrong.

The warm gray that started the greige revolution. Revere Pewter has a light, muddy warmth that makes open-concept spaces feel cohesive — it transitions from kitchen to living room to hallway without looking different under changing light conditions. It was the color of the late 2010s house-flipping boom, and while trend-chasers moved on, designers kept specifying it because the undertones are genuinely balanced. It plays nicely with both warm and cool accent colors, which almost no other neutral can claim.

A sophisticated mid-tone gray with the slightest lilac undertone that prevents it from going flat or cold. Pavilion Gray reads differently in every room — moody in a north-facing bedroom, airy in a sun-drenched living room — which is exactly why high-end designers love it. It's refined enough for a period home and modern enough for a new build. Named after the original Brighton Pavilion, it carries an inherently architectural quality that makes walls feel deliberate rather than just painted.

When designers want a true, no-undertone black, Tricorn Black is the default specification. It's the blackest black in Sherwin-Williams' lineup without venturing into the "novelty" territory of ultra-blacks. It reads clean and decisive on front doors, window frames, fireplace surrounds, and bathroom tile. The trend of black-painted interiors — from moody bedrooms to dramatic dining rooms — lives and dies on the right black, and Tricorn Black is it. No green, no blue, no purple — just black.

The whitest white in the Benjamin Moore collection — and the one designers reach for when they want walls, trim, and ceilings to match in a crisp, modern, monochromatic scheme. Chantilly Lace has virtually no undertone, which makes it the only white that doesn't shift color dramatically between rooms. It's the architectural white: clean enough for gallery walls, bright enough for small bathrooms, and consistent enough for whole-house application. When in doubt about which white, this is the safe answer.