There is a fine line between off-white and pale gray. While off-white tones can lean gray, they can also be pushed towards yellow with a little coaxing.
If you’re looking for a color to put on all of your walls that will still give you some flexibility, Behr has some terrific offerings.
It can be problematic to think of any color as “neutral”. With enough contrast, any color can be pushed out of balance to display a particular attribute of the pigment blend.
The amount of daylight your space receives can contribute, as can surfaces that take up a lot of real estate.
Invest in a couple of large canvases and paint yourself a sample of your intended color before you put in the effort to cover your walls.
Once it’s dry, lean it against your sofa. Lay it on the floor. Make sure you know what your chosen color will do in the space.
Silver Drop
Silver Drop by Behr is part of their white collection. It is on the warm side, having a high percentage of red. It also has a high percentage of green and enough blue to give it a smoky touch.
If you’re in the process of moving into a new house and want a single neutral for all your walls and ceilings, this color can be a good choice.
You can enhance the warm qualities of this color by pairing it with brown, rust, or warm tan.
You can also push this color by pairing it with primary or bold shades. If you have this on the walls of a nursery or a child’s room, add a royal blue bedspread or a bright green play rug and your walls will lean towards yellow.
Pastels will also pair nicely with Silver Drop, particularly pale shades of mint green, sky blue and aqua.
Be prepared for the yellow to stand out a bit if you plan to play with sheens.
For example, if you want to use a mildew-resistant semi-gloss in the bath or kitchen, keep an eye on your other colors.
Bright white cabinets and appliances will push this color towards yellow, while warm brown cabinetry will bring out the creaminess of this color.
Yellow is an energizing color. If you have a craft room or an office where you do a lot of creative work, draw out the yellow by pairing this shade with bright white trim and shelving.
Closet doors and baseboard trim can be a great place to add just a touch of contrast. Because bright white contains a blue tint, Silver Drop can be encouraged to give up a bit of energizing yellow with such contrast.
Do be aware that this color is light enough to go chalky as the light fades. If you need a very dark sleeping space, this color is probably not going to work in your bedroom.
If you already are planning to use Silver Drop on your trim and ceilings, a rich shade of teal such as Deep Breath would be an ideal way to reinforce the off-white calm of Silver Drop.
Use muted metals against Silver Drop. Rubbed bronze and flat wrought iron black would be good choices for kitchen hardware.
Dull brass tones would also pair well with this muted off-white color. Bright copper or polished brass could leave your Silver Drop paint choice looking dirty and tired.
RGB: 220, 216, 207
HEX Code #DCD8CF
Paint Color Samples
Would you like to sample Silver Drop paint color? I recommend using a peel and stick paint sample from SAMPLIZE. Peel and stick paint samples are very affordable and easy to use. They are also clean and environmentally friendly!
Advantages of using peel and stick paint samples:
- EASY TO USE: Simply move your SAMPLIZE paint sample around the room to test under a variety of lighting conditions.
- AFFORDABLE: Budget-friendly solution and no more buying inaccurate swatches, rollers, wasted paint.
- SUPER FAST DELIVERY: Depending on your location, 1 day delivery is possible.
- ORDER FROM HOME: Save a trip to the store looking for samples.
- NO MESS: SAMPLIZE uses real paint samples with zero-mess
- NO WASTE: No leftover cans or wasted paint.
Visit SAMPLIZE store here to see all the available colors.
Dolphin Fin
While Behr’s Dolphin Fin is in the gray family, it’s neither boring nor bland. It also is slightly on the warm side and will hold color against bolder shades.
Dolphin Fin has enough “oomph” to stand up against clearer blended colors in the green and purple family.
Cherry red would likely overwhelm it, but Medieval Wine from the purple family would be a terrific accent color against this gray.
Kelly Green would leave Dolphin Fin looking tired and dirty, but Secluded Woods would allow both colors to be shown off to their fullest benefit.
Because Dolphin Fin is fairly saturated, it may be too dark for your ceilings and trim. You can enjoy the velvety saturation of Dolphin Fin with a paler color on ceiling and trim, such as Nano White.
Avoid bright white tones. The warmth of Dolphin Fin will turn muddy if you pair it with a blue-tinted white.
The smoky, velvety quality of Dolphin Fin can be further extended by playing with textures. If you’ve been thinking of adding sand to any paint color, Dolphin Fin would be an ideal choice.
This color will throw a lovely shadow tone. With a sand texture in your paint blend, you may be able to enjoy this color in your sleeping and resting areas.
Pairing a light gray with a darker gray can be a tricky business. Because Dolphin Fin is so warm, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up with one shade of gray that reads blue if you try to go darker.
Instead, choose a darker gray that leans toward brown.
Shadow Mountain is a beautifully balanced, deep gray that could serve as an elegant accent against Dolphin Fin.
If you need a very dark sleeping space, consider putting Shadow Mountain on a few walls and Dolphin Fin on the others as well as your ceiling.
Because these colors are so stable and balanced, you can easily put bright bedding and curtains to work if you prefer.
Wood tones with a lot of red may leave Dolphin Fin looking muddy or tired. Consider adding an accent wall in the green or blue family and place your maple piano or oak bookcases against it.
Many wood finishes warm over time. Older wooden furniture that has been varnished may read orange against Dolphin Fin.
With an accent shade such as Sophisticated Teal on the wall behind those warm tones, the orange tones will settle down and simply read rich and warm.
As you consider blends to pair with Dolphin Fin, take care to avoid yellow tones. Rich greens that have a hint of blue will make this gray glow.
Greens with too much yellow will leave both colors looking a bit sallow. Because gray tones are so tricky, it is critical that you study your color sample in all lights.
If you’re never home during the day, the function of sunlight on your gray walls may not matter a great deal, but schedules can change.
If your family room looks tired or dull, it could be that Dolphin Fin is getting too much sun. A space with a great deal of yellow light may muddy this paint color.
RGB: 203, 201, 194
HEX Code: #CBC9C2
