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Architectural Digest’s “27 Underrated Paint Colors to Add to Your Rotation” presents designer-favorite alternatives to default neutrals, from blue-black Railings 31 to lively Cooking Apple Green. The article says AD PRO consulted 26 experts, but the supplied descriptions name 26 individual shades rather than 27; this guide identifies that counting discrepancy instead of inventing a missing color. The recommendations are professional opinions, not a measured ranking of the least-used paints. Read the original feature for the full interviews at Architectural Digest.
What “underrated” means here
These colors are not proven to be the rarest paints on the market. Sarah Lyon’s April 3, 2024 Architectural Digest feature asked designers which under-the-radar hues they wished homeowners would use more often. Twenty-six experts contributed, and the headline rounded the recommendation count to 27. In the shade descriptions available for this guide, 26 named colors are documented. The useful takeaway is the design thinking behind them: undertone, changing light, surface, and intended mood matter more than a popularity score.
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Several designers describe a single color shifting dramatically between daylight and electric light. A color that appears blue at noon may look nearly black at night; a “neutral” may reveal green, lavender, or yellow undertones on a large wall. Treat every description below as the recommending designer’s observation, not a guarantee for every room. Homes & Gardens likewise reports that designers are gravitating toward rich, deep, earthy colors and often tempering bold hues with muted versions or using them in smaller accents (Homes & Gardens, November 6, 2023).
The 26 documented shades at a glance
| Color family | Named shades | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Railings 31; Black Iron | 2 |
| Gray | Kendall Charcoal; Cavernous; Argos; Classic Gray | 4 |
| White | Pure White; Super White; Cloud Cover; Pointing; Templa White | 5 |
| Yellow | Babouche; American Cheese; Nacho Cheese; Mayonnaise; French Quarter Gold | 5 |
| Green | Jasper; Cooking Apple Green; Pale Powder | 3 |
| Purple | Brassica; Brinjal | 2 |
| Brown | Mahogany No. 36 | 1 |
| Blue | Bluebird Feather; Abysse | 2 |
| Pink | Pebble Stone; Dead Salmon; Sulking Room Pink | 3 |
| Total named shades | 26 |
The yellow row contains five shades because American Cheese and Nacho Cheese are separate recommendations. The total remains 26, even though the source headline says 27.
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Black: dramatic without defaulting to pure black
Farrow & Ball Railings 31
Jennifer Hunter describes Railings 31 as a shade that can read blue or black as the day changes. Her memorable comparison is to the “Instagram dress” debate: “Is this blue or is this black?” She likes the color in full gloss on a front door, where changing daylight and reflected surroundings make the shift especially visible. Test it on the actual door because a shaded entrance may show more blue than a sunlit elevation.
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Charli Hendler calls Black Iron a softer “non-black black.” Her applications include color-dipped rooms, doors, trim, millwork, and furniture. The softer character can help a room feel enveloped rather than stark, while a full-room treatment gives the architectural details one continuous field. Use a sample on the intended sheen: a glossy cabinet and a matte wall will reflect light differently.
Gray: depth, contrast, and shifting undertones
Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal
Kendall Charcoal is a rich, moody gray with earthy blue and green undertones. The designer recommendation favors cabinetry and pairings with organic materials, where the undertones can sit comfortably beside timber, stone, and woven textures. Check it against the specific wood species in your room; warm and cool materials can pull the gray in different directions.
Dunn-Edwards Cavernous
Kate Lester uses Cavernous, a deep charcoal, to heighten contrast. In her description, nearby whites appear whiter and woods warmer. That effect depends on the surrounding finishes, so place the color card beside your trim and flooring rather than judging it against a white computer screen.
Sherwin-Williams Argos
Arianne Bellizaire describes Argos as a chameleon that may read green, blue, or pale gray. Photograph or view a painted sample in morning, afternoon, and evening light before committing. Its flexibility can be useful when a room connects to several adjoining spaces, but the undertone should coordinate with fixed tile and countertops.
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Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Libby Rawes recommends Classic Gray as a versatile choice for historic details and bright new builds. It can provide a quiet backdrop without forcing an old-fashioned or contemporary style. On ornate trim, compare the sample with the existing finish; on a new build, view it beside the brightest white element in the room.
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White: nuanced neutrals instead of one-size-fits-all white
Sherwin-Williams Pure White
Pure White is presented as bright and airy without a sterile effect. It suits rooms where you want lightness but still need the walls to relate to furnishings and natural textures. Check it beside your ceiling white, since two near-whites can make one look noticeably gray or yellow.
Benjamin Moore Super White
Hilary Matt describes Super White as crisp and clean. Its clarity can sharpen modern millwork and graphic details. Because crisp whites amplify contrast, inspect a sample next to dark flooring, metal hardware, and the room’s strongest color before using it throughout.
Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover
Cloud Cover carries a blue-gray nuance while still reading as a neutral white. That cooler cast may calm a room with warm woods or balance colorful furnishings. In north-facing or low-light rooms, compare it at the darkest time of day so the blue-gray quality does not surprise you.
Farrow & Ball Pointing
Sarah Lederman recommends Pointing for trim in Modern Eggshell paired with Estate Emulsion walls. She notes subtle warm red undertones. The specified trim-and-wall pairing is part of the recommendation: changing the sheen or neighboring wall color can alter how those undertones appear.
Farrow & Ball Templa White
Templa White can move from creamy white to buttery yellow with the light. The recommendation focuses on cabinetry and utility rooms, where that warmth can make practical spaces feel considered rather than clinical. Sample it on a cabinet-size board and view it under the room’s installed bulbs.
Yellow: from clear sunshine to sophisticated mustard
Farrow & Ball Babouche
Mally Skok suggests Babouche, a deep sunshine yellow, for hallways, including combinations with black-and-white marble. A passage is a useful place for a saturated color because it can connect rooms without competing with large furniture groupings. Check the marble’s veining in both daylight and artificial light before selecting accompanying whites.
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Benjamin Moore American Cheese and Nacho Cheese
Nadia Watts names American Cheese and Nacho Cheese as warm, cheerful options. They are separate shades, not alternate names for one paint. Compare both on large sample boards; warm yellows can appear stronger when spread over a wall than they do on a small chip.
Benjamin Moore Mayonnaise
Amal Kapen describes Mayonnaise as a subtle yellow that can light up a room without overpowering it. She also notes that it can coordinate with wallpaper grounds. Pull a color from the wallpaper itself rather than relying on a digital image, since printed grounds vary by paper and batch.
Benjamin Moore French Quarter Gold
Garrow Kedigian recommends French Quarter Gold as a cozy, sophisticated mustard yellow. Its depth suits rooms where a pale yellow would feel washed out. Use the intended furnishings and metals as part of the test, because mustard can look greener or browner beside different upholstery and brass tones.
Green: earthy, perky, or nearly neutral
Sherwin-Williams Jasper
Hillary Stamm characterizes Jasper as deep, earthy, and moody. It can establish a grounded backdrop for natural materials and layered textiles. In a dim room, decide whether you want that deliberate cocooning effect; do not assume a dark green will automatically make the space feel smaller.
Farrow & Ball Cooking Apple Green
Becky Nielsen calls Cooking Apple Green perky yet sophisticated and suggests it for living rooms, bedrooms, or kitchens. She pairs it with blue, aqua, yellow, or pink. Test the proposed combination together, since adjacent saturated colors can alter one another’s perceived intensity.
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Anne Hulcher Tollett describes Pale Powder as a blue-green-gray-beige that can function like a neutral. She suggests it for a porch ceiling, where the mixed undertone can bridge exterior materials and sky light. View an outdoor sample at different times, because open shade and direct sun are particularly different conditions.
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Purple: controlled drama in changing light
Farrow & Ball Brassica
Charli Hendler says Brassica can look gray with a lavender overlay in lower light. She recommends it for smaller areas, doors, trim, or an entire room. A small application lets you explore the lavender cast; a full-room treatment makes the shift part of the room’s atmosphere.
Farrow & Ball Brinjal
Clara Jung and Christina Nielsen describe Brinjal as a light-responsive aubergine, plum, or oxblood shade. That range can create a moody, layered effect rather than a flat purple statement. Place the sample near both daylight and the room’s evening light source before choosing fabrics.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Brown: classic comfort with real color
Farrow & Ball Mahogany No. 36
Mark D. Sikes recommends Mahogany No. 36, a chocolate brown associated with classic, cozy interiors. Its depth can support traditional furniture and warmer metals while giving a room more definition than a pale beige. Sample it beside the darkest existing wood so the two browns do not visually merge.
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Blue: playful clarity or a navy-black alternative
Sherwin-Williams Bluebird Feather
Layton Campbell calls Bluebird Feather a playful, pure blue and suggests walls, ceilings, or high-lacquer cabinets with brass or other bright metals. The lacquer-and-metal combination is intentionally energetic. If you use it overhead, test the ceiling separately: reflected color can make the walls appear more blue than the wall sample suggests.
Ressource Paint Abysse
Mikel Welch offers Abysse as a navy alternative to black. Navy can deliver the same visual weight while retaining a blue undertone that responds to daylight. Compare it with the black hardware, window frames, or appliances already in the room to decide whether the distinction will be visible enough.
Pink: warm, dusty, and livable
Benjamin Moore Pebble Stone
Molly Torres Portnof describes Pebble Stone as a dusky rosy taupe that adds warmth and depth. She lists walls, trim, millwork, and ceilings as possible applications. Because the color sits between pink and taupe, check it against both warm and cool textiles before deciding which surfaces should carry it.
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Farrow & Ball Dead Salmon
Kristen Peña characterizes Dead Salmon as a warm brown-beige-pink. The brown and beige components can make pink feel architectural rather than sugary. Use a large sample beside the room’s dominant neutral to see which component leads under your lighting.
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Farrow & Ball Sulking Room Pink
Shaolin Low recommends Sulking Room Pink as warm, subtle, and still alive. It can bring color to a room without becoming the only visual event. Test it next to trim and upholstery, since a cooler white may emphasize its warmth while a cream may soften the contrast.
How to choose one of these shades
1. Identify the room’s light pattern
Note the direction and size of windows, nearby buildings or trees, and the hours when you use the room. Then inspect a sample in morning, afternoon, and evening light. The designers’ descriptions repeatedly emphasize that appearance changes as illumination changes.
2. Check undertones against fixed finishes
Hold the sample beside flooring, counters, tile, upholstery, metal, and the trim that will remain. Look specifically for unexpected blue, green, lavender, yellow, pink, or brown notes. A color that works in isolation can clash with a fixed surface that shares a competing undertone.
3. Match the application to the intended effect
- Small commitment: doors, trim, furniture, and a porch ceiling let you use a strong color without repainting every wall.
- Architectural emphasis: cabinetry and millwork make depth part of the room’s structure.
- Immersive mood: color-dipped rooms and full-room applications create the enveloping effect recommended for several dark or saturated shades.
4. Test sheen as well as color
Gloss, Modern Eggshell, Estate Emulsion, and matte surfaces reflect different amounts of light. Railings 31 on a full-gloss door, for example, will not read like the same pigment on a flat wall. Paint a sample board in the intended finish whenever possible.
5. Use a physical sample, not a screen alone
A color card or painted sample board reveals undertone and value in your own room. Sherwin-Williams currently describes complimentary samples for its Kingdom Gold SW 6698 collection, an example of a manufacturer offering samples; that does not establish sample availability for every shade or brand in this list (Sherwin-Williams). Confirm the specific maker’s current sample options before ordering.
Are dark colors a mistake in a small or dim room?
Not necessarily. The designers quoted here intentionally use deep charcoal, green, purple, brown, blue, and black in doors, cabinetry, trim, and whole rooms. Their examples support treating darkness as a mood choice rather than an automatic error. The result still depends on reflectance, window exposure, ceiling height, furnishings, and the amount of contrast you want. Sample at full scale before deciding.
What this list can—and cannot—tell you
- It can show how working designers deploy less-obvious hues across doors, trim, ceilings, cabinetry, furniture, hallways, and complete rooms.
- It can help you compare desired effects such as airy, warm, earthy, playful, crisp, or cocooning.
- It cannot prove that any shade is objectively underused, trending, best, or suitable for every home.
- It does not provide sales, market-share, search-volume, or independent performance data for the paints.
Choose the shade whose undertone and light behavior fit your fixed finishes and the mood you want, then validate that choice with a real sample in the room.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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