Interior Paint Colors for the Timber Frame Home – Part 1

Choosing paint colors for the interior of a timber frame home is pretty much like choosing interior colors for any home. However, because you have those beautiful beams, you’ll want to show them off in their best light. Taking that into consideration, the following are recommendations for a number of colors I believe are never fail when it comes to accentuating the architectural structure of a post & beam.

Here’s a hint for those of you who are color phobic: paint your entryway a dynamic color such as DKC-17 (Etruscan red) from Donald Kaufman Color Collection or Benjamin Moore’s TUSCAN RED (a brick red color) or SPICED PUMPKIN (a deep, rusty orange). If you’re not into reds/oranges, go with a color you’ve always loved but have been hesitant to use because you feel it’s too overwhelming. Hallways are dead spaces; by painting them with a great color, your once unnoticed space becomes a real show stopper!

This entryway is painted in Benjamin Moore's Spiced Pumpkin.

In a living room or great room, I go for depth and enveloping warmth. By using an autumn palette such as brown, beige and gold neutrals with a splash of coral (in accessories such as rugs, pillows and flowers), you’ll feel instantly surrounded in comfort every time you enter. Use a color such as BISCUIT by Farrow & Ball or Camel Back 1103 by Benjamin Moore as your starting point.

Another option for the living room is to use what’s known as an unexpected neutral, such as BUTTERCREAM by Full Spectrum Paints or C2’s CHAI. Both of these colors fit into the pale yellow spectrum and will sooth while looking great with rich, dark woods, blues and greens. Actually, there’s not a color I can think of that won’t work with these!

These two pictures show a great room painted in Chai by C2.

People tend to gravitate toward white for a kitchen. All well and good but if you’re up for a bit of color while maintaining a neutral integrity, try a combination of khaki and celadon. Each color is softly beautiful and adds warmth but does not dictate a strict palette for other colors you may choose – you can put anything with them. I suggest STRING 8 (khaki) by Farrow & Ball for the cabinetry with GREEN GROUND 206 (celadon), also by Farrow & Ball, for the walls. It looks spectacular with the warm color of the beams.

Another option is to go deeper and richer while still maintaining color neutrality. For this choice I recommend painting your cabinets in Pratt & Lambert’s FLINT 32-20. This is a great choice if you have lighter wood tones in your kitchen, such as a butcher block table or island, as this color really makes them pop!

This kitchen's cabinets are painted in Pratt & Lambert's Flint.

Be sure to check back as I’ll be making my recommendations for the bath, bedrooms and more in my next post. See you soon!