Home Color Palettes & Paint Designers' Favorite Coastal Paint Colors for Beach Houses By Marisa Spyker Marisa Spyker Marisa Spyker is the Senior Writer at Southern Living, where she enjoys dabbling in stories throughout the magazine, from gorgeous home features to profiles of the South's creatives. Prior to joining the team in 2019, Marisa was an editor at Coastal Living, coastalliving.com, and Luxe Interiors + Design. Her career spans nearly 15 years, much of which has been spent staring at photos of pretty homes and gleaning inspiration for her next beach vacation.While born and raised in South Florida and a proud University of Florida alum (Go Gators!), she currently lives with her husband and two daughters in Santa Cruz, California. She can often be found schooling West Coasters on the joys of Southern charm and Key Lime Pie. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on July 1, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy of manufacturers We asked the experts to spill on the shades they can't get enough of in beach homes. Here are their pro-approved trending paint hues. 01 of 09 Andrew Howard Courtesy of manufacturer Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore"My favorite coastal paint color is still an off white. There is nothing that works better in coastal houses than white wood on the walls, and as much as we have an aversion to shiplap from seeing it everywhere, you can still do no wrong with white shiplap, tongue and groove, or board and batten inside a coastal home." – Designer Andrew Howard 02 of 09 Mally Skok Courtesy of manufacturer Pale Powder, Farrow & Ball"My go-to color for beach houses—a color that can travel all the way from the front hall through the living room, dining room, and into the kitchen—is Pale Powder from Farrow and Ball. It is a wash of greeny-blue that reminds me of an early summer sunrise, that colour just above the pink in the sky where the morning sun is rising. It never intrudes or fights with any other colors in the rest of the scheme and looks stunning against detailed white painted woodwork." – Designer Mally Skok 03 of 09 Meg Braff Courtesy of manufacturer Paradise Peach, Benjamin Moore"Many times when designing coastal homes I skew towards a palette in shades of blue and green; recently I've been drawn to warmer tones. In fact, I just designed a bedroom for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, Palm Beach, in shades of apricot, coral and yellow. I actually designed the room before Pantone's 2019 color of the year was announced, but I must to say, I am fully on board with their selection of Living Coral! Warm coral tones are a great choice for coastal homes—they are vibrant and high energy, and instantly prime your mind for happiness and fun." – Designer Meg Braff 04 of 09 Jade Joyner Courtesy of manufacturer Edgecomb Gray, Benjamin Moore"I am embracing neutral walls in pretty hues that allow me to add in more modern forms and natural earthy elements. For paint, I love Edgecomb Grey by Benjamin Moore as it adds just enough warmth without turning the room into a gray space." – Designer Jade Joyner 05 of 09 Cathy Austin manufacturer Rapture Blue, Sherwin-Williams"We are using this color as a glass tile backsplash for a kitchen in a home on the Gulf of Mexico that mimics the color of the water. We're incorporating the hue with vibrant colors pulled from the contemporary artwork that include pops of chartreuse, fuchsia, and a deeper peacock blue all set against a white backdrop with modern furnishings." – Designer Cathy Austin 06 of 09 Tim Clarke Courtesy of manufacturer Alabaster, Dunn-Edwards"I am really in to chalky matte earthy colors as a warm backdrop for brighter upholstery hues. Think terra cotta, caramel, and clay." – Designer Tim Clarke 07 of 09 Cortney Bishop Courtesy of manufacturer Churlish Green, Farrow & Ball"This color is fun, punchy, crisp and youthful. We're planning to use it on kitchen cabinetry in an upcoming beach house project -- due out later this year!" – Designer Cortney Bishop 08 of 09 Jade Joyner Courtesy of manufacturer Love & Happiness, Benjamin Moore"For something totally unexpected in a beach house, I like Love & Happiness by Benjamin Moore--and not just because of the name. It's a soft pink that looks amazing with pops of color." – Designer Jade Joyner 09 of 09 Erika Powell Courtesy of manufacturer Fowler Pink, Farrow & Ball"I'm doing a little remodel in Islamorada right now and plan to paint the kitchen cabinets a dusty coral. Front-runner paint color is Farrow & Ball's Fowler Pink." – Designer Erika Powell Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit