The most perfect tan to me is Sherwin Williams smokey taupe and I say that because there is no yellow, green or pink tinge to it. It's a perfect blend of tan and gray that is striking. Google it and then look at the images. In real life it's so soothing an a perfect backdrop. I love it.

I just painted a bedroom "Smoked Tan" that I got from a neutrals palette off a Behr's brochure at home depot. It is absolutely sophisticated and sexy and modern.

It's a perfect mixed of grey and tan...kinda like the smokey taupe, but more grey.

i believe smokey taupe is a BM paint.

Really, CP? Too yellow? I think your room with the current wall color is understated, subtle and gorgeous! (Love your fireplace and mantel decor!) If anything, I'd go warmer with the wall color, but it sounds like you're thinking "cool neutral."

Sorry, I'm no help, but I see Philadelphia Cream in there, and that's definitely a yellow! It's very warm & has some vibrancy, but is still quite subdued. Your black frames and white trim would look amazing with it.

I tend to like warm paint colors, so I am biased. I wouldn't want to subtract "cozy" & have it feel too cold in there.

Yikes of course it's a BM color, the heat is getting to me.

I love BM Spice Gold!

BM Stone House is one of my faves.

Echoing BM Stone house. Almost my whole downstairs in last house. Never pink, never yellow.

Great suggestions so far -- we are aiming to start painting Friday so I will let you all know where we land!

We just did BM Shaker Beige and love it. We previously had Philadelphia Cream so I do understand about getting sick of the yellow. I also like BM Manchester Tan which is a bit lighter.

First off, I love your fireplace mantle decor!
I feel like I know the kind of colour you are hoping for in your space. Something warm with a bit of edge, but nothing too bold. I used Stone Harbour (CIL) in my Living/Family room space. It is a greyish/taupe but definitely more on the taupe side so it doesn't give off that really modern look. I feel it would like nice in your space. If you scroll to the bottom of my blog post you will see a picture of my dining table and you can see a glimpse of the wall colour.

Here is a link that might be useful: When you click the link, scroll down to see pic with wall colour

SheetalN, you have hit the nail on the head -- we really like the color in your pic!

I am not familiar with CIL...how is the quality and where have you see it sold?

Hi there,

I believe CIL is a Canadian paint manufacturer so I'm not sure if they sell the brand in the US. I've had no problems and I find the odour is minimal which is important to me. Are you in the US? If there is a paint brand that you prefer, next time I'm at our Home Depot I can look for the closest match in that brand.

Take care!

Wow I really like your color. But if you think it's too yellow I'd third Stone House or the next color on the strip, Hot Spring Stones.

SheetalN, thanks...yes we are in the US and will check our local HD out this weekend

Have you looked at either SW Whole Wheat, or one darker which is Camelback? I have Camelback in my mine areas and I really, really like it. Occasionally in deep shadopws it gets a slight green tint, but for the most part it reads a true beige to my eyes.

IMO it's a bit darker & richer than it photographs 0 it seems to photograph more like Believable Buff, which is way up on the strip.

Check out BM Stone Hearth, too. If my monitor is accurate, it's similar to that CIL Stone Harbor. I have Stone Hearth in our basement playroom/TV room and it's a great neutral.

I am also a fan of Stone House.

Thank to everyone who gave us ideas on this....we took the plunge this weekend, picked a color, and started painting. We ended up with BM Pashmina...and we really love it on the walls. It feels very serene and comfortable -- just the feeling we wanted! Below is the "after" picture so you can compare vs the Carrington Beige

Thanks again!