Modern Farmhouse Colors for Walls, Cabinets, & Exterior
Modern Farmhouse style has been kickin’ it for years. With curated color palettes, lived-in looks, and cozy comfort, there’s a lot to love. However, styles and tastes have evolved, and Modern Farmhouse has shifted gears in recent years.
Is Modern Farmhouse Style Still in style?
Whether you’re painting walls, furniture, or cabinets, the modern farmhouse look is still reasonably popular. Is it still trendy? Reasonably so, but it’s evolved. While some still embrace the visual interest of a shiplap wall or overly-distressed, painted furniture, the more MODERN approach to modern farmhouses is less inclined.
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Today’s Modern Farmhouse-inspired home has a slightly cleaner, natural vibe.Whereas more colorful options were popular five years ago, today’s updated modern farmhouse palette is dominated by dirtier, calmer, neutral shades, including stormy shades of dark gray and green, muted mushrooms, subtle off-whites, and the odd beige and tan peeking through the clouds.
Of course, this doesn’t mean YOU have to lean into this newer approach – you can do whatever suits your lil’ old self. But if you’re looking to shift the look of your home, I’ve got some great colors for you.
But what are modern farmhouse paint colors?
Generally speaking, they’re colors that give the illusion they’ve been ‘lived in for a while‘ and not the ‘kids’ fingerprints plastered up your stairwell’ kind of lived-in, but rather the slightly worn look that gives a sense of history to a room.
While the modern farmhouse look has many other elements (like texture, wood tones, etc.), I’ll focus on paint color ideas for your walls—some real inspirations to get you in the country mood!
TODAY’S MODERN FARMHOUSE PAINT COLORS
‘Today’ is an important word, as it indicates that these colors are trending for 2024 and 2025 rather than shades that cater to the farmhouse style of five years ago.
1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ALABASTER SW 7008
Surprise, surprise…WHITE! There are many good reasons why this particular warm shade of white is still kickin’ it. Alabaster isn’t a stark, bright white—it’s soft. Previous trends had us leaning into any ole white and slapping it on all paintable surfaces.
While Alabaster is a creamy shade of white, it’s not as yellow as many, offering a more subtle approach to cream. I’m pumped that color trends are softening, and warmer shades like Benjamin Moore White Dove and Alabaster are taking over.
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Alabaster
With an LRV of 82, Alabaster hugs the line between off-white and white, making it pretty darn versatile to a wide range of tastes and uses.
Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore’s White Dove
As for White Dove (my one true love, other than Tim), while it’s a bit whiter/brighter than Alabaster, it offers the same pretty softness (just with a bit less yellow cream).
2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS AESTHETIC WHITE SW 7035
While not everyone is ready for real beige, many of us are falling for more muted, trendy shades. Aesthetic White is one of the more popular warm neutrals. While it has a beige look, it’s tempered by gray, calming its warmth down.
Like Frank’s Hot Sauce, you can ‘put this $@%! on anything‘ – meaning Aesthetic White is so popular that many people paint their walls, trims, and ceilings the same color—also known as color-drenching or color-washing. While I’d be careful with this trend (as you’ll likely want to repaint your doors and trims white one day), it’s a pretty look if you’re so inclined.
I chose Aesthetic White for the bedroom and bathroom at our lake home. While I was super tempted to toss it on every paintable surface, I knew I’d get tired of the look and that white is a more timeless approach.
Here’s Aesthetic White in our bedroom (showing Aesthetic White on a south-facing but cloudy day)…
Full Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
And because you should NEVER choose a paint color by comparing it to itself, here are more colors to explore…
- Sherwin Williams White Duck
- Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige (like a darker version of Aesthetic White)
- Benjamin Moore Wind’s Breath
Even better, grab my CURATED COLOR BUNDLEto compare Aesthetic White to its peers!
3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SHOJI WHITE SW 7042
Whether on walls, trims, cabinets, or ALL THREE, Shoji White has become a super popular choice. Whereas Aesthetic White caters to a subtle beige base, Shoji White picks up just a wink more warmth that could pass as cream in the ODD light but settles as a flexible, warm neutral with little allegiance to one particular neutral – sweet!
As shown in this next image, Shoji White can be influenced by the type of lighting you cast on it (as can all paint colors).
In this next photo, Shoji White picks up a touch of that ‘almost creamy’ look…
6 Ideas to Update Wood Cabinets
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Shoji White
Shoji White has some great comparables, so be sure to check out…
- Sherwin Williams White Duck
- Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
- Sherwin Williams Natural Choice
4. BENJAMIN MOORE SMOKEY TAUPE 983
With trends leaning warmer, the dusky, flexible approach of Smokey Taupe is coming in hot. Not all of us are ready for beige—we can’t quite leave our gray roots behind. Smokey Taupe is a great option, as while it’s definitely warm, its taupe backdrop calms it down and takes away many of its potentially golden hues.
If you like the idea of Smokey Taupe but want some colors to compare with it, I highly recommend…
- Benjamin Moore Cedar Key
- Sherwin Williams Balanced Beige
- Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth
5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SNOWBOUND SW 7004
While I wouldn’t choose this color for my own home, many of my Online Color Consulting clients love it!
Why don’t I love Snowbound?
It’s more unpredictable than Janet Jackson at a half-time show, making it tricky to pair with other shades. Snowbound is like a warm gray with violet-pink undertones—sounds simple, right? HECK NO, as all of a sudden, it flashes a touch of CREAM!
Snowbound painted cabinets with Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray accent wall
This isn’t to say it’s not beautiful – it is, it’s just not easy. Snowbound also has an LRV of 83, putting it up in the white range, but it shouldn’t be treated as one of the popular shades of white, as it’s not versatile enough for trims and cabinets and scares the pants right off me (which isn’t easy to do – I wear pretty tight pants).
Snowbound on the walls with Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray cabinets / Iron Ore island
Check out my CURATED COLOR BUNDLE to compare Snowbound to other popular shades!
6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NATURAL TAN SW 7567
Natural Tan is for those wanting some depth on their walls without too much visual weight. With its LRV of 65, Natural Tan is like a lighter, warmer take on the super popular beige – Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige.
Like most trendy beiges and tans, Natural Tan is muted, unlike the outdated beiges from the early 2000s. Just be careful, as many interior finishes (in particular tiles and carpets from the 2000s) cater more to beige (orange undertone) than tan (yellow undertone).
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Natural Tan
Check out my Online Color Consulting packages!
If you want to compare Natural Tan to similar shades (one of the most IMPORTANT parts of finding your best paint color), check out the following…
- Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan
- Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan
- Or see the full range in my CURATED LIGHT TAN COLOR BUNDLE
7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS IRON ORE SW 7069
The all-black house trend was HOT in previous years. While we still see the odd one pop up, many opt for a slightly more subtle approach. An all-black home can look wicked pretty, but boy, it sure needs to be the right house, the right style, and the right location. Otherwise, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
On this cutie-patootie exterior, the brick is painted (limewash), Romabio Avorio White (similar to some of my favorite warm off-whites), and the shutters are Iron Ore…
This goes for kitchen islands and interior accents, too. Sure, some homes call for a striking, contrasting shade of black, but others suit a more muted, softer approach to black—one offered by Iron Ore.
Iron Ore built-ins with Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White walls and medium-depth greige trim
Iron Ore is a soft black with very muted green undertones. With its LRV of 6, it nods at the super blacks like Tricorn Black without being as sharp or drastic.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
While I’d love to give you colors that are similar to Iron Ore, there aren’t any. Sure, there are other blacks, but they’re LEGIT black or lean into other undertones. If you’re still curious, check out…
- Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
- Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
- Sherwin Williams Peppercorn
8. SHERWIN WILLIAMS PEWTER GREEN SW 6208
Pewter Green is hitting the streets hard. With a commitment to dark green and a neutral, calming gray base, Pewter Green shows up on accent walls, kitchen cabinets, islands, and even garage doors!
The Best Medium to Dark Green Paint Colors
Coming in a HOT second place is Sherwin Williams Retreat. While it’s not as dark as Pewter Green (which I personally prefer), it has the same approach to color and style…
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Retreat
Again, you have to compare paint colors—never choose a color based on itself. Check out my CURATED DARK GREEN COLOR BUNDLE and/or read my blog post onThe Best Medium to Dark Green Paint Colors.
Of course, there are other things to consider when picking your best paint colors, like exposure, room size, interior finishings, and personal tastes, but these ideas should get you off to a good start!
READ MORE:
The Best WHOLE HOME Warm Neutral Paint Colors
11 Best Warm Neutral Paint Colors That AREN’T BEIGE!
A Colourful Farmhouse Country Paint Palette
Not sure what to choose?
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Originally written 2016, updated in 2024
