My search for the perfect moody office paint color

I love a light and airy aesthetic, which has been the trend in our house thus far, but I'm truly drawn to moody spaces—places that feel comfortable and introspective. Rich colors, warm lighting, natural textures, and carefully chosen art and antiques. These curated spaces create the kind of atmosphere that resonates most with me.

My home office is where I spend a good chunk of my time working on both professional and personal design projects. As a designer, it's essential for me to connect with what inspires my creativity. I find that moody spaces foster this introspection, enhancing my connection to the creative process. I find that these environments have a soul and a sense of emotion that links my inner and outer worlds.

While I appreciate bright spaces, they often feel too shallow. White, literally the absence of color, can sometimes feel sterile, cold, and even anxiety-inducing. This home renovation has been a journey of self-discovery. It's pushed me to look beyond trends and explore what truly speaks to me. I'm learning to trust my instincts, experiment with textures, and embrace the beauty of imperfection. Ultimately, refining my personal style and creating a space that reflects who I am.

To begin, I created a mood board of office spaces that inspired me. I spent several days revisiting this board, removing images that didn't fully resonate with me.

With my final image selections, I closely studied each image, noting specific elements that drew me in: the color of the walls, furniture choices, decorative accents, and the feeling of the space. As I analyzed these elements, clear themes emerged that became the north star for my office. This final mood board guided my search for paint colors.

I ended up with a looong list of paint colors. If you're also looking for moody paint options, here is my exhaustive initial list for consideration:

Neutrals

Reds

Purple

Carnelian SW 7580

Orange

Sable SW 6083

I ran to my local paint shop and picked up swatches of all these colors, knowing that paint can look significantly different in person compared to how it appears online, in photos, or even as wall samples. After narrowing my choices, I taped my ten favorite swatches to the wall. Over several days, I walked past them, removing the ones that didn't feel quite right.

Nine paint swatches in varying shades of gray and brown are arranged on a white wall.

Four paint swatches on a wall with paint supplies below.

This process left me with four contenders to sample directly on the wall. The following reviews are in order from right to left, as seen in the above photo (right) of sampled colors.

Whitall Brown HC-69

This Benjamin Moore Historical Collection color is a warm, rich, nutty brown with smoky taupe undertones. Its low light reflectance creates a rich, saturated shade.

Base: While the swatch hinted at gray undertones (which I initially liked), it lost these gray tones when sampled on the wall. Red undertones became more prominent, almost orangey. I was looking for a more muted brown, while Whitall was too rich in color for what I was imagining for this space.
Appearance: This color appears rich, earthy, and chocolatey brown. I'll note it appeared darker on the swatch and more of a medium brown sampled on the wall. However, its warmth, sophistication, and versatility make it a great option if you're looking for a classic brown color. It leaned a little orangey brown to me, so it wasn't my favorite.

Antiquing JG-128

(Our winner)

This color from Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines is a sophisticated deep taupe that adds a touch of drama and intrigue to a room.

Base: Antiquing has cool undertones, most notably purple. While the purple undertones may not be immediately apparent in small swatches or even when initially painted on a wall, they become more pronounced once the entire room is painted. Bright, warm lighting conditions tend to accentuate these purple undertones. I typically have natural or warm dimmed lighting for my office, which helps keep this color more muted.
Appearance: This color presents as a medium gray-brown color. Its versatile medium tone makes it work well with light and dark furniture, offering flexibility with decor. I also loved how it contrasted beautifully with our white trim and doors. It provided a classic, understated elegance, unlike the bolder look of Sable against white. Antiquing subtly highlights our newly painted trim and doors without overthrowing the balance.

Rustic Oak JG-110

This paint, another pretty color from Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines, collection and is described as a warm khaki tan.

Base: While it has a subtle yellowish undertone, it reads as a true taupe, blending warm browns and earthy tones beautifully.
Appearance: I absolutely agree that the color is a true 'khaki tan.' It's a beautiful, versatile shade that works well in a variety of settings. Although it wasn't the right fit for my office's dark and moody vibe, I loved it and would definitely consider it for other rooms in our home.

Sable SW 6083

Sable is often described as having a chocolate or espresso hue. If you're drawn to cozy and dramatic atmospheres with deep, rich hues that exude warmth and sophistication, this is your color.

Base: Sable is said to have warm, orange undertones; however, We didn't notice much of the orange undertones, and I was honestly surprised to see this color listed as an "orange color". I felt like Whitwall had more orange undertones than Sable.
Appearance: This color is dra-ma-tic rich! It's rich and warm in color, reminiscent of decadent dark chocolate. While it can appear quite dark in low-light rooms, it's undeniably stunning. I almost chose Sable but ultimately decided against it because I wasn't planning a full-color drench of the room. With white doors and trim, I felt the contrast with such a dark brown would be too stark against the white. I still think about this color through and wonder what if.

Through mood boards, color analysis, and patient testing, I chose "Antiquing" by Magnolia Home to set the stage for my moody home office. Its sophisticated taupe creates the perfect introspective atmosphere. While other colors were tempting, "Antiquing" best captured my vision.