In late October 2025, our drywall was fully sanded, cleaned, and primed. We had reached the final interior design milestone: selecting our paint colors and sheens.

Choosing paint is a critical step in defining your home’s aesthetic, but managing the physics of light reflection and moisture durability is where many homeowners run into trouble. On October 27, 2025, our project manager, David, had our paint crew apply physical 12x12 sample swatches to the walls of different rooms so we could review how they looked under changing daylight. After evaluating the samples on site, we finalized our paint schedule on October 29, 2025, utilizing premium Benjamin Moore paints for our entire house.

White and light gray paint swatches (Super White, Distant Gray, Chantilly Lace) applied side by side on drywall walls under natural afternoon daylight

Sourcing Sparing Colors: Our Custom Paint Schedule

A modern, minimalist home relies on subtle shifts in undertones and sheens to create depth without relying on busy colors. We selected premium Benjamin Moore paints and established a highly specific, room-by-room color schedule:

  1. Distant Gray (Matte Finish): Applied to all bedroom walls, closets, and our upstairs sitting area. This is a very soft, light gray with a cool undertone that coordinates with our TimberTech composite siding and light wood floors.
  2. Chantilly Lace (Matte Finish): Applied to all house ceilings. It is a clean, bright, untinted white that makes rooms feel taller and reflects light evenly.
  3. Super White (Matte Finish): Applied to our open-concept living room, kitchen, hallways, and garage. Super White is a clean, neutral white that keeps the main spaces feeling open.
  4. Chantilly Lace (Matte Finish - Bathrooms): Applied to all bathroom walls and ceilings.
  5. Chantilly Lace (Eggshell Finish): Applied to all baseboards, casing trims, and doors across the entire house to keep our trim work consistent and durable.
Professional painter in a respirator mask using an airless sprayer to apply a uniform primer coat to a newly drywalled ceiling inside a home under construction

The Bathroom Moisture Challenge: Matte Without the Mold

Standard flat or matte paints are highly porous. In damp bathrooms, they absorb steam and humidity like a sponge, leading to water streaks, surfactant leaching, and eventually mold or mildew. Traditionally, builders avoid this by using shiny semi-gloss or satin sheens in bathrooms. However, we wanted to maintain a cohesive, non-reflective matte look throughout our home.

To achieve this safely, we upgraded our bathroom paint to Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa:

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa paint cans stacked on a wooden floor on site next to finished smooth matte white bathroom walls

Crucial Homeowner Call-Outs: What to Watch For

  1. Specify Bath-Rated Matte Paints for Damp Spaces: If you prefer a modern, non-reflective matte finish in your bathrooms, do not allow your painter to use standard matte wall paint. Ensure your contract specifies a high-performance, bath-rated moisture-resistant paint (such as Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa). Standard matte paint will quickly stain and peel under humid conditions.
  2. Maintain Trim and Door Consistency: Keep the sheens and colors of your baseboards, door casings, and doors consistent across your entire home. Using a single, durable sheen (such as eggshell or semi-gloss) for all trim work ensures a cohesive design and allows you to cleanly wipe away daily scuffs and handprints.

What’s Next in the Construction Journey…

With our interior walls painted and our design palette set, our home is nearly complete. Join us in our next post, Episode 39: Glass & Steel — Railings, Balconies, and Shower Enclosures, as we explore how we installed our frameless glass stair rails and custom bathroom enclosures to complete our modern, open-concept spaces.