While the Room for Color Contest is ramping up on Apartment Therapy, I asked the editors of our 5 sites for favorite paint colors they've used at home. Their answers ranged from yellow in the living room to cool grays, blue-greens, and lavenders in the bedroom to bright yellow-orange in the kitchen.

Janel Laban, Senior Editor, Apartment Therapy

Click here to see Janel's posts on Apartment Therapy

• Ralph Lauren Surfboard Yellow: Janel's favorite is shown above in a photo from her old home. It's a sunny but subtle yellow that's part of the Ralph Lauren Island Brights collection. For more RL paint reviews and color suggestions, click here.

Aaron Able, Managing Editor, Apartment Therapy

Click here to see Aaron's posts on Apartment Therapy

• Benjamin Moore Abalone: Aaron likes Benjamin Moore's no-VOC Natura line, and he used Abalone, a warm neutral, in his old apartment. (See photos here.) For Apartment Therapy's "test lab" review of the Natura Line, click here.

Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, Founding Editor, The Kitchn

Click here to see Sara Kate's posts on The Kitchn

• Benjamin Moore Touch of Gray: Sara Kate says, "This isn't a kitchen color but I like Touch of Gray, which has a slight lavender tone to it. We used it in a bathroom and Ursula's room before we knew if she was a boy or a girl. Truth be told, it's more feminine, but it would have worked for any boy we'd have! And of course, it's Natura, no-VOC paint."

Faith Durand, Managing Editor, The Kitchn

Click here to see Faith's posts on The Kitchn

• Benjamin Moore Nacho Cheese and Valspar Moonbeam: Faith says, "I'm going with the color in Max's old apartment — Nacho Cheese/Ben Moore. We've talked a lot on the Kitchn about using yellow overall. My additional pick is Valspar Moonbeam, which I used in my kitchen."

Carrie McBride, Managing Editor, Ohdeedoh

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• Martha Stewart Sea Anemone: Carrie says, "I've never been able to paint my apartments so can't give any first-hand preferences," but she does recommend a cool, calm color that would work in a boy's or girl's room — Martha Stewart Living Sea Anemone from Home Depot.

Gregory Han, Managing Editor, Unplggd

Click here to see Gregory's posts on Unplggd

• Mythic Paint Winter Flannel, Ice Mist, and Black: Gregory (who lives in LA with Kitchn and Re-Nest writer Emily Ho) says, "We’ve been happy using Mythic (Winter Flannel, Ice Mist and Black) and Benjamin Moore Natura for a pure white in the kitchen/trim."

Cambria Bold, Managing Editor, Re-Nest

Click here to see Cambria's posts on Re-Nest

• Yolo Colorhouse and Benjamin Moore Natura: Cambria says, "I really like Benjamin Moore's no-VOC line as other editors have said (see a post on testing gray samples here), but another favorite is Yolo Colorhouse." Shown left is a neutral by Yolo called "Air 03."

Sarah Coffey, Marketplace Editor

Click here to see Sarah's posts on Marketplace

• Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray and Behr Irish Mist: "My favorite paint colors are ones that I grew up with — Benjamin Moore's Williamsburg Blue and Knoxville Gray. I love blues and grays, plus my mom is from Virginia, and she always decorated our houses in colonial colors that reminded her of home. Another very light gray I've used and liked is Behr's Irish Mist."

Photo: Janel Laban / Ralph Lauren Surfboard Yellow Paint

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