Cure Color Shyness: 14 Real-life Fearless Paint Colors to Push Your Style

Feeling daring? Have a paint project planned this weekend and want to find a color that will really get you out of your comfort zone? Painting your walls, architectural elements and furniture bold colors is one of the best ways to add interest and personality in a space, make your home stand out, and make your home look good. We’ve got some gutsy hues from real-life homes to take the fear out of worrying they won’t work (you can see they do!). We’ve also included some slightly more subdued color alternatives if you’re looking for something daring but not too daring.

Daring: (As picture above) Grab a can or two of Benjamin Moore’s Purple Rain for a purple wall that will stop hearts. This daring wall seen in Mark’s Delightful (and Delicious!) West Village Home.

A more subdued yet still daring option: If you’re not quite ready for a purple that looks like it’s spelled with all capital letters, go for Behr’s Gypsy Magic, seen in the bedroom of Mallory & Liz’s Santa Monica Prop House.

Daring: We look to Mark’s Delightful (and Delicious!) West Village Home for another bold color, this time Behr’s Thyme Green.

A more subdued yet still daring option: Still pretty bold, but with a little less bite to it, the green bedroom walls in Annah & Benny’s Sophisticated Family Home painted Benjamin Moore Oregano is a great choice.

Daring: Benjamin Moore’s Viking Yellow wows in Bree & Andy’s DC Home Hits the Bright Spot.

A more subdued yet still daring option: Jared & Chika’s Colorful Nest has a good shade of a creamy, buttery yellow in Behr’s Leapfrog that’s a great dose of color.

You can see a daring orange wall paint color option and a more subdued one in the same house: Jenna’s Colorful Colonial Reno. Porter Paints Rustic Pottery for the bold; Porter Paints Carrot Cake for the slightly more shy.

Daring: We keep talking about the awesome blue in Emily and Ian’s kitchen, but it’s like the perfect blue: stunning and eye-grabbing. We can’t find that exact hue on Glidden’s website, but their Cool Cobalt looks like a good substitute.

A more subdued yet still daring option: Benjamin Moore’s Lucerne makes the perfect statement in Kristen & Michelle’s Modern Bohemian.

Daring: Spotted in Anne & Tahoe’s Barnum Bungalow is a teal color that will be a definite show stopper, making all your furniture and art pop. Go for BEHR Scotch Lassie for a daring color.

A more subdued yet still daring option: The Pineapple Housewife’s Happy Home features a still-daring teal that just isn’t quite as startling with Valspar Grand Hotel Mackinac Blue.

Daring: Benjamin Moore’s Burnt Red is a pop of crimson wow in Alexandra & Mike’s Bright and Colorful Family Nest.

A more subdued yet still daring option: Benjamin Moore’s Autumn Cover is still sassy, but not quite as crimson, in Amy Campbell’s Travel-Inspired Townhouse.

Not feeling any of these? Mentioned in two daring color options above is Mark Wynsma’s home, and he once sat down with an AT contributor to share his color-picking-with-confidence advice in How To Confidently Choose Paint Colors: Mark’s Foolproof Methods.