Erin Napier's Favorite Neutral Paint Color Is The Perfect Way To Refresh Any Room

We all know a good coat of paint is a simple way to refresh any space. You probably also know that using a safe neutral as your primary color can make the rest of your design super flexible. You'll spend way less time swapping out decor pieces than painting an entire room, so choosing a shade that works well with a range of colors and styles is just smart planning. If you're aiming for a space that feels cozy and inviting, you can't go wrong with a neutral that has warm undertones. 

Erin Napier, co-host of "Home Town Takeover," is standing by a unique neutral shade by Valspar that looks a little less like what you'd expect. It's called Brown Buzz, and despite its name, brown isn't the first color that comes to mind when you see it. "It is not brown at all [...] it's blue, it's cream, it's green...it's a million colors. I think it works in so many applications," Napier said in an interview with House Beautiful. This warm-toned paint is actually a shade of green with red and gold undertones, and it instantly cocoons a space without feeling overwhelming. As with all paints, the way the color looks on your wall can vary depending on lighting and surrounding features (like floors and decor), so you'll want to spot-test to make sure it looks the same in your home.

One reason Napier likes Brown Buzz is that it feels lived-in. She referred to the shade as "non-descript and aged" on her website, adding, "[It] reminded me of the wall colors I'd seen in old French country homes." Napier approaches color design with a goal of making a space feel comfortable. She refers to her color aesthetic as "dinge." And yes, it sort of means what you think it does. Napier recommends looking for shades that have a bit of yellow in them, like Brown Buzz, to make the space feel like it's been around a while. 

You can take full advantage of Brown Buzz by complementing the paint with darker woods or even as a contrast to a brighter white, as Napier did in Season 1, Episode 8 of "Home Town". Napier paired it with white wainscoting and original wood features in the dining room, creating a warm background that showed off the wood features instead of detracting from them. Try using Brown Buzz to paint tables, desks, or even your kitchen cabinets, too.

When considering color ideas and inspiration for your space, look at the whole room. Perhaps you have an older home with vintage features like a stained glass window, wood floors, or an ornate fireplace. You'll want to consider the undertones in those elements when choosing your wall paint. Mixing warm and cool colors can work, but it's best to keep the foundational colors in a space (the flooring, walls, and major finishes) all warm or all cool. You can mix and match a bit more when it comes to furniture and accent pieces.