Alternate punny post title: Gimme Some Moore. Yes, that was a Busta Rhymes reference — that track was my junior-year anthem. Speaking of jams, our newest tool obsession is our nail gun. John is itching to install crown molding this weekend, assuming he can wrestle it away from me. For now, we’re letting the molding acclimate to the house a bit before making a final decision on placement.

While the crown molding gets acquainted with its new surroundings, we’re excited to share our 2013 Benjamin Moore paint picks. We’re a little late to the party, and thanks to everyone who asked about this collection — we simply wanted to be sure before announcing our choices. After careful consideration, we selected 32 colors that represented the tones we love and use most often in our projects.

Some of the selections are tried-and-true hues we’ve already used around the house, others are shades we’ve admired for a long time, and several were used in our book so we’ve seen them in real spaces. We’ve been using Benjamin Moore colors for about half a decade and started buying their paint in 2011, first applying it to our office built-ins. When Benjamin Moore invited us to curate a selection of favorites, it felt like a natural fit — a fun opportunity to distill hundreds of swatches into a useful, approachable collection.

Our process was hands-on. We laid out hundreds of paint swatches — more than five hundred, in fact — and spent many hours evaluating undertones, value, and how each one played with neutrals and bolder shades. Arranging the swatches against a neutral charcoal backdrop helped us assess balance across the palette: making sure there were enough darker tones, a selection of bold colors, and plenty of soft, serene shades that are neither too bright nor too bland. This method is a great technique for anyone overwhelmed by a full wall of sample chips.

The goal of our curated collection is simple: to provide a smaller, thoughtfully chosen set of colors for anyone who finds the full spectrum overwhelming. A more focused palette can make decision-making easier and inspire confidence when choosing paint for walls, trim, cabinetry, or accent pieces. Scanning a compact group of favorites often sparks ideas for color pairings and room schemes faster than wading through dozens of unrelated chips.

To help spark ideas, we shared suggestions for how to use several of the colors throughout the post, offering practical applications and pairing ideas. Whether you’re refreshing a living room, repainting kitchen cabinets, or adding a calming bedroom color, having a narrowed list of well-tested choices can speed up the planning process and reduce second-guessing.

When working with swatches at home, try cutting them out and laying them on a neutral surface so you can see how they interact together. Doing this on a neutral-colored sofa or a simple tabletop makes undertones and contrasts more apparent. This is also a good time to test finishes and to place swatches in different parts of the room to see how lighting affects each color throughout the day.

We’d love to hear about the paint colors you’ve been loving lately. Do you keep a folder of your favorite swatches or a digital board of inspiring shades? How do you document and organize color ideas for current and future projects? Sharing strategies can help others who struggle with the same decision-making process.

Choosing paint is part inspiration, part investigation. Spend an afternoon arranging swatches and you might find it more satisfying than a TV binge — though admittedly less gruesome than a marathon of The Walking Dead. If you’re planning a paint project, start with a curated set of trusted colors and take your time evaluating them in the actual light and context of your space.

P.S. We picked a winner for this week’s giveaway — you can find the announcement in our latest giveaway post on the blog.