I just painted 20 chunks of drywall with "neutral" colors that aren't white. Amazing how different simiilar colors can appear in different locations! I had to carry them all over the house to finally make up my mind: you do actually start to see pink, lavendar, green, yellow, etc. in what you think is just plain tan. So here are my thoughts on this:

First, head to Home Depot and check out the Ralph Lauren selection. RL is more expensive than other brands but my husband really likes how it goes on and their colors are the best! I ended up with "Sisal" from the Naturals collection as the primary color for my whole house.

I live in the redwoods so there's not a ton of light, but even though I thought at first this color would be too dark, the designer I'm working with convinced me and now that it's going up I really like it!

You might also look at "Barn Owl White" although this one turned out too yellow for my taste. "Tangier Island" and "English Tan" were also close contenders, each had an element of color that didn't quite work in the end.

Be sure to get a sample and paint a chunk or two of wall before committing. Those 8 oz RL testers cost me $5.99 each but I'm glad I spent the money to be sure I got what I wanted. (I know I went overboard with 20, but that's how I tend to approach all decisions!)

The other thing I learned this week is that not every paint color can be really, truly matched in another brand. We were hoping to get our "sisal" color in the Behr flat enamel, which is cheaper and also is supposed to be very washable. The guy at Home Depot told me that they can match most colors in any paint with another brand, but that the RL colors with red in them are hard to get exactly. Interestingly, we decided to do a side by side comparison with the Behr and the RL and as much as I didn't want to spend the extra money on RL, both my husband and I saw a difference and liked the RL better. So we're proceeding on with that one in eggshell in the kitchen and may do the less messy rooms in matte. I did a bit of scrubbing on my sample boards and it seems to hold up well.

Hope this helps.

Linda, that sounds like good advice. Makes me want to do a light tan in my house !!!

I tend to avoid color matching at all costs. I was told by a paint store person that the computer will scan a color and randomly come up with a formula. Multiple scans can yield multiple formulas. In other words, there's many ways to skin a cat. six of one...half dozen of the other.

Sometimes the paint computer database CONTAINS the formula for some other manufacturers' colors. That is less risky and at least should be consistent. Whether or not it will be identical to the original mfr is another story.

Bottom line, those little samples are GREAT. Its the only way to go if you are particular. I have about 50-60 Benjamin Moore 4oz jars in my basement from various projects. I have about 20 quarts of exterior colors (body, trim and door) from that project before the little jars existed)

Another thought to help avoid unwanted undertones is to put the color chip next to a pure white. That often helps clarify the color.

I recently changed a color decision at the last minute. I had a color all picked out and sampled on a good sized foam board. I loved it while I picked out everything else for the room. When it was actually ready to go on the prepped wall, OMG! It was too intense. I had to make a quick adjustment. It all turned out fine, but somtimes you just can't know until its up.

As far as going with light tan or not for the original question, sounds good. When you first started describing the kitchen, I was off into the yellow/blue/white theme in my head. Sounds like that's too much color for you. Another idea might be to have an accent focal wall with a deeper version of the khaki to add some depth and a little drama...??? just a thought. Also, staying almost monochromatic will make it fun to add accents and accessories in one color that will really pop...maybe apple green? cobalt blue? claret red?

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I'll be sure to look at the Ralph Lauren Neutral line. I think I already have a few of those in my notebook. :) The family room area will be a darker shade of tan, so I think that will help. I hope at least! a colored accent/accessories is exactly what I had in mind! Glad I'm not wrong in thinking that!

That brings me to another question. What is a good pure white? I've looked at a few labeled "Pure White" or just "white" (Behr brand) and they both look creamy to me when I hold them up against any khaki colors.

thanks