These HGTV Stars Share Their Least Favorite Paint Colors Of All Time

It makes sense for design lovers to look to their favorite HGTV hosts for some color guidance. Their go-to paint combinations help us design spaces that are as interesting as they are timeless. However, knowing their least favorite colors is just as useful, especially when it comes to narrowing down paint samples. To help you avoid making an accent wall blunder, we have rounded up several HGTV stars' least favorite paint colors. 

Color trends get a lot of buzz in the design world, but this advice can be subjective and ever-changing depending on the zeitgeist at the time. Airy colors are popular one month, only to be replaced by moody hues the next. What designers love comes and goes, but what they hate stays the same. Whether you are just here for the drama surrounding Jenny Marrs' deep loathing for red bedrooms, want to avoid design blunders when painting your own rooms, or just feel genuine panic at choosing a color Erin Napier wouldn't like, here is everything you need to know.

Nate Berkus and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, are famous for their love of neutral tones. "We're very good at neutrals. I joke that they're like our love language," Brent told Domino. However, Berkus was speedy to point out that while he loves beige for painting walls and will often turn to it when designing homes, not every shade works for him. "I can't deal with that yellow or green base, like an 'Under the Tuscan Sun' situation," he told the outlet.

To avoid this faux pas, stick with cooler undertones to your beige, like Behr's Blank Canvas or Even Better Beige, both of which are co-signed by the couple. Each shade is more subtle and says "perfect backdrop" instead of "Italian villa," which is what Berkus works so hard to avoid. If you are worried about getting too much yellow or green in your beige, pay attention to the color's mixing numbers; a high number in the red or green category might give it the sickly tinge Berkus hates.

Millennial Pink burst onto the design scene in 2016 as the preferred color for the future. It was suddenly everywhere: furniture, carpets, home decor, and yes, even all over our walls. But for Tarek El Moussa, there is one place the color should never pop up: In the kitchen. On Season 1, Episode 8 of his show "Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa," the HGTV star was quick to tear down a pink wall in the flip's kitchen. His team chose to open up the floor plan and go for a modern black-and-white kitchen with shiny stainless steel appliances instead. His preference was clear by not reintroducing the pink shade to the space.

"Generally, going with neutral colors like shades of white, beige, taupe, and grays lead to a faster sale," realtor Skyler Frazier told Southern Living. "From a seller's point of view, it can be risky having bright, bold paint colors because personal preference ranges greatly from person to person." If you are living in your forever home, you can disregard El Moussa's preferences and instead think pink. If you are selling soon, it's better to follow suit and cover it up.

It's a little-known marketing secret that most fast-food places love putting red and yellow next to each other to catch our eyes. Do the famous golden arches ring a bell? Both colors are loud, flashy, and very eye-catching, making them perfect for enticing hungry diners to stop in. And this is the exact reason the Property Brothers see them as a losing combination in home design.

"Yellow walls don't really sell these days," said Jonathan on a 2019 show episode. He goes on to say he wants to "get rid of that angry '90s red wall" as well. And get rid of it he does, as it wasn't just repainted on the episode, but completely torn down. Since red was such a hallmark of '90s design, it makes sense that the Scott brothers were keen to eliminate it. After all, their entire brand is updating homes to make them modern, sellable, and, most importantly, liveable.

Trends change so quickly in the paint color world that it can be hard to keep track of what's in, what's out, and what people are saying is actually timeless. One thing is for sure: David Marrs thinks gray is a thing of the past. Gray first burst into the design scene in the mid-2000s to take over the browns, beiges, and taupes everyone and their mother was obsessed with. It was a real "Olive Garden" or "Under the Tuscan Sun" kind of moment. The cool vibe of gray shades (pun very much intended) was a welcome change and seemed sophisticated and chic.

But for David and Jenny Marrs, it's time for another shakeup. "Grays are on their way out," he told Realtor in early 2023. His wife and codesigner Jenny was quick to back him up. "That's true," she said. "I think [the trend is now] warmer and charming." Gray is a cool color; there's no doubt about it. But if you have lots of gray at home, don't panic. Introducing natural wood elements is one way to breathe new life into the space. It's one warming technique that actually works.

We know that painting a room black can be tricky, as the color can show lots of imperfections and grime over time. Yet our "Home Town" hero Erin Napier loves using black paint in her home designs — but only certain shades. And she is particular about this exception as it's the key to the color's success. "Choose whatever color you like that has a bit of yellow in it to make the color feel integrated and truly part of its environment instead of too new, too bright, not quite right, and out of place," writes Napier on her blog Laurel Mercantile. "It is so subtle, but an important delineation between a house that's comfortable in its color vs. a house that's squeaky."

Squeaky refers to a home that doesn't seem lived in. It's a quality of newer or freshly designed homes that makes them seem more like a showroom and less like a place people live. Shades of black without yellow accents and undertones always seem "squeaky" to Napier, and thus undesirable. So if you're a fan of black, reach for a bit of yellow to warm things up and balance out the color's tone.

We love Jenny Marrs on HGTV's "Fixer to Fabulous." Fans of the show will know that while she isn't shy about incorporating bold hues into her home designs, she's also always one to keep things real. As such, Marrs recently shared that there is one paint color she would never use in the bedroom because it impedes the winding down process. "I love to have fun with design, but I really avoid loud paint colors and patterns in the bedroom because I want to promote a calming sensation the minute you walk into the room," she told Homes & Gardens.

So what color belongs in more active rooms in your home and never in your resting space? "You shouldn't paint your bedroom red because the color is associated with energy and social interactions — and it can raise your blood pressure. That is not what you want before bed when you're trying to wind down." In addition to keeping you awake, reds tend to be dark and rich colors, which also isn't ideal for a zen-like bedroom. "Dark colors are also difficult to use in warmer climates because dark colors hold heat better than light colors. This can make your bedroom hotter than other rooms in the house, making it more difficult to sleep." If you have difficulty unwinding, try painting your room in softer hues.