Martha Stewart remains a decorating favorite because she instructs us on how to make everything in our home more beautiful.

Recommending color schemes

She has taken the same approach with her paint line.  Unlike most paint sample cards that include a single color or several shades or tints of the same color, Martha Stewart Colors paint color swatches include stripes of two coordinating paint colors that would work well with the main color.

When I first saw this, I knew that the folks at Martha Stewart wouldn't have done this if they didn't feel confident that paint buyers would find it helpful.  However, I was curious to know exactly what it was about this approach that customers might find appealing so I hung around Lowe's for a while and asked people that were picking up some of these paint swatches.

Each of the people I spoke with liked being given the coordinating colors.  One of the response I heard several times was that the customer liked that they could be certain that the colors in their scheme would look good together.  They found it more convenient than having to wonder if the two or three colors they might choose on their own would work well together once they were in their room.

Even those folks that already had a color scheme that was different from the one shown said they liked the way the colors looked together on the swatch and found it helpful to see possible combinations.

Recognizing homeowners love of white

Ask any paint retailer or manufacturer what the top selling paint color is and without any hesitation they will tell you "White" but when you look at most paint sample walls you don't see a wall of whites.  You see hundreds of colors.

When you look at the display of the Martha Stewart Colors, which has 350 different colors, you will see that an exceptionally large number of the colors are actually tinted whites.  In their collateral they state that the tinted whites "provide a luminous complement to the more vibrant paint colors in her beautifully coordinated palette."

I didn't find the display as appealing or eyecatching as the ones with hundreds of luscious colors but what does seem to attract their buyers is the idea of a color palette edited by a home decorating diva that they trust.  One that understands that they need guidance in making color choices and that, while they may like looking at rooms with boldly colored walls in magazines, when it comes to their own homes they are often most comfortable with tinted whites.

Martha shares her favorite colors

• Rolling Pin MS084
• Pebble Path MS126
• Soapstone Gray MS170
• Green Pressed Glass MS269
• Fern Shoot MS271

See the video of Martha talking about her paint line on her site...

Where to buy Martha Stewart paint colors

Martha Stewart branded paint colors are made by Valspar and sold exclusively through home-improvement retailer Lowe's.

PLEASE NOTE: Martha Stewart Living's previous paint palette has been replaced by the 350 colors designed for Lowe's customers.


Follow Kate Smith on Twitter |  Follow Martha Stewart on Twitter