Is Magnolia paint bland or beautiful?

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

It's most landlords favourite colour, but has Magnolia had its heyday?

What are your thoughts? Is Magnolia too neutral or actually amazingly versatile?

Featured Answer

Luciana

7 years ago

I didn't mind it when I was renting, just bought lots of prints and covered the walls (I still have some in my downstairs loo!). I'd never have it in my house though, it's just so blah...

What annoys me about it though, is that the builders and estate agents push it on you like they have shares in it or something. When I moved in with my (now) husband, we decided to rent out my (own) house. I called a plumber for some minor repairs, told him is for renting, he asked 'aren't you going to paint the walls magnolia?' (all the walls were painted in some shade of 'light&space' from Dulux, so very off white, except for a purple accent wall in the main bedroom). Same question from the estate agent.
Well, I told them no, I'm not painting and the family who moved in (the first and only one that viewed the house) explained to me later that one of the reasons they wanted it was because the walls were not magnolia.
That was 6 years ago and Claire, Nathan and their girls are still our tenants..... they asked me twice if I minded them painting the walls - I told them to go ahead; I mean, especially the girls bedrooms - why should I mind if the walls are pink or whatever if I don't live there and the kids prefer it. It takes a few hours to repaint a room when they move out, it's not such a big deal... Sorry, rant over now...

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Comments (94)

Harri
4 years ago
That's exactly what I was thinking Rosie. Having white everywhere would be fine if there was no kids and you worked all day but as I've found since becoming a mother, kids and being home all day is hard enough without adding to the workload. I have magnolia in the lounge but I have wallpaper on the chimney breast with chocolate brown in the alcoves next to the chimney. I think it goes well with the wine coloured sofas. I had some weird glances 7 years ago when I wanted to paint the kitchen/diner green and the master bedroom pink as everybody tried to push magnolia but I've converted lots of magnolia loving people since then.
Tina Barnes
4 years ago
I like Dulux Timeless - it's a chalky white/ cream and, for me, the perfect neutral background for colour in feature walls, curtains, cushions, wall hanging etc. Makes all parts of the house look light. Easy to touch up scuffs too!
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Hi Evie. The reason I've been slow to post photos is because my house is very much still a building site and work in very slow progress. I have flung paint on walls a relief from 1927 plaster and peeling wallpaper that went up decades ago. I haven't hung pictures yet as the walls are so hard - picture hooks break - and the friend who is going to do the task hasn't yet been. So, none of these photos will persuade you to use colour - the walls are bleak. But I'm posting them in the right spirit. As for feature walls, I have never liked them. For info, Kate Watson-Smyth said, in a recent post, that they are "so ova". I associate them with the 1970s, which is when I believe they first emerged. I like all over colour; I find it much less intrusive than one wall that stands out awkwardly. As for my furniture, it's mostly interim - on loan as I had nothing after chucking out my two sofas which I bitterly regret. Anyway, with all those embarrassing provisos, here we go. Terracotta sitting room: Caravan by Paper & Paint Library (it's not a current colour; my local independent paint shop keeps records of previous colours and identified it for me); it goes up to the picture rail; I haven't yet found the colour I want above it and on the ceiling; the picture rail, window frames, doors and door frames will all be Caravan, too; the room is really bitty (four doors, jutting out bits, fussy door and windows into the garden, a big fireplace, original tiles around the fire area that I wanted to complement but tone down, and a busy stained glass window) and needs blanket coverage to make it seem less busy. .Green bedroom: Sanderson Laurel below the picture rail; Goblin Green above it and on the ceiling; picture rail and all other woodwork not yet painted; I might do them in a linen colour to tie in with the bed frame though I hate the bed frame and am desperate for a new one. You can see that I'm work in progress by the undealt-with and unpainted grille covering the hole where the fireplace was. Hideous and offensive; longing to put it right. Lots of pictures/paintings to be hung all over. Blue bedroom: This blue is a bit flat but it was only after painting it that I discovered the colour I really want - Abigail Ahern's Bowery Blue which despite being intense has a real lift to it giving it life and vibrancy. The ceiling in here is the wrong blue (bought in haste); I will use a lighter blue. The unhung painting on the right (sorry it's not more visible) is so much more vibrant against this blue than it was against the pale yellow of the wall it was hung on in my previous home. I will have mirrors above the bedhead and a gallery wall opposite plus a mirror near the small window to throw a bit more light in this seriously dark bedroom (dismally dark before I painted it interestingly dark). Bronze shower room: Impossible to photograph this as it's a tiny room; the tiles in the shower area are subtly jazzy and moody. I love having it open (I grew up in India where all showers were in the middle of the room so I've never understood the closed-in box version or the fiddly over the bath option). The bronze tiles are much richer in colour than the photo conveys; the walls are Sanderson Brick Light which looks pale and peculiar in this photo; it is a lot more interesting than on the paint card and picks up on colours streaking through the tiles; it's not such a stark contrast as the photo conveys. That's it. The bedroom that will be a mustardy yellow isn't painted yet so I can't show the walls in there. And, again, apologies for the really unsophisticated furniture and mismatched upholstery, etc. Lots still to be done!
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obobble
4 years ago
The non vinyl emulsion that you can use soonest on new plaster and which is in bulk tubs only seems to come in white and magnolia so that explains its ubiquity in new builds/ renovations. I quite like the Magnolias with peachy undertones, but as with any colour it depends on the light, orientation and other features/furniture in the room. I also discovered Homebase Putty, and have teamed it with two different greys in bathrooms to good effect. However, it just made my sitting room look gloomy, so emphasising that no colour is perfect everywhere.
Sonia
4 years ago
I don't understand this hatred of magnolia. It's just cream, and it varies depending on which brand of paint you buy. If the room is decorated in the right way it can look pretty stylish. Give it a new name like "bony cream" (joke) and it could become popular. I have Dulux Elderflower Tea on my walls - lovely name but it could easily be magnolia. Such snobbiness!
A S
4 years ago
I completely agree with you forzaitalia,

I have dulux vanilla almond on my living room walls to complement a feature wall paper and find it looks very similar to Johnstones Magnolia. It has the same yellowish undertones, although considerably milder than the yellow undertones of Dulux Magnolia.
Lorraine Wilson-Brown
4 years ago
Magnolia is 'Blandsville'! When we moved into our current house last year the lounge and dining room were painted magnolia - walls, ceilings and coving! I painted the ceilings and coving white and made a feature of the chimney breast in the lounge and one wall in the dining room because there is work that needs to be done on both these rooms but not yet so there is no point in decorating, but I couldn't stand it as it was. This small bit of 'de-magnoliaisation' has made the rooms look cosier and less bland until I am able to finish the rooms properly.
Rayna Tullett
4 years ago
There is NOTHING WRONG WITH MAGNOLIA! The issue comes when it's a decision someone else has made and you are stuck with it. Magnolia can be creamy pink, creamy yellow or just warm cream...and is a brilliant foil for all sorts of exciting colours to fizz and vibrate against in artwork, fabrics and furniture. Lighting can make it cosy or subtle or sophisticated. What I can't stand is the deeply unsatisfying way it is used as an excuse to 'beige' a home into dreary shades of brown and whites and... more magnolia. So - get inventive, use it as a springboard for your colour passions and you'll have a stylish home no matter who chose the wallcolour.
TwoHearts
4 years ago
We love Magnolia! It's a beautiful, neutral colour and great for adding colour with accessories or a coloured feature wall.
Maddy
4 years ago
I would not wish this colour on my worst enemies! Not sure why they call it magnolia....more like "vague beige from the war rationing years"
Bryony Shaw
4 years ago
I'm not a fan of obvious creams like magnolia...as well as making the house looklike it's painted.white but yellowed with age, it is seriously uncomplementary...makes people look ill for some reason!!
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Stella Michael
4 years ago
Why is 'neutral' so often referred to as a good thing!?
A S
4 years ago
I'd say neutral is a safer option, more so than "good" for those who are not 'courageous' enough to go completely bold and so, select a neutral which they can work a 'bold accent' colour around, subtly.
Dawn
4 years ago
Hate it, hate it, hate it. Makes me instantly sad. As soon as practical I want to paint magnolia walls with brighter, light friendly colours and exciting accents. Magnolia sucks all the life out of a room.
wendy Anderson
4 years ago
Whilst it would be very dull if we all decorated our homes the same, magnolia really isn't for me, but then neither are creams or off whites. I seem to fall into that small minority that loves brilliant white - or deep saturated colours. The "safe" middle ground just isn't for me....
kimsimmondshurn
4 years ago
Haven't we just replaced magnolia with varying shades of cream and grey? I like grey and cream, but I when I'm sitting in my living room painted in Farrow and Ball's All White, I do often think it's quite like magnolia. I like white too, but it can be cold in some spaces.
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London Window Systems
4 years ago
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Stella Michael
4 years ago
A S. It was a rhetorical question, I get it. I also notice many people, even in this post, refer to a choice between either magnolia (for me it includes any version of cream, off whites etc) and bold colours. Maybe this is what scares people but there are endless interesting options that don't need to include either.
Joanna Biddolph
4 years ago
amw122 I just googled Magnolia and Gardenia and they don't have the same code - similar but not the same (Magnolia is BS 08B15 and Gardenia is BS 10B15). Like you, I prefer Gardenia which looks whiter on the walls I've used it on than it does on the colour chart. Overall, though, I don't agree that any property - whether for rental, for sale or to live in - should be painted in neutrals. I love the moods that colours create and want to live in my home for me, not for anyone who might buy it whenever I decide to move.
cazsf
4 years ago
DH loves our magnolia walls, so imagine my stunned delight when he bought a tin of Stiffkey Blue - that's right! Stiff-key-Blue! - for the wardrobes and shelves in our new loft conversion. I had long been dreaming of this colour for our living or 'middle room', as well as the kitchen cabinets. I need to work quickly to flesh out the rest of the palette to prevent any off-piste decisions in the next few months as we work our way down!
amw122
4 years ago
Joanna, wherever I checked it first time they were the same but I can't remember where that was. Manufacturers can use different names and since the Gardenia paint was supplied by the painter and decorator, I have no idea what brand he used. You are correct, on the British Standard's chart they are different I used a colour chart to choose the colour and there was a slight difference. I saw the 'Magnolia' with a pink tinge and 'Gardenia' with a lemon tinge. I did see it as different at the time, that's why I was surprised to find codes which were the same.
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Hand Built Designs
4 years ago
It's an absolutely horrible colour.... I also think most of the off-white shades currently popular are similarly awful, particularly the yellow & peachy toned whites. Ban them all!!!!!
Gerry Rust
4 years ago
Oh my! This one has sparked some passionate debate and no mistake :D I'm afraid I loathe 'magnolia' on principle but agree that it is actually quite hard to define, as it seems to cover a multitude of sins! I have decorated with a variety of 'off whites' over the years but I wouldn't dream of buying something labelled magnolia, snobbish? - well maybe ;) I'm actually fed up with creamy shades altogether at the moment and I don't find they 'go with everything', but then I had years of customers wanting everything painted cream so I think it has warped me a bit - I expect I'll get over it in time. Of course nowadays I could paint a toilet grey and it would sell, I keep trying to introduce other colours before I get sick of that too, but business is business :D
kimsimmondshurn
4 years ago
Yes! Let's have a massive resurgence of life affirming colour.
weeducks
4 years ago
No two magnolias are the same and I defy anyone (well almost anyone!) to tell the difference between any of the top brand 'mags' and all the other 'creams', 'ivories' and 'buttermilks'. Names like champagne, gardenia, soft almond, skinny latte, victorian lace, apricot white, chalk, house white, matchstick........I could go on and on but paint any of them on a wall and in the end they will all look like...mmmmmmagnolia! For some reason magnolia has developed a negativity that it doesn't really deserve and certainly gives a warmer feel than stark white plus a good all round neutrality to your space. Come on guys give mags a chance!
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Bridget Reading ID
4 years ago
Magnolia came about in the 80's and should have stayed in that decade. It is way too yellow to work as a base with current colour trends. Move on landlords!
amw122
4 years ago
It will show the skill of the decorator or interior designer to work with whatever colour they have. Not everyone wants white and not every room (except morgues) suit white.
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Bridget Reading ID
4 years ago
white is not the only other option
amw122
4 years ago
No but you were talking landlords and they tend to paint walls as cheaply and as neutral as possible. Their colour spectrum ranges brilliant white to magnolia (unless it's a more expensive rental).
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Andrea Sartori Ltd
4 years ago
An idea to keep magnolia on the walls and make it your own: Cut or buy a wall stencil and get (more magnolia) - but this time in high gloss and work the stripes, stencils or hand painted scrolls and accents on top- Not the whole wall, just touches, and your wall will gain depth without upsetting the landlord.
Jackie Askey
4 years ago
I'm in a rented property temporarily and told my friend the walls were a lemony colour...... when she came to see the flat she told me it was magnolia !! I had no idea as I have never used it in my home preferring other more interesting tints and shades of various colours. It looks ok but it's not very exciting is it?
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Indigo Design
4 years ago
I hate magnolia. I don't think it "goes with everything"--in fact I think it usually doesn't go with anything, it's just that it doesn't openly clash.

I own several rental properties (all but one unfurnished) and use bright white. It's not actually true that it looks "cold" or "clinical" because once the tenant brings all their furniture, books, DVDs, and artwork, there's lots and lots of different colours, not to mention they usually put their stamp on it with throws, rugs, and curtains. I have one holiday let that has lots of brick fireplaces and it was all magnolia when I bought it, which didn't allow the fireplaces to "pop" enough. I immediately re-painted in bright white and it instantly looked fresher, more chic, and once I'd furnished everything--using dark blue with touches of red--it looks warm and interesting, not clinical at all!
Joanna Biddolph
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I agree, menism. In a rental, or anywhere, magnolia walls can look perpetually in need of a lick of paint when what tenants want is to feel their new home is fresh and clean. The tenants in my small rental flat in suburbia bring their own characters into the decor and layout. When I had to drop in to look at a leak from the flat above, I looked at "my flat" (I had lived there and might again) in amazement at how another's flair and things can change atmosphere and character. The white paint (I use a warm white, RAL 910 which is just off the edge of brilliant white) allows tenants to use any colours they like and they do. In my home, where my things have distinct colours and characters, I can use the colours that work best for me. At home I NEVER have white walls. Never!
V R I
4 years ago
My take is that everything contains inherent beauty when used moderately.
If every rental home was painted pink, people would hate that too!!
In my humble opinion, It's not the magnolia thats the issue. Its the overused aspect if it that people are fed up with...
The home we moved into was painted from top to bottom in white. Everywhere!! Just white!! And to top it off, the entire home was kitted out with cool white Led bulbs, just to emphasise the point! So for me, white became my arch enemy! But not because its not nice! Because it was over used!!
I like warm and bold colours with feeling and character...
So lets put aside words like "I hate magnolia" and appreciate that is an innocent and pretty colour that has done nothing wrong other then getting a little too popular
bagpuss2
4 years ago
Teamed with cream or pale wood flooring it's the alternative to white and greys and allows you to add hotter colours with textiles
Diane Warren
4 years ago
Bland
juliedubbs
4 years ago
I think people like estate agents etc often use the term "magnolia" as a generic term to cover all types neutral colour schemes. I personally find a home several rooms painted in vivid colours rather claustrophobic
kazrobb
4 years ago
If done tastefully colours that marry with each other look inviting.. magnolia I personally think is a gastly colour and other than yellow and brown tones it is such a hard colour to match .. where as white is a perfect base colour and so easy to marry ...,
Diane Warren
4 years ago
I had years of Magnolia, absolutely detest it now. We have a Lilac lounge, with a paler Lilac chimney breast . Silver Grey/Lilac carpet. Cream satin curtains .
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Andrea Sartori Ltd
4 years ago
It's a good colour to paint over
Dawn
4 years ago
I agree with Andrea. Great primer!
Naomi Doughty
4 years ago
Grim,, and all the rotten similar fancy names that go with it. Be bold and honest with yourself and ban it, Be black or white, or some smart colour in between!!!!
millarno
2 years ago
Old thread, but thought I would add. I have a whole house to paint... trade paints that are cheap ie £18-30 for 10 litres only come in white or magnolia. That is why so many rentals are magnolia.
HU-93621703
last year
I have just painted my large light lounge with dulux magnolia and the wooden surround fireplace and wall with F & b's bancha (olive green) it looks fabulous!
Rachel Hilton
last year
I hate magnolia. It is such a boring, blah, insipid, cheap looking (I hate to say colour), as it is a none colour. I remember it as paint which hid the nicotine marks. I grew up in the 80s and both my parents smoked. When any paintings were taken down, they had big nicotine marks all around them, Magnolia was a good coverall. I remember them buying a new house, and everything was magnolia so as soon as I bought my own house I made sure that the walls are white, I even paid extra to have them white!
Mary Ketchley
last year
I must be the only person who likes magnolia! I had a lot of it in my last house. I find it calm and restful. I rebelled in my new house and painted the kitchen bright yellow. It’s ok but it turns out there’s a reason the last place was neutral. I actually like it. Maybe it’s because both my last and current homes are quite well lit from the south? Also I just can’t get on board with the grey trend. The UK is grey enough.
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colourhappy
last year
Magnolia in a south facing well lit room is probably beautiful. In ten years time people will possibly shudder at navy walls, brass fittings and anthracite windows. Fashions come and go.
kittihawke
last year
When they used Magnolia they tended to use it everywhere though, in every room regardless of aspect or light. My Mum loved it. I can’t abide it. I think it’s probably a generational thing.
Mary Ketchley
last year
@colourhappy I totally agree. Like everyone else I can’t help being influenced by trends but I really try to choose things that are not too ‘of the moment’. Like those enormous wall clocks someone else mentioned. They look fab but they are definitely a trend that will define this period. Eventually there will be a lot of them in landfill. Our trusty magnolia paint saw us through 10 years of family life in our old house with 3 young children. It was super easy to slap a bit more on if it ever got dirty - who am I kidding, I mean WHEN it got dirty. It didn’t clash with the wood effect floors which I think many of the currently popular grey or yellow colours would have. I suppose I’m also lucky that I’ve not spent much time as a renter so I don’t have the frustration of having magnolia forced on me. I don’t remember it being a thing in the 80s either. I DO remember the Dulux ‘hints’ range from then though: Apple white, orchid white etc. My Mum loved those.
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colourhappy
last year
@Mary Ketchley yes I remember those whites 'with a tint' too. I honestly think that the way paint is marketed to have some kind of 'identity' is quite funny.
Sonia
last year
I think Dulux still do the with hints paint? Apple White etc 😊

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Is Magnolia paint bland or beautiful?

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