Not everyone wants to design a living room over and over again. While there are some who wouldn’t mind picking out paints and fabrics every few months—either because of their careers or hobbies—the vast majority of us would much rather wait years between home updates. Sure, passing trends may be tempting to emulate, but the overarching goal is usually to create a living room with timeless appeal. The only problem? You have to know how to pick and choose components with staying power.

“A living room should feel inviting, layered, and flexible enough to evolve with changing styles,” says Vyanca Soto, owner and principal designer at Market Studio Interiors. I always look for colors that act as a refined backdrop—ones that work with natural and artificial light and complement a variety of textures. You want a space that feels intentional.”

If you’re hoping to design a living room that looks good now and in the future, the strongest element for success may come down to the paint color. After all, the shade you choose for the walls will impact nearly every other detail, from the ideal sofa to the best artwork. To help you feel confident in your choice, we asked three designers to share their advice, including the one color they’d put above the rest.

How to Choose the Best Paint Color for Your Living Room

While deciding on the “right” paint color for a living room is highly subjective, there are a few professional tricks to keep in mind in order to land on a shade that’s best for your tastes and setting. Designer Ali Milch, the founder of a namesake firm, likes to pose this decision as a question. “What does the natural light in the room reflect and what is the overall mood you are trying to achieve?” she asks.

Before you pick up a paint brush, take note of how much sunlight streams into this area of your home and whether or not you’d like to complement or contrast it. For a living room that gets a lot of rays, for instance, you may like the idea of a darker color that won’t feel too much like a cave. A more shaded space, on the other hand, may feel even moodier if you want colors to follow suit. Once you choose a direction, bring home paint swatches to see how the light makes them look in the room, and be sure to test them on each wall. The colors may appear different throughout the day, which may also impact your decision.

However, don’t stress too much over making the perfect decision. “As far as design goes, paint is one of the most low-commitment things you can do—you can always repaint,” says Sasha Basso, designer at Capiz Studio. “So pick the color that speaks to you and go for it!”

The Best Living Room Paint Color for Timeless Appeal

Designing a living room with timeless appeal can take a lot of the guesswork out of this process, since you’re likely still paying attention to sunlight and functionality, but you’re zeroing in on options that will stay consistent no matter what. So, it should come as no surprise that all three designers recommend going neutral.

“For walls that will never go out of style, I tend to lean toward creamier shades of whites or very light taupe colors,” Milch says. “When working with crisp clean walls, I always try to add in elements of natural wood and earthy stone accents to add warmth. So, drenching the walls with meaningful art and layering complementary patterns will still add personality to a space.”

If there’s one shade that Milch and Basso equally recommend for this job, it’s Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee. This classic hue is slightly off-white, with a warm undertone that resembles milk in a morning brew. “I have my favorite whites that I lean toward, but the thing about whites is that they read differently in every room,” Basso says. “Always get samples and swatch the walls to see how the color plays in your space. My favorite warm white may look cool in your living room.”

As for the runners-up, Basso also suggests Color Atelier’s Limewash in White Clay or Chèvre, as well as Farrow and Ball’s All White or Pointing. Milch would try Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White on walls and trim if Swiss Coffee wasn’t a good fit. And Soto’s number one white is actually Farrow and Ball’s Strong White. “It’s a soft, warm white with just the right amount of depth,” she says. “It creates an effortless, elegant foundation that works with any aesthetic, whether you’re layering in rich textures or keeping things light.”