Choosing the Right Bedroom Paint Colors

Your bedroom should feel like a sanctuary. The right design features can either make it a place you long to run to at the end of your day or a place you keep unfolded laundry and takeout boxes (no judgment).

The right color choices can help you create a bedroom design that flows with the rest of your home’s design but also fosters an environment of rest and relaxation. We’ll help you through the color-choosing process, suggest how to match complementary colors, and empower you to choose the perfect paint for your bedroom walls.

Decide Which Walls To Paint

You’ve probably heard it said that dark colors make a room seem small and light colors make a room appear larger. While there’s truth to this statement, that doesn’t mean your 120-square-foot bedroom can’t look fabulous with a coat of dark green or gray paint. What it does mean is that you have to be a little more creative with paint placement. 

An Accent Wall

Painting a DIY accent wall is a solution for using bold paint colors in small spaces. Generally, an accent wall is one of four walls in your primary bedroom or guest room that you paint a different color. Leave the remaining walls with neutral colors like off-white, eggshell, or even taupe. Accent walls are great if you’re nervous about painting every single wall in your room a bold color (baby steps!).

You can also use color combinations when painting an accent wall. If you love the look of a cobalt blue wall but don’t want to commit to the heavy color, try using the darkest shade on your accent wall and different shades of lighter blue on the remaining walls. 

The Tray Ceiling

Primary bedrooms may have a tray ceiling feature, which is a fantastic spot to create warmth and add dimension to your room. Try using calming colors that are a shade darker than the other walls. 

Another option for tray ceilings is using a vibrant accent color and creating a focal point. Remember that your color will be sitting directly behind your light fixture. If you have a light fixture you don’t love, it may be a good idea to replace it or choose a lighter color paint to draw attention away from your ceiling. 

Select a Color Palette

Monochromatic Color

A single, bright color works for primary bedrooms and guest bedrooms alike. The good news is that you can tailor your room’s color palette to your interior design style.

If you tend to make bolder paint choices, you might pick a pastel purple or hot pink for your room. If you tend to lean more neutral, you could choose shades like light blue or sage green. There’s no shame in the design game!

Choosing coordinating shades from the same color palette is what makes monochromatic color schemes work. Using a color wheel is a helpful tool in interior design to help you make smarter color decisions; check out our article on how to use a color wheel before getting started. 

A bedroom color scheme lends itself to differing shades of the same color. A pure white bedroom may feel sterile, but a bedroom feels serene and cozy when layered with different shades of white paint colors that range from bright white to pale blue.

I’m Stuck With Beige!

Anytime you move into a new home or apartment, you face the reality that the builder or the rental company decided to paint all the walls a lovely shade of builder beige. If painting wasn’t high on your list of priorities and you’ve already begun designing your home, you may feel like you don’t have much versatility with paint colors. 

First off (this one might be hard to swallow), you don’t need to hate on all shades of beige. Beige, eggshell, and off-white are all colors that work well with practically any other design ideas you might have. In addition, having a living room that is painted beige makes it easy for you to have a blue bedroom without clashing colors. It’s all about perspective!

If you’re feeling “stuck” with beige because you’re simply afraid to commit to a color, try starting with a variation, like greige, a combination of blue-gray, a more modern version of the original shade. Pro-Tip: Our community just voted Farrow & Ball's Dropcloth color the perfect greige.

Consider Your Furniture

The furniture in guest rooms and your primary bedroom should remain cohesive with your paint color of choice. Pairing a sage green wall with a rustic wooden bed frame may not be a problem, but if you have a red-colored fabric headboard, you might want to choose a different paint color. 

Furniture with ornate finishes or colored knobs will dictate what kind of colors you use in your bedroom. Even if you don’t adore your furniture, don’t try to fight it. Unless you’re up for a total bedroom redo, use the furniture you already have to find a shade of paint that works.

Pick a Finish Before You Finish

Interior paint is available in numerous finishes. Each one will give your room a specific feel. 

• Flat. Flat paint has more of a clean finish with no noticeable shine.

• Matte. Matte finish looks gorgeous and smooth on walls. It’s less shiny than satin or eggshell but has a tad more sheen than flat paint. However, it’s incredibly hard to clean and picks up on fingerprints easily. This paint is best used for walls with less traffic.

• Satin or eggshell finish. Satin or eggshell finishes have a slight sheen and can be scrubbed. Satin finish paint is often standard issue in children’s small bedrooms or in large spaces that see more foot traffic and are at risk of scuffs and marks. 

• Semi-gloss and high-gloss. For paint that has the highest gloss finish, opt for semi-gloss or high-gloss. You’ll notice these finishes are often used for crown molding and baseboards. They can also help you build texture in your room by interchanging the same color in different finishes on opposing walls.

Playing with finishes is also helpful when you consider the natural light in your rooms. You can transform how a room feels by choosing a different finish. Light reflects more off a satin or gloss than a flat paint, for instance. 

Final Tips and Tricks for Bedroom Paint Color Ideas

Even if you’re a creative genius, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with design. When you feel stuck, we recommend scrolling through Spoak’s discovery feed to find design inspiration, explore new color options, and see what other colors designers are using in the wild. 

Once you’ve seen other designers' and homeowners’ ideas, you can narrow down your options and find the best bedroom paint color for your space. 

Don’t Feel Trapped By Your Home Decor

Hypothetically, if your entire home is painted with rustic farmhouse neutrals, but you’d like another shade for your bedroom, you’re in luck. It’s totally possible to choose one of your existing room’s undertones and use that shade for your bedroom walls. 

Update Your Lighting

Sometimes the perfect color inspiration leads you to a color that looks terracotta in the store but more orange at home (always bring home paint samples!). If you’re set on the color, try changing your lighting. Pure white or warm amber lighting can influence how color appears on your walls. 

Experiment With Color and Design 

Decorating your home should be enjoyable — and when it isn’t, we’re here to help. Spoak’s interior design tools give you the ability to move furniture, design gallery walls, experiment with color, and layer texture to create rooms you love. 

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^{Photo Credit: (Left) Clare}

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^Sources: 

^{How to Pick Paint Colors for Interior Rooms | This Old House.com} 

^{Pick the Perfect Paint Finish for Every Room | Consumer Reports} 

^{Gray + Beige = Greige: The Best Neutral Color Ever? | The Spruce}