How To Choose Bedroom Paint Colors (My Best Tips!)

For most, the bedroom is a place where we can escape the hustle and bustle of the world, slip into our soft, comfortable bed, and simply let the stress melt away. When decorating your bedroom, it’s important that you select colors that match the type of serenity you want to feel when you’re in the bedroom. Choosing the wrong colors can even affect the quality of sleep you receive, so the decision is not to be taken lightly. Today I’m sharing my best tips for picking paint colors for a bedroom — I hope they help you!

My Best Tips: How to Choose Bedroom Paint Colors

Temperature

All colors have temperature. Warm colors are more stimulating while cool colors are more relaxing. There are wide differences across both spectrums and people react to warm and cool colors differently. Some people are soothed by warmer colors, like soft yellows or pinks, while others find them too stimulating. The first step is to determine what you feel when looking at colors that are warm and cool, then select your favorite colors from those spectrums and explore the different shades. 

Shades of blue-green, blue-violet and grays tend to produce a more calming or relaxing effect. Bright, active colors, like red and orange are attention-grabbing colors and typically the ones you want to avoid. For example, you don’t want your room to look like a bright orange traffic cone and then expect your mind to be able to relax in it. Consider what colors make you feel calm, stress-free, and relaxed. Then explore the various shades available in those colors. 

Personally, I love cooler toned colors and gravitate there. This preference has come in handy while decorating our cabin because the cooler paint colors balance out all of the orange toned wood.

Romance or Serenity?

Consider how you want to feel when you walk into your bedroom. If you want it to feel sexy and romantic, you might consider dark, deep cool colors. For instance, navy or charcoal on the walls paired with brighter furnishings help to create this effect. 

If serenity is what you’re looking for, you will want fresh colors that aren’t too active. Bird’s egg blue, champagne and simply white paired with soft patterns or faux fur evoke feelings of calm and serenity, while making the room feel luxurious and comfortable. 

If you want something cozy, but want to stay away from grays and blues, consider a luxurious brown. A dark brown is a more complex color that is often forgotten, but it pairs perfectly with lighter accent colors like pinks or yellows.

Another alternative to the gray trend is a dramatic dark green — like ours! Greens come in a variety of shades that can be rich and smoky to bright and airy. Plus, you can really make a room feel peaceful when combining it with natural furnishings of wood, giving the bedroom a nice nature-inspired feel. 

Don’t Be Afraid of Being Different

While today’s trends often focus on grays and other neutral colors, you can still achieve a unique and cozy look with different colors – like purple. Purple is one of those colors that’s often thought of as a child’s color, but it is actually quite versatile. It comes in a variety of shades that can be sophisticated without being too feminine. Light purples can create that airy feel, while dark shades give you a luxurious feel. It can be soft or it can be intense, it’s really up to you. 

Purple isn’t the only “different” shade either. Pinks are really making a huge comeback in a more “adult” way as well. While you likely wouldn’t want to go paint your bedroom hot pink, there are shades of rose and pink champagne that can create a sophisticated and romantic style. Plus, we all know about millennial pink by now, right??

Personally, I am more into pale pinks, especially the peachy pink ones, than purple. If you follow me on Instagram you know all about how stoked I am that our purple room is gone!

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle is important to consider as well. If you work a night job and have to sleep during the day or if you suffer from insomnia, you’ll likely want a darker room that helps you relax and blocks out light. Dark grays and blues are great for this purpose paired with quality black-out drapes (like my faves from Wovn Home). 

If you like to keep your décor light and airy, then more neutral shades might be what you want. Although they keep the bedroom bright, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to relax after a long day. Soft blue greens with warm whites can help you create an airy and light sanctuary in your bedroom. Or, if you like colors a little warmer, sandy beige with a hint of honey color gives the room warmth without being too active and bold.

If you like to mix up your décor, but don’t want to have to change paint frequently, then neutral is the way to go in my opinion. Neutral colors keep a bedroom timeless, so you can switch up your bedding, your pillows and other décor easily as times change without having to completely redesign your room. 

The Size of the Room and Accent Walls

Is your room large or small? The size of the space you’re working with is important because color effects how a space feels in terms of size. Painting your small bedroom dark charcoal might make it feel like a tiny closet, while a light gray will make it feel more open. But sometimes the mood and drama are exactly what you want!

However, if you have a smaller room but you really love a deep, dark color, that doesn’t mean you can’t utilize it. You can always paint an accent wall in that lovely dark color while keeping the others more neutral. You will still get that rich color without shrinking the size of your room. You can also use the lighter colors to really make a small room feel a bit larger as well. It’s all up to you!

If you have a large bedroom, they often have several windows and large amounts of natural light. You can make that natural light work for you and take advantage of the opportunity to go with a deep, dark color. Dark, rich colors with natural lighting, make for the perfect lazy weekend bedroom. 

If you do choose to go light or neutral, white is always an option but opt for one that has a bit of warmth to it. Pure white can come off as cold or simply to plain, while a creamy white will add a touch of warmth to the walls. Steer clear of anything too cool and surgical feeling!

Cool colors make a small room appear larger because they pull the wall away from the eye. Using a cool color an accent wall in a narrow room will make it feel wider. I used this trick in our old dining room.

Warm colors make rooms appear smaller because the wall is pulled towards the eye. A warm color on a wall at the end of a long, narrow room, will make the room feel smaller. 

When choosing the accent wall, you want to choose a balanced wall that your eye is naturally drawn too. Often, in a bedroom, that wall is the one with the headboard up against it. You don’t have to choose the wall with your bed up against it, but you should choose a wall that is clutter free. You don’t want to cover up the color with large armoires or furniture that will take away from the effect. There’s often open space above a headboard, which is why that wall is commonly picked. It’s all about balance. 

If none of your walls seem to fit the criteria, consider the ceiling! Often referred to as the “fifth wall”, painting your ceiling can add dimension to your bedroom. A dark color will make a large room feel cozier while a bright color will open it up.

Make It Inviting

The most important thing when decorating your home, whether it’s the bedroom or another room, is that you want it to be inviting. You don’t want to create a bedroom that you simply can’t relax in. While your main wall color is very important, you can’t forget all the other colors you’ll be implementing as well. Think about the color of your furniture, accent colors, bedding, etc. Make sure all of your colors work together to create the overall effect you want to achieve in your bedroom.

What do you think of these tips and tricks??

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Photography by Jojotastic.