If you’re trying to make the bedroom feel cozier, color is the place to start. There’s a veritable array of soothing, soothing shades that can transform your space from a sterile space with white walls to a cocooning haven. These relaxing colors can be taken from all over the color wheel, whether it’s a cool color in a darker shade, or a color from the warmer side of the color scheme, in a muted and less saturated shade.
Dark shades are the obvious choice for creating a warm feeling in the bedroom. “Having a cozy room means using richer colors for the space to help brighten the room,” says interior designer Linda Hayslett of LH Designs. Using dark colors such as navy blue, chocolate, gray or even plum helps achieve this by keeping the light to a minimum. This helps the bedroom feel like it’s interfering with you and helps you relax.
Warm shades in a lighter version can also provide comfort. Light and neutral colors are calming and serene, inviting you into your bedroom for a period of relaxation. Read on to get inspiration from the experts on our favorite modern bedroom ideas using color to create a warm feeling.
How to choose warm colors for the bedroom
It’s easy to create a relaxing aesthetic in the bedroom if you use color in the right ways. Take inspiration from interior decorating rules like the 60-30-10 rule which is about choosing three colors to give uneven weight throughout the bedroom. Also consider a monochromatic color scheme, which involves taking paint all over, up the walls, over the ceiling, and even the eaves.
“Using monochromatic colors helps create a cocoon-like feeling,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing for Sherwin-Williams. (Opens in a new tab) fee. Homeowners want their spaces to feel calm and comfortable, like a retreat from the rest of the world. Using a single color that exudes warmth can help achieve this.
Creating comfort is also about building layers of texture, finds interior designer Rachel Usher. Providing comfort within a bedroom space is perhaps the most important component of sound sleep. I recommend applying your colors in layered textures, this will create a cozy and warm space.
Whatever you choose to paint your bedroom walls with, we’ve picked the best relaxing bedroom colors we’re loving at the moment.
Oonagh is an interiors writer and editor. She spends her days interviewing top inside industry experts to bring the latest insights to her readers. For this piece, I spoke to designers who specialize in cute and relaxing schemes for their color selection for the bedroom.
1. Blue-gray
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
Blue is a great bedroom color idea that can promote a sense of relaxation and serenity as you climb into bed at the end of the day. “Blue is commonly found in nature,” Rachel explains, “so it’s a very relaxing color for the bedroom because it’s associated with relaxation and positivity — think of a clear blue sky or a relaxing lake for example.”
In this example from Benjamin Moore (Opens in a new tab)Little Boy Blue on the walls is painted a light, warm blue, while white is used in the soft furnishings as an accent. The white and blue bedroom work together to create a clean, calming palette that works perfectly for the purpose of this space, promoting sleep and relaxation, and encouraging you to enjoy a good read.
2. Light brown honey
(Image credit: Chris Snook)
Honey brown is a warm shade in the bedroom, and it can work to create a warm feeling that welcomes you like a big hug. We’ve noticed this shade of honey creeping up in popularity this year, as the color grounds us with its earthy references, yet keeps us warm and enveloping.
On the color wheel, this shade is a muted version of dark orange. Complementary orange is blue, making this honey hue the perfect color to go with blue. Also seen here with blue bed linen. This makes the chart welcoming and easy on the eye.
3. Dark teal
(Image credit: Paul Reside)
Deep teal is another relaxing color for the bedroom, which lends a subdued look to subdued lighting, especially when sheathing the entire room and painting the ceiling monochromatic. This creates a dark color scheme, with a moody feel that’s perfect for comfort.
“Dark colors envelop the room and make it feel spongy and cozy, wrapping you in the largest blanket,” says Abigail Ahern. (Opens in a new tab), a designer who really advocates the use of dark colors in her work. Dark, saturated colors may push you out of your comfort zone but become fascinated by their ever-changing hues and what they do to the pieces in your room. Mood colors instantly make any room cozy. Everything looks cooler, longer, smarter and sharper.
4. Green olives
(Image credit: Will Ellis. Design: The New Design Project)
Take your cues from nature with a soothing botanical look in the bedroom and go for an olive green with a brown undertone. Olive is a darker version of green with an earthy, grayish hue that makes for a warming scheme, even though green is on the cooler side of the color wheel.
“Olive green is a very strong color but totally muted,” says Fanny Abbas of The New Design Project based in New York. (Opens in a new tab)Who designed this bedroom. There are so many beautiful colors that go well with olive green, but they work independently, too. You can decide to make it the star of the show as the main accent and keep the rest very neutral. The result is a muted and fresh color palette.
5. Soft orange
(Image credit: Anna Stathaki. Design: Indie & Co)
Light terracotta or a shade of orange brings a real warm color scheme to your bedroom, as shown in this example by Indie & Co. (Opens in a new tab). Instead of using color on the walls, the majority color in this scheme is made up of the bed linen, accents on the wallpaper and a stylish lamp—all in the same soft shade of terracotta. Here, green is used to balance the color, as an effective color that goes well with orange.
“Soft terracotta is a fairly neutral yet warm and welcoming color that can be found in nature, as it can in the earth, which I think helps make it a calming and relaxing color,” says Celine Erlam of Indie & Co.
6. Tones of red
(Image credit: www.timeincukcontent.com)
Different shades of pink can work well in the bedroom and bring warmth to the space that makes your room cozy and inviting. But pink and any tones from the red section of the color wheel should be approached with caution, warns interior designer Rachel Usher, because it’s not the most soothing color to paint a bedroom.
“Recent color trends have seen a move toward pink and blush tones, but these colors contain pigments of red, which is an evocative color often associated with danger and anger that is not conducive to rest and high-quality sleep,” she says.
“If you enjoy blush colors and want to use this palette in your bedroom, try using lighter tones—this color is more familiar and reliable and allows your scheme to be on-trend without being over-stimulating.”
7. Chocolate brown
(photo credit: Secret Linen Store x Abigail Ahern)
Brown in all its shades is having a moment in interiors and is proving to be a true interior design trend. With a signature ’70s feel, dark brown and chocolate is no longer wrinkly, but cool, sophisticated, and warm. In this bedroom, painted in Crosby by Abigail Ahern, the cocooning feel created by the use of brown is enhanced by brown-textured materials on the bed, and the designer used the color in her bedroom and living room to create an airy and strong look.
“Bedrooms are the perfect room for introducing dark colours,” says Abigail Ahern. “Crosby is a beautiful brown and has lovely soft pinky tones that make the bedroom look and feel calm and cozy, the perfect retreat.”
8. Green light
Bedroom design by Studio Ashby
(Image credit: Studio Ashby)
Licks of green paint are a great way to ground a bedroom, giving it strong connections to nature that can subconsciously make you feel relaxed and at ease.
“Green is known for harnessing feelings of confidence and comfort,” explains Rachel Usher. “For example, with a soft green, just a hint of green can be enough to create a sense of harmony.”
“Green is one of our favorite colours,” says Fiona Blanchot, Ashby Studio Director. (Opens in a new tab). It has the power to completely change the mood of a room. For the main background of this scheme, we wanted something soft and chose this gray and green chalk for its almost meditative and calming quality, says Fiona. This subdued backdrop set the scene for something a little more daring. Splashes of yellows, coppers, and oranges help soften the room, creating in-between shades of green to build an oasis away from everyday stresses.
9. Rust red
(Image credit: Thomas Richter White Arrow LLC)
Apply and use the shade of red in the bedroom in a more subdued, earthy way and you will find that your room is full of comfort. While it may seem bold to cover all the walls of your bedroom in this brave color, choose the right red and it can create a warm and wonderful space that doesn’t overwhelm. Cozy, rusty, or terracotta reds are warm and comforting, reminiscent of fall trees and nature, and key to an earthy-tone bedroom.
What wall colors make you feel happy?
How color can make you feel comfortable and warm, color can also work its magic and improve your mood. Yellow is an uplifting and mood-boosting color, often associated with happiness that fills the void with positivity. But yellow and orange in all its different shades can also evoke these happy feelings. Be bright and your mood will follow
“My go-to paint color is Terracotta from The California Collection—a collaboration with Farrow & Ball,” says interior designer Kelly Wearstler. It’s a great color for bedrooms, an easy shade that’s soft and warm, like morning sunlight.
“I also love the pale green palm, which is perfect for a room with a large skylight because it captures the brightness of natural light.” It also brings elements of the outdoors indoors, creating a relaxing space.
If you want to play with happy color in homes, I recommend taking a shade you actually love—look for it in anything from a piece of clothing to a piece of art, something that makes you feel good—and using it to create a scheme.
