How to Choose Bedroom Wall Color (Surprisingly Quick Ways)

I’ve written so many posts about bedroom decor and how you can choose the best bedroom decor for your personal preference. But the most important type of bedroom decor is bedroom wall color. That’s why in this post, I will discuss the quickest and easiest ways for how to choose bedroom wall color.

There are SO many factors that go into what paint color your bedroom wall should be, so I don’t blame you one bit for being concerned if you’re making the right choice.

In fact, I went through the same crisis when I was choosing my own bedroom colors. Ok, I hope that’s not too dramatic.

But on a more serious note, choosing bedroom wall color IS hard, and that’s why I’m here to tell you exactly how I chose my bedroom wall color. Some things I did were good…and some were bad. But regardless, I’m only going to tell you the good tips.

Step 1: Understand the Role that Color Plays on Your Mood

You probably spend a good portion of your day in your bedroom, and let me guess, you don’t want to live in a depressing room.

The vibe of your bedroom largely comes from its color scheme. That’s why it’s really important that your bedroom wall color brings you to peace and comfort, or honestly whatever emotion you want from your bedroom!

Seems pretty simple right? Here’s where it gets a little bit more complex. Everyone’s definition of the perfect paint color that brings them comfort is different. For some it may be a light gray, while for others it may be a sky blue.

Therefore, I can’t pinpoint one color as the most “comfortable color” because there is no one shoe fits all. Don’t worry, though. I can still give you a general idea to guide you along your journey.

What Are Typically the Best Wall Paint Colors for Comfort?

Typically, the bedroom wall colors that bring the most peace and comfort are cool colors, such as shades of blue and green. These colors are typically the most common for bedrooms. In fact, my own bedroom is a light shade of green!

While I don’t expect you to also opt for a light green, it is a great option for a relaxing bedroom ambiance. Green is commonly known ti be a soothing color, which is why light green bedroom paint never lets me—or my readers—down.

Pro tip: I highly recommend that you choose relatively lighter shades of whatever paint color is the most comforting for you. From my experience, dark colors do not suit bedrooms—or your mood—well.

Step 2: Assess Your Room Size and Lighting

Your room size and your current room lighting plays a HUGE role in how to choose bedroom wall color. Very few people know this, but different colors serve different purposes for interior design.

And don’t worry, this step will only take a few minutes. Like I said before, these are quick and easy ways to choose your bedroom wall color.

How to Choose Bedroom Wall Color for Small Bedrooms

If you have a small bedroom, your bedroom color can be the factor that creates the illusion of a larger bedroom space…as long as you choose correctly.

In quick and simple terms, the colors that make a bedroom look bigger are various shades of pastel colors, neutral colors, and earthy tones, such as

1. White paint
2. Light blue
3. Cream/beige
4. Lavender
5. Blush pink
6. Light gray

Of the many color options you can choose from, my favorite wall color to give a larger bedroom feel is light gray. From the years I’ve spent doing extensive research and working with home decor, light gray has always given me solid results.

Light gray bedroom walls are also easier to decorate using fewer wall decor items. Guess what that means for me and you?

More money saved. And if you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’d know how much I LOVE to save money—and help you save money with me!

How to Choose Bedroom Wall Color Based on Natural Light

The most common type of lighting that EVERYONE has is natural light, which is why it’s the most important factor to discuss.

Natural light gives a unique glow to your bedroom that no other artificial light can produce, which is why it is SO necessary for any bedroom interior design. Without sufficient natural light, your bedroom will look bland and boring.

More good news: natural light also improves our ability to perceive different shades of color more accurately, meaning that whatever color you ultimately go for will look better with more natural light.

What Is the Perfect Paint Color For More Natural Light?

I’ve had many readers tell me that they can’t improve their bedroom because they don’t get enough natural light. Well guess what, I’m here with a solution for you.

Even if you get limited sunlight in your bedroom, you can still take steps to maximize your bedroom natural light. Take a guess at what one of those steps might be. Hint: the title of this blog post.

Ding, ding, ding, you guessed it! The color of your bedroom walls largely affects how much natural light reflects in your bedroom. What a shocker.

So what is the perfect bedroom wall color for more natural light glow? It’s primarily neutral colors (also known as light-reflective colors), such as

1. Off-white
2. Pale brown
3. Light gray
4. Cream
5. Beige

Another advantage of using these bedroom colors is that they also create a calming effect. In other words, neutral colors also bring peace and comfort to your bedroom in addition to reflecting more natural light.

That’s what I call “2 targets with 1 stone.”

Step 3: Coordinate Your Bedroom Wall Color with Bedroom Furniture

If you already have bedroom furniture, I don’t expect you to go and spend thousands of dollars on brand new furniture to match your bedroom wall color. That’s just a waste of money and time.

Instead, do the opposite. Choose a paint color that fits with the furniture you already have. Doing so is much faster and more affordable.

However, there are many types and colors of furniture, and it can get overwhelming to figure out which wall color works the best with each type of bedroom furniture.

Pro tip: try to create an overall bedroom color scheme whenever possible. This will make your bedroom look more modern and put together.

Dark Wood Furniture

Dark wood furniture is one of the most common types of bedroom furniture that most people have. In fact, I used to have dark wood furniture myself! So trust me when I say that I know how hard it is to make dark wood furniture fit in.

But the best way to quickly and easily make your dark wood furniture fit into your bedroom is choosing a wall color that either creates a balanced contrast or a sophisticated + cozy atmosphere. Think soft, neutral colors and earthy tones for your wall color, such as:

1. Light gray
2. Cream/beige
3. Warm taupe
4. Lighter shade of olive green
5. Soft medium blue

White or Light Wood Furniture

A lot more people are gravitating towards white furniture, which is why I find it necessary to talk about how to choose bedroom wall color according to white or light wood bedroom furniture.

Many people think that light colored furniture means darker color wall paint. But that’s not always the case.

In fact, in most cases, these are my top 3 recommendations:

1. I still recommend neutral colors, such as warm beige or light gray.
2. I also highly recommended a simple crisp white paint for a clean aesthetic, which is great for an all-white bedroom design.
3. And of course, soft pastels, such as light blue or pale green, are simple ways for a calm ambiance.

But here’s where it gets more interesting. You can also consider warm colors, such as orange, brown, and red. Just make sure to use the darker shades of these colors for the best results.

Black Furniture

Many people overthink styling black furniture, when in reality, it’s a lot simpler.

With black bedroom furniture, you open up your bedroom wall color to a LOT more options. While one color may soften the black furniture appearance, another may augment it.

My top recommendations for bedroom wall colors that compliment black furniture are neutral tones, such as cream, beige, taupe, and gray, or jewel tones, such as emerald green or navy blue.

These colors make your black furniture the focal point of your bedroom, making sure that your furniture stands out immediately. After all, you did spend a good amount of money on your furniture. Why not show it off?

But these aren’t the only wall colors that go well with black furniture. If you’re feeling a little gothic, you can even go for black bedroom walls. Combined with natural light, this all-black bedroom combination (which is highly trending) looks phenomenal.

Mixed or Eclectic Furniture

With all the bedroom combinations above, I’ve assumed that you have some sort of color scheme among your furniture. But that isn’t always the case. In fact, my own home has many types and furniture colors.

In such cases, you can go with virtually any color that fits your personal preference, including warm colors, cool colors, and neutral colors. Just make sure to steer clear from dark colors and bright colors.

I highly recommend that you pick a light and subtle shade of any color because it sets a cleaner background that works well with any type of furniture.

Step 4: Going with the Trend or Going with Timelessness?

The next step is to decide whether you want your bedroom walls to work with the current popular trends or stand the test of time.

The issue with going with the trend is that trends go away, meaning that what was once a marvel will soon become irrelevant. In such cases, most people want to repaint their walls to fit the new trend.

But do you notice the problem with that?

That’s right; it’s a never-ending process. If you repaint your bedroom wall color for the new trend every time, you’re going to end up wasting a lot of money.

That’s why I always tell my readers to be cautious when choosing bedroom wall color ONLY according to the trend (unless you follow the solution below). Why not mix in some timeless colors?

My favorite timeless paint colors for your bedroom walls are gray, beige, white, and navy blue. You can never go wrong with these colors.

How to Choose Bedroom Wall Color – Accent Walls

Image source: Displate Magazine

Accent walls are one of the most debated type of wall styles among interior designers. Some believe that accent walls are outdated, while others believe that they are trending. I fall right in the middle.

Bedroom accent walls constantly come in and out of trend, meaning they’re not outdated nor trending. But this combination of trendiness and obsoleteness is the perfect formula for timelessness.

To ensure that your bedroom accent wall stands the test of time, you need to choose a timeless paint color for the background of your accent wall.

And to ensure that your bedroom accent wall still looks trendy, you can decorate it with layered lighting, adding feelings of calmness to your personal space.

Temporary Solutions

As promised above, here’s a solution if you LOVE following the trend but HATE wasting money on remodeling your wall color with every new trend.

The solution is to approach temporary solutions, meaning you can keep changing your bedroom wall color whenever you want. Believe it or not, that’s genuinely a real thing.

Some temporary solutions for changing your bedroom wall color are:

1. Removable wallpapers (peen-and-stick wallpapers)
2. Temporary wall decals
3. Fabric wall coverings
4. Hanging textiles, such as tapestries
5. Decorative screens or room dividers

This solution makes how to choose bedroom wall color a MUCH easier decision because you can keep recycling through various options. But it comes at a cost: more money spent on your bedroom wall.

Step 5: Visualize Your Bedroom Wall Color Using Online Tools

If you impulsively make a decision about your bedroom wall color, you may regret it and spend more money on a new color.

I’m all about saving money, so I cannot let that happen under any circumstances. That’s why you need to visualize how your bedroom would look with your chosen bedroom wall color PRIOR to actually painting it.

The best free online tool that lets you visualize your bedroom with various paint options is PPG Paints.

I’ve used this tool myself, and it always works phenomenally. It gives me a clear idea of what looks appealing and what doesn’t, making it much easier and quicker to choose my bedroom wall color.

Plus, the tool lets you pick quite literally any paint color out there. All you have to do is upload a picture with that exact color and boom. You can see that color painted on your own bedroom walls.

Conclusion

There are thousands of colors out there to choose from. But as long as you’re your own interior designer, you can make the best decision in the most affordable and quickest way possible.

All you need to follow are the 5 steps I explained above. Here’s a quick summary of those 5 steps:

1. Understand the psychology of color and the impact of different colors on your mood
2. Assess your current room size and lighting, so the wall color you choose fits those needs
3. Coordinate your bedroom wall color bedroom furniture, not your furniture with your walls
4. Find the perfect combination of going with the trend and going with timelessness
5. Visualize your chosen colors using online tools, so you don’t regret your decision later

For other budget home decor ideas and tips, whether it be for your living room, dining room, family room, or kitchen, follow my Pinterest page. I publish budget home decor ideas every single day for people just like you!

Meet The Author

Hi! I’m Anish, your budget buying guide! I’ve been reviewing home gadgets and accessories for the past 3 years, so it’s safe to say I know a thing or two about home products.

So why did I start writing these guides? Because I saw that people were spending WAY too much money on home products when there were SO MANY cheaper alternatives out there.

I want to help you save money on your home gadgets without compromising the appearance and functionality of your home. So what better way is there than simply writing about how I do it myself?

I want to show you how you can change the landscape of your home without spending a dime more than what is required. You can save more money than you might think!