The 2 Paint Colors You Should Never Use in Your Bedroom, According to Designers

Plus, they reveal the specific hues you should consider instead.

The walls of your bedroom are one of the first things you lay eyes upon when you wake up in the morning—and one of the last things you see before you fall asleep. So it makes sense that most people would prefer they be painted in a color that welcomes them smoothly into a new day, while also easing them into the end of another.

It turns out there are two colors that do a poor job on both fronts. Read on to find out what they are—and which hues designers really love for bedrooms.

Meet Our Expert

• Madelaine Mayer, founder of ADROIT Architecture & Interior Design
• Sarah Scales, founder of Sarah Scales Design Studio
• Nina Seed, founder of Nina Seed Interiors

Related: We Asked Designers to Pick the Most Timeless Bedroom Paint Colors

The Worst Paint Colors for Bedrooms

Most interior designers agree that bright oranges and reds are the two paint colors you should never use in a bedroom. “Bedrooms should generally be restful retreats, so I try to avoid painting large areas in highly energizing colors, like bright reds and oranges,” explains Madelaine Mayer, founder of ADROIT Architecture & Interior Design.

According to Mayer, these colors are often linked to fiery emotions, like passion and anger, and are associated with warnings, such as stop signs, fire engines, and red traffic lights.

That said, rules can always be broken. “When it comes to children’s bedrooms, there isn’t a color that I haven’t used, orange and red included,” adds Nina Seed of Nina Seed Interiors. She explains the key to keeping a handle on vibrant tones is to pepper them into the space carefully. Seed says she brings punches of bright colors into trim work, which she finds to have more longevity than painting an accent wall.

Does that mean you should crack open a gallon of orange paint? Not necessarily. “A bright coral accent can provide visual interest and depth in a deep blue bedroom,” reasons Mayer. “Just don't paint the whole wall with it.”

Interior Designers’ Favorite Bedroom Paint Colors

There are several colors that always get the green light from designers. “Blue can be soothing, so that works, but warm tones are always more comfortable,” says Sarah Scales of Sarah Scales Design Studio. Here are a few of their favorites.

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Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore

Light neutrals have been popular choices for the past few years, says Seed. Pale Oak is her go-to in that category. “[It] has a comforting warmth to it,” she says.

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Elephant's Breath by Farrow & Ball

For something more saturated, she defaults to two elephant-related colors. This one from Farrow & Ball is a warm mid-gray.

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Elephant Gray by Benjamin Moore

Both Elephant's Breath and Benjamin Moore’s Elephant Gray have lovely lilac undertones, according to Seed.

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Gray Wisp by Benjamin Moore

Scales often avoids cool colors for bedrooms, and instead leans into greens and grays with a hint of warmth. This light gray shade incorporates both, thanks to a drop of aloe green.

Overall, designers opt for colors that feel more peaceful rather than energizing. Red and orange aren't “as conducive to serenity and relaxation,” like neutrals, greens, and blues are, Mayer says.

Related: These Paint "Colors" Are Basically Neutrals in Disguise

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