9 Best Curtain Colors for a Living Room

Best Living Room Curtain Colors

Find out the best curtain colors for the living room, plus tips to help you make the right choice for you and your family.

In my house, the living room is the hub of the home. On quiet mornings, it’s where I sit and read, enjoying the sunshine and silence.

It’s also where I do my work (I turned a corner of the living room into my home office). We also spend most of our time together in this room watching television, telling stories or having marathon family Scrabble games.

And my book club meets here once a week to drink tea or coffee. So how do you choose decor for such a multifunctional room, let alone a curtain color?

The best curtain colors for sunny, airy living rooms are sheer white, cream, or yellows that reflect and let in light. Charcoal, jewel-green, or blue curtains are better light blockers. Earthy shades of brown, green, and red are warm and cozy, while paler pinks, blues, and grays are soft and elegant.

As our homes get smaller, rooms are becoming multipurpose, with few of us having the luxury of a formal living room and a family room. The living room needs to meet your family’s needs for comfort, express your personality and be dressy enough for guests.

Let’s look at how you can use your curtain choices can work in the living room.

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How to Choose the Best Curtain Colors for Your Living Room

Choosing the color of your living room curtains sounds like a straightforward design decision: Do I like yellow? Yes. However, curtains have more to them than a pretty color, so there are some questions you should consider before deciding.

The curtain’s color helps to create the ambiance: Do you want your living room to be calm and serene? Warm and inviting? Elegant and sophisticated?
Curtains will block or let in light: Do you want sheer curtains to make the most of sunlight or thick curtains to block out the glare to watch TV? (Discover the difference between blackout and thermal curtains.)
Window treatments are also essential for privacy: Does your living room window allow people to peep in, or is it happily secluded?
Color is central to the design and color scheme: Are you traditional, edgy, or a coastal grandma? Does your living room express your love of mid-century modern or English country houses? Do you love all white or eclectic bursts of color?
Maintenance is vital if your living room has pets and children wandering through: Do you need an easy-wash fabric that doesn’t show the dirt?

Once you’ve answered these questions, read on for my curated selection of curtain colors for living rooms.

The 9 Best Curtain Colors for the Living Room

Although the minimalist trend suggested doing away with curtains in the living room, drapes are a vital part of any design aesthetic.

Curtains add interest to a room through color, texture, drape, and weight. What are the trending colors and the timeless classics when it comes to living room curtains?

The New Neutrals

Neutral colors are a decorator’s best friend: neutral curtains don’t date, so they’re practical, versatile, and make a room look larger and airier. While beige and pale gray have been favorites for many years, the current trend is towards earthier neutrals with warmer, more saturated tones.

#1. Gray

While cool, soft gray has its place in the neutral palette, the trend is towards richer greige, stone-inspired slate, and matt charcoal that looks almost black. These shades are moodier than the grays we’ve seen in recent interiors and liven up bland, neutral color schemes.

Go for black curtains to introduce an edgy, industrial-chic vibe to your living room. They stand out equally well against white, colorful, or brick walls and are handy for creating a warm, den-like space when closed.

General wisdom suggests that dark curtains will make a room look smaller, but you can opt for charcoal colors if they frame windows that let in a lot of light. Dark curtains can anchor a chic, elegant room.

Charcoal gray curtains are ideal for family rooms. They are good as blackout drapes so that the kids can watch TV during the day, don’t show dirt, and are at home in modern or traditional living rooms.

Rutterllow 100% Blackout Curtains for Living Room

#2. Brown

Consider decorating your living room in shades of brown, ranging from a soft tan to spicy cinnamon, zesty rust, and dark chocolate. These gorgeous, edible shades are ideal for a family living room that exudes warmth and comfort, with curtains blocking the world’s noise.

For a clean, modern look, anchor your room with brown curtains and accessorize with leather, wood, and bronze. Add red or green for a pop of color.

Light brown linen or cotton curtains create a touch of natural color. Add pot plants, pale wooden furniture, and touches of green for a nod to eco-chic.

CUCRAF Blackout Curtains 84 inches Long for Living Room

#3. Cream

With its lush, yellow undertone, cream is an excellent choice for living room curtains. It’s warmer than white and works well with textured, embossed, or sheer fabrics.

Cream curtains can form part of a layered neutral color scheme full of rich textures: a shaggy rug, a snuggly couch, and natural grainy wood make a welcoming, cozy space to gather by the fireside.

You can also choose cream as the backdrop to a bolder color scheme, so attention is drawn to the furnishings rather than the window treatment.

Curtains are a lovely way to introduce visual pattern to your living room. If you’re worried about a print being overwhelming, remember that cream tones with other neutrals: curtains that combine beige, cream, and linen are exciting but still in the background.

PRIMROSE Cream Curtains 84 inch for Living Room Velvet Blackout

#4. White

White living room curtains are a timeless, effortless classic. They are the easiest way to conjure up an airy, spacious feel to a room and are ideal for a space used often during the day. They’re also perfect for framing a garden view, as they don’t interfere with the flow between inside and outdoors.

For a chic, elegant finish to a neutral grey palette, use sheer white curtains that allow the maximum light into the living room without sacrificing privacy.

Use white curtains in a sunny, multipurpose living room to avoid fussiness. Go for Scandi-style decor to keep the room fresh.

Combine white curtains with a rich, dark wall color for contrast and drama. Black and white color schemes are popular for mid-century modern and Art Deco aesthetics.

LinenZone Sheer White Curtains

#5. Green

A recent study found that green is the ideal color to paint a living room: being surrounded by green makes us feel more calm, grounded, and connected to nature. Color psychologists agree, with green symbolizing life and vibrancy.

With more of us embracing the need for sustainability and care for our environment, we’ve also wanted to surround ourselves with green in our homes. The many shades of green build beautifully on the trending earth shades, natural palettes, and an eco-chic aesthetic.

Adding green to your living room doesn’t mean a cottage-core or rustic look. Pale shades of green like sage and eau de nil complement sophisticated neutral black, white, and gray schemes.

Green has always been a favorite in traditional and country living room decor, appearing on floral armchairs and velvet curtains. Update your green living room curtains with botanical, organic, or geometric prints.

Referred to as “Mother Nature’s neutral,” there is a shade of green to complement every color palette: choose spring grass, glossy emerald, rich moss, sleek olive, or vivid ivy.

H.VERSAILTEX Blackout Curtains Thermal Insulated Window Treatment

#6. Blue

Blue remains one of the most popular and enduring colors for home interiors. It’s a calm, soothing color with a spectrum of beautiful shades.

This season’s blues move away from the sleepy pastels to richer, jewel-colored hues. Ingido is a dramatic shade for curtains and won’t make a room too dark if combined with white or gray.

Pick up elements of the color in your accessories and soft furnishings so that the bold curtains don’t look like an afterthought.

Another sumptuous shade for living room curtains is teal or peacock blue. This color is perfect for theatrical, eclectic, and vintage interiors, appearing in rich textures like velvet and satin. Dip your toe into the teal ocean with bold curtains and one or two complementary furnishings against a neutral backdrop.

Deep navy blue pops against other shades of blue. Add white elements and navy curtains in an abstract print to lighten a room with intensely colored walls.

Ever versatile, blue is an excellent accent color to brighten your neutrals. If you love gray, update your living room with ocean-blue curtains and modern prints.

TWOPAGES Indigo Pinch Pleat Light Filtering Drape for Living Room

#7. Yellow

Floral, buttery yellow is a glorious color to add to your living room, whether you love retro mustard or exotic gold.

For a cheerful, happy family living room, choose sunny yellow curtains for an instant facelift. Try the softest sheer yellow curtains to create a fresh, clean Scandi-inspired look.

Saffron yellow curtains can infuse your space with luxury, especially if you choose a heavy, embossed fabric. Yellow will bring out the glow in dark wood, bronze, and leather. Keep the rest of the décor neutral for timeless sophistication.

Add a burst of yellow to contrast with colorful walls and frame a garden view. If solid yellow is too vivid, choose an abstract print to break up the swathe of color.

KEQIAOSUOCAI Gold Yellow 72 Inch Sheer Curtains

#8. Red

By definition, red is a warm color: red curtains introduce drama and intensity into a room. This season’s reds are earthy, inspired by red clay, terracotta, and woodfires.

These softer reds are easy to live with, especially if you like a traditional style, with red Persian carpets, intimate seating arrangements, and deep sofas for reading.

For your first foray into decorating with red, choose red curtains and add accents in furnishings, cushions, and even an accent wall. You can leave the rest of the palette neutral or include other natural colors, like sand or moss.

KOUFALL Terracotta Boho Curtains 84 Inch Length for Living Room

#9. Pink

After the world’s brief love affair with Barbiecore, many decorators thought they’d seen the last of pink. But pink is back, in paler, more rosy tones. Imagine blush pink velvet in an opulent Roccoco living room or chalky pink linen in a coastal or shabby chic home.

I love the earthy pink paint colors that are available and agree with experts who are using pink as a neutral. Not as dazzling as red, pink adds the same warmth without the Boho drama.

A pink palette can create a welcoming, serene, romantic ambiance. Save your pink-curtained living room from being cutesy by excluding floral sofas and puffy valances, including saturated shades of rose and metallic elements and lush textures.

Pink can also be surprisingly modern when combined with other colors. Hang pink curtains in a gray, green, or black living room for tranquillity and lightness.

Blush Pink Floor Length Curtains for Living Room

Final Thoughts on the Best Color of Curtains for the Living Room

Choose a curtain color for your living room by deciding whether you want light airiness or cozy, thick drapes. Lighter colors like pink, gray, white, and cream are elegant and serene, while deeper shades of brown, green, blue, and red are warmer and more dramatic.