10 Best Calming Paint Colors for the Bedroom

Discover the best calming paint colors for the bedroom to help you make an informed choice.

I envy my sister’s teens, who spend hours lying on their beds, reading, texting, or watching movies. So when I get a chance to relax in my bedroom, I want it to be a serene, soothing space that invites me to nap, dream and destress.

Looking for a color to paint a bedroom means finding the best calming paint colors.

The best calming paint colors for the bedroom are dark and light shades of blue. The trend to earthier shades means teal, green, and brown are becoming popular. Feminine pinks and purples are still trending, while white and gray are staples of peaceful interiors.

Studies in color psychology tell us that color impacts mood, with red being an energizing color and blue being a soothing color.

Choosing which color to paint your bedroom is, therefore, not only an issue of design trends or personal taste: the shade on your walls can influence how well you sleep and how refreshed you are in the morning.

Let’s explore what color to choose to create a tranquil space at home.

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The 10 Most Calming Paint Colors for the Bedroom

According to a recent global survey by England’s University of Sussex, most people’s favorite color is either blue or green.

I was fascinated to find that blue was rated the most calming color, followed by teal and pale pink, all of which are current trends in bedroom interiors. Isn’t it brilliant that science underpins interior design?

#1. Blue

Most of us associate blue with the sky and water, finding it a tranquil color and extremely popular for bedroom interiors.

Navy Blue

While most designers choose cooler, lighter shades of blue for bedrooms, an earthy, saturated blue is also relaxing.

Rich blues are reminiscent of holidays at the coast, and painting a wall of the bedroom with this accent shade can immerse you in nostalgic calm. Combine the deep blue with lighter colors to avoid making the room too dark.

These are my favorite rich blues:

Jamaican Dream by PPG
Old Navy by Benjamin Moore
Luxe Blue by Sherwin Williams

Pale Blue

Paler shades of blue have long been popular in the coastal aesthetic and are ideal for bedrooms with a softer feel. Pair pale blue with a warm white trim, wicker furniture, and seascapes to dream of floating away.

These are the most tranquil shades of blue:

Sea haze by Benjamin Moore
Lulworth Blue by Farrow and Ball
Lullaby by Sherwin Williams

#2. Teal

The gorgeous blue-green of teal is having a revival in interior design, being chosen by Glidden and PPG paints as their color of the year. People may have shied away from it in the neutral colors love-fest, but teal is an exquisite color for spa-like spaces.

Teal is utterly soothing and refreshing with its association with water, whether seascapes or mountain lakes. Combine it with muted greens and blues for a tranquil bedroom.

Fall in love with one of these:

Underseas by Sherwin Williams
Scarborough by PPG
Vining Ivy by Glidden

#3. Green

The Japanese practice of forest bathing shows that spending time in the lush, dappled light under canopies of green trees is an excellent tool for destressing. I love the idea of making a bedroom into a forest-like space where you can relax and rejuvenate.

Pale Green

A pale green, verdant bedroom welcomes natural light. Rest your eyes against the gentle marsh and moor colors of sage, mint, and pistachio. These ethereal colors suit French interiors and those inspired by English country homes, especially when combined with off-white and blush pink.

These are my favorite pale greens:

Vert de Terre by Farrow and Ball
Soft Fern by Benjamin Green
Avocado Whip by Behr

Botanical Green

Be inspired by the variegated greens of ferns and tropical plants to add green to your bedroom, even if you don’t have a garden. Greens look beautiful with organic materials and natural textures like wicker, rattan, linen, and wood. These colors also combine well with white and brass in a vintage interior.

Lift your mood with these shades:

Fern Canopy by Behr
Spanish Moss by Krylon
Green Shimmer by Valspar

#4. Brown

The popularity of leafy greens is closely followed by rich, earthy browns. For many of us, brown belongs to a vintage mid-century look, but these newer shades are lush, organic, and spicy.

A brown bedroom will enfold you in a warm embrace and soothe you with its coziness: it’s like a cup of coffee or a bar of chocolate. Brown is an ideal shade for pairing with warm wooden furniture, artisanal leather, woven rugs, and terracotta tiles.

Feast your eyes on these warm colors:

Tiramisu by C2
Tea Leaf by Sherwin Williams
Elemental by Magnolia

#5. Lavender

Strongly predicted by trend forecasters to be the color of 2023, lavender is associated with wellness and sleep.

While pastel pale enough to be relaxing, this delicate purple adds freshness to a neutral color scheme without being overwhelming. Lavender is equally comfortable with warm or cool tones.

Stick to sleek white or grey constrasts and avoid busy floral patterns to keep lavender sophisticated and romantic rather than girly. Look to French interiors for inspiration.

Doze with these sleep shades:

Courtesy by Behr
Peignoir by Farrow and Ball
Lily Lavender by Benjamin Moore

#6. Peach

With its soft, warm hue, peach is a calming and mood-lifting paint color for a bedroom. This season’s color leans toward earthier tones rather than pink. Pair it with textural neutrals like stone, rust, and putty to hint at sun-faded Italian villas and long naps in sunny hammocks.

These beautiful peaches are almost edible:

Inner peach by Benjamin Moore
Spice Cookie by Glidden
Setting Plaster by Farrow and Ball

#7. Blush Pink

Our love of this rosy color doesn’t seem to be waning. Warm pink remains a charming color for a relaxing, inviting bedroom and is beloved by romantics of all ages.

Indulge in pink for a dreamy interior, especially if you don’t get a lot of natural light. Keep the look contemporary with clean lines and soft neutrals like tan and taupe, and you’ll find it the most calming of spaces.

Blush pink ranges from the palest to rather bold:

Soft sand by Benjamin Moore
Redend Point by Sherwin Williams
Terra Rosa by Dunn-Edwards

#8. Gray

I have to admit to still having a love affair with gray. Although many design experts feel that gray’s been overdone, an elegant, restful light or dark gray bedroom is utterly beautiful.

Mist

The palest of gray shades function as neutrals in many color palettes, but you can also use them as the main event. Go for layers of misty, stormy grays and add luxury through rich textures, silver fittings, and mirrored fixtures.

I’m not going to make any obvious jokes about shades of gray; these are the best pale choices:

Balboa Mist by Benjamin Moore
Cromarty by Farrow and Ball
Wickham Gray by Benjamin Moore

Slate

Darker grays tend to be inspired by stone, metal, or storm clouds. Some might find these moody shades depressing, but they evoke the coziness of staying in bed on a rainy day. If you find darker colors overwhelming, experiment with an accent wall and keep furniture white.

For a sleek, sophisticated interior, pair gray with black and white. Take care not to let the look become overly functional or dramatic. Instead, keep textures soft and inviting to induce calm and sleep.

Here are my picks for darker gray paint colors:

Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore
Amazon Stone by Behr
Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams

#9. Greige

Neither grey nor beige, greige is a neutral that can lean towards earthy browns and tans or pair with gray, black, and white. It’s an easy color to live with and creates a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere for a bedroom, with enough style to look elegant.

These are the ultimate greige shades for a bedroom:

Alexandria Beige by Benjamin Moore
Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams
Silver Drop by Behr

#10. White

You may be surprised that white comes last on this list of calming bedroom colors. White is such a stalwart of interior design that it’s almost too obvious to mention.

However, there’s a reason white is so popular for bedrooms: it’s serene, light, and fresh. An all-white bedroom creates a feeling of space. And depending on what you combine it with, white can be as subtle or dramatic as you like

Choose one of these classics:

Roman Column by Sherwin Williams
White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Alabaster by Sherwin Williams

Final Thoughts

A peaceful bedroom can be created by the color you paint the walls. If you follow trends in interior design, you’ll notice a leaning towards eco-chic, with earthy shades like green and brown as anchors to our natural world. Other trending shades are gentle pink, lavender, and greige, but the traditionally tranquil bedroom colors of white, blue, and grey are still all over Instagram and Pinterest.