When you decide to spruce up a space for the new year, it can have benefits beyond what your eyes see. A refresh can have a positive impact on your health too—and this is certainly true when you improve your bedroom. Specifically, a new paint color, in a peaceful hue, may just improve your sleep.
“New Year’s resolutions are often centered around building healthier habits, and sleep is one of the most important contributing factors to overall health,” says interior designer Tara McCauley, who collaborated on the primary bedroom with Saatva on the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse last year. “A comfortable mattress, light-blocking window treatments, and a soothing paint color are all worthy investments that may improve your quality of sleep.”
Whether you’re after better sleep or simply want to bring current color trends into your bedroom, these are the top paint colors for 2024, according to McCauley.
Best bedroom paint colors for 2024
Pale peaches
McCauley recently painted a client’s bedroom in Benjamin Moore “Just Peachy” since she wanted something feminine but not juvenile. It happens to be a shade that’s trending as well.
“This shade of pink has ever-so-slightly gray undertones, making it feel a bit more grown-up than a traditional ballet pink,” McCauley says. “It looks stunning in the morning light.”
Vibrant blues
Blue is continuing to trend into 2024, evidenced by McCauley utilizing Benjamin Moore “Deep Ocean” in a client’s bedroom. McCauley says that this guest bedroom received no natural light, so she suggested this “beautifully saturated hue.”
“You can just get lost in it,” she says. “It’s surprisingly soothing for something so vibrant.”
Navy blues
Navy blue is another popular shade from past years that is continuing into 2024. McCauley says that in her last apartment, she painted the walls in Benjamin Moore “Symphony Blue,” a dark navy blue in a matte finish.
“The room was small and got very little natural light, so I leaned into that,” she says. “It went from a sad white cell to a jewel box of a space,” and that’s something you can accomplish in your bedroom as well.
Soft blues
Perhaps you’re seeking the absolute most tranquil paint color you can find for your bedroom. Trending soft blues might be just the ticket in your case, like Farrow & Ball “Borrowed Light.”
McCauley says, “If the thought of a bright color scares you, but you don’t want to go completely gray, this pale blue is a great muted option.”
Earthy greens
If you’re searching for a shade of green for your bedroom that looks as if it’s been pulled right from nature, look to Backdrop “Lawn Party.”
McCauley says that this particular green has slightly more blue in it than yellow, which feels a bit more soothing and less energizing than, say, a lime green for the bedroom.
FAQs
What color should I paint my bedroom?
Though it’s really up to your personal taste, designers generally agree that soft colors and classic neutrals are best in a bedroom since they can have a sleep-promoting, calming effect.
What colors should I avoid when painting my bedroom?
“I wouldn’t say any colors are off limits, but I would say that picking a paint color for the bedroom should be approached differently than picking a paint color for a room you spend your time in during the daytime,” McCauley explains. “Whereas the general rule of thumb is that you should examine colors in daylight when choosing a paint color, consider that you’ll likely be spending most of your time in the bedroom at night—so it’s important to look at paint samples under artificial lighting too.”
Should bedrooms be painted light or dark?
McCauley says that she doesn’t subscribe to any hard and fast rules when it comes to color. “For instance, I often hear people say that small rooms must be painted a light color otherwise ‘they’ll feel smaller,’’ she says. “However, I disagree. A dark color in a matte finish can actually look as though it’s receding away, which can make a room feel larger. A dark paint color can have a cocooning effect.”
What’s the most peaceful color for a bedroom?
“In a bedroom, I personally prefer to use a saturated color to a light gray or a beige, something evocative that might spark a memory or inspire a good dream,” McCauley shares. “At the end of the day, it should be a color that makes you happy. In my last apartment, I found it very soothing to fall asleep in my dark blue jewel box of a bedroom. It felt like being at the bottom of the ocean, in a peaceful way.”
Want more color ideas for your bedroom? Here are the best bedroom colors for sleep, according to science.
