Bedroom Beige Color: Three Shades and What to Pair Them With
The best beige for a bedroom depends on how much light the room gets. Here are three warm beiges, from very light to mid-tone, each measured from a painting. Three deeper and cooler colors from the same paintings show you what to pair with them.
Quick answer
Use #EBDAC5 on the walls, #AA947B on main furniture and #BDB196 for one bold piece. Add #55442B for wood and #757259 for textiles.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of beige
#EBDAC5LRV 72
Soft Cream Beige
Best for bedroom walls. Its LRV of 72 reflects plenty of light, and its warm yellow undertone reads as soft cream. Measured from Bernat Martorell's "Saint George and the Dragon".
A good choice for one bold piece, such as a painted chair or bench, or one wall in a bright room. At LRV 45 it sits mid-light, with a warm yellow undertone. Measured from Puvis de Chavannes's "The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and the Muses".
Suits main furniture, a headboard or an accent wall. Its LRV of 31 gives real depth, and the undertone is warm yellow. Measured from Winslow Homer's "The Herring Net".
Sherwin-Williams SW 9116 Serengeti Grass
Very close
Behr MQ2-24 Golden Olive
Very close
Valspar 3004-9C River Oak
Very close
Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back
Close
Colors to pair with them
#CFD0E7LRV 64
Misty Lavender Blue
The one cool color here, with an LRV of 64. Use it in bedding or a lampshade to push gently against the warm beiges. Measured from Claude Monet's "Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)".
Use it for wood: a bed frame, dresser or door. With an LRV of 6 it reads almost black, so keep it to small areas. Measured from Winslow Homer's "The Herring Net".
Good for curtains, a throw or a bench cushion. At LRV 17 it reads very dark, with a warm yellow undertone that sits well beside the beiges. Measured from Puvis de Chavannes's "The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and the Muses".
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Soft Cream Beige
Light Khaki Beige
Warm Mushroom Tan
Misty Lavender Blue
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Saint George and the Dragon.
Which beige is best for bedroom walls?
For bedroom walls, start with #EBDAC5. At LRV 72 it is very light, so it bounces light around the room and keeps a bedroom from feeling closed in. Its warm yellow undertone reads as soft cream. The closest matches measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 7572 Lotus Pod and Behr HDC-WR15-8 Steamed Milk.
The light khaki #BDB196 has an LRV of 45. It sits in the middle, so it looks like a real color on the wall but still lets a room feel open. It suits a larger bedroom with good daylight, or one wall behind the bed.
The mid-tone #AA947B has an LRV of 31. Use it on a headboard, a dresser or an accent wall in a bright room. On all four walls of a small bedroom it can feel heavy. Pick one beige for the walls and let the others play smaller roles.
What goes with a beige bedroom: trim, ceiling and floors?
Keep the ceiling and trim lighter than the walls. With #EBDAC5 on the walls, a warm white on both keeps the room soft. A stark cool white can make the beige look more yellow beside it.
For wood tones, use the deep brown #55442B. Its LRV of 6 is close to black, so save it for a bed frame, a dresser or a door, where a little dark gives the beiges weight. Mid-tone wood floors or a rug in #AA947B sit comfortably with light walls.
Add the deep olive #757259, LRV 17, in curtains, a throw or a bench cushion. The cool lavender-blue #CFD0E7, LRV 64, is the one color that pushes against the warm beiges. Use it in bedding or a lampshade. Use the bold #BDB196 once, such as on a painted chair.
How does beige look in the light of your bedroom?
Light changes beige more than most colors. All three beiges here carry a warm yellow undertone, and warm lamplight tends to strengthen it. Daylight shows it more neutrally.
In a bedroom with little daylight, lean toward #EBDAC5. Its LRV of 72 reflects more of the light that does arrive. In a bright room, #BDB196 and #AA947B can stay rich without turning dull. A low LRV takes light away, so the deep brown and olive will look darker on a wall than on a small sample.
Check the color at the hours you use the room. Most bedrooms are used in the morning and at night, so look at the paint under your bedside lamp as well as at noon. Warm bulbs deepen the yellow. Cooler bulbs soften it.
How do you test beige paint samples for a bedroom?
Never choose beige from a screen or a small chip alone. The paints listed here are the closest matches measured to each painted color, so a sample on your own wall is still the final check.
Paint a sample board about two feet square, or a patch on the wall, with two coats. Move the board to a second wall, because light falls differently on each one. Leave a white border around it so you judge the color, not the wall behind.
Look at the sample in the morning, afternoon and evening for at least two days. Hold it next to your bedding, flooring and trim. Set the deep colors beside your wood furniture, since they are meant for small areas. If two beiges look alike, choose the one with less yellow in your room's light.
FAQ
What is the best beige color for a bedroom?
For most bedrooms, the very light #EBDAC5 is the safest wall color. Its LRV of 72 keeps the room bright. Choose the deeper #BDB196 or #AA947B if the room gets strong daylight.
Is beige too yellow for a bedroom?
All three beiges on this page have a warm yellow undertone. Check them under your own lamps and daylight. The cool lavender-blue #CFD0E7 in bedding or a lampshade can balance the warmth.
Should bedroom beige paint be light or dark?
Light beige, above about LRV 60, reflects more light and suits small or dim rooms. Mid-tones like #BDB196 (LRV 45) and #AA947B (LRV 31) add depth in brighter rooms or on one wall.
What color goes with beige bedroom walls?
Deep brown #55442B works for wood, and deep olive #757259 works for textiles. Light lavender-blue #CFD0E7 adds a cool contrast. Keep the ceiling and trim in a lighter warm white.
Which paint is closest to #EBDAC5?
Sherwin-Williams SW 7572 Lotus Pod and Behr HDC-WR15-8 Steamed Milk are near-identical matches. Farrow & Ball No. 2013 Matchstick is a very close match. Test a sample on your wall before you buy.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From Saint George and the Dragon, Bernat Martorell
