Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Grey · Bedroom · colors from 5 paintings
Grey and blue bedroom walls feel quiet, and this page shows how to do it with colors from real paintings. You get two greys, two blues and three companions for wood, walls and textiles.
Quick answer
Paint the walls the light grey #B7B7B7, use the grey #9D9D9D for furniture and add blue with #719AB7 in textiles and #5F7288 on a feature wall.
A neutral grey at LRV 34 from Sauvage's Putti Harvesting Wheat. It suits a dresser, a chair or a rug.
From Putti Harvesting Wheat, Piat Joseph Sauvage
A light neutral grey at LRV 47 from Jacob Eichholtz's Miss Schaum. It is the suggested wall color; the closest match measured is Sherwin-Williams SW 7668 March Wind.
From Miss Schaum, Jacob Eichholtz
A deep cool blue at LRV 16 from Monet's Venice, Palazzo Dario. Use it on a headboard wall for depth.
From Venice, Palazzo Dario, Claude Monet
A mid-tone cool blue at LRV 30 from Sisley's The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne. It works in curtains, a throw or a quilt.
From The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne, Alfred Sisley
A very light neutral at LRV 75 from Thomas Hicks's A Friendly Warning. Use it on the ceiling and trim.
From A Friendly Warning, Thomas Hicks
A mid-tone warm brown at LRV 23 from Miss Schaum. It brings warmth to a bedside table or a bench.
From Miss Schaum, Jacob Eichholtz
A very dark brown at LRV 5 from Sauvage's painting. Use it on a bed frame or a small piece for contrast.
From Putti Harvesting Wheat, Piat Joseph Sauvage
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral mid grey | ||||
| Light silver grey | ||||
| Soft denim blue | ||||
| Pale mist | ||||
| Leather tan |
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 Putti Harvesting Wheat.
Start with the wall. The light grey #B7B7B7 has an LRV of 47, so it keeps the bedroom bright. The mid grey #9D9D9D at LRV 34 is darker and better for furniture or a feature wall.
For blue, the slate #5F7288 is deep and cool at LRV 16, while the denim #719AB7 is lighter at LRV 30. If your room is small, use the lighter blue and keep the slate for textiles or one wall.
The greys have no clear undertone, so they work with either blue. That makes the combination easy to adjust later.
Also think about how often the room is used by day. A bedroom used mostly at night can take a deeper grey, while a room that doubles as a home office should stay lighter so it feels open.
The warm companions keep the pair from looking cold. The leather tan #A07E5D and the dark roast #513820 bring in the red-orange side, and both come from the same two paintings as the greys.
Use the tan for a bench, a lamp or a leather headboard, and the dark brown for a bed frame or a nightstand. Together they balance the cool walls.
The pale mist #DCE2DD at LRV 75 works on the ceiling and trim. It is lighter than the grey wall, so the room has a soft step from wall to ceiling.
The dark brown #513820 at LRV 5 is the strongest contrast in the palette, so a little goes a long way. A bed frame, a small side table or a picture frame is enough to anchor the soft greys and blues.
A bedroom that faces north will make both colors look cooler and darker. In that case, choose the lighter grey #B7B7B7 for the walls and add the warm tan.
In a south-facing room, strong light can make the blue look brighter and a grey look almost white. The slate #5F7288 holds its depth well in that light.
In the evening, warm bulbs add yellow to the grey and soften the blue. Because most people use a bedroom at night, check your samples under the lights you actually use.
Window dressing matters too. Sheer curtains soften the light and keep the blues looking cooler, while heavy lined curtains in the denim #719AB7 add a block of color and cut early morning sun.
Greys can look surprisingly blue or green on a wall. Paint a large sample on the wall that you plan to paint, and view it in the morning, at midday and at night.
Place the blue sample next to the grey to see how they relate. Hold a piece of your bedding or a curtain fabric beside them.
Test each color near the floor and the window, since they change the light. Match the finish too: matte for walls and satin for trim.
Do not rely on a sample in the paint store light. Take the swatches home and compare the greys with your bedding and floor, since a grey that reads neutral on its own can look blue or purple beside a warm wood floor.
A cool, mid-tone blue like #719AB7 (LRV 30) or a deeper one like #5F7288 (LRV 16) both work with the neutral greys here.
It is a good option. Use the slate #5F7288 behind the bed and keep the other walls light grey.
The light silver #B7B7B7 at LRV 47 is the suggested wall color. It reflects more light than the mid grey.
Warm mid and dark browns, like #A07E5D and #513820, contrast nicely with the cool colors.
The pale mist #DCE2DD (LRV 75) is lighter than the walls and keeps the room bright.
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 Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.
