Maroon Color Paint: Burgundy Shades for Interior Walls

How do I choose between these burgundy shades?

Start with how much light you want the room to keep. The three burgundy shades here all lean warm red-orange, but they differ in LRV. #814A42 sits at LRV 10, #713232 at 6 and #522729 at 3. On a scale where 0 is black, all three read very dark, and the lowest one comes close to black in a dim room.

Pick #814A42 when you want a wall that still reads clearly as red. It is the lightest of the three, so it suits a dining room or a living room with a decent window. Pick #713232 for a library, a den or a media wall where a richer, darker red suits the mood. Pick #522729 for a small space, a powder room or a built-in bookcase, where the near-black depth makes the wall a backdrop.

If you are unsure, paint one wall and use the darker shades on furniture or textiles instead. Maroon asks for light neighbors, so plan a pale companion before you buy.

What goes with maroon walls: trim, ceiling and floors?

Maroon looks best with a calm partner. For trim and ceiling, try #DFD0C1. At LRV 65 it reads light and bounces light back into the room, and its warm yellow undertone sits easily beside a red-orange wall. A light ceiling also keeps a dark room from feeling closed in.

For wood, use #A26B40. It is a mid-tone at LRV 19 with a warm red-orange undertone, so it suits doors, a table or a floor tone that echoes the wall. For softer layers such as curtains, a rug or an upholstered chair, #B89C85 at LRV 36 gives a lighter step between the red and the trim.

On floors, choose a medium warm wood or a rug with some light in it. Very dark floors under very dark walls can swallow a room.

If you would rather keep the walls light, flip the plan: #DFD0C1 on the walls, #713232 on the main furniture, #A26B40 for wood, #814A42 for one bold piece and #522729 for textiles.

How does burgundy paint look in different light?

Dark colors react strongly to light, so look at your windows first. With an LRV of 10 or lower, these shades absorb most of the light that hits them. In a room with large south or west windows, that can feel rich and cozy. In a north-facing room or one with a single small window, the walls will read darker and the room will feel smaller.

Expect the color to shift through the day. Daylight shows the red-orange undertone most clearly. In the evening, warm bulbs deepen the red, and the two darkest shades, #713232 and #522729, can look very dark away from a lamp.

Plan your lighting to match. Sconces, table lamps and a wall washer add pools of light so a maroon wall does not become one flat dark surface. A matte or eggshell finish also cuts glare on dark walls, which helps the color look even from every angle.

How do I test maroon paint samples?

Test before you commit, because dark colors change more from chip to wall than light ones do. Paint a sample board or a patch at least two feet square, and put it on two different walls. Two coats give a truer read than one.

Look at the samples in the morning, in the afternoon and at night with your lamps on. Hold a swatch of your trim color, such as #DFD0C1, next to the patch. Set your flooring, curtains and furniture beside it too, since the red will pick up whatever sits close.

Each color on this page lists the closest commercial paints we measured. Treat them as a starting point, not an exact copy. Where a match is marked near-identical, begin with a sample of that paint, then compare it to the swatch in your own room before you buy a full can.