Soothing Bedroom Paint Colors, Measured From Paintings
The most soothing bedroom colors are soft, low-contrast shades: a light warm cream, a gentle stone taupe or a gray-blue. Each color here was measured from a painting at The Art Institute of Chicago, so you can see the source and compare paint matches. Pale and deep companion colors from the same paintings show you what to pair with them.
Quick answer
Use the warm cream (LRV 71) on walls in a small or dim bedroom, and the gray-blue (LRV 32) for a calming blue. Keep the deep brown and indigo to furniture and one accent.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of calming
#E4DACCLRV 71
Soft Parchment Cream
A very light, warm yellow cream with an LRV of 71, so it bounces light and keeps a bedroom gentle on all four walls. It was measured from Nicholas Dixon's "Portrait of Mary of Modena," c. 1673.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6105 Divine White
Near-identical
Valspar 2007-10C Coconut Milk
Very close
Farrow & Ball No. 241 Skimming Stone
Very close
#A79A82LRV 33
Warm Stone Taupe
A mid-tone with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 33, good for a headboard wall or large furniture where you want a cozy, quiet feel. It was measured from Jean Charles Cazin's "Landscape," c. 1895.
A mid-tone with a cool blue undertone and an LRV of 32, the calming blue of this page for bedroom walls or a single feature wall. It was measured from Claude Monet's "The Petite Creuse River," 1889.
A very light, cool blue with an LRV of 73, best in textiles such as curtains, sheets or a throw next to the gray-blue. It was measured from Claude Monet's "The Petite Creuse River," 1889.
A very dark, warm red-orange brown with an LRV of 6, suited to wood: a bed frame, nightstands or floors. It was measured from Nicholas Dixon's "Portrait of Mary of Modena," c. 1673.
A very dark blue with a violet undertone and an LRV of 6, strong enough to use on one piece such as an armchair or pillow. It was measured from Nicholas Dixon's "Portrait of Mary of Modena," c. 1673.
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 Parchment Cream
Warm Stone Taupe
River Gray-Blue
Pale Sky 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 Portrait of Mary of Modena.
Which calming bedroom color should you choose?
Start with how much light you want the room to hold. Soft Parchment Cream (#E4DACC, LRV 71) is the lightest wall color here. It reflects light and suits small or dim bedrooms. The two mid-tones, at LRV 33 and 32, absorb more light and make a room feel enclosed and quiet. They suit a larger bedroom or one with strong windows.
Then choose the undertone. The warm stone taupe (#A79A82) and the cream both lean yellow, so they feel gentle and sunlit. The river gray-blue (#8B9BA2) has a cool blue undertone and is the calming blue paint for a bedroom on this page. The closest matches measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 9139 Debonair, Behr MQ5-27 Rainy Season and Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue.
No paint color treats anxiety. If calm is the goal, pick the color with the least contrast against your bedding and furniture, and the one you like walking into at night.
What should you pair with calming bedroom colors?
Use the cream as the supporting color. On trim and ceiling, Soft Parchment Cream (LRV 71) sits softly against either mid-tone wall, so no hard white line cuts the room. On cream walls, the same color on trim gives a calm, one-color feel. Sherwin-Williams SW 6105 Divine White is a near-identical match.
For floors and furniture, the deep walnut brown (#5F3B23, LRV 6) works as wood: a bed frame, nightstands or a floor stain. Sherwin-Williams SW 6090 Java and Behr 240F-7 Root Beer are the closest matches. Keep it to wood and small items, because a color this dark on the walls makes a bedroom feel smaller.
Add the pale sky blue (#CFE0E9, LRV 73) in curtains, sheets or a throw. Use the deep indigo (#0B3D95) once, on an armchair or a pillow. It is strong, so one piece is enough.
How do these colors look in your bedroom light?
Light changes these colors more than most people expect. North-facing bedrooms get cooler, grayer light. The gray-blue will look cooler there, and if that feels cold, the warm taupe is the safer wall. In south- or west-facing rooms, warm light brings out the yellow in the cream and the taupe.
Because the mid-tones sit near LRV 32 and 33, they look darker in a shaded room and lighter beside a bright window. The cream at LRV 71 stays light in most rooms and gives back the most daylight. If your bedroom gets little sun, use the cream on the walls and keep a mid-tone for one wall or for furniture.
Lamps matter too, since you use a bedroom mostly in the evening. Warm bulbs push every color here toward yellow. Cool bulbs bring out the blue in the gray-blue and the pale sky blue. Choose the bulb you actually use before you decide.
How do you test soothing paint samples?
Test before you buy gallons. Paint two large samples, about two feet square, on poster board or directly on the wall. Move the board to different walls, since the same color changes beside a window and in a corner.
Look at the samples in the morning, at midday and at night under your bedroom lamps. Hold them next to your bedding, headboard and floor. Calm colors are quiet, so small clashes show up.
The paint matches on this page are the closest measured to colors taken from paintings. Near-identical means you are unlikely to see a difference. Very close and close mean a small visible shift, so sample those in the room. Screens also change color, so do not judge from the swatch on your monitor. Let each sample dry fully, and live with your top two for a few days.
FAQ
What are the most relaxing bedroom colors?
Soft, low-contrast colors tend to feel the most relaxing. On this page that means the warm cream (LRV 71), the warm stone taupe (LRV 33) and the gray-blue (LRV 32). Choose by the light in your room and what you like to wake up to.
What is the best calming blue paint for a bedroom?
The gray-blue measured from Monet's "The Petite Creuse River" (#8B9BA2, LRV 32) is the calming blue here. Its closest match is Sherwin-Williams SW 9139 Debonair, with Behr MQ5-27 Rainy Season and Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue close behind.
What are the best calming bedroom colors for anxiety?
No paint color treats anxiety, but many people find quiet, muted colors easier to rest in than bright ones. Try the cream, taupe or gray-blue on the walls and keep strong colors to one small piece.
Can a dark color be calming in a bedroom?
It can, in small doses. The deep walnut brown (LRV 6) works well as wood furniture or flooring. On walls, a very dark color absorbs most of the light and can make a small bedroom feel tight.
What is a good calming color scheme for a master bedroom?
Try cream trim and ceiling, gray-blue or taupe walls, walnut-colored wood and pale sky blue textiles. Add the deep indigo as one accent, like an armchair. A larger master bedroom can handle the mid-tone walls more easily than a small room.
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 Portrait of Mary of Modena, Nicholas Dixon
