When choosing a wall color for your home, you want a hue that is pleasing to the eye and enhances your space. The most flattering wall colors are those that complement your decor, reflect sufficient light and make the room appear brighter and more spacious. With so many paint colors to choose from, how do you narrow it down to the most flattering shade? Here are some tips on selecting a wall color that flatters any room.
Consider the Room’s Purpose and Lighting
The function of the room should help guide your wall color selection. Is it a bedroom that needs to promote relaxation? An office that should boost productivity? Or a living area meant for socializing? Cooler hues like blue and green work well in bedrooms, while warmer neutrals can make a living room feel more welcoming. The room’s lighting also affects how a color appears. North-facing rooms with little natural light take on a cooler tone, so you’ll want to counteract that with warm paint shades. South-facing rooms with abundant sunlight can handle cooler hues without appearing too cold.
Complement Your Furnishings
Choose a wall color that enhances your furnishings and decor. If your furniture has warm wood tones, go for a wall color with yellow or neutral undertones like beige, tan or light gray. Cool-toned grays, greens and blues complement warm wood tones without clashing. For cool-toned furnishings in shades of gray or silver, pair them with cool blue-grays, pale blues or sage greens. Your wall color should never fight with your furnishings, but rather highlight and accent them.
Use Lighter Hues to Brighten
Lighter colors have a brightening effect on any space. If your room feels small or lacks sufficient lighting, painting the walls a light neutral shade is an easy way to visually expand it. Soft white, very light gray, pale yellow and barely-there blues or greens will make the space feel more open and airy. Stay away from dark, saturated colors in dark or windowless rooms.
Accent Walls Add Depth
An accent wall in a bold, saturated shade adds depth, dimension and style to any room. Navy blue, emerald green, brick red or charcoal gray are eye-catching options. Keep the other walls a neutral hue so the accent wall really pops. This creates a focal point without overwhelming the space. Place the accent wall behind a bed, sofa, entertainment center or dining set to highlight that area.
Consider Undertones
The undertones of a color also impact how it appears on the walls. Warm yellow and orange undertones make a color feel cozier and more inviting. Cool blue and green undertones have a more relaxing, tranquil effect. If you want a vibrant, energetic vibe, go for warm undertones. For a soothing, calming ambiance, cool undertones create that light, airy feeling. White walls with a hint of color from barely perceptible blue or green undertones keep things simple but not boring.
Factor in the Ceiling Height
The height of your ceiling is another consideration when selecting a wall color. Darker shades can make a room with low ceilings feel closed in, so stick to soft neutrals. High ceilings give you more flexibility, but deep tones can be overpowering in a large room with minimal furnishings. Pale hues visually bring high ceilings down to a more intimate scale.
Test Paint Swatches
Never select a paint color based solely on the swatch or computer visualization. Colors appear different on a wall versus a small sample. Buy a few paint swatches in your top choices and paint 2-foot square sections on the walls. Evaluate how the colors look at different times of day before deciding. You may be surprised at how much a color changes from morning light to evening lamplight.
Consider Your Style
Your interior design style should also guide your wall color selection. For modern contemporary spaces, white and neutral gray walls create a sleek, crisp backdrop, with colorful accent walls or furnishings providing pops of color. Traditional rooms tend to feature warm beiges, taupes and light yellows. Cottage-style rooms look charming and cozy with pale sage greens, sky blues or buttery yellows. Let your personal style shine through in your wall color.
Paint Ceilings a Lighter Color
Painting your ceiling a lighter shade than your walls is a decorating trick that can make any room look larger and brighter. A soft white or very pale gray ceiling helps reflect light around the room. Keep the ceiling color neutral so it doesn’t compete with the bolder wall color. Just a few shades lighter than the wall color creates a cohesive yet visually expansive look.
Most Flattering Neutral Paint Colors
For a universally flattering wall color you can’t go wrong with neutrals. Here are some of the most popular and versatile neutral paint color choices:
| Paint Color | Description |
|---|---|
| White | Crisp and clean, white makes rooms feel open and airy. Use a warm white with a very subtle yellow undertone for a soft look. |
| Beige | With earthy yellow-orange undertones, beige is a welcoming neutral that complements wood tones. |
| Gray | Perfectly suited to modern and contemporary spaces, gray has a sophisticated, neutral presence. |
| Tan | With golden yellow undertones, tan evokes a feeling of warmth and works with any style. |
| Ivory | Slightly warmer than white, ivory adds a very soft, welcoming touch to a room. |
These versatile neutrals complement any style of decor, reflect light well and expand the visual space. You can always jazz them up with colorful accent walls, furniture or artwork too.
Most Flattering Color Palettes by Room
Here are recommended wall color palettes for the most popular rooms:
Living Room
– Soft white or ivory with navy blue accent wall
– Light tan walls with brick red accent wall
– Warm gray walls with emerald green accent wall
Dining Room
– Pale yellow walls with black accent wall
– Sage green walls with copper metallic accent wall
– Dark gray walls with gold metallic accent wall
Kitchen
– Cream walls with navy blue backsplash
– Light gray walls with white cabinetry
– White walls with exposed brick accent wall
Bedroom
– Robin’s egg blue walls with white trim
– Lavender walls with lilac accent wall
– Warm tan walls with rust orange headboard wall
Bathroom
– White subway tile walls with black grout
– Sage green walls with marble tile accent wall
– Gray walls with metallic silver striped accent wall
Home Office
– Pale blue-gray walls with white bookshelves
– Warm beige walls with wood built-in cabinets
– Bright white walls with teal desk and artwork
Consider Hiring a Color Consultant
If you feel overwhelmed by all the paint options and aren’t sure where to start, consider hiring a color consultant. An expert color consultant will come assess your space, identify your style, analyze the lighting, proportions, furnishings and purpose of the room, and suggest a color palette that flatters the space. They can produce paint chips in recommended colors and help you choose swatches to test. Their guidance takes the guesswork out of choosing a flattering, cohesive wall color.
Conclusion
Choosing a wall color may seem tricky, but by considering the room’s purpose, lighting, your style, neighboring colors and scale you can select a hue that flatters any space. Cool undertones relax, warm undertones invite, and light neutrals expand. Accent walls add depth while painted ceilings can heighten the space. Test swatches at all times of day before deciding. With some thoughtful analysis, you’re sure to land on a wall color that makes your room shine.
