What Color Should I Paint My Bedroom
It’s one of the most common questions when you redecorate your bedroom. It’s also one that many interior designers can’t answer, you need to come up with this one on your own. But we do have several tips for helping you chose a color to paint your bedroom.
Color Psychology
Do you want your bedroom to be a quiet, tranquil retreat? Choose paler shades that calm and relax, softer, muted shades will have a soothing effect.
If you’re looking for the bedroom to have a more energizing effect on you when greeting the day, go for the brighter, warmer colors. Blues and greens are the most popular color choices for the bedroom. Both colors are considered cool colors.
Blues
The color of tranquility, considered a ‘universal’ color, blue brings comfort and serenity. Lighter shades are preferable. Deep, dark blues are difficult to paint with, painting an entire wall navy blue is not a good idea – the color is a nightmare to get uniform and even on the walls, and one little misstep with a dark blue will be so obvious.
Greens
Nature’s color promotes tranquility. If you use a green on your bedroom walls, don’t try the deep, dark forest greens. It’s absolutely one of the most difficult colors to paint with – it ranks right up there with dark blues. The coverage is a nightmare – it’s usually going to require at least 2 coats, maybe 3 to even get the color on the walls. When it’s up, it’s a nightmare to get it even and uniform, trust me on that one.
Reds
Reds ignite passion, but can raise blood pressure, red can make a statement and actually improve your love life, but on the other hand, it’s not exactly conducive to a peaceful night’s sleep – you may want to stick with red as an accent color. orange radiates energy and may be a good alternative, perhaps as an accent color as well.
Browns
Symbolizing physical comfort, ease and contentment, browns tend to be used in more neutral areas like living rooms and kitchens. They are also a good bridge color for areas or hallways that tie one room to another.
Violet
Exuding luxury and sensuality, it's a good color for the bedroom, especially lighter shades, which are more comfortable and assuring. Lighter purples, particularly lavender, is the hot color trend for the 2009-2010 season.
Color Visualizers
Several of the paint manufacturer’s websites have tools to virtually paint your room, or a similar room to try out colors. While you need to remember your that computer monitors don’t always present the shades perfectly, it sure can help you visualize how a color will transform your room. Some sites even let you upload a photo of your room and ‘paint’ the walls virtually.
Lighting
Don’t forget to factor in the effect of sunlight when choosing paint colors. West facing rooms tend to have an orange tint from the sun, while East facing rooms will have bright, white sunlight in the morning which can wash out your color.
Your paint choice is personal, pick one that makes you happy. You don’t have to give up bright colors in the bedroom, you just may want to make them an accent color rather than a wall color. This is your space, pick a paint color for your bedroom by using this as a guide, not as a set of rules set in stone.