9 Bedroom Paint Color Tips for Sweeter Dreams and Brighter Mornings

Think back to the last time you had a truly excellent night of sleep away from home, perhaps in a friend's guest room or a hotel. While the room was likely a nice cool temperature, dark, and quiet, there's a solid chance the color of the room played a part as well. And while white, gray, and trusty sky blue often tops the charts—and for good reasons—the best bedroom color for sleep incorporates your unique personal preferences as well. 

Here are some tips for choosing the right paint color for a good night’s sleep.

1. Cool Down the Mind

So, does paint color truly have an effect on sleep, or is it just a myth? In a nutshell, your bedroom color does play a role in designing a restful space. 

Research finds that cooler color schemes do less to stimulate and awaken the mind—which is obviously ideal at the end of a hectic day. Warm hues like red, hot pinks, and bright orange stimulate the brain and encourage greater focus. Walking into a cool-toned bedroom at the end of the day tells your mind that it's time to slow down and get some rest.

2. Explore a World of Blues

Blue is often the go-to hue for the bedroom due to its ability to calm down our bodies and minds. The many ranges of pale cerulean to deep navy evoke images of the ocean and the sky. Studies have pointed to blue to put people at ease and trust a space more in this color scheme.

And while we often lean toward bedroom pale hues such as a soft baby blue or cornflower blue, don't steer away from the dark tones as well. A 2019 study by G.F. Smith conducted with 26,000 people from around the world indicated navy blue as their favorite calming color.

3. Pull in Natural Greens

Much like the blue family, green is an ideal choice for a soft and wind-down-inducing bedroom. Bring in the colors right outside your window by countering brown branches or picking up the soft green leaves of spring. A 2019 study even found that spending time in a green environment produced lower heart rates compared to being in solely white or red ones.

Green paint colors also open up endless possibilities depending on the style of the rest of the room. Earthy pale greens topped the 2022 charts for the best paint colors of the year. These greens incorporate gray, blue, and tan.

4. Don't Shy Away From Blush

Amy Wax, a specialist in color psychology, told Insider that blush paint colors—including rose and coral—evoke feelings of peace for many people. The reaction, she states, comes down to a general comfort with the color in our wardrobes and elements of the natural world. So while reds and vibrant pinks are often discouraged for bedrooms, pale pink makes the paint color cut.

5. Wake Up With Yellow

Painting a room yellow has had a bad rap for a long time, earning the unwarranted reputation for encouraging anxiety. But modern research points out that yellow actually encourages feelings of joy, emotional warmth, and safety. Yellow, unsurprisingly, reminds us of sunshine, which is a huge part of a bedroom design. 

Yellow paints, particularly cooler ones that reflect natural light, are also ideal for decorating a children's bedroom. Yellow acts as an ideal backdrop for colorful toys, decor, and bedding as well as create a space that exudes enthusiasm.

6. Learn Toward Neutral Hues

Sticking with the research about pale, non-confrontational colors, delicate tones like gray, silver, tan, and beige also create a bedroom haven. These natural earth tones remind us of sand, soil, and a calm cloudy day. 

Additionally, neutral paint colors also make it easier to change up the style of your bedroom in other ways without clashing with the walls. Switch between spring pastels, autumnal earth tones, and rich holiday colors in your decor and bedding while still sticking with a smooth color scheme.

7. Consider Serene White Walls

If you're renting an apartment or just moved into a home with white, there's no reason to spend extra money to paint your bedroom if you don't want to. White walls will reflect the colors of your curtains, decor, rugs, and bedding. It also picks up the optimal amount of natural light to make smaller bedrooms look bigger. 

There is also no reason to stick with the original white that came with your home. Just like all paint colors, white paints include fresh eggshell, a pale pearl, or a silver winter hue. Going slightly off-white can also help you incorporate one of the other colors on this list without leaning too heavily in one direction.

8. Remember the Trim

If you're looking to paint your bedroom like a pro, remember to consider the color of the trim, window, and door frame of your room. A balanced design will only add to the space's overall sense of serenity. Opt for either a white trim to balance against the colors of the walls or choose to keep the space monochromatic. Painting professionals often chose gloss or semi-gloss paint for the trim to stand out against the wall.

9. Stick to Neutral Ceilings

If you opt for a richer bedroom wall color, such as dark navy or forest green, you may want to balance out the light of the room by keeping the ceiling white. A white ceiling keeps the room feeling spacious without closing it off. It offers more surface area to pick up and reflect natural light from the window in the morning. 

Repairing your bedroom can be a bit of an undertaking without professional help, particularly when you have high ceilings or a room already filled with such large furniture. Chat with a team of interior painters near you to help transform your sanctuary into a room designed for optimal sweet dreams.