Cool paint ideas for living room
50 Best Living Room Color Ideas
Read McKendree
When it comes to living room design, a flattering color palette is one of the first aspects you need to nail down. It will likely drive the whole design scheme and set the mood for years to come. Plus, your living room is probably the most-used room in the house, so choosing colors that make you look forward to spending time in it is a must! Whether you want something bold and bright, neutral, or dark and moody, we've laid out tons of designer-approved living room paint color ideas to help you get inspired. All you have to do is put on your overalls and grab a roller—or, you know, hire someone else to do the dirty work. The hardest part will be deciding between all of these living room colors. But once you do, you can start shopping for the decor.
🏡You love finding new design tricks. So do we. Let us share the best of them.
Seth Smoot
1 of 50
Gray-Purple
In a Cape Cod-style home for a couple of empty nesters, designer Lauren Nelson painted the living room walls in Farrow & Ball's Dove Tale—a warm gray with purple undertones. It keeps the atmosphere neutral yet inviting.
2 of 50
Pearl
A soft white paint with a slight gray tone to it can easily make your living room a spot you want to spend all day in. Take it from designer Sharon Rembaum, who dressed this living room with textured pieces in a neutral color palette to boost its overall coziness.
TREVOR PARKER
3 of 50
Cerulean Blue
Designer Garrow Kedigan made use of Lakeside Cabin by Benjamin Moore on the walls of this cozy corner. The faded cerulean blue acts as a soft backdrop to the rich orange and gold decor and dark gray sofa.
Sean Litchfield
4 of 50
Cloudy Green
Reminiscent of the outdoors and luxurious spas, sage green can instantly make your living room feel welcoming. In this speakeasy-inspired room by Brooklinteriors, Art Deco, Eastern World, and bohemian elements are blended together on a background of Clare's Dirty Martini paint for an opulent but casual atmosphere.
Alyssa Rosenheck
5 of 50
Sunny Yellow
Sunny yellow walls can instantly brighten up your living room— no matter if you have big windows or small openings for natural light.
In this room designed by Taylor Anne Interiors, Farrow & Ball's Citron adds energy to the tropical-yet-modern space.
Haris Kenjar
6 of 50
Ebony
Set a moody yet cozy scene by painting your walls and ceiling in a soft shade of ebony. For designer Sean Anderson's client, comfort and function in the living room were crucial for entertaining. He painted the room in Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams and layered items that told the homeowner's story to enhance the welcoming atmosphere.
Mali Azima
7 of 50
Red Clay
Designed by Melanie Turner, this living room's walls are painted in Windswept Canyon by Sherwin-Williams. The assortment of furniture styles is united by a common colorway that pairs nicely with the paint.
LAUREY GLENN
8 of 50
Frost Blue
Frost blue walls—in Benjamin Moore's Philipsburg Blue, to be exact—offer the right amount of softness in this formal dining room designed by Jenny Wolf. Gold framed art and a textured rug add warmth near the fireplace.
2022 TREVOR PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY
9 of 50
Teal
"It’s a vibrant happy blue while not being too overwhelming, says designer Rudy Saunders of the color on the walls of his Upper East Side studio apartment. It's Fine Paints of Europe Jefferson Blue from the Dorothy Draper paint collection.
Bjorn Wallander
10 of 50
Sangria
Designer Krsnaa Mehta aimed for a salon feel in the heart of his India home. The sangria-and-blue palette of the living room achieves that inviting look that's best suited for entertaining.
Lisa Romerein
11 of 50
Cream
This sunny living room designed by Thomas Callaway exudes warmth, despite the grand size and ceiling height. Callaway broke the room into zones to enhance intimacy and then used soft buttery glaze on the walls to give the room a golden glow, and layered rich yet mellow fabrics.
Jared Kuzia Photography
12 of 50
Dark Blue-Green
Designer Cecilia Casagrande chose rich jewel tones for this Boston Colonial living room.
It's classic yet fresh. The paint color—Farrow & Ball Hague Blue—in particular, straddles that duality of modern and traditional styles, perfect for a historic home. Casagrande also mixed contemporary elements with more traditional ones to further play with that juxtaposition between old and new.
Thijs de Leeuw/Space Content/Living Inside
13 of 50
Dusty Rose
Atelier ND and homeowner Carice Van Houten used a variety of plant species to liven up the room and create visual intrigue with different heights and shapes. It really freshens up the bold pastels and rich earthy tones for a unique composition. Pro tip: Don't forget to paint the ceiling for a more immersive impression.
Anna Spiro Design
14 of 50
Buttercream
Instead of painting the walls blue, designer Anna Spiro covered the hardwood floors in a cheerful blue color. She also made the windows extra sunny by painting the frames buttercream yellow.
Brie Williams
15 of 50
Pitch Black
Dark black walls and lots of warm gold and caramel tones make this living room designed by Ariene Bethea super cozy but also formal and regal—the ideal balance if your living room doubles as the family room.
She used Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams.
Kendall McCaugherty
16 of 50
Peach
The open floor plan in this Chicago family apartment designed by Bruce Fox called for cohesion between the dining and living room areas. That soft peachy paint and deep pink sofa are reflected in the printed armchair at the head of the dining table, and also mimic the rosy glow of the pendant light. The color scheme was inspired by a photograph taken of the family in London during spring when the city was veiled in cherry blossoms.
Read McKendree
17 of 50
Clay
Dark gray walls can be a bit brooding, like storm clouds, but in the case of this sunny Manhattan apartment by Elizabeth Cooper, they look playful and contemporary. Cheerful pinks, a dash of cobalt blue, traditional granny-chic patterns, and whimsical artwork lighten the mood.
Nicole Franzen
18 of 50
Off-White
While bright colors can help liven up a room, it's not the only route.
Take this neutral-toned living room by Kristin Fine: Soft and texture-rich upholstery mix with off-white paint, rustic wood pieces, and plenty of antique accents to make a surprisingly modern impression with lots of character.
Robert McKinley
19 of 50
Olive
Robert McKinley wanted to keep the color scheme in this country retreat earthy and neutral but also wanted to inject it with a little warmth. He opted for a quietly sophisticated shade of olive green for the walls while the chose a cream color for the wood-paneled ceiling.
Chris Mottalini
20 of 50
Steel Gray
This New York City living room designed by Nanette Brown is a lesson in dark paint decorating that strikes the balance between formal and casual, sophisticated and easy-going, elevated and cozy. The exact color pictured is Amethyst Shadow from Benjamin Moore.
Paul Raeside
21 of 50
Light Lime Green
Take your cues from the bold pattern mixing and modern artwork on display in this living room designed by Les Ensembliers.
A light green color on the ceiling is an unexpected surprise that ties the whole room together. Here, it pairs beautifully with the yellow curtains, geometric green ottoman, and plenty of gray tones throughout.
Paul Raeside
22 of 50
Lemon Yellow
Does the thought of painting your living room yellow scare you to your very core? How about now that you've seen this timeless and cheerful living room designed by Michael Maher? One glance at this space, and we're about ready to repaint our own: It radiates warmth and offsets the cool blue tones.
Heidi Caillier
23 of 50
Light Fawn
This muted fawn color in a living room designed by Heidi Caillier is hard to pin down, and that's exactly why we like it. Not quite brown, not quite beige, it's a nice offbeat eath-tone option that functions as a neutral.
Simon Watson
24 of 50
Glossy Black-Green
Deep, dark, and glossy, the lacquered black-blue-green color makes this living room by Kristin Hein and Philip Cozzi seductive and mysterious.
Paired with bohemian furniture and accents, the more moody qualities become more approachable and cozy.
Maura McEvoy
25 of 50
Kelly Green Splash
"I love the juxtaposition between the traditional space and the modern staircase," says Eliza Crater of Sister Parish Design. The rich kelly green accent wall and decorative floral curtains help bring some fullness and warmth to otherwise all-white surfaces in her home.
Bjorn Wallander
26 of 50
Charcoal
The traditional, neutral furniture in this room designed by Balsamo Antiques and Interior Design make a minimal visual impact so the moody colors, artwork, light fixtures, and other decorative accents can stand out. A deep, almost purple-gray tone turns out to be a wonderfully complex and evocative backdrop, so don't be afraid to try something different.
Douglas Friedman
27 of 50
Navy
Ann Pyne worked with decorative painter Arthur Fowler to create a contrasting geometric pattern on the walls.
"I think of the puzzle-like shapes as a metaphor—it's a game of fitting all these disparate 'treasures' into a graphically coherent whole," she says. Matte navy blue and a gritty mustard tone work together to set a pensive and seductive backdrop—perfect for a smaller living room.
Heather Hilliard
28 of 50
Crisp White
A crisp, matte white is totally timeless. Sherwin-Williams Pure White is there for you when you're not interested in going for a trending paint color.
Francesco Lagnese
29 of 50
Mint Green
Channel a lush tropical oasis, as Thomas Jayne and William Cullum did, with this fresh color. In a living room where the paint stretches all the way up to the rafters, the hue changes depending on the way the light hits it, shifting between sharp mint and soft sea foam green.
Paul Raeside
30 of 50
Khaki
Designer Garrow Kedigian defines a neutral as "anything that isn't jarring," which is a super helpful way to reframe things if cream, white, or gray simply isn't cutting it in your living room and you can't figure out why.
Certain spaces just call for something outside the box, whether it's because of an architectural style, light exposures, or existing furniture. Here, the walls are painted Benjamin Moore's Rattan.
40 Best Gray Paint Colors 2023, According to Interior Designers
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Stormy Sky 1616 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore“I love using this hue because it is elusive. Like its namesake, Stormy Sky can be dramatic but also translucent. I’ve used it everywhere from exteriors to kitchens, where it looks beautiful with white accents and metal finishes. This paint also works well as a base for other colors—I’ve even done 50-50 mixes with it!” –Windsor Smith
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Alpaca SW 7022 by Sherwin-Williams
"This transitional, warm greige is a great go-to for bedrooms and cabinets if you want a light color, but not white." — Bailey Austin
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Blue Gray No. 91 by Farrow & Ball
Farrow & Ball“This is not really blue and not really gray.
It’s kind of creamy-dreamy, like a beautiful cloud. I think of an office as a place where you just want to be restful and creative, and this is very calming—and very chic with a pop of navy or lavender. It’s a blank canvas for whatever you’re doing at the moment.” — David Phoenix
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Alaskan Skies 972 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore"Appropriately named, Alaskan Skies offsets our state's dramatic change of lighting conditions throughout the year by serving as a neutral base for contrasting interior finishes, all while maintaining an uplifting atmosphere." — Bauer/Clifton Interiors
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Mindful Gray SW 7106 by Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams"Connecting texture with quiet serenity was my recipe for a modern-glam home found in the mountains of Utah. Mindful Gray offered a respite that embraced all of the rugged textures." — Anne Marie Barton
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Down Pipe No. 26 by Farrow & Ball
Farrow & Ball“Lately, I’ve been having a good time with this deep gray.
It changes a lot in different conditions. When the room is dark or in shadow, it seems almost black. But in direct sunlight, it’s the color of a Baltic afternoon. So it’s not boring. It also goes well with caramel leather chairs—something I can imagine putting into almost any office.” David Netto
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Moonshine 2140-60 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore“There is something about this shade that you can’t quite pin down. It reminds me of mist and fog—a little hazy and soothing. The pale gray manages to be versatile without being boring: It works in a variety of situations, from a light-filled bathroom to a spacious living room. On walls, it’s subtle yet powerful enough to create dimension.” — Michele Dopp
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Titanium OC-49 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore"Benjamin Moore Titanium is a soft, luminous off-white, with a little green in it that is bright enough to light up our often rainy weather here in Oregon.
" — Jessica Helgerson
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Parma Gray No. 27 by Farrow & Ball
Farrow & Ball“A beautiful blend of blue and gray that approaches robin’s egg but is chalkier and more elegant. It’s soothing and deep and will remain relevant as the child grows. For a boy's room, bring in café au lait tones and pops of strong olive green. For a girl, ground the room with dove gray and lavender accents.” – Amanda Nisbet
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Himalayan Trek 1542 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore"This fantastic neutral is great for both modern and classical interiors. A perfect balance of cool and warm, it's also remarkably similar to our local Chicago limestone." — Tom Stringer
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Revere Pewter HC-172 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore“This is the absolute perfect greige. No need to look any further. And it’s amazing with a brighter contrasting trim. I love it so much that I’ve used it in three of my homes.
In light-flooded rooms it feels cool and crisp. In darker, cozier rooms it’s very soothing.” — Shawn Henderson
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Granite AF-660 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore"For a warm brown-gray, Granite is one of my favorites, bringing coziness and sophistication to any room. This color invites you to curl up next to a fire." — Alice Williams
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New Hope Gray 2130-50 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore“I call this blue-gray a ‘shadow color.’ It changes with the light, which makes it interesting to enter a room throughout the day. This particular hue conjures images of the ocean and the sky—ideal for a tranquil Southampton beach house, where I used it on kitchen cabinets. It provided a punch of color without being too over-the-top.” — Sandra Nunnerly
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Gull Wing Gray 2134-50 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore“This blue-gray, in an eggshell finish, feels like an icy drink on a hot day.
It visually cools off a room that gets loads of light. And then you can build in some warmth with layers of color and texture in the furnishings. I’d bring in earth tones like chocolate brown, rust, and mustard gold, and maybe pop it with a hit of turquoise.” – Scott Laslie
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Silver Peony SW 6547 by Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams"Having both southern and western sun exposures in a room can be tricky, but this unusual color changes with the time of day from a cool lavender in the morning to the warmest of blush in the evening." — Kevin Walsh
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Classic Gray 1548 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore"This neutral is so versatile and offers a cool and calm retreat from the heat. Art hangs beautifully on it and it lets the room be the showpiece, not the paint color. Our design studio is painted this color and we love the environment that it creates!" —Nancy Price
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Granite Dust MQ3-6 by Behr Paint Colors
“I placed this color—a pale gray that resembles a hazy sky—in a lacquered finish on the ceiling of a small black-and-white-striped foyer.
The glossy effect is easier to get on a ceiling than on walls, while the reflective, mirror-like surface gives much-needed depth to the room. The shade is also a bit somber, which helped balance the bold walls.” – Rinat Lavi
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City Shadow CSP-60 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore"Gray skies and a misty rain can be quite beautiful and comforting. Benjamin Moore’s City Shadow captures this cozy feeling perfectly. Brighten it up a bit with unlacquered brass fixtures and hardware and pair alongside Calacatta marble. You can’t go wrong!" — Katie Hackworth
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Railings No. 31 by Farrow & Ball
Farrow & Ball“I used this cool-toned, blackened-steel shade on the stair spindles of my own home. The color really pops against the neutral palette of the space around it. My advice for working with a slick finish: Make sure the raw surface is free of any blemishes, because once you apply the paint, the shine will magnify them!” – Christine Stucker
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Wickham Gray HC-171 by Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore“I’ve been known to go on a gray streak, in every shade from steel to a warm French gray.
No matter the gray, it becomes a serene backdrop for everything—flowers, books, art, fabrics, or people. I like bordering gray with white trim, white fabrics, and white furniture. Sometimes I pop a little red here and there. But you want to be careful when picking your gray—nothing too sad, cold, or dingy.” – Matthew Patrick Smyth
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Senior Features Editor
Emma Bazilian is a writer and editor covering interior design, market trends and culture. She has very strong feelings about tissue box covers and believes that everything is better with toile.
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Jessica Cherner is House Beautiful’s associate shopping editor and knows where to find the best high-low pieces for any room.
features and selection rules (60 photos in the interior)
Features of choice
By choosing the color scheme of the walls, you can visually increase or decrease the size of the living room.
Factors affecting the choice of color:
- Room area
- Lighting
- Personal preference
- Functional requirements
For compact living rooms, light colors are suitable, thanks to which the area of the room will appear larger. Successfully complement the interior, in harmony with the overall color, a pattern on one of the walls.
In spacious rooms, the possibilities for realizing fantasies are much greater. The color palette can be with a soft transition or contrast.
Vertical stripes on the wall will stretch the space, while horizontal stripes will expand it.
Wall color and cardinal direction
When choosing the color of the walls for the living room, you should pay attention to the lighting of the room. The same shade in natural and artificial light will look completely different.
Turning the room to one of the cardinal directions also affects the overall "picture".
Soft and warm shades are suitable for the north side, they compensate for the lack of sunlight. It can be yellow, green, beige or chocolate.
If the windows face south, then the living room can be cold shades, as there is enough daylight in the room. Sky blue, turquoise and white.
For the oriental side, it is better to use warm light colors, for example, soft pink, honey, peach.
For a west-facing living room, cool colors should be preferred. The walls can be painted in gray, blue, mint.
Feng Shui Wall Color
Feng Shui is an ancient and very interesting theory, the purpose of which is to have a beneficial effect on life with the help of objects and colors. It is believed that any colors affect the energy of the house and affect the spiritual state of a person.
According to the rules of Feng Shui, the color palette of the living room can be chosen according to the principle of masculine or feminine, or based on which side of the world the room faces.
Light and warm colors such as red, yellow, green and white are masculine.
Dark and deep colors are assigned to the female part, for example, blue, purple, black.
For a living room located on the north side, blue is suitable. Shades of blue promote relaxation, reduce activity. As an interior design, you can choose paintings depicting reservoirs.
For the southern part, it is better to choose the orange and red color of the walls, it protects against negative energy and increases vitality. These colors should be treated with care. According to the theory of Feng Shui, red color can increase blood pressure and has a negative effect on the nervous system. For the living room, it is better to use more muted shades of these colors, soft coral and peach. Red color
For northeast and west rooms it is better to use a cream, beige and honey palette. Colors enhance mood, vigor and inspire optimism.
Popular living room colors
Beige
Beige is versatile and looks great in almost any style. The living room will turn out warm and cozy, the character of the room can be changed with the help of decor. The finish may be brickwork or unusual paint application.
Gray
A modern and trendy color that is often used to create loft, classic, modern styles. The walls of the room can be complicated by a variety of textures and geometric shapes.
Light blue
Various shades of blue have a relaxing effect. For people with a high load, it will be the best solution for decorating a living room. Corresponds to oriental, nautical, mediterranean and shabby chic style.
White
White is considered a neutral color, but by playing with colors you can create absolutely any interior. It has a lot of shades, and thanks to the complex application to the walls, the living room will turn out to be original and completely unusual.
White walls will be the base for creating the character of the living room. For a dark living room, white will be a salvation, there will be more light in the room.
Decor elements will make the interior simple and refreshing, or vice versa, will give comfort and warmth.
Green
A trendy color in recent years, which is associated with greenery and nature. The walls can be painted in different shades, zoning the space of the room. Wallpaper with a bright print will emphasize the eco-style of the living room.
In addition, green has a beneficial effect on vision and has relaxing properties.
Yellow
A bright, summery and sunny color, it is subconsciously associated with something warm and pleasant. Suitable for covering the walls of a spacious living room.
Too bright and poisonous shade of yellow in a living room of a small area will put pressure, while pastel and light colors will contribute to communication, increase attention and mood.
Olive
Olive is a shade of green, it envelops with its noble shade and gives a feeling of comfort.
Wall decoration in olive color will look harmoniously in classic, Scandinavian and country style.
Peach
Peach-colored walls will fill the interior with rich colors of summer and early autumn. Suitable for classic, modern and fusion styles.
Peach is combined with gray, turquoise and burgundy.
Turquoise
Painting the walls in turquoise will give a feeling of freshness and spaciousness to the living room. It has a different color depth from weightless pastel to rich and deep. It is combined with almost any paint without overloading the overall interior of the room.
Color combination
Monochromatic use of shades of the same color allows you to visually preserve and increase the area of the room. Each color has many shades, their combination options will create an original and unique interior of the living room.
Without overloading the interior, by painting the walls in different shades, you can zone the space or focus on a certain area.
The neutral color of the walls gives more room for fantasy. Muted and delicate shades are suitable for the classic style of living room design.
Furniture or decorative elements that become boring over time will change the character and style of the living room. Walls in a neutral color can be set off with bright accents in the decor of the living room. For example, light gray in combination with beige will give home comfort. The calm colors of the walls will relax you after a hard day and will play in the evening sunset.
A contrasting combination for a more modern style.
This option is suitable for brave owners. With proper execution, combinations can be the most unexpected.
A harmonious combination of two colors of one half of the spectrum will give the living room the interior of a Garden of Eden.
The walls of the room can be made using a gradient or a smooth transition of colors from one part of the living room to another.
The use of this method is preferable for spacious rooms, although using light colors in a small living room will also be harmonious.
How to match the color of the walls with the color of the furniture
When creating the interior of a living room, it is worth deciding what the attention will be focused on. If the walls of the living room are rich and bright colors, then it is better to choose furniture elements of restrained and solid colors.
White furniture can be decorated with pillows that match the color of the walls
If you choose more restrained shades for painting the walls, bright furniture can become the main accent in the interior. The sofa, as an independent element of the living room or in tandem with armchairs of bright colors, will become the main object of attention in the room.
Also, the whole concept of the living room can be made in one color scheme. The interior will be discreet, but tasteful.
Interior color and style
Classic
Restrained and muted colors, such as green, blue, pear, match the classic style. As a rule, the walls are painted in one color or covered with wallpaper with a discreet pattern.
Modern
A living room designed in a modern style will allow you to use more colors. Walls can be bright colors such as turquoise, grey, blue or emerald green.
Most often, only one wall of the living room is painted in a bright color, in this case the space is not overloaded and does not create an oppressive feeling. In contrast with the bright color of the wall, light furniture will look interesting.
Country
Country style is directly associated with nature and rustic themes. Accordingly, the use of any natural shades is suitable.
Ceiling beams are considered a distinctive feature of the stylistic direction.
Wall colors can be painted in any natural shades, green, brown, grey.
Loft
A fashion trend used to create a modern living room. In the literal sense, the loft is translated as an attic or basement. Accordingly, the interior is performed mainly in cold colors.
The photo shows a loft-style living room, the accent wall is decorated with brickwork.
Scandinavian
The walls of the living room are made in light colors, white, beige, blue. A distinctive feature of the style is the maximum functionality and simplicity of the interior.
Provence
Provence style has a restrained palette. The walls are decorated in olive, lavender and other pastel colors.
Features of choosing colors for the kitchen-living room
To create the perfect interior, you should follow a number of rules:
- General color palette
- Choice of wall color depends on lighting
- The lighter the color, the more spacious the room appears
Colors for a small living room
The design of a small room should be as functional as possible.
Walls can be decorated with a beautiful discreet pattern.
-
Light colors are preferred for small rooms
-
Decorative elements add bright colors to the interior
-
Mirrors and reflective elements help visually increase the area
-
Curtains for decorating windows in the hall should preferably be chosen from a dense and light fabric
- Painting one of the walls in a different color will make the interior of the living room stylish and unusual
Each room in the house has its own function and should be as comfortable as possible to stay in it. Spend a lot of time in the living room. The color of the walls should be pleasing to the eye and not cause an annoying effect.
50 photos of interiors, what color to paint the walls in
The color of the walls in the living room can be called the basis of the composition in the interior, because they become the background for further arrangement of a comfortable, aesthetic and harmonious room.
The mood of the situation, the feeling of comfort and warmth depends on the shade of the finish.
The choice of palette depends not only on personal preferences, but also on the parameters of the room - color schemes will make a room with low ceilings and one north window more comfortable, a very narrow or irregularly shaped room.
The choice of colors depending on the cardinal direction
Perhaps the first thing to do is to determine how effective the natural lighting of the room is: the northern rooms do not receive sunlight, while in the southern rooms there is an excess of them. Of course, a lot also depends on the climate, because some even the southern regions are distinguished by the predominance of cloudy days.
Colors help make the living room more comfortable.
- In a room facing north, there is usually a feeling of lack of sunlight and warmth . Therefore, the color of the living room in this case should be warm, soft, cozy.
Usually it is a beige palette, muted shades of green combined with natural woody, chocolate scale with terracotta and yellow notes. - The color of the room with windows facing south can be cooler - blue, gray, white and turquoise . But these tones do not seem cozy to many, so they are often changed to a neutral range - barely noticeable cream, milky, gray-blue and white-sky.
- The northwest and northeast rooms can be different. To determine in what shade to decorate such a room, it is worth watching. If there is no time, you can choose combined solutions - paint the wall where the rays of the sun fall in light cool colors, and the opposite one - in the shade - on the contrary, in the sunny palette. Then it will seem that there is still more sunlight in the room than there really is. To make the effect more noticeable, choose bright colors of warm colors for accents - they will look as if sunlight is also falling on them.
- More comfortable rooms - southwest and southeast .
Here the sun's rays look more, respectively, they warm the room and make it bright. For a hall in an apartment with such an arrangement, any shades and their combinations are suitable.
Combination of finishes and furniture
The choice of color for the living room and its furnishings is usually based on simple rules of harmony. And in this matter, it is not so important what the chosen shade for the walls will be - it is important to find an aesthetic combination.
Natural duets and trios are among the traditional combinations. This, of course, is the color of greenery and wood, sky and earth, greenery and buds. Obviously, the blue, pastel olive and pistachio walls of the living room complement the brown furniture. An example is the combination of woody and vibrant greens, mint and fuchsia.
Combinations of beige scales with all natural shades look just as harmonious: the color of sand and the sea, clouds and clear sky. But the most organic are considered tones close in gamut - for example, cream, sand and peach, as well as pistachio, azure and emerald.
The achromatic palette is always out of competition, because it goes well with any - both natural and "poisonous" tones. The white, gray or even black color of the living room does not determine the shade of the furniture set - any other shade looks great against such a background.
To find the best combinations, you can use the circle, in which harmonious tones are selected using figures inscribed in it - triangles, squares or rectangles - depending on how many shades are needed for decoration.
How to find the perfect color for your living room
In search of the best decor, hosts look not only to personal preferences and design advice, but also to various psychological aspects. For example, psychologists are sure that deep blue is the best shade for a bedroom, while light green gives a feeling of peace and tranquility.
Another theory of the influence of the color palette is associated with the Taoist symbolic exploration of space, called "feng shui".
In this teaching, it is believed that the color for the living room is as important as your spiritual state is for you. Here, the balance and distribution of color throughout the room is significant. In this theory, the palette is divided into male and female shades. And they should all be present in the design. According to Taoist theory, a cozy living room should include almost all existing shades, but it is recommended to give priority to the feminine, then the atmosphere will turn out to be soft and hospitable. These tones include white, blue and green - a rather cool palette, but they must be complemented by "male" colors - black, orange or red.
Of course, no adviser can tell you what the ideal color for your living room will be, so you should take into account a variety of parameters and personal preferences.
Neutral nature of pastel shades
A living room in pastel shades is a versatile solution for any style project.
This range is distinguished by a particularly light spectrum, almost imperceptible emotional coloring, the possibility of combining with any other bright accents. The best shades in this range are, of course, beige, milky, cream, powdery, gray-beige. Less commonly, pastel yellow, green, blue are used in the design. They are more emotionally colored, so choose them when the owners are sure what mood they want for the interior of their living room, albeit in pastel colors.
This palette has both warm and cool tones:
- Beige tones in a wide range help to make the room warm and cozy . They are applicable to the interior in any style and are harmoniously combined with bright color spots of any spectrum.
- Pastel yellow will be warm. It is quite close to beige, so in this color the design of the living room will become more sunny and cheerful.
- Cool include ultra-light and muted gray, blue and green, lilac, pink .
Of course, there are also warm tones in every spectrum. The choice depends on the overall design, the location of the room, its area and shape.
Living room in pastel colors can be different - restrained and neutral, strict and unemotional, hospitable and cheerful, solemn and elegant. The inclusion of any bright color sets the mood and shapes the character of the setting.
Living room in warm colors
It is obvious that warm colors in the interior of the hall form a completely unambiguous atmosphere - cozy and pleasant. Lighter shades are quite sophisticated, but saturated ones are homely and emotional.
- The lightest and most neutral cream tones are a sophisticated option for decorating rooms in classic, modern, technological and solemn - a variety of styles . Close to white, this color looks unobtrusive and elegant. Together with gilding, it can be used in a classic majestic interior, and with the inclusion of bright colors of the "acid" palette - in the hi-tech direction.
- Living room in cream tones - an elegant option for discreet classics, laconic minimalism, a cozy interpretation of high-tech style . This is a universal color from the beige range, which is easily combined with different shades - deep, bright, dark.
- Living room in peach tones - a richer interior in which it is easy to create a special atmosphere . Summer aromas and a light atmosphere are literally in the air here, so you should choose the appropriate solutions for decoration. Peach color in the interior of the living room helps to decorate the room romantically, gently, unobtrusively. It easily fits into the directions with a rustic character, where natural white textiles, simple wooden furniture, wicker sets are also appropriate.
- Terracotta color in the interior of the living room is a rather bold decision . Of course, this is the natural color of a traditional brick, but it is distinguished by its brightness and saturation, so the terracotta shade cannot fill the entire room.
And if it was chosen for painting a large area, but even the hinged shelves will be lighter and weightless.
A living room in warm tones can be either red - extravagant, or brown - in a natural, rather saturated color of natural wood. Against such a background, elegant details in a peach shade, in a white and beige palette, as well as green, blue, and pink decor are harmoniously used.
Warm colors in the interior of the living room can be both pink and green. To do this, just add yellow notes to such shades, and you get a curious mix of halftones that will allow you to combine opposite temperature spectra for full harmony and filling the composition. For example, a peach-colored living room includes a hint of pink, which allows you to organically use the rich shade of fuchsia in accents.
Living room in a cold palette
Cool shades are usually chosen for rooms that are flooded with sun. Most often, these are apartments and houses in the southern regions, because even the southern rooms of the northern climatic regions actually rarely see the sun.
But a living room in cool colors can also be chosen to implement a discreet - modern or solemn pompous style. It will be a detached environment, perhaps strict and even businesslike, technological or with futuristic features. Of course, even such a palette can be made cozy if you choose light shades for the background, and the main composition will be wooden pieces of furniture, accents in a warm palette - red, orange, yellow, beige, chocolate.
The lilac color in the decoration of the hall will look extraordinary. Shades of lilac range are quite peculiar and ambiguous. They include a wide range of other pure colors, which creates a variety of variations and nuances of this color scheme. For example, the predominance of notes in the purple range will make the interior mysterious and meaningful. In the living room in lilac tones, there will hardly be an additional zone in the form of a children's or play area. Such a room is more often used for receiving guests and spending time with a married couple without children.
Black is designed to emphasize the style of the hall in cool shades - it outlines the contours, sets off the depth of the background color or demonstrates the lightness of the light palette.
Cool tones of blue, green, gray-beige remain pleasant for perception. These are light and unobtrusive colors that can be pastel or more intense, but their nature allows you to create organic and comfortable compositions.
Living room decoration in dark colors
Before choosing the main color for the living room, it is worth evaluating its parameters: if it is spacious and light enough, the walls can be painted in an intense shade from any palette. Of course, black surfaces will press psychologically, so when choosing a specific tone, one should take into account its effect on human sensations.
Despite the seeming extravagance of a saturated background, you can find a lot of interesting solutions:0339 . This is a standard solution for the loft style, as well as for many industrial, urban, ultra-modern areas in which there is a lot of metal, concrete, glass.
Decorating a room in this palette is quite easy - it goes well with light and saturated shades of other ranges. Chocolate can be the color of natural wood panels or painted concrete, then there are discreet gray notes in it.
When choosing a dark color for the hall, another interesting question arises - regarding the choice of color for the kitchen-living room when combining these zones. Obviously, a saturated room in a deep palette cannot be monotonous. When we design a combined space, it should not be cluttered with intense tones. The combination of contrasting shades will be the perfect tool for zoning a room. With any dark range, white, light gray, beige will organically look.
Choice of finishing colors for individual surfaces
It is unlikely that anyone thinks that it is enough to paint the walls in the living room and the interior will be ready: the composition, mood, atmosphere are formed by many details, and you should not take away an important role from floor and ceiling coverings in this process.
One thing is obvious - they almost never merge with vertical surfaces. Even in the same range, clear boundaries are drawn between the planes with the help of a plinth. In a monochrome room, the flooring, the color of the walls of the living room, the ceilings will be implemented in the same range, but in different shades. Although among the harmonious combinations there are many stylish and elegant solutions.
White living room
The ideal solution for a bright, spacious room is, of course, white. It is chosen for walls and ceilings in classic, Scandinavian, Greek style, as well as contemporary and shabby chic. Depending on the direction, you can find the best answer to the question of how to choose the color of the floor.
Popular and harmonious finishes:
- Parquet or other wood alternative . Most often, the coating retains its natural shade, so the color of the laminate is usually brown, although this range is quite large - from whitish to chocolate with golden threads.
If you choose a monochrome design, gray-white types of laminate are suitable for a white room; they will look stylish and restrained in the living room interior. The warm brown shade of wood will make the atmosphere cozy and homely. - Natural stone will make any room solemn - natural mineral looks so luxurious. Marble, which is dominated by a white palette, will look exceptional in a classic interior. But other minerals, differing in a variety of colors, will organically fit into an aristocratic interior.
- Ceramic tiles, due to their variety, can be used in any style . When choosing such a coating, a well-chosen ornament is important - a tile can imitate wood material, natural stone, or represent a completely different category - the ability to create patterns on the surface in the widest palette of shades.
From ceiling coverings for a white interior, similar materials are usually chosen - stretch fabrics are preferred.
The choice of gloss or matte surface depends on the style and parameters of the room. As a rule, glossy ceilings are equipped in rooms that are too low and in modern design directions. In tension multi-level structures, colored canvases can be used - in the central and zoning inserts of various shapes. It can be a regular geometric figure or a contour of arbitrary geometry.
Beige interior
Everything is clear here: the use of beige neutral colors creates an elegant environment with a discreet character. As a rule, cream or sand wallpapers complement the wood floor. The ceiling can be painted both in traditional white and in milky - a softer tone.
Universal beige is a good solution for both luxury and budget interiors. Such a palette allows you to save a lot - there are no flashy and demonstrative details, the price of materials fades into the background, like the whole environment - comfort plays the main role.
Gray room
Gray palette - a wide variety of shades for decorating rooms in different styles.
Silver is a frequent guest in restrained classicism, matte ash is the color of pure concrete in a loft style, aluminum and steel is a high-tech direction priority, graphite can become the basis of any modern or retrospective design. Of course, a living room in dark colors is possible only with a sufficient area of the room. However, there is always room for an accent surface.
To decide what color to paint the walls, it is worth comparing the parameters of the room and the nature of the chosen style. Universal and achromatic gray can be appropriate in any of the directions in a very different format.
Picking up the same color for the floor and ceiling is not difficult.
- Wood brown flooring is the perfect choice for any interior . It is a warm color that will balance the cool and austere ash, especially when used metallically in modern settings.
- Granite gray or slate grey-beige - a luxurious solution for a room with monumental features .
This wear-resistant coating is expensive and has a variety of decorative textures, but the weight of the material prevents its widespread distribution. - Ceramic tiles can be bright enough - any accent looks stylish against a smoky background. And it is the floor that can become an accent in a laconic self-sufficient interior.
Wall materials
Still, the main issue when choosing a particular palette is the choice of wall material. The traditional answers are paint and different types of wallpaper. A painted interior is the simplest solution, the implementation of which is available to everyone. For a textured finish, you can choose wallpaper for painting, which differ in unobtrusive relief, or plaster, but it’s better not to work with it without skills.
Other options include decorative wood panels, glass and stone panels for accent and partial wall decoration. Such coatings can imitate doors to other rooms, look like paintings, mask built-in wardrobes, etc.
The most common option is, of course, wallpaper.
The choice of such depends on many factors:
- If you need coatings for an accent wall, you should pay attention to bright colors, catchy patterns, stylish ornaments. For example, if you choose materials for the Provence style, floral wallpaper will do. The same is worth picking up curtains, sofa cushions.
- To create a harmonious combination, it is worth considering what color other surfaces are painted.
- When choosing a base coat with a pattern, it is worth finding a plain or textured strip to place photos on the walls. In the same tone, curtains are selected.
- Wallcoverings can be combined – solid colors with stripes or floral motifs, stripes with floral motifs on adjacent walls, alternating stripes, contour ornaments and plain textural areas.
At the same time, the color of wallpaper with a pattern loses its original character - here the shade of the ornament takes on the main role.
This should be taken into account when decorating a living room in a certain range.
Features of choosing a color for a living room combined with a kitchen
The rules for choosing a palette for a living room combined with a kitchen, in fact, are not much different from choosing the color scheme of any room.
Nevertheless, there are nuances that are worth paying attention to.
- A popular solution is white color for the kitchen, then the facades of the kitchen set literally merge with the wall finish, visually freeing up space . But this range remains the brand itself, so you should choose it only if you are ready to regularly care for such surfaces. True, you should not save on white furniture - modern manufacturers offer functional coating options that do not absorb dirt, so they are easy to clean.
- The kitchen can be made in the same color as the living room . Then it is worth considering constructive zoning methods that will not allow the working block to merge with the recreation area.
- When combined with the dining room, and not just the working area, it is worth decorating the entire room in the same style, but you can choose a different color . In the kitchen, for example, bright - pink, blue, blue, green, and in the guest part - neutral, more balanced. The dining room will become a transition between territories with different purposes. It can be arranged in a transitional shade or in a combination of basic ones.
- A comfortable color scheme with the same background will help make the living room together with the kitchen unit complete in composition . But it is important to choose harmonious details: decor in combination with zoning tools will make the interior self-sufficient. A trio or even a quartet of shades will look organic here. Of course, tones in one palette with one catchy look more stylish, but you can pick up notes of different character.
Since in the kitchen area, instead of wall decoration, sets are usually visible, it is precisely its facades that will be combined with the decoration in the hall.
