Great paint ideas

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.

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Gray-Purple

Seth Smoot

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.

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.

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Cerulean Blue

TREVOR PARKER

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.

Cloudy Green

Sean Litchfield

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.

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Sunny Yellow

Alyssa Rosenheck

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.

Ebony

Haris Kenjar

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.

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Red Clay

Mali Azima

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.

Frost Blue

LAUREY GLENN

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.

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Teal

2022 TREVOR PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY

"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.

Sangria

Bjorn Wallander

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.

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Cream

Lisa Romerein

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.

Dark Blue-Green

Jared Kuzia Photography

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.

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Dusty Rose

Thijs de Leeuw/Space Content/Living Inside

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.

Buttercream

Anna Spiro Design

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.

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Pitch Black

Brie Williams

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.

Peach

Kendall McCaugherty

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.

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Clay

Read McKendree

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.

Off-White

Nicole Franzen

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.

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Olive

Robert McKinley

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.

Steel Gray

Chris Mottalini

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.

40 Best Gray Paint Colors 2023, According to Interior Designers

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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“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 & BallFarrow & 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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Emma Bazilian

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.

Jessica Cherner

Jessica Cherner is House Beautiful’s associate shopping editor and knows where to find the best high-low pieces for any room.

8 Creative Wall Painting Ideas You Can Do Yourself

Gone are the days when paint on the walls felt like a hospital, school or public place. Modern interior paint is matte, silky to the touch and comes in many shades. In addition, it is an excellent substitute for wallpaper. With its help, you can not only paint the walls in one color, but also draw, creating your own patterns. Here are some creative wall painting ideas using masking tape, a stencil and a sponge.

1 Color block

Color combination with large geometric shapes. Usually, bright colors are used to create it, which are opposed to each other, but the blocks can also be pastel, close in shade.

Vertical and horizontal

Division of space into color blocks in a horizontal or vertical plane. In a similar way, it is possible to allocate functional areas in a room, for example, a desktop as an office or an entrance area that is combined with a room. Two close colors look interesting in the horizontal division of the room. Here you should avoid the combination of white and color, this can cause the association of a whitewashed wall.

Color can correct the geometry of the room: lower or raise the ceiling, push the walls apart, deepen the room. In this way, you can paint sections of walls without observing clear boundaries. This will facilitate the strict style and give lightness to the room.

photo

architonic.com

Instagram @roomfortuesday

musa.md

Instagram @enter_my_attic

Instagram @nataliasalla.arq

Instagram @enter_my_attic

Diagonal and triangles are a simple way to paint a diverse room

9 90 They are easily created using masking tape and painting areas with different colors. This method is suitable for all rooms, but is especially popular in the nursery. Contrasting transitions will be appropriate in rooms where you stay for a short time: hallways, corridors, bathrooms, bathrooms. Nuance transitions - in all rooms.

photo

Instagram @ourdesertdigs

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @podledneva_natasha

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @eliza_rose_home

Instagram @saharchitect_eftekhari

Instagram @thaisabohrer

This is how the sequence of actions looks like when painting a wall with triangles.

eliza-rose.com

lottiedoes.com

eliza-rose.com

2 and are most often used in children's rooms.

photo

Instagram @planaspb_com

Instagram @bossastudiointeriors

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @lillemaltrost

Instagram @22remont

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @design. remont.decor

Instagram @julialovesdeniz

Instagram @acasinha

3 Peas

Fashionable polka dots are appropriate in any room. It can be small, medium, but large peas are especially popular. Often this pattern is used for children of all ages, but it is also appropriate in corridors and bedrooms.

photo

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @lemoncakewardrobe

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @handmadebuzz

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @kidsroomstylenl

Instagram @acasinha

Learn how to make sponge polka dots.

ohohdeco.com

Peas can be glued instead of drawn. In this case, it can be metallized: golden or silver.

Instagram @planaspb_com

Instagram @natybi

Instagram @interior.by.d

Instagram @szobasbyluca

See the sequence of actions when sticking peas with symmetry.

taylormadecreates.com

Polka dot vinyl stickers

240

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4 Not only peas

Stars, hearts, Scandinavian snowflakes and other ornaments can be a pattern on a painted wall.

photo

Instagram @omiboodle

Instagram @leclairdecor

Instagram @karolinazhouseloves

Instagram @stacygarciainc

justagirlandherblog. com

justagirlandherblog.com

6 Scandi triangles

More complex geometry that will take time to create. Such triangles look spectacular and non-trivial. You can use bright or pastel colors of paint, but limit your choice to 3-4 shades.

thistlewoodfarms.com

8 Stencil Drawings

Using stencil blanks, which are used for textured plasters, you can create a repeating pattern, calligraphy on the wall or depict individual objects. If desired, the geometric contour can be painted in a contrasting color or duplicated with metallic tape.

photo

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @estellewilliot

Instagram @acasinha

Instagram @happyart. com.ua

Instagram @marmolata.paint

Instagram @marina_vostrova

Instagram @marmolata .paint

Instagram @kislicynalga

PVC stencil

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Prepared by

Yuliya Parshihina

100 photos of wall decoration and nuances of applying paint

The design of the walls in the room in modern times has such a huge number of variations that it's time to get confused. Many materials are so difficult to install that the owners simply cannot cope on their own. This entails additional financial costs for hiring workers and carrying out complex operations.

Recently, more and more often, in order to get away from all these difficulties, the owners of houses and apartments use the method of painting walls. Modern paint not only does not require special skills and very high costs, but it also looks very beautiful. And just every manufacturer speaks about the safety and comfort of application.

Pictures of wall painting will easily show you how beautiful the decoration can be.

For many, the staining process still leaves many questions about the convenience and safety of the operation, as well as about its other features.

Our material is just aimed at telling you in as much detail as possible about all the options for painting walls.

Review content:

How to paint walls yourself
Popular types of painting
Interesting wall painting
Photo of wall painting

Firstly, it should be said that wall painting is completely safe, because modern paint materials are odorless. They are completely non-toxic, and also dry quickly and do not require any special knowledge for application.

Secondly, any repair action undoubtedly requires careful preparation of the material plan and processing of the walls themselves.

When preparing, the most important thing is to make previous coats as smooth as possible. Only under such conditions will the paint itself on the wall look as it should. Determine in advance the design of the wall painting.

After the wall is prepared, it is required to choose the paint itself for its decoration. With this case, you will have no questions, since there are a huge number of materials of this nature on the market.

The most important thing is to choose a quality copy that will be completely safe.

Wall painting with water-based paint has a special advantage over other materials in many respects, starting with a long service life.

Popular colors

One of the most popular options for painting walls with your own hands is the method of textured painting.

This look not only implies beautiful wall decoration, but also different textures. Due to the large number of different textures, you can hide uneven and problematic parts of the walls under a layer of paint.

Another interesting solution to the modern style of painting walls and ceilings is frottage. In order to obtain this result, the use of special materials and tools is not required.

All you need is a plastic bag or sheet of paper and paint that doesn't dry very quickly. After dyeing, paper or polyethylene crumple and thus applied in certain places.

In order to make the drawing more interesting, each next lotion should affect a part of the previous one.

Sponging is also an easy option that any beginner can handle. A special sponge is taken and paint is applied through it.

First, part of the sponge is dipped into the paint, then gently applied to the wall. This method will take a lot of effort and time, but the result is worth it.

Interesting wall painting

One of the most modern variations of wall painting is painting on them.

Great paint ideas

50 Best Living Room Color Ideas

Gray-Purple

Pearl

Cerulean Blue

Cloudy Green

Sunny Yellow

Ebony

Red Clay

Frost Blue

Teal

Sangria

Cream

Dark Blue-Green

Dusty Rose

Buttercream

Pitch Black

Peach

Clay

Off-White

Olive

Steel Gray

40 Best Gray Paint Colors 2023, According to Interior Designers

Stormy Sky 1616 by Benjamin Moore

Alpaca SW 7022 by Sherwin-Williams

Blue Gray No. 91 by Farrow & Ball

Alaskan Skies 972 by Benjamin Moore

Mindful Gray SW 7106 by Sherwin-Williams

Down Pipe No. 26 by Farrow & Ball

Moonshine 2140-60 by Benjamin Moore

Titanium OC-49 by Benjamin Moore

Parma Gray No. 27 by Farrow & Ball

Himalayan Trek 1542 by Benjamin Moore

Revere Pewter HC-172 by Benjamin Moore

Granite AF-660 by Benjamin Moore

New Hope Gray 2130-50 by Benjamin Moore

Gull Wing Gray 2134-50 by Benjamin Moore

Silver Peony SW 6547 by Sherwin-Williams

Classic Gray 1548 by Benjamin Moore

Granite Dust MQ3-6 by Behr Paint Colors

City Shadow CSP-60 by Benjamin Moore

Railings No.

Wickham Gray HC-171 by Benjamin Moore

8 Creative Wall Painting Ideas You Can Do Yourself

1 Color block

Vertical and horizontal

Diagonal and triangles are a simple way to paint a diverse room

2 and are most often used in children's rooms.

3 Peas

Polka dot vinyl stickers

4 Not only peas

6 Scandi triangles

8 Stencil Drawings

PVC stencil

100 photos of wall decoration and nuances of applying paint

Firstly, it should be said that wall painting is completely safe, because modern paint materials are odorless. They are completely non-toxic, and also dry quickly and do not require any special knowledge for application.

Popular colors

Interesting wall painting

Learn more