Home » Misc » Ideas for lounge colours

Ideas for lounge colours


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.

Lick Paint Launches in the U.S. to Uplift Moods Through Color

Here's a confession: I have been avoiding painting my living room for years. Even with new furniture or decorative accents, I convinced myself that the not-so-chic color of my walls (something possessed me to agree to light-peach paint) could be remedied with low-lift upgrades. I bought huge art prints and even created a gallery wall to hide the color. The warm tint made my space feel cluttered and frankly, outdated, even after rearranging the room and purchasing new furniture. So, when Tash Bradley, Lick's Head of Interior Design, reached out to me offering a color consultation, I jumped at the opportunity.

@lindsey_isla

@carlaelliman

Lick offers a thoughtfully curated collection of high-quality paints and wallpapers to suit every personality—not to mention endless inspiration, community, and in-depth consultations on how to paint your home in a color that fits your style (and isn't an eyesore to your guests).

The UK brand grew in popularity when it first launched during the pandemic. With everyone stuck indoors, all you could pretty much do was watch paint dry—so it's no surprise that many folks were inspired to update their home's color palette. Luckily, Lick has since made its way to the U.S., so my living room makeover can officially happen!

"Decorating can be very daunting," Bradley, a trained psychologist (who happens to be married to the brand's cofounder, Sam Bradley)—admits. "Our main aim is to make decorating very enjoyable, accessible, and easy. We help you along your entire journey. I want our decorators to feel excited about being able to transform their house into a home they love."

Bradley's specialization in color psychology is the core of the brand's mission: to help you understand how colors affect a place. "It's not just about saying, 'Pick this white paint.' We have to look at the color of your sofa and plants, and consider your lifestyle to create a culmination of colors to spread in your home," she explains.

@georgiahamiltoninteriors

To begin the process, Tash and I hopped on a 30-minute FaceTime call for a walk-through of my home and to help her better understand my personality and design goals. I genuinely felt at ease talking to her about my painting woes, and how much I disliked the peach color of my living room walls. "Warm tones make a room feel more intimate and cozy, bringing everything in. If you choose a fresher color, it will make the space lighter and airy," she advised.

After seeing my navy blue couch and bohemian vintage rug, Bradley knew the stuffy walls didn't suit the welcoming vibe I wanted the space to radiate. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "I want you to show me where the light comes in through your window." As I sat down on the couch to show her how sunlight crept into the room, she smiled and declared: "I know what to do!"

Tash Bradley’s presentation.

Tash Bradley

Tash put together a visual list of recommendations showcasing hues carefully culled from Lick's spectrum of 124 paint colors. I pored over the presentation with anticipation, excited to see the possibilities for my living room. It not only provided six color suggestions, but also the amount of paint I would need. (One Lick color can't be mistaken for any another—"There isn't a shade lighter or darker," Bradley explains—which prevents color paralysis, where "you want one blue color and face 1,000 variations instead," she notes.)

I enlisted friends and family to help me select the best color scheme for my space—and, as soon as I settled on a color scheme, Lick sent me a whole paint kit, complete with a step-by-step guide and all the tools and accessories I would need, from bamboo-handled brushes and recycled rollers to sugarcane pulp trays and biodegradable dust sheets. As a bonus, Tash even included a palette for my kitchen!

Lick Teal 03 Matte

Lick Teal 03 Matte

BUY NOW

"What you never want to do is make a room feel disjointed from the other rooms in the house," she asserts. "You want to get a lovely flow to create harmony."

Lick is the perfect resource for any decorator afraid to commit, DIY-lover in need of an expert opinion, or budding designer looking to hone their decor skills. (Just scrolling through the brand's Instagram feed will help boost your color confidence!)

Ready to give your own home a color facelift? Sign up for a Lick virtual consultation here.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

Medgina Saint-ElienAssociate Market Editor

Medgina Saint-Elien is House Beautiful's associate shopping editor. She covers everything your home is missing. She writes about exciting new launches, hands-on product reviews, shopping guides for every corner of your space, and the "lightbulb" moments in every maker's story. The writer and poet champions the work of BIPOC entrepreneurs in the design and beauty industry. When she isn’t categorizing memes, she can be found looking at sneakers. Her work has been published in Byrdie, Snapchat, and more.

Living room color - 140 photos of the correct color combination in the living room

With the help of these recommendations, the selection of colors for the interior of the living room will be greatly simplified and will not take much time.

Whatever style is preferred when designing a living room, the color scheme is of great importance when decorating its interior and design. Of course, now the range of colors is very wide and it is extremely difficult for a simple layman not to get confused and make the right choice. But if an independent search is somewhat difficult and has not yielded results, it is recommended to contact specialists in these matters, who will select an option as soon as possible, taking into account all your wishes.

List of issues to be discussed in detail below:

Choosing the right color scheme for the interior of a room is not an easy task, but with the help of the recommendations below, it can be solved in the shortest possible time.

Table of contents of the article:

Skillful combination of colors

All colors are conventionally divided into two types: — cold and warm.

It is very important to take into account the following point: - If you are doing the design of the living room on your own, then you should not mix both types, it is better to choose one color line, because these shades are too contrasting.

It is necessary to combine warm and cold tones in such a way as to prevent a sharp transition in colors, and also so that the combination of colors in the living room looks proportional - only a professional can do this. It is important to remember that a small percentage of a warm shade when decorating a living room in cold colors will not spoil the overall picture with its presence, but, on the contrary, will add elegance and sophistication to the interior. You do the same in the case of using a line of warm shades in the color of the walls of the living room, you just need to dilute it with a moderate amount of cold shades. Thus, the harmonious combination of colors in the living room will eloquently make it clear that the owner of this room has great taste and an amazing sense of style.

Pay attention to which direction your living room windows point? Do your windows point south and do you often have too much sunlight in the room? In this case, we choose a line of cold tones, otherwise the feeling of unbearable stuffiness and heat will never leave you, and the existing air conditioner will not save the situation.

Popular colors for decorating the living room

Living room in white - this color must be introduced very carefully and in moderation to prevent its overabundance, otherwise you will feel like you are in a hospital room.

The beige color in the living room as shown in the photo is a very picky color, it is good because it will not be difficult to choose furniture made of wooden materials for it. Decorating the walls in the living room in beige is an almost perfect solution.

Brown color in the living room will complement the interior with a touch of practicality, but its overabundance is fraught with the merging of furniture and walls together. It also needs to be used in moderation.

Zoning by playing with color and other devices

If the color of the living room is kept in one tone, as you can see in the photo, we highlight the resting place with a different shade, without sharp transitions. To highlight a particular area, it is not necessary to resort to changing the color of the walls of the room, just use the pictures.

Also, artificial light sources are ideal for zoning, it can be either lamps or floor lamps or the same sconces, and it doesn’t matter what color you chose for the living room.

Another ideal option to focus on the seating area is easy to implement with large outdoor houseplants, regardless of the color schemes appearing in the living room.

Recommendations that help to perfectly combine different colors while maintaining a sense of taste and style

  1. The combination of brown and beige tones must be diluted with black, but again, you need to know the measure, it should be very small.
  2. The combination of red and green is hardly possible, since they are both very bright, muted shades are suitable as an option.
  3. The combination of blue and white is just a flight of your imagination, as these shades are in perfect harmony with each other.
  4. The combination of black and lilac is highly recommended not to be used together.

The final conclusion of these recommendations is as follows: - when decorating a living room in different colors, you should approach this issue thoughtfully and then everything will turn out beautifully, aesthetically and stylishly, as shown in the photo.

Also read:

Modern living room interior design - 120 photos of ideas and new arrangements
Living room furniture - 150 photos in the interior
Living room design - 200 photos of the best interiors in the living room divide 2 interiors (100 photos)
Living room kitchen - 105 best photos in the interior of the kitchen combined with the living room0128 White living room - 55 photos of arranging a living room in white
Small living room - 100 photos of interior design (7 ideas)
Interior design of a living room - 10 tips for arranging a living room (75 photos)
Living room in a classic style - 57 photos in the interior
Zoning living room - the best ideas and zoning options (115 photos)
Walls in the living room - 100 photos of beautiful wall design in the interior

140 photos of perfectly matched colors in the interior of the living room

80 best photo ideas

Regardless of the number of rooms in an apartment or house, the center - where family and friends usually gather - always remains the living room. In the modern rhythm of life, short hours of rest and communication are a real luxury, which is why it is so important to spend them in a comfortable environment, among your loved ones. The combination of colors in the interior of the living room has a great influence on the atmosphere as a whole, determines the mood and even to some extent reflects the character of the owners. And in order to fill the room with bright colors, sometimes it is not at all necessary to make repairs - a new sofa upholstery, other curtains or a couple of paintings can easily diversify the usual design, make it more comfortable and interesting.

Techniques and rules for creating a palette

When choosing finishes, furniture and decor for the living room, many are guided mainly by practical or intuitive considerations. This approach is fully justified, but a truly harmonious interior requires compliance with proportions and the laws of color. One of the basic rules is the rule of three colors, according to which no more than three chromatic shades can be used in one room. As for their combination, for this purpose it is very useful to use the color wheel and palette generator programs for the image.

Color wheel

An indispensable tool for designers, photographers and artists. It was created on the principle of the rainbow spectrum, where colors smoothly transition from one to another, but at the same time are divided into segments.

There are several matching technologies. So, shades that are located in opposite areas are called complementary - they represent an active contrast and mutually reinforce saturation. The colors indicated by the vertices of an isosceles triangle inscribed in a circle are a harmonious, but always very bright triad.

More calm options are obtained by combining similar shades in the neighborhood (up to 5 segments in a row). In complex configurations, accent combinations of four colors are used, placed at the extreme points of a rectangle or square.

Palette Generator

This is an interesting analyzer program into which you can load any picture you like and get a table of the colors used in it, sometimes with an RGB code, percentage, a list of complementary and triad shades.

This technology makes it easy to repeat the charm of a beautiful image (be it a winter landscape, a cup of coffee or a bouquet of roses) in the interior, eliminating the need to painfully choose the color of each detail. It will not be superfluous to use the generator even if, for example, there are difficulties with buying wallpaper or curtains that match the furniture - just take a picture of the object and the analyzer will instantly show the perfect addition.

Neutral shades in the interior of the living room

Neutral gamma is the best option for a calm, moderate design. Without a doubt, achromatic tones are appropriate in almost any color combination, but they look as restrained as possible without any iridescent inclusions. So that at the same time the interior does not seem like an office, it is worth playing with textures, adding more textiles, decorative elements, mirrors. Particular attention is recommended to be paid to lamps and all kinds of metal fittings.

Pure white color, although it can be combined with the absolute majority of shades, is not very suitable for the living room due to its “cold” associations. The exception is perhaps the minimalist or Scandinavian design. If the color of snow still prevails in the interior of the hall, saturated red, orange, yellow, neon blue, purple accents, as well as natural wood textures will help get rid of the look of the laboratory.

Warmer whites turn the living room into an oasis of tenderness and elegance. The nobility of milky, creamy, vanilla shades is perfectly emphasized by golden and chocolate brown details.

Gray in all its variations is the perfect base to experiment with colors. It is a wonderful background for both bright and muted compositions, but in modern studio apartments and lofts it often performs a solo part. The most attractive combinations of gray are obtained with red, light green, yellow, turquoise. But the reddish-brown autumn colors in this tandem are a little lost.

Black is rarely used for decorating a living room. By itself, it is quite heavy for perception, but a lot depends on textures and design in general. Glossy surfaces, leather, luxurious fabrics give the interior of the hall an expensive, elite look. Snow-white, scarlet, gold blotches, as well as crystal, tinted glass, electric blue lighting, imitation of a blazing fire, green plants will become an exquisite addition to black.

Beige pairs perfectly with the coffee palette, from hot espresso to whipped cream. You can make the design brighter with the help of orange, green, peach, purple details. Usually for this purpose sofa cushions, floor carpets, curtains are used.

Warm colors in the interior of the living room

Living room in warm colors is guaranteed to become a favorite place for spending time at home for the whole family. Cheerful colors fill with positive energy, optimism, and encourage friendly communication. Bright combinations of colors will help to distract and relax, and during the long winter they will remind you that there are not only gray motifs, but also joyful fine days. The palette for decorating such a hall will be prompted by nature itself, because it is difficult to come up with something more harmonious than its amazing landscapes.

For example, let's consider the spring range: pink flowers appear on a light green background, yellow dandelions cover the ground, tulips, irises open, and the sun's rays penetrate the air. All this can be reflected in the interior, providing an unobstructed flow of light from windows or lamps, using lemon, grassy tones for decoration and choosing furniture in rich floral shades.

Summer colors are already thicker, closer to a neutral and cold palette, but often you can feel an admixture of yellow in them. It can be a combination of herbal green, olive, delicate color of maple leaves, wood of warm shades. The design looks very beautiful in the colors of the sky at sunset, with smooth transitions from scarlet, fiery orange to purple and soft pink. You can not ignore the fruit and berry combinations - this design will not leave anyone indifferent.

The warmest, but at the same time calm interior is the living room in autumn colors. The central place in it is occupied by orange, which has the ability to gently illuminate the space around. It is best to frame it with objects from the red-brown spectrum; yellow and green with a velvety texture can be used as accents.

Cold range in the interior of the living room

The main advantage of cool colors - blue, light green, blue, violet - is their ability to refresh and soothe. This is not surprising, because all of the listed tones belong to the mysterious element of water, and some of them may resemble a serene sky. These shades are well combined with each other, the main thing is to choose the right textures, and adhere to a single style in every detail.

The most natural cold palette looks in a neutral environment of white, gray, black, beige colors. From wood suitable milk oak, light ash, beech, birch. Saturated turquoise and marine shades can be complemented with darker furniture in wenge, mahogany, chestnut colors.

Small inclusions of lemon yellow in the form of sofa cushions, figurines, ottomans will only emphasize the sophistication of the cool range. In some cases, light green or pink accents will also be appropriate. As for metals, silver or steel elements should be chosen for a cold interior. Accessories made of white enameled ceramics and vintage forged details (picture frames, candlesticks, coffee table legs) will help to complement the country style or Provence in green and blue shades.

Color combination in the living room - photo

You will find even more options for color combinations in the interior of the living room in our photo gallery. The presented selection with numerous design methods will allow you to choose the best solution for both a spacious hall and a cozy small room.

Learn more