Trying to decorate your small space? Here are the best paint colors for small bedrooms and factors to consider when picking your bedroom paint colors!
Your bedroom is your sanctuary. It’s so important that you transform it into a space that feels cozy, inviting, and like you want to be there.
Paint can go a long way in transforming a space without too much cost or time.
But, picking the perfect paint color for a small bedroom can be tricky.
So, today I wanted to dive into the factors to consider when picking a paint color for a small bedroom and some of my favorite small bedroom paint colors!
Tips for choosing the best paint color for small bedrooms
Paint color is a highly personal decision and totally depends on how you want the room to look and feel. Here are some things to consider when choosing the best color to paint a small bedroom.
Consider the lighting in the room
Lighting has the ability to completely transform the way that a paint color looks on the walls in a room.
Even in the same room at the same time paint can look totally different on two different walls just based on how the light or shadow hits them.
I have a few guides about choosing paint colors for rooms that face north with cool light or south with warm light.
But what this really comes down to is swatching paint in your actual space on every wall in the room and looking at it day and night to be sure you like it an all lighting situations.
It’s very important to swatch colors on your wall to make sure they look good – day and night – in your actual space before committing.
Click here to get removable peel & stick paint samples to easily swatch with!
Think about the furniture and decor in the room
it is super important to consider any fixtures that are not going to be changing in your room. Unless you are fully gutting your bedroom, then this will likely include flooring, trim, ceiling, bed, rug, or other textiles, and any existing art.
The thing is that paint comes in almost infinite shades, so you do not want to start with the paint color.
Look at the fixtures that will not be changing in your room and pull a color or color family from there to work with.
Choose a color that reflects your personal style
Whether you look at Pinterest, home decor magazines, or Instagram accounts, you need to find inspiration to help narrow down your personal style.
I personally suggest finding at least 20 images of bedrooms that you love. Then look at them all together and try to see if they have a wall color in common.
This is a good way to narrow down what you were drawn to naturally even if you are having a hard time, putting your exact style and aesthetic into words.
What paint finish should you use in a bedroom?
Not only do you have to pick a paint color for your room, but you have to pick a finish, too. Finish measures the level of glossiness for a paint. I always recommend an eggshell finish for interior walls. It provides just the right amount of gleam!
Best paint colors for small bedrooms
Here are some of the best paint colors for small bedrooms, broken down by color depth.
Light colors
Light paint colors are great for small rooms because they generally lighten and brighten most any space.
When it comes to light colors, you can, of course go to neutral or with more of a color to it.
Here are some of my favorites!
White paint colors
See all of my favorite warm white paint colors!
Light gray paint colors
See all of my favorite light gray paint colors!
Light blue paint colors
See all of my favorite light blue paint colors!
Light green paint colors
See all of my favorite light green paint colors!
Bold colors
You might think that you should not paint a small room a dark color but that is not necessarily true.
Sometimes painting a small room dark can make it feel really cozy and inviting.
Of course this is going to depend on the lighting and the furniture in the space, but I think it can be really fun and unexpected if you can pull it off.
This is more of a bold take for people who like to take risks with their home decor, but it could be really beautiful if you lean into it and it suits your style.
I usually suggest not choosing a bright color but instead picking something more muted. A bright color and quickly overwhelm a small bedroom!
Here are some of my favorites!
Black paint colors
- Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
- Benjamin Moore Black Panther
- Sherwin Williams Black Magic
- Benjamin Moore Jet Black
- Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
See all of my favorite black paint colors!
Navy blue paint colors
See all of my favorite navy paint colors!
Dark brown paint colors
- Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze
- Sherwin Williams Rookwood Dark Brown
- Benjamin Moore Texas Leather
- Sherwin Williams Java
- Benjamin Moore Roasted Coffee Bean
Dark green paint colors
See all of my favorite dark green paint colors!
Neutral colors
Neutral paint colors are typically fairly light, but not super light and add just a bit of color to the walls. They make a space feel bright but not totally bland and can easily make a tiny bedroom feel larger.
This is typically my pick over a super light color because I like my walls to have a little pigment to them.
Decorating with a light to mid-toned neutral is easy to work with but still adds a little bit of interest even to a small bedroom’s walls.
Here are some of my favorites!
Cream paint colors
See all of my favorite cream paint colors!
Light gray paint colors
Beige paint colors
See all of my favorite beige paint colors!
Accent walls
One more option for painting your smaller bedrooms is to go with a neutral on all of the walls with one accent wall.
Typically in a bedroom design, the accent wall would be the wall behind the headboard of the bed, ideally, this would be the wall that you walk into as you enter the bedroom.
Accent walls have the benefit of allowing you to play with color while still mostly using neutral shades of paint. This can help a small room, feel interesting, without being overwhelmed by bold color.
The accent wall could be painted, or it could be wallpaper, molding, wood, paneling, or any other interesting wall treatment.
When it comes to picking an accent wall color idea, pick a shade at least three shades darker than your other neutral walls so you have tonal contrast.
Here are some of my favorites!
Navy accent wall colors
- Sherwin Williams Naval
- Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
- Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik
- Benjamin Moore Gentleman’s Gray
- Sherwin Williams Anchors Aweigh
See all of my favorite navy paint colors!
Charcoal accent wall colors
- Sherwin Williams Peppercorn
- Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal
- Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray
- Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray
- Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
Black accent wall colors
- Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
- Benjamin Moore Black Panther
- Sherwin Williams Black Magic
- Benjamin Moore Jet Black
- Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
See all of my favorite black paint colors!
Any more questions on choosing the right paint color for small bedrooms?
Still not sure what paint color to choose?
My Paint Color Formula ebook walks you through the painless process of expertly testing paint swatches to ensure you have the perfect color for your home.
The best way to sample paint? Samplize!
Get peel-and-stick removable and reusable paint samples here!
Thanks for reading!
Morgan is passionate about home decor and paint colors. She has been sharing DIY home decor tips since 2012 at CharlestonCrafted.com. From there, she learned to love paint colors, and the Paint Color Project was born in 2022!