The best paint for a bedroom is a very flat, chalky matt in a soft, slightly muted colour. A low sheen absorbs light rather than bouncing it around the room, which makes walls feel calm and enveloping, and a colour with a touch of grey or earth in it stays restful by lamplight. Farrow & Ball's Estate Emulsion, Little Greene's Absolute Matt Emulsion and Paint & Paper Library's Pure Flat Emulsion are all made for exactly this.
A bedroom is also the one room where the most practical finish is rarely the most important. Walls are not scrubbed or knocked the way they are in a hallway or kitchen, so you can put the depth and softness of the finish first.
Photo Credit: Little Greene; Colour Used: Lead Colour (117)
Why a soft, flat finish suits a bedroom
Sheen reflects light. In a living room or kitchen that can be useful, but in a bedroom it tends to show every bump in old plaster and gives walls a slightly hard edge in the evening. A flat matt does the opposite: it softens the surface, deepens the colour and makes the room feel quieter.
The trade-off is durability. The flattest finishes are gently wipeable rather than fully washable, which is rarely a problem in an adult bedroom. For a child's room, where walls get drawn on and bumped, a tougher matt is the better choice (see the questions below).
The flattest finishes from each brand
- Farrow & Ball Estate Emulsion. A very matt, chalky finish with a 2% sheen. Farrow & Ball say it minimises imperfections and gives a beautiful depth of colour, and recommend it for low-traffic walls and ceilings. It is also certified toy-safe.
- Little Greene Absolute Matt Emulsion. Little Greene describe a barely-there sheen of 1 to 2%, and name bedrooms, snugs, dining rooms and studies as the rooms it suits best. It is gently wipeable, and Little Greene state that 40% of every tin is made from recycled ingredients.
- Paint & Paper Library Pure Flat Emulsion. A dead flat 2% sheen for interior plaster walls and ceilings. Paint & Paper Library describe it as micro-porous, so it lets the plaster breathe, and gently wipeable.
All three are water-based and low odour, so the room can be slept in again soon after painting with the windows open.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Elephant's Breath (229)
Calming colours that work
Restful bedroom colours tend to share a quality rather than a hue: they are softened with grey, brown or black pigment so that nothing feels sharp. A few we come back to often:
- Warm greys. Skimming Stone (241) has subtle lilac undertones that Farrow & Ball suggest make it a great grey for bedrooms, while Elephant's Breath (229) is a deeper mid-tone with the same lilac warmth. Lead Colour (117) is a soft, classic grey.
- Soft greens. Mizzle (266) is a light, misty green-grey without any cool blue undertone. Sage Green (80) is muted and reposeful.
- Quiet blues. Juniper Ash (115) is a warm blue with quiet depth, and De Nimes (299) a low-key grey-blue.
- Muted pinks. Peignoir (286) is a soft pink with a generous dose of grey, and Dorchester Pink (213) is gentle and restful. Fuji (102) is a softly broken warm white for those who prefer something paler.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Mizzle (266)
Judge it in the light you will use
Most bedrooms are seen at their best in the morning and their most important in the evening, under lamps. A colour that looks fresh at midday can turn flat or cold at night. We explore this in why most bedroom colours feel wrong at night, and in it's not you, it's your bedroom.
Orientation matters too. North-facing bedrooms suit warmer, earthier shades, while south-facing rooms can take cooler greens and blues. Our guide to choosing colours by room orientation goes into more detail. Whatever the aspect, order sample pots and look at them on large boards at bedtime as well as in daylight.
Questions we are often asked
What about a child's bedroom?
Choose a washable matt instead: Little Greene's Intelligent Matt Emulsion is certified child-safe and recommended for children's rooms, and Farrow & Ball's Modern Emulsion is wipeable and stain resistant.
Should the ceiling be white?
Not necessarily. A soft white, or the wall colour itself, often feels calmer than a bright white overhead. Painting walls, woodwork and ceiling in one colour is especially cocooning in a small bedroom.
What finish for skirting and doors?
A low sheen keeps the room soft: Farrow & Ball's Flat Eggshell (20% sheen) or Little Greene's Intelligent Eggshell (10 to 15%).
