Picking a bedroom paint colour seems like one of the easiest decorating decisions to make and yet you come out with 40 almost identical swatches left scratching your head why they all look different on your wall. It is not the colour, but the undertone. Nail that and your bedroom will instantly feel relaxed, lasting and purposeful.

Bedroom colour families (and the mood created)

Soft whites and warm neutrals

Perfect quick and easy spa update for that lovely tranquil feel. Instead of pure brilliant white opt for creamy whites, warm off-whites or gentle beige tones.

Greige (grey + beige)

A dependable option for contemporary bedrooms due to its combination of warm and cool. It goes good with wood, black gradients and soft textiles.

Muted greens

For example, sage green, olive or eucalyptus are calming colours and natural, perfect for bedrooms. These colours work beautifully with other earthy materials including oak, rattan and linen.

Dusty blues

It is calming, true, but pale blues that are a bit greyer look even bedroom-friendlier than bright or icy colours. These are suitable with both the traditional as well contemporary styles. For Bedroom Renovations, contact //www.thekitchenrefurbishmentcompany.co.uk/bedroom-renovations/

Warm blush and clay tones

If you want something warmer while staying a bit subtle, faded pinks, terracotta and clay tones are all nice and can be very flattering particularly under warm light.

Picking Your Undertones

Undertones are the colours hidden beneath the main one. Using the example of grey again, a paint can be grey but grey towards green, blue purple or brown in undertone.

Here’s how to spot them:

Compare swatches side by side. When similar colours are put next to one another, undertones make an appearance.

Check your room’s natural light. North-facing rooms can appear colder in the light. Warm colours can be enlivened in south-light rooms.

Notice what is already in the room. This is true particularly when it comes to flooring, bed linen or pieces of furniture like a dark-grey wardrobe (which all have the potential to emphasise these undertones).

Test paint on the wall (too many people make this mistake of not testing it and then painting their room). Use a sample board for making the paint and look at it in morning, afternoon and evening times.

Match lighting temperature. If the bulb is warm, that will make a neutral look creamier and if it’s cool they’ll be more in your face.

The takeaway

The best bedroom paint colour is the one that works in your light, with your stuff and evokes what you want. Choose a neutral/backdrop colour family (neutrals, muted greens/blues/off-white or any warm blush tones), then swatch it in your room and check for undertones. A bit of testing now means you won’t have re paint it again later.