Bedroom colours for calm evenings
Paint will not cure insomnia, but a colour that looks right under your lamps helps you slow down.
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Can a wall colour help you sleep? Not directly: no paint will cure insomnia. But the colour of a bedroom changes how it feels in the evening, and a room that feels calm makes it easier to slow down. Here is what we have learned from the bedrooms we visit.
Why colour matters at night
In the evening, most bedrooms are lit by lamps, which give a warm, yellow light. Under that light, some colours become richer and softer, and others turn dull or harsh. A bright white can feel stark. A pale grey can look like concrete. The colour that looks perfect in the shop in daylight can be wrong at ten at night.
Colours that work
Soft blues and blue-greens. They feel cool and quiet, and they look deep and calm under warm lamps.
Muted greens. Sage and moss feel natural and restful, and they suit wood and linen.
Warm neutrals. Oat, stone and clay are gentle and enveloping, especially in small rooms.
Dark colours. Deep blue, charcoal or brown can make a bedroom feel like a shelter. They suit rooms used mainly at night.
- #6F8A9C Dusk — a soft grey-blue
- #8E9C84 Moss — a muted green
- #D8CBB8 Oat — a warm neutral
- #2E3440 Ink — a deep blue for dark rooms
Choose a bedroom colour at night, under the lamps you will actually use.
Maren Lind
Colours to be careful with
Bright reds and oranges are energetic, which is the opposite of what most people want at bedtime. Very cold whites can feel clinical. Strong yellows can be cheerful in the morning and tiring in the evening. That does not mean they never work; it means test them carefully.
Test it properly
Paint two large samples, at least A3 size, on different walls. Look at them in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening with the lamps on. Live with them for a few days. The colour you still like on the third evening is the one.
Beyond the walls
Colour is only part of a restful room. Blackout curtains, a dimmable lamp, less clutter and a comfortable temperature all matter more than paint. But a colour you love to come back to helps.
