The Best Calming Paint Colors for Kids’ Bedrooms (not too bright)

Are you looking for a calming paint color for your kid’s bedroom? A color that gently lulls them to sleep with sugar plums dancing in their heads? While paint colors can’t sing your kid’s lullabies, they can certainly set the stage for a calmer, more relaxing bedroom.

Unfortunately, many kids want wild and crazy colors on their walls – riotous reds, blues, and purples. Of course, there’s the odd brave parent who lets their kids pick their own colors – bless their hearts. NOT THIS MOMMA! I’m way too much of a control freak for that.

Some caregivers want the calming colors for their kids’ room to help lil’ Skippy fall asleep at night or nap during the day. Others need calming shades because their kids are neurodivergent, with ADHD, anxiety, etc.

Both of my daughters are neurospicy, as am I, which means we play with color a LOT. It can be tricky to find that happy place where we feel calm, relaxed, and not OVERLY stimulated – and that can look different for everyone.

So, I’ve pulled together some of the colors I’ve had luck with in my Online Paint Color Consulting work, as well as personally, in our own home!

PLEASE NOTE: I use images from my consulting clients, friends, followers, family, and personal files. I don’t always have the exact paint color for the type of room I need (specifically, kids’ rooms). I do the best I can with what I have!

1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SALT SW 6204

There are few paint colors as calming, soothing, and relaxing as blue and green, especially Sea Salt. While it’s green at heart, its green-gray base often leans into blue, giving a slightly coastal, beachy look.

This bedroom corner is as dark and gray as I’ve seen Sea Salt look…

It’s more likely to settle like this…

Notice how Sea Salt’s undertone changes from the left to the right. Cool, eh?

Again, thank you for your patience, as I don’t always have the exact room images of the color I want to share! 

COLORS TO COMPARE WITH SEA SALT

• Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue is absolutely gorgeous
• Sherwin Williams Filmy Green drops almost any chance of blue showing up at the party. See some of my favorite light greens.

Sherwin William Sea Salt FULL Paint Color Review

2. BENJAMIN MOORE LILY LAVENDER 2071-60

If you’re looking for a shade of purple that both you and your child can live with, one that isn’t too punchy nor too passive, Lily Lavender might just hit the spot!

OTHER COLORS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH LILY LAVENDER

• Benjamin Moore Beach Plum
• Benjamin Moore Lavender Ice (listed below)
• Sherwin Williams Sensitive Tint

ACCENT COLORS THAT LOOK GOOD WITH PURPLE/VIOLET

• light gray, white, black
• green, off-white, charcoal gray
• yellow, warm white, green

 The Best Purple (Violet) Paint Colors

3. BENJAMIN MOORE NEWBURYPORT BLUE OR VAN DEUSEN BLUE

If you’re looking for a striking navy blue that isn’t too heavy, Newburyport Blue is a STUNNER – winking at navy blue without being as classic – calming without being too grayed-out or flat, relaxing without being boring. Van Deusen Blue is similar, but a bit lighter.

OTHER NAVY BLUES TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH NEWBURYPORT BLUE

• Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue
• Sherwin Williams Cyberspace
• Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik
• The 12 Best Navy Blue Paint Colors

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Van Deusen Blue…

ACCENT COLORS THAT GO WITH NAVY BLUE

• white, almost any type of green
• red, white, charcoal gray
• charcoal, white, hot pink

4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS RAINWASHED SW 6211

If the previously mentioned Sea Salt isn’t quite colorful enough, Rainwashed could be your perfect, calming, soothing paint color.

Rainwashed is a gorgeous blue-green blend. While it’s more likely to lean toward its blue hue in an average room, its gray base and green blend keep things calming and restful.

THE BEST CALMING PAINT COLORS TO COMPARE WITH RAINWASHED

• Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue (shown below)
• Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue
• Sherwin Williams Tradewind
• Sherwin Williams Upward

Color Review of Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

ACCENT COLORS THAT GO WITH BLUE-GREEN PAINT COLORS

• hot pink
• primary red
• cream & white
• plant green
• orange and yellow

The Best Blue-Green Paint Colors

5. BENJAMIN MOORE STONINGTON GRAY HC-170

Stonington Gray is an awesome light gray with subtle undertones. It’s a great color for a south-facing room or a well-lit NORTH-facing room, but you may want to go a touch lighter if you have a darker room.

Whether you use Stonington Gray or a similar shade, gray is a great starting place for some of the most classic palettes, including…

• light gray, charcoal, black, pink
• dark gray, green, cream, orange
• light gray, navy blue, white, red
• charcoal gray, tan, off-white, and green

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

CALMING COLORS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH STONINGTON GRAY

• Sherwin Williams On the Rocks
• Sherwin Williams Big Chill or First Star
• Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

6. BENJAMIN MOORE SPANISH OLIVE 1509

If you’re looking for the best calming paint color for your kid’s room and love green, Spanish Olive is amazeballs (my particular brand of neurospicy doesn’t have a great filter…just sayin’).

While some greens come at their color hard, Spanish Olive has a soft, organic, muted backdrop that calms it down. While it might seem a bit murky on that small paint chip, look at how gorgeous it is in the natural light in this girl’s room…

SOOTHING GREENS TO COMPARE WITH SPANISH OLIVE

• Benjamin Moore Mountain Air offers a slightly cleaner look, but has a similar calming nature
• Check out some of my most recommended light green paint colors.

7. BENJAMIN MOORE OCEAN AIR

With its light blue hue, Ocean Air has to be one of the best calming, peaceful paint colors for a kid’s bedroom.

This…is obviously not a bedroom, but you get the idea…

The Best Light Blue Paint Colors

OTHER CALMING BLUE PAINT COLORS FOR KIDS’ BEDROOMS

• Sherwin Williams Tradewind is gorgeous
• Benjamin Moore Pale Smoke offers a really gentle whisper of blue-inspired color
• I also like Silver Strand, which sits on the edge of gray and blue with green, too

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Ocean Air…

8. BENJAMIN MOORE HALE NAVY HC-154

While Newburyport Blue and Van Deusen Blue (previous suggestions) wink at navy blue, Hale Navy dives in headfirst.

Hale Navy is badass and beautiful (but don’t tell your kid I said the ‘a’ word). It’s great as an accent wall color with off-white surrounding walls, or heck, you can even paint your kid’s entire room in this glorious shade.

CALMING BLUES TO COMPARE WITH HALE NAVY

• Sherwin Williams Cyberspace – mad love, and more muted
• The previously mentioned shades of blue
• Sherwin Williams Naval – if you want to pick a little more punch while still staying in the navy world (rather than the primary blue one).

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

9. BENJAMIN MOORE PLATINUM GRAY PM-7

This is a color that my girls settled on as their ‘calming, relaxing shade’ (for a while, then, like their Mom, they got bored with it).

Platinum Gray isn’t talked about a lot, but it’s a pretty great gray paint color as it doesn’t flash a ton of undertone – it’s just soft and simple. While I might not paint an entire room this color (especially a darker room), it makes for an awesome feature wall!

MORE GRAY PAINT COLORS FOR ACCENT WALLS

• Sherwin Williams Dovetail
• Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray
• Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray and Platinum Gray
• Sherwin Williams Classic French Gray

ACCENT COLORS THAT LOOK GOOD WITH DARK GRAYS

• white, green, orange
• navy blue, white, tan
• teal, white, orange

The 10 Best Dark Gray Paint Colors

10. BENJAMIN MOORE LAVENDER ICE 2069-60

If Lily Lavender (#2) is a bit too strong, Lavender Ice offers a gentler, calming approach to purple…

Benjamin Moore Lavender Ice

Lavender Ice has a pretty purple look that’s committed without going over the top. It could look a bit cool in some north-facing rooms; in that case, I’ve got a few more suggestions listed next.

COLORS TO COMPARE WITH LAVENDER ICE

• Benjamin Moore Beach Plum is a beautiful lilac that offers a warmer look without too much pink
• Sherwin Williams Wallflower and Enchant are gorgeous, too

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Lavender Ice…

11. BENJAMIN MOORE ABALONE 2108-60

If you just want a slight wink at a gentle, muted purple hue, Abalone is gorgeous. While many kids want brighter, more intense colors, others love a color with a calming, peaceful, organic look like this.

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Abalone

SOOTHING SHADES TO COMPARE WITH ABALONE

• Benjamin Moore Portland Gray is AWESOME for a bit more purple
• Benjamin Moore Sea Froth picks up a bit more color and pink along the way

12. BENJAMIN MOORE PINK BLISS 2093-70

Pink is a popular choice for the under-12 crowd. However, it’s easy for pink to look overly bubble-gum or Pepto Bismol, which is why Pink Bliss settles in a sweet spot between bright pink and a more passive approach.

Pink Bliss has to be one of the best calming paint colors for kids’ bedrooms. With its whisper of color and gentle look, it’s been a hit for many spaces.

THE BEST CALMING PINKS FOR KIDS’ BEDROOMS

• Benjamin Moore Melted Ice Cream for a bit more muted warmth
• Benjamin Moore First Light is a bit less warm than Pink Bliss.
• The Best Pink Paint Colors
• The Best Pink, Blush, & Dusky Paint Colors

13. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EMBELLISHED BLUE SW 6749

If your kid’s idea of a calming color has a bit more energy, take a look at this one…

Embellished Blue has a bit more pep in its step without taking things too far – unlike me, who takes things too far ALLLLL THE TIME.

This is a really neat blend of green and blue, with less gray in the background. However, it’s still a step shy of the really ‘bright’ end of things.

7 KIDS’ ROOM PAINT COLORS THAT THEY WON’T OUTGROW

Let’s be honest, kids get bored – especially when they commit to an ‘age-related’ paint color. If you want a wall paint color that grows with your kid, I’ve got some great ones. From there, they can add color via ACCENTS. Or, at the most (as suggested above), paint an accent wall in that year’s favorite shade.

Here are 7 flexible colors that pair well with a wide range of accent colors and tastes…

1. Benjamin Moore White Dove is a beautiful, soft, warm white that’s super flexible.
2. Benjamin Moore Gray Owl is a great light shade of gray – not icy, but not warm appearing, either.
3. Sherwin-Williams Creamy is a soft, warm color that’s between off-white and white.
4. Sherwin Williams Big Chill is an accommodating, light shade of gray that suits a wide range of accent colors.
5. Benjamin Moore Classic Gray is a gorgeous warm gray-taupe that can go for many years.
6. Sherwin Williams Natural Tan is a light, simple neutral (just make sure your kid’s bedroom has enough light, or it’ll look murky).
7. Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue is actually a super popular color, more so with boys, but it suits a ton of rooms.

3 TIPS FOR CHOOSING PAINT COLORS WITH YOUR KIDS

If you want your kid to pick their paint color, you’re probably not even bothering with this blog post. But since you are, I’ve got a few tips to make the paint-picking process a little easier…

1. DON’T LET THEM PICK ANY COLOR THEY WANT

• Ask them to tell you 2 different colors that they might like on their walls – i.e., blue, green, violet. 

• Go to the paint store (without the wee nugget in tow) and pick up 3-4 different versions of these colors that you can live with. Don’t go all boring and earthy – stretch your comfort zone a bit and look for colors that bridge the gap between their need for brightness and your personal tastes.

• Show them the 3-4 color chips that you’ve pre-approved and let them pick the one they want, and really, let them pick it. You may have a fave, but you’ve already narrowed it down to what you can live with, so leave the rest up to them.

2. IF HONEY BOO-BOO WANTS A DARK OR WILD COLOR, CHOOSE A SINGLE WALL FOR IT

Tell them that three of the walls will remain white/cream/gray, and they can put WHATEVER color they want on their one feature wall (usually the wall where the bed is). When they get bored with this color (which they will), it’s an easy change.

The Best Teal Paint Colors

3. INSTALL A CHAIR RAIL

Choose a neutral/off-white/gray for the top portion of the walls, and let them choose the color for the bottom. This works for a few reasons…

• When they inevitably get bored with this month’s favorite color, you won’t even need a ladder to change it up. All it will take is a gallon of paint, a bottle of wine, and an afternoon.

• If lil Johnny chooses Fire Engine Red as his most favorite color or sweet lil’ Elliot wants a black feature wall, it won’t feel like you get punched in the face with color every time you walk in the room, as the color will essentially be only on 1/3 of the wall space.

• You don’t EVER have to change the top color. If you choose a neutral/off-white/white color, all you ever have to change is the bottom. Or maybe you’re out of that diaper phase (get it?).

SUMMARY OF CALMING PAINT COLORS FOR KIDS’ BEDROOMS

Not too bright, not too boring, here’s a shortlist of the top 12 (ones I have reviews on are linked)…

1. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt for a wink at green and blue
2. Benjamin Moore Lily Lavender gives an obvious purple hue without being too spicy about it
3. Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray is a classic, timeless shade of gray, so long as your kid’s room has decent natural light
4. Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue is a beautiful nod towards navy without the depth
5. Sherwin Williams Rainwashed is one of my favorite blue-green blends
6. Benjamin Moore Spanish Olive is a gorgeous shade of organic green
7. Benjamin Moore Ocean Air offers a slightly fresh approach to blue without being pastel (find it in this ‘best light blue’ group post)
8. Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is the most classic navy blue – just make sure the room has good natural light
9. Benjamin Moore Platinum Gray is soft and simple – great for an accent wall
10. Benjamin Moore Lavender Ice is softer than Lily Lavender while still getting its purple point across
11. Benjamin Moore Abalone is more of a soft, purple-gray blend
12. Benjamin Moore Pink Bliss is the gosh darn prettiest pink out there (find it in this ‘best pink’ group posting)
13. Benjamin Moore Embellished Blue is great if you want a splash of color without it spilling over

READ MORE

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How to Create a Gender Neutral Paint Color Palette for a Kid’s Room: PART 3 of 3

The Best White Paint Colors

Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Paint Color Consulting

Updated with new content and images for 2026