BLUE, PINK, GRAY, VIOLET & MORE
Whenever I have clients with kids, there’s often a struggle between what the kid wants and what the parent wants. The kids often gravitate towards colors in the ‘primary’ – aka ‘visual punch in the face’ range (blue/red/yellow), whereas parents often lean towards the softer more subtle versions of these colors. And of course, there’s the odd brave parent who lets their kids pick their own colors – bless their hearts. NOT THIS MOMMA! I am WAY too much of a control freak for that.
So what do you do when you and baby-boo are at odds over paint colors? You read this…
Tips for choosing paint colors with your kids for their bedroom…
1. Don’t let them pick the color they want
- Ask them to tell you TWO different colors that they would like on their walls – ie: blue, green
- Go to the paint store (by yourself) and pick up 3-4 different versions of these colors that you can live with. Now 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 bright 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 insists on a dark or wild color then choose a SINGLE WALL for that color to go on
- 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 that the bed is on). When they get bored of this color (which they will) it’s an easy change.
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 (either their own choice or one of the ones you’ve narrowed down for them). This works for a few reasons…
- When they inevitably get bored with this month’s favourite 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 fave color or sweet Petunia 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 color that is neutral/off white/white then all you ever have to change is the bottom.
I don’t have photos of each of these colors in KID’S room’s colors, but you’ll still find the info you need, along with other photos for general reference.
The Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors for KID’S Rooms
1. BENJAMIN MOORE STONINGTON GRAY
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 room with low light.
BTW, in the above photo, Stonington Gray looks CONSIDERABLY warmer than it usually does; the color by the orange drape is the truest.
SIMILAR COLORS TO CONSIDER: Sherwin Williams On the Rocks, Big Chill, First Star, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, Stonington Gray
2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SALT OR RAINWASHED
If you love the look of green or blue-green, Sea Salt or Rainwashed are GORGEOUS options. Just be sure to read their full color reviews (especially Sea Salt) as it can be a ninja!
OTHER BLUE-GREENS TO EXPLORE: Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue (shown below), Palladian Blue, Sherwin Williams Tradewind
3. BENJAMIN MOORE LILY LAVENDER
If you’re looking for a violet 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!
SIMILAR COLORS TO CHECK OUT: Benjamin Moore Beach Plum, Lavender Ice, Sherwin Williams Sensitive Tint
The Best Purple (Violet) Paint Colors
4. BENJAMIN MOORE NEWBURYPORT BLUE OR HALE NAVY
If you’re looking for a striking navy blue that isn’t TOO heavy, Newburyport Blue is a STUNNER. It’s a classic navy blue look without the visual weight of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy, which is equally as stunning.
OTHER NAVY BLUES TO CHECK OUT: Read this – The 12 Best Navy Blue Paint Colors
And speaking of samples, undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…
- Samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on location
- At $6.99, they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needing for traditional paint sampling
- If you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE
5. BENJAMIN MOORE CHELSEA GRAY
If you’re looking for a gray with a bit more meat on its bones, look no further than Chelsea Gray. This is a SOLID charcoal gray paint color, and while you wouldn’t know it, it’s even slightly warm. It also has a slight green undertone that doesn’t always show up to the party. A color like this also makes for an AWESOME feature wall!
Benjamin Moore Platinum Gray shown in rose/white bedroom
OTHER CHARCOAL GRAYS TO CHECK OUT: Sherwin Williams Dovetail, Dorian Gray, Classic French Gray, Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray, Platinum Gray
6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CLOUDBURST SW 6487
If you’re looking for a FUN color, either for the whole room or as a feature wall, Cloudburst is BURSTING with color, without going too far.
OTHER TEALS TO CHECK OUT: Sherwin Williams Reflecting Pool, Peacock Blue
The 8 Best Blue-Green Blend Paint Colors
7. BENJAMIN MOORE BALBOA MIST OC-27
Balboa Mist is a BEAUTIFUL warm gray with a soft, violet undertone. It looks especially gorgeous with charcoal and white accents.
OTHER WARM GRAYS TO CHECK OUT: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, Rodeo, Sherwin Williams Gossamer Veil
8. BENJAMIN MOORE PINK BLISS 2093-70
- What is the room’s exposure? North facing rooms often suit warmer colors, whereas south-facing rooms love the cooler end of things. Have an east or west-facing room? read THIS
- Is the room dark, does it have good natural and/or artificial lighting? This can play a big part in choosing the best paint color!
- What color is the carpet? Make sure that the undertones of your carpet jive with the undertones of your wall color.
The Best Paint GRAY Color PALETTES for a Kid’s Room: PART 1 of 3
Not sure which color is best?
Check out my affordable Online Color Consulting and E-Design Services.
Chat soon,
READ MORE
The Best Paint GRAY Color PALETTES for a Kid’s Room: THE SERIES: PART 1 of 3
How to Create a Paint Color Palette for a Kid’s Room: THE SERIES: PART 3 of 3
The Best Paint Colors for a Girl’s Room
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, AWESOMELY UPDATED IN 2021
Comments 43
for your third color scheme down…. If I wanted to do the revere pewter on three walls and another ONE color on one wall, would that look good? Would I paint the door one of those colors and the trim in the room? I like all those together but how do you suggest “mixing it” in the room? Or maybe the grey color on top and then a chair rail and the split pea on bottom? Can you help me?
Hi! It’s definitely more difficult to do feature walls in kids rooms as it has the be ‘just the right room’ that would suit a feature wall. Generally, the smaller the room, the less likely it is to support a feature wall. Doing the chair rail idea is a GREAT idea and Revere Pewter is an awesome idea, and here’s some thoughts for you on that….
#1 – Revere Pewter on the bottom, Navajo White on the top – then you can have fun green drapes and fun coloured accents throughout the room with artwork/bedding
#2 – Revere Pewter on the top, Split Pea on the bottom and then fresh (cream or white) drapes and bed linens with other bright coloured accessories.
Let me know what you think of those thoughts!!!
~Kylie
I like that. I think the Pewter on top and would the Hudson bay be nice on bottom? Or do you think the split pea on the bottom would be better?
I have a wooden cabinet in there and a small bed table. Was thinking of painting those (split pea and the orange). I wanted to bring in the four colors… just trying to figure it out. Then the curtains could have those colors too maybe. Frames I could paint with the split pea and orange to incorporate it all?
Spring
That would be very striking! You’d really want to hit up the white accents with that palette and then do subtle green/orange accents as the blue is such a powerful colour. Charcoal Gray would also sit nicely in there as it would be a real grounding factor and also let the few accent colours pop! So think of your accents in term of percentages. One is 60% of the accent colour and 2 are 20% each of the accent colour. Does that make sense? I think it could be BEAUTIFUL and I WANT PHOTOS!!!!!! I LOVE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS!!! 🙂
I will send you photos. I’m a little confused by what you say here. Guess I don’t speak designer language. I think I want you to come design for me. I’m soooo nervous about this project!!
where do you suggest I look for curtains?
Hey! Depends on where you live. If you have a Fabricland close by they are a WONDERFUL option for draperies. The only negative is that they almost all come at 96″ long and usually need hemming (some of the kids options don’t need hemming though) Plus, atleast once a month they have ‘Buy 1 get 1 Free’.
Target also has some super cute and often graphic draperies for reasonable prices.
From there, Home Outfitters has a lot of selection – but is a bit pricey for my tastes – even on sale.
And funny enough, Walmart has a reasonable selection of ‘solid coloured’ draperies for a ‘fair’ price….
The four circles at the top of this page- what colors are those? Revere pewter, citrus orange, Hudson bay and something else? Thanks for this! It is awesome!
Jordan
Hey Jordan, I’m almost positive that is was Ben Moore Whipple Blue – not a colour I’ve used on walls yet, but such a beautiful steady blue accent! Thanks for visiting my site!!
I love all your colour choices. I’m looking for a warm gray for my sons bedroom. He’s four and wants a superhero theme. Of course he will outgrow this quickly and we want something that him. We’ve all agreed to gray walls with a feature wall with “jet blue” and “million dollar red” stripes. He told us Amherst gray is to dark so I’m leaning towards “pigeon gray” and adding “Dior gray” to the stripe wall. My concern is how do I tell if this a warm or cool gray. Does it really matter in the end?
Thanks for any advice.
Allison
Hi Allison! You’ll want to be careful of Pigeon Gray and Dior Gray as they can go a touch purple-ish – which I’m thinking would be a bad thing for a super-hero!
I’d be looking at Stonington Gray or Gray Owl – which are cool, but not drastically so or Revere Pewter which is a warmer gray. Although in the ‘odd’ occasion the Revere Pewter flashes a touch of green. Overall, try Stonington Gray or Gray Owl is probably your best bet!!!
I hope that helps, thanks for the quick question!
~Kylie
Hi! First let me say I love your color pallets. I’m trying to find the perfect yellow for my four year olds bedroom. Can you offer any suggestions?
Thank you,
Jessica
Hi Jessica, thank you! Yellow is so tricky because it reflects natural and artificial light which means that the yellow you pick usually isn’t the yellow you get as it turns waaay brighter once applied! So, I’m going to throw a couple of yellows at you that will turn out just lovely (without looking neon 😉
If you have a girl it’s slightly different as you’d want a yellow that is just a wee bit softer to accommodate the type of accent colours you might use….
1. Man on the Moon – just gorgeous if accented with purple and pink
2. Windham Cream – soft and pretty
3. White Rock – the softest of the bunch
if you have a boy, the yellow you’d use can be a bit more fresh as it looks SO cute with navy blue, red, white, green….
1. Weston Flax
2. Corn Silk (borderline ‘too’ bright, but you might like it anyways 🙂
3. White Rock
I hope that helps you Jessica!
I really like the 3rd combonation you have listed. (Labrador blue, million dollar red, Navajo white…) but having a hard time picturing how to pair them to the room. My sons room is on the smaller side (10×10) and has stripes boarder going around the room. So wanted to keep the same idea just new colors. I’m not sure with the size of the room if Labrador blue would be to much for the walls since his room is smaller or which colors would make a great strip combo. Or what which to use for bedding, curtains etc… HELP lol
Candace
I am so happy I found your site! I have been reading it a little bit obsessively, one (husband) could say. I am doing exactly what you mention here, compromising with a chair rail so he can have his Green Bay Packer green. We are going with BM Lafayette Green on the bottom. Of course I said no to the gold on top! We are looking at BM Vanilla IceCream for the top, but I read here that sometimes a yellow undertone is too jarring with forest green. Do you think the vanilla ice cream is too yellow? I can’t bring myself to go with Navajo White, because we lived in apartment we couldn’t paint for 5 years with only that color. It’s a mental block. We are looking for a soft white, more creamy off white than tan. We will have some navy accents because he’s a baseball guy too. Thank you for any thoughts on this! Cristin
Yup, I think it’s too yellow for sure! You can never go wrong with Cloud White, and although it ‘acts like white’, it’s super versatile and lets other colours really ‘talk’. Alternatively you could do Mountain Peak White which still has a strong yellow undertone, but isn’t as ‘colourful’ (I would still do Cloud White though ;).
Hope that helps!
~Kylie
Hi. I need your expert advice 🙂
My son wanted a green room, and so did I. It is a soft shade of pea green but curtains are hard to find. ( it is a BM paint, but can’t remember…)
He has a darker cherry red bed and drawers…..what do you suggest??
A few quick ideas for you: Think about white or off-white drapes and add a stripe to them along the bottom. Navy blue and red are both colours that look cute with pea green (and a bit of sunshine yellow can be lovely as well!)
Good luck Alicia!
Hi there….just stumble on this site and think your ideas are great! Was wondering what pink color you would pick as an accent wall in a little girls room to go with revere pewter?
Hi Sam! Normally I send questions on over to my Online Consulting but to give you a few quick ideas to check out…
#1 – Cloud White – lets you accent/accessorize with any colours you want
#2 – Waterfall – a medium toned teal
#3 – Pink Peach – a fun and vibrant coral
Hope that helps, thanks for asking!
~Kylie
Hi Kylie, I just painted my LR which gets a lot of natural sunlight, BM’s Ambiance. It’s too bright and a little too yellow in this south facing room. I’m thinking Man on the Moon will be perfect but want to be sure it doesn’t have a green undertone to it. I’d love to hear your opinion, thank you! Kim
I love your 3rd color combo. Do you think I can paint the walls Navajo White in a north facing room?
Absolutely, while Navajo does have a bit of a neutral base, the warmth of it will still power through!
Chat soon,
~Kylie
Hi Kylie,
I just found your great blog as I’m working on a 9-year-old boy’s room that needs to carry him through teenagedom. I really hadn’t thought of using a chair rail and splitting the color, but was struggling with going Hale Navy all the way around in a small room (although we did it in my daughter’s room and loved it for 5 years, but her room was larger).
Thanks for the mix of colors! He wanted blue & orange, but it looks like the bedding may drive a red accent instead. All fun!
Thanks Beth – it sounds like you are on the right track. And either way, orange or red are fantastic accents to blue (Love me some Hale Navy!)
~Kylie
Thank you for the information. We found it very useful. Is Labrador blue a good color for 3 year toddler? and should I go with an accent wall as the room size 11*10? What would be a good accent color.
Thanks for asking James! I LOVE Labrador Blue for a young boys room, it’s a great colour to grow in to. If the room has good natural light you can do the whole room, but if it’s a bit darker you may want to do just a feature wall and look at a soft gray like Gray Owl or an off-white like Cloud White for the other walls.
I love primary red with navy blue and white for Labrador Blue – hope that helps!
~Kylie
hello,
My son is 9. We bought a huge world map to put on one of the walls in his room. Any ideas what color sould we paint the walls?
Thnak you, Maria
Hi Maria, world maps can really vary in colour, but my gut instinct tells me Gray Owl could be a great choice. Lighter gray with a subtle blue/green undertone.
Thanks for visiting!
~Kylie
Hello, my son really would love to do his bedroom in orange and blue. He would like three walls orange and one accent wall of blue. I am nervous that this will be too much orange. Do you have any suggestions? I really do like the revere pewter. He has a bath outside his room…as a compromise, I could always do orange in the bathroom? I appreciate any help. Thank you!
Hi Annie, I TOTALLY agree that orange walls with a blue accent would be really overwhelming. Orange is such a strong colour that it usually makes for a better accent, you actually get more power out of how it constrasts with neutrals and colours like navy blue. Orange drapes, bedding, accents – that type of thing. An orange bathroom would be okay, but super reflective and again, wouldn’t be my first choice! Revere Pewter is awesome, as are Stonington and Gray Owl – I have blog posts on all of them! (the search function is at the bottom of the home page if you’d like to check them out 🙂
~Kylie
Hello Kylie!
I’ve been following your great advice on choices of paint in a Northern facing room – I chose Monroe Bisque and it turned out to be perfect! Now for my Boys’ Bedroom – a large room which is also northern facing with ‘west facing’ windows. The side walls are multi-level with the current color in Georgian green and white ceiling. My son wants an orange accent wall which I think will be overwhelming. Was actually thinking of painting the room in Blue Danube and then adding Orange accents. Any advice?
Thanks!
Yodit
Author
Hi Yodit, thank you for the note – I’m glad my advice came in handy! I do try to give as much complementary info as I can on my blog and if that doesn’t work, it might be time for a closer look! I have E-design services where I can spend some time with your room and come up with options that actually work, rather than just guessing! If that interest you, the link is here. https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Hi Kylie,
I love your site (informative, humorous, and mentions wine frequently)!
Have two boys rooms to paint (ages 12 and 16), smallish on size, one has east facing window and the other one west (and limited light). Home is 1927 Bungalow in Seattle. I would like to paint walls gray and looking through your “gray advice” ” here and in your other articles, I am thinking that Gray Owl would be a good choice because it looks like it might brighten up a small room. Son one would like accent color red (red upholstered platform bed). Son two would like accent color azure (same bed in azure blue). Does Gray Owl work for these accent colors? Three questions, first there is a picture rail, do I paint gray above the picture rail? I see various opinions about painting “above the rail”. Second, what is a good white color for trim with Gray Owl (considering White Dove)? And third, do I paint ceiling the same white as trim? If not, then what ceiling white color do you recommend with Gray Owl?
Thanks for your advice!
Kathy
Author
Hi Kathy! At first I didn’t read the ‘boys rooms’ and just say ‘boys’ and the fact that they were smallish in size. I found that funny. Anyway 😉
Gray Owl IS flexible for those colours – absolutely! So yes, I would do Gray Owl above the picture rail. I too have seen it both ways and doing the area above the picture rail white (or same as trim) can look nice, but overall, I kind of like the more simple approach of ‘wall surface is wall colour’.
Trim, I’d probably look at BM Oxford White and would do that on trim/ceiling/doors for sure.
I hope that helps!
BTW – I inherited these colors! Haha – I never would have painted Swiss Blue or Grape Ice.
Hi Kylie. I love your posts! We are building a home and my youngest son’s room is a north facing room. He wants a lot of color in his room (he is 6 years old). His bedding is navy, orange, turquoise, red, green, white and chambray. So I was going to do the wall his head board will be on green and the other 3 walls navy but think it may be too dark. He does not have a chair rail in his room. So I considered doing one wall green, the opposing wall navy and the other 2 walls gray owl. But is that too much color?
Author
Hi Mandy! It does sound like a LOT of colour, I would probably pick one (blue is usually better) and partner it with the GRay Owl 🙂
Getting ready to paint my 5 year old son’s bedroom. Three walls will be revere pewter, because it’s what we have in much of our house, and it works with our east/west lighting. We bought him an orange coverlet that he loved because his original request was for a blue accent wall. Now, he’s decided he wants green instead, and the thought of green and orange together is making me a bit squeamish. The image up top with revere pewter, cheddar, and lime are giving me hope! Thanks for that! I got paint chips for the eccentric lime and split pea, but he wants something a little darker. Any suggestion for a little darker green to go with revere pewter? I’m walking a fine line with giving him a room he loves and one I can live with!
Hi Kylie!
Your posts are extremely helpful and I end up going down a long rabbit hole trying to find the right color :-). I was hoping to find some info here on East facing rooms. I checked out your East facing post but those colors just don’t work in my boys’ room. What would you recommend for an East facing boys room with decent natural light (two windows)?
Thank you!
Author
What about something like SW Big Chill or First Star, which are slightly brighter grays which you can jazz up with white/navy blue/black and red accents!
Do you think pink bliss has any undertones? I’m trying to find the pink equivalent of chantilly lace🫠
Author
Pink Bliss definitely has a decent pink hue to it, maybe you’re thinking of something more like Atrium White??? Pink Bliss and Chantilly Lace aren’t very closely related :).