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The Best Paint Colors for Kid’s Bedrooms (that parents love too!)

Posted on March 10, 2023 by KylieMawdsley

The 9 Best Colors for a Boys or Girls (bedroom, nursery, or playroom)

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’m WAY too much of a control freak for that.

By the way, if you’re looking for less ‘gender-specific’ color options, I have a great blog post for you here: How to Create a Gender-Neutral (Kid’s Room) Paint Color Palette.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Kids playroom ideas above garage Ikea Kallax and Expedit shelving baskets. Teal, red and buffalo check accents with white walls. Kylie M Interiors Edesign,

So what do you do when you and baby-boo are at odds over paint colors? You read this…

GENDER NEUTRAL PAINT PALETTES FOR A NURSERY (1)

 

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 TWO different colors that they might like on their walls – i.e., blue, green, violet. 
  • Go to the paint store (by yourself) 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 that the bed is on). When they get bored of this color (which they will) it’s an easy change.

Benjamin Moore White Dove, Platinum Gray feature wall, teen tween girl room. Gray carpet. Kylie M Interiors Edesign (2)

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…

Unisex nursery paint colours of cream and green with chair rail. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, Benjamin Moore Timid White and Pale Avocado

  • 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 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 color that is neutral/off-white/white then all you ever have to change is the bottom.

Sherwin Williams Distance, Evening Shadow, Extra White board and batten, boys space room. Kylie M Interiors Edesign

 

The Best Paint Colors for KID’s Rooms 

If you’re not sure where to start – gray, blue, pink, or otherwise, these 9 shades will get you going in the right direction.

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.

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, boys, girls, them, they bedroom with orange, blue and gray accents. Kylie M interiors edesign, client photo

BTW, in the above photo, Stonington Gray looks CONSIDERABLY warmer than it usually does; the color by the orange drape is the truest.

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

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray baby boy nursery. Kylie M Interiors edesign, client photo

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

SIMILAR COLORS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH 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 (linked below) – especially Sea Salt as it can be a ninja!

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt with white trim. Kylie M INteriors Edesign colour review

SIMILAR COLORS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH SEA SALT & RAINWASHED

Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue, one of the best blue paint colours. Antique metal bed in guest bedroom. Kylie M Interiors E-decor and Online Design and colour expert

FULL Color Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

Full Color Review of Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

ACCENT COLORS THAT LOOK GOOD WITH BLUE-GREEN PAINT COLORS

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

 

3. BENJAMIN MOORE LILY LAVENDER

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!

Best purple paint colour, Benjamin Moore Lily Lavender in girls tween bedroom with gray and white. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, edecor and online paint colour blog

OTHER COLORS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH LILY LAVENDER

Best purple paint colour in girls bedroom. Benjamin Moore. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint color consulting blog

Benjamin Moore Lavender Ice

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

 

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 stunning.

Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue, navy blue with red brick feature wall in dark hallway. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, online paint color consulting, virtual

Chantilly Lace and feature wall in Hale Navy Benjamin Moore in boys nursery bedroom. Kylie M Interiors paint colour reviews online paint consulting blog

OTHER NAVY BLUES TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH NEWBURYPORT BLUE

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

ACCENT COLORS THAT GO WITH NAVY BLUE

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

 

 SAMPLIZE offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots.

Samples arrive on your doorstep in 1 DAY! 

Paint colour review of tool Samplize, peel and stick samples. Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, Farrow and Ball, Home Depot. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint color consulting

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 at the party. A color like this also makes for an AWESOME feature wall!

Benjamin Moore Caliente a red colour of the year in sitting area in room. Chelsea gray and off-white accents. via BM. Advice by Kylie M INteriors E-design

Benjamin moore White Dove on walls, best white paint colour with gray feature wall in teen girl bedroom. Kylie M Interiors Edesign

Benjamin Moore Platinum Gray is shown in rose/white bedroom

OTHER CHARCOAL GRAYS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH CHELSEA GRAY

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Chelsea 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

 

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. Teal can be a great choice for a kid’s room, as like navy blue, it tends to grow with kids a bit better than other colors (i.e., violet and pink).

Best teal paint colour, Sherwin Williams Cloudburst and White Dove. Kids girls room with accent wall and hanging chair. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint color consultant

OTHER COLORS TO SAMPLE & COMPARE WITH CLOUDBURST

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.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist. Warm gray, greige paint colour. Kylie M Interiors Online Color Consulting and E-decor services

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist

OTHER WARM GRAYS TO CHECK OUT: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, Sherwin Williams Alpaca, Benjamin Moore Rodeo, Sherwin Williams Gossamer Veil

 

8. BENJAMIN MOORE PINK BLISS 2093-70

Pink is a popular choice with the under-seven crowd. However, it’s easy for pink to look overwhelmingly like bubble gum or Pepto Bismol, which is why Pink Bliss settles in such a SWEET spot between bright pink and a more passive approach.
little girls bedroom in Benjamin Moore Pink Bliss with gold, yellow and blue accents. Great craft, desk area with the ikea kallax or expedit unit
OTHER PINKS TO CHECK OUT: Benjamin Moore Peach Kiss, Sherwin Williams Intimate White, Faint Coral
Benjamin Moore Pink Bliss in girls bedroom with teal and vintage accents. Kylie M Interiors E-design and Online Colour Consulting expert
Pink can also transition reasonably well out of a palette that uses pink, teal, and yellow into a more mature version with pink, light gray, dark gray, black, and white.

9. BENJAMIN MOORE COLORADO BLUE 2136-50

With its soft green-gray backdrop, Colorado Blue is my GO-TO blue for a kid’s room.  Sitting right in the middle of dark and light, this blue adds personality to a room without being punchy or overbearing.
Benjamin Moore Colorado Gray in boy or tween bedroom. Gray accents and wood bed. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, edecor and online paint color consulting blog. Best blue paint colour
OTHER BLUES TO CHECK OUT: Benjamin Moore Van Courtland Blue, Buxton Blue, Sherwin Williams Interesting Aqua
PEOPLE ALSO ASK…

WHAT IS THE BEST PAINT COLOR FOR A KID’S BEDROOM?

If you’re looking for the top, most flexible paint color for a kid’s bedroom, humor me when I say it’s probably Sherwin Williams Pure White or Benjamin Moore White Dove. Here’s the thing. If you paint three walls (and your trim) Pure White/White Dove, you can do any color on an accent wall. As your kid grows, you can change this accent color as their tastes change.
From there, what are the most popular accent wall colors for a kid’s room? Colors that are easy to coordinate with and grow with? That’s easy…

 

WHAT ARE THE MOST CALMING COLORS FOR KID’S ROOMS?

While it can come down to personal preference (as we all have psychological reactions to certain colors), generally speaking, shades of blue and green are the best calming, relaxing colors for kid’s bedrooms.

 

Want to create a PALETTE for your kid’s room with ACCENT COLORS?
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy blue feature wall with Chantilly Lace in boys nursery bedroom. Best white paint colour. Kylie M INteriors Edesign online paint colour consultant blog

A FEW MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER…

  • 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

READ MORE

The Best Paint GRAY Color PALETTES for a Kid’s Room: PART 1 of 3

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

The Best White Paint Colors

The Best Paint Colors for a Girl’s Room

NEED HELP?

Check out my Online Color Consulting & E-Design Services.

E-design and colour consultations. Online color expert Kylie M INteriors. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams specialist (2)

Chat soon,

Kylie M Interiors Edecor and Edesign

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, AWESOMELY UPDATED IN 2023



Comments

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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!

    1. 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

  4. 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

    1. Post
      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

  5. 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

    1. Post
      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!

  6. 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?

    1. Post
      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 🙂

  7. 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!

  8. 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!

    1. Post
      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!

    1. Post
      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 :).

    1. Post
      Author

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