We Found the Best Paint Colors for Small Spaces
We Found the Best Paint Colors for Small Spaces
Ask interior designers how to make a small room look bigger, and you’ll get a lot of different answers—especially when it comes to paint. Some swear that using one of the best white paint colors is the only way to go because your walls will reflect light, which can make your space feel more open and airy. Other designers will encourage you to try a darker or bolder color like one of these best blue paint colors or best green paint colors. Their reasoning: Darker colors can help create a perception of depth, which can also make a room feel larger than it really is.
When it comes to picking out a bedroom paint color for your smallest guest room or choosing a bathroom paint color for your tiny half bathroom, you really can’t go wrong as long as you choose a color you love. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite paint colors for small spaces here with shades from Benjamin Moore, Behr, and Sherwin-Williams, just to name a few. Scroll through our gallery to get some inspiration for your next home painting project, and be sure to check out our ultimate guide to how to paint a room before you get started.
Sweeten Up a Small Kitchen With Bright Yellow
In order to complement this exciting tile backsplash, these kitchen cabinets needed a fresh coat of paint that shined just as bright. Honey Bees by Sherwin-Williams did just the trick to finish out the ultimate country color combo of blue, yellow, and white in this 98-square-foot kitchen.
Texture Makes an All-White Kitchen Feel Warm
Ahhh finally, an all-white kitchen that we can actually live in! In this 100-year-old home designed by Heather Chadduck Hillegas, the ceiling and walls are painted with Swiss Coffee by Behr and the windows are trimmed with Shaded White by Farrow & Ball.
Update Paneled Walls With a Muted Purple Paint
Add some life to wood-paneled walls with a coat of Brassica by Farrow & Ball. This muted purple shade with brown undertones ensures that your powder room feels sophisticated, not stuffy or hemmed in.
Add a Pop of Light Blue with a Statement Ceiling
In the South, legend has it that a light blue ceiling on the front porch brings good luck to those who live inside. In this South Carolina river home, a dining room mimics the same effect with a ceiling painted in Lullaby by Sherwin-Williams.
Layer on the Lilac in a Small Bedroom
Did you know purple is the color of royalty? It is. Make your small bedroom feel downright palatial with lilac paints like French Lilac by Benjamin Moore, Novel Lilac by Sherwin-Williams, or Blissful by Behr. After all, you deserve to live (and sleep!) like a queen.
40+ Easy & Inspiring Updates for Every Room of Your Home
countryliving.com
$9.99
It’s the small touches that can freshen up a room. Now you can get dozens of easy makeover ideas you can finish in a weekend with Country Living's new digital guide!
Go for Green in a Small Yet Open Kitchen
Colorful kitchens instantly bring joy! Feeling bold? Try an out-of-the-box color like Eco Green by Sherwin-Williams for a bright kitchen with serious wow-factor.
Add a Burst of Yellow to a Small Mudroom
Mudrooms get short shrift. It's the often-too-small room where kids drop their book bags, dogs drop in to eat and drink, and everything from sports gear to rain gear piles up. Sunny up a small utility room with Egg Cream by Behr, and the family might be inspired to keep things a little neater. Even the dogs.
Try Out Two-Tone Cabinets in a Tiny Kitchen Nook
Air out an itty-bitty kitchen with two-tone cabinets. Designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas outfitted this small space with Classic Light Buff by Sherwin-Williams on the upper cabinets and Debonair by Sherwin-Williams on the lower cabinets.
Choose a Bold Black for a Small Bathroom
This curated bathroom strikes the perfect balance between masculine and feminine. A vintage wall sink vanity and a stainless steel rolling table look thoughtfully placed against a black beadboard wall. For a similar look, try Ink Black by Behr.
Rock a Royal Blue on Kitchen Cabinets
Distract the eye from low ceilings with a bold blue paint color on kitchen cabinets. Polished silver hardware shines against doors painted in Philipsburg Blue by Benjamin Moore.
Opt for Olive in a Mudroom Corner
With floors these gorgeous, the walls in this mini mudroom need to pack just as big of an impact. A soft olive green like High Strung by Sherwin-Williams sets the scene for a day full of fun outdoor activities.
Liven up a Small Kitchen with a Shade of Blue
When Holly Williams decided to rehab an old 1820s farmhouse in Franklin, Kentucky, rather than add square footage, she opted to open up the small kitchen with a blast of Blue Daisy by Benjamin Moore on the cabinets.
Make a Statement on a Small Porch with a Lilac Front Door
We all need a little more lilac in our lives! You'll have the prettiest front porch on the block with a front door painted in Novel Lilac by Sherwin-Williams.
Add a Soothing Hue to a Small Bunk Room
When life gives you a less than massive bunkroom, you go up! Designer Caitlin Wilson's family ranch boasts an adorable boys's bedroom featuring triple bunks painted Newburg Green by Benjamin Moore.
Spruce Up a Serene Green Loft
Contrasting colors like a whitewashed ceiling and an accent wall painted with Dusty Laurel by Behr make this lofted bedroom feel larger. Repurpose a vintage trunk as a nightstand for even more added storage.
White Shiplap Always Stays in Style
A small bistro table set in a hallway creates a mini makeshift dining room. Bright white shiplap painted with a coat of Oxford White by Benjamin Moore makes the ceilings of these tiny quarters soar.
Cozy up Tiny Sleeping Quarters with a Calming Color
We can't think of a better place for a midday nap than in Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins' backyard barn in Nashville, TN. A warm forest green paint color, like Outdoor Oasis by Behr, and vintage nature prints make us feel right at home.
Add a Pop of Blue to a Sloped Ceiling
Emphasize the slope and height of a low ceiling with a peaceful blue paint color. Fantasy Blue by Benjamin Moore takes this bedroom ceiling to new heights in a charming Cape Cod cottage.
Add Forest Green to a Small Cabin Kitchen
It never hurts to take color cues from the great outdoors—especially when you've got views of rolling hills, pretty pastures, and trees galore. In this small kitchen, cabinets in Jasper by Sherwin-Williams positively pop against white tile, exposed beams, and beautiful wood floors.
Brighten a Small Laundry Space with Sky Blue
Make a small, hardworking space feel extra airy by adding a sky-inspired shade of paint—try Windy Sky or Breath of Fresh Air (both by Benjamin Moore) or Sherwin-Williams' Powder Blue.
Add a Burst of Sunshine to a Small Playroom
Just because you're short on square footage doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of color in a nook-of-a-playroom. There's always room for a bright yellow door—this one in Golden Crest by Dunn-Edwards Paints—no matter how small the space.
Add a Dreamy Blue to a Cozy Bedroom
You might be tempted to go with a crisp white in a cramped bedroom. You could do that. Or you could envelop the walls with a dreamy Van Courtland Blue by Benjamin Moore and wake up every morning in a very good mood. The choice is yours.
Go Green in a Small Living Room
Back in the day, John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon of the interior design firm Madcap Cottage lived in every inch of their 858-square-foot circa 1840s schoolhouse. Their tiny living room is no exception—it's packed with patterns and punctuated with a bold green trim in Geddy Verdigris by Benjamin Moore.
Bright Blue
This playful blue makes this small reading corner feel like its own roomy space. The trim is painted Van Courtland Blue by Benjamin Moore.
Mellow Yellow
You'll never get tired of Sherwin-Williams' Convivial Yellow in your teeny breakfast nook.
Turn Up the Turquoise in a Small Kitchen
A small camper kitchen goes from blah to easy-breezy thanks to a little spray paint on the cabinets. Design House at Luckett's Store co-owner Amy Whyte spiffed up the kitchen with gingham, red pulls, and a can or two of Rust-Oleum Turquoise.
Go for Bold
"Embrace small spaces and make them feel like jewel boxes—don't be afraid of dark or bright colors," says designer Jonathan Adler. It's a bold choice, but his go-to hue for small spaces is Benjamin Moore's Outrageous Orange, though he says any jewel tone will do. No matter which rich color you pick, Jonathan recommends warm, low, artificial light—hanging lots of artwork and adding picture lights is one way to achieve this look.
Going Gray
A delicate shade of gray creates a breezy and airy feeling, even in a smaller space like this beach house guest room. For a similar look, try Weathered Gray by Varathane wood stain.
Peachy Glow
A faint shade of peach instantly adds warmth to a pint-sized bedroom. Get the look with a couple coats of Frittata by Behr.
Peachy Fun
Benjamin Moore's Salmon Peach paint gives life to this small space without overpowering it.
Shades of Green
Add just the right amount of energy and fun to a cramped kitchen with light green walls and darker green shelving painted in Land of Liberty by Benjamin Moore.
These paint colors will make a small room feel larger than life.