From soft pastels to rich, vibrant hues, the choices are abundant, and understanding how different colors interact with light is key to making a room feel brighter and more spacious. In this post, we’ll explore the best paint colors for dark rooms, offering tips and inspiration to help you find the perfect shade to illuminate your space.
When it comes to transforming a dark room, the right paint color can work wonders in creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. Often, dim spaces can feel cramped or unwelcoming, but with the right palette, you can breathe life into these areas.
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How to know if a paint color is right for you?
The best way to judge if a color is good for you then you will want to put a swatch on the wall and look at it over a few days. Look at it in different lights and decide if you really like it.
You can do this by getting a sample from the paint store and using a brush to put it up on the walls, but then you are left with a can that you can’t do anything with. Those samples are used with poor quality paint and aren’t meant for use on your walls permanently.
I recommend going with Samplize. They are a company that will send you a 12X12 peel and stick swatch of a paint color that you can stick to the wall. When you are done just peel it off and throw it away.
It’s easy and much less messy!
What is LRV?
Today we will discuss LRV in each paint color mentioned so I felt it necessary to explain exactly what it is.
LRV stands for Light Reflective Value and it’s a scale from 0-100 that measures the amount of light a paint color reflects. Zero being the darkest black and 100 being the brightest white.
On this scale anything from 60/65 and up is considered a bright color. The higher the better when you are looking to brighten a room.
Paint Colors for Dark Rooms
There are a ton of things to consider when you are trying to brighten a dark room. The one thing that will make the biggest impact is the paint color.
So here are the best paint colors for dark rooms to brighten up your space.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
LRV=68.64
This is a beautiful greige paint color that pulls a little yellow/green. Pale Oak is a stunning color that was definitely on my short list of paint colors to paint my house.
Get a sample of Pale Oak from Samplize!
Shwerin Williams Alabaster
LRV=82
Alabaster was actually Sherwin William’s Color of the Year in 2016! It pairs nicely with dark colors, such as Urban Bronze and Gray Area. Sherwin Williams says the color sets the tone for healing, calm, and restfulness so would be great in a bedroom.
Get a swatch of Alabaster from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
LRV=64.51
Gray Owl is really special and one of BM’s most popular grays. It’s very neutral having both blue and green undertones. The blue undertones lean it cooler and the green lean it warmer!
What really matters with Gray Owl is the type of natural light and the decor that is in the room. It’s very much a chameleon.
Get a sample of Gray Owl from Samplize!
Sherwin Williams Colonnade Grade
LRV=53
This color isn’t considered a light paint color so you might wonder why I would share it here, well that’s a good question. Colonnade Gray is a warm gray and while this color doesn’t reflect much light it’s a fabulous color to use in a dark room.
Maybe just use it as an accent wall and a lighter color on the others. This way your room still has a little personality.
Get a sample of Colonnade Gray from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois
LRV=77.4
Soft Chamois is a gorgeous soothing off-white with just the right amount of yellow, not too much and not too little. It has an LRV of 77.4 which makes it a really bright color.
This color has the amazing ability to make a room feel much larger than it really is!
Get a swatch of Soft Chamois from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Halo
LRV=71.74
Halo is an off-white with green and gray undertones. It has a silver nature with an added touch of green. It is warm and borders on the edge of being a greige.
This color isn’t as widely used but it is simply gorgeous! This one is going to rise in popularity so give it a try!
Get a sample of Halo from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
LRV=73.67
This is the color I chose for my home office/den. It is in my basement and has only a sliding glass door to allow light. Unfortunately, that door is beneath a second story deck. So this is a pretty dark space.
I painted it and sometimes it looks beige and sometimes it looks gray depending on the time of day and light.
To see the before of my downstairs family room/teen space (that eventually turned into my home office/den) click here.
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Get a sample of Classic Gray from Samplize!
Sherwin Williams Pure White
LRV=84
Pure White is a gorgeous soft white paint color. It’s not a stark white, it has a softness to it but it also isn’t as creamy as some of its friends.
It’s a warm white with a touch of yellow in it, although you won’t see this color as yellow. The yellow undertone adds just enough warmth so it’s not stark and institutional feeling.
Get a sample of Pure White from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
LRV=90.04
Chantilly Lace is one bright paint color. It’s very delicate and cool with slight blue undertones. But as far as whites go this one is probably the most neutral of them all.
Get a swatch of Chantilly Lace from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore White Dove
LRV=83.16
This is probably the most popular color to use on trim. It has a touch of gray in it so it’s a very soft white, not a stark white. White Dove also has an LRV of over 83, so it’s a bit lighter than the ones we have already discussed.
Get a swatch of White Dove from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Simply White
LRV=89.52
Simply White pairs nicely with warm tones and looks beautiful in any room. It has slight undertones of yellow.
With an LRV of nearly 91 this is by far one of the brightest paint colors you can find.
Get a swatch of Simply White from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
LRV=81.91
I love Swiss Coffee. It definitely falls into my favorite go-to paint colors.
Swiss Coffee is a complicated off-white paint color. It has undertones of yellow, green, and a touch of gray. The gray keeps the yellow and green from being too dominant. What you see instead is a beautiful creamy paint color that goes really well with most other paint colors.
Swiss Coffee is a warm-toned paint color.
Get a swatch of Swiss Coffee from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
LRV=63.09
Edgecomb Gray is a warm gray color that is right between gray and beige, making it a greige. It’s LRV is right on the edge of the light to medium range but it’s still light and bright.
As far as undertones go this color has barely imperceptible ones. It’s considered a neutral greige, and that is something special.
Get a sample of Edgecomb Gray from Samplize!
Benjamin Moore Paper White
LRV=74.41
Benjamin Moore Paper White is a gorgeous off-white color that I used to paint my entire first floor with an open floor plan. I often say I live in the woods because I have a ton of trees on my property.
Because of that when it’s summer and the leaves are on the trees it gets pretty dark in my house. This color brightened it up very well!
It is a cool-toned paint color that pairs really well with other cool and warm colors. You can use it in rooms with warm tones in the furnishings and floors and it will look great!
Get a sample of Paper White from Samplize!
How to Make Dark Rooms Brighter
There are several things to consider when you try to brighten a dark room and paint color is just one aspect. Here are some other things to consider:
- different lighting solutions
- floor color
- layer the lighting
- use mirrors
- table lamps
- the color of the furniture
- ceiling color
Lighting makes a huge impact. Overhead lighting is the best because it illuminates the entire room. Table lamps are secondary but there are some other lighting solutions.
LED lighting can also add another element to lighting your room. It also creates a lot of ambient light.
Your floor color can also make a difference. If you have dark wood floors try a light colored area rug.
Mirrors bounce light around a room so they are great to add more light to a space.
Furniture can make a huge impact and I don’t mean the color of the furniture. Yes, that does make a difference but a room with lots of large furniture that crowds the room can also make the room feel heavy and dark.
Keep your furniture to a minimum.
Other Paint Posts You Might Like:
- Best Teal Paint Colors
- The 11 Best Colors to go with Dark Green
- 13 Best Tan Paint Colors
- Best Exterior Paint Colors
- 25 Best Gray Green Paint Colors
- 18 Best Mushroom Paint Colors
- The 21 Best Cream Paint Colors
Best Paint Colors for Dark Rooms
As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.