When it comes to creating a warm, inviting atmosphere in your home, few colors can rival the rich, earthy appeal of brown. Whether you’re looking to update your living room, add depth to a bedroom, or create a cozy nook, brown paint colors offer a versatile foundation for any space.
From soft taupes to deep chocolate hues, the right shade of brown can enhance your décor, complement natural materials, and provide a grounding sense of calm. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best brown paint colors to inspire your next home project, helping you find the perfect tone to suit your style and space.
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How to Use Brown Paint
Using brown as an accent wall is a great idea. It allows you to add character but not turn a room into too dark a space.
If you want to have a dark space for say a bedroom or dining room brown is a fabulous choice. It really gives the feel coziness.
Using brown on furniture and cabinetry works great too but my favorite way to use brown is on the exterior of the home. Whether siding or accents like shutters and trim are all great places to use brown.
How to Pick the Perfect Brown Paint Color
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 Undertones Do Brown Paint Colors Have?
Brown comes in an array of undertones. Here are a few that you will see:
- violet
- green
- red
- orange
- yellow
Often you will also see doses of black and gray.
In the examples below we will discuss which colors have what undertones and when you are done with the post you should have a good handle on which undertones you like better than the others.
What LRV should I look for?
LRV stands for Light Reflective Value. It’s a scale that from 0-100 that measures the amount of light a paint color reflects. Zero is the darkest black and 100 is the brightest white.
When you are looking for a brown paint color you should ideally look for an LRV of 25 or lower. You can go as high as 35 but anything higher than that would be considered a dark beige rather than a brown.
The Best Brown Paint Colors from Benjamin Moore
Whitall Brown
Whittal Brown has a hot chocolate feel, it’s chocolaty but it has a dose of milk in it. It’s LRV is 16.53. It has slight green undertones with a touch of gray.
Get a Sample of Whittal Brown from Samplize!
Middlebury Brown
Middlebury Brown has violet undertones, but just slight. It also sits at 10.72 on the LRV scale. It is a medium brown.
Get a Sample of Middlebury Brown from Samplize!
Mocha Brown
Mocha Brown is very warm with red/orange undertones. It is exactly like a bar of chocolate! It has an LRV of 10.16.
Get a Sample of Mocha Brown from Samplize!
Van Buren Brown
Van Buren Brown has slight green undertones but also a healthy dose of black. It’s LRV is 9.52.
Get a Sample of Van Buren Brown from Samplize!
North Creek Brown
You can really see the green undertones in North Creek Brown. It also has touches of black in it. It’s LRV is 10.23.
Get a Sample of North Creek Brown from Samplize!
Hearthstone Brown
Hearthstone Brown is a gorgeous warm chocolate color that adds style to any room. It has an LRV of 8.8 making it on the darker side.
Get a Sample of Hearthstone Brown from Samplize!
Silhouette
Silouette is a cross between charcoal and chocolate. It has gorgeous rich violet undertones and an LRV of 10.18.
Get a Sample of Silhouette from Samplize!
Branchport Brown
Branchport Brown is a gorgeous brown paint color with violet undertones. It has an LRV of 10.02 which puts it as a medium brown. There are definitely those that are darker.
Get a Sample of Branchport Brown from Samplize!
Willow
Willow is a gorgeous brown paint color with gray in it which makes it much more modern than the browns of the 90s and early 2000s. It’s LRV is 9.06.
Get a Sample of Willow from Samplize!
Wenge
Wenge is a glorious rich shade of brown that is really dark with an LRV of 4.79. This color has violet undertones as well as a touch of black. This is a great color to use on the exterior.
Get a Sample of Wenge from Samplize!
Tudor Brown
Tudor Brown gives strong classic and timeless vibes. It’s chocolate feel is like wrapping your in a warm hug. It has an LRV off 6.43
Get a Sample of Tudor Brown from Samplize!
Brown Horse
Brown Horse has subtle green undertones with a warm feel. It’s LRV is 12.02 so it’s not as deep and heavy as some of the others mentioned here.
Get a Sample of Brown Horse from Samplize!
The Best Brown Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
Turkish Coffee
If you are looking for a gorgeous rich brown then this is it! This color has a touch of red and is one of the darkest with an LRV of 5. This will add a healthy dose of sophistication to your home.
Get a Sample of Turkish Coffee from Samplize!
Dark Clove
Dark Clove is a classic and timeless color. It’s very saturated with an LRV of 5. It’s considered a neutral so the undertones aren’t that obvious.
Get a Sample of Dark Clove from Samplize!
Van Dyke Brown
Van Dyke Brown is considered a neutral paint color. It’s undertones aren’t really discernable which is great if you don’t know which way to go! It has an LRV of 7.
Get a Sample of Van Dyke Brown from Samplize!
Sabel
Sabel is a classic brown without being too chocolaty. It has orange undertones which makes it different from most mentioned here today. It has an LRV of 8.
Get a Sample of Sabel from Samplize!
Urbane Bronze
Urbane Bronze is a gorgeous brown paint color with a sophisticated feel. It has an LRV of 8. This is the color I personally chose for accents on the exterior of my home. It looks amazing!
Get a Sample of Urbane Bronze from Samplize!
Black Fox
Black Fox has an LRV of 7 so it’s on the darker side. It also has gray in it which makes it more modern. As far as undertones go it has a touch of green in it.
Get a Sample of Black Fox from Samplize!
Homestead Brown
Homestead Brown has a velvety chocolate feel. It has an LRV of 12 and a slight touch of gray in it to make it more muted.
Get a Sample of Homestead Brown from Samplize!
Is brown trending in 2025?
I wouldn’t consider brown as being trendy. I will say though that it’s definitely slowly making a comeback. You will see it often in accent walls but I daresay that this color might be coming more trendy as the years come.
What colors do brown paint colors look best with?
Brown looks great with whites and creams, they make a nice contrast. Because it’s an earthy color it looks great with other earthy colors such as blues, greens, and lighter beiges.
If you are looking for a contrast color take a look at burnt orange or a rich purple!
Other Brown and Beige Paint Color Posts:
- The Best Dark Greige Paint Colors
- Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige
- The 18 Best Mushroom Paint Colors
- Sherwin Williams Jogging Path
- Sherwin Williams Natural Tan
- Benjamin Moore Pashmina
- The Best Beige Paint Colors
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.