19 Soothing Paint Colors to Try:

Experts Reveal Their Top Picks for a Serene Home Interior

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY REDFIN

Making your home as cozy and calming as possible starts with the essentials: beautiful decor,

comfortable furniture, eye-catching accents, and, most importantly, color. Color can have a

significant impact on the way you perceive a room. And with so many hues and shades to choose

from, the very act of selecting the right paint color can be overwhelming. 

The paint color you choose for a room sets the overall mood of the space. To help you create the

ideal space to unwind, we reached out to experts from Atlanta, GA, all the way to Calgary, AB,

for their best soothing paint color picks for a serene home interior. From calming neutrals to

nature-inspired hues, here are 19 paint color options for promoting relaxation in different areas in

your home. 

Soothing paint colors to try for your home’s interior

Color can go a long way in making your home into the relaxing sanctuary you envisioned.

Everything from calming neutrals, happy pastels, or rich accent colors can help create a serene

space that you and your guests will feel welcomed in as soon as they enter your home.

Ammonite by Farrow & Ball: Paint can be subtle and act as a calming backdrop to your room.

Or, it can pack a powerful punch and become the focal point. Sometimes making a grand

entrance can be grand by being subtle. - D2 Interieurs

Incorporate greens to evoke feelings of harmony and rejuvenation. Utilizing color introduces

different moods to your living or working environment. Greens are a good accent color or paint

for a room where you like to relax. And if you’re looking for a good accent color for a dining

room, try using reds as it’s the color of passion and metabolism. - Farrah Smith Design

Sherwin Williams Smoky Blue: Water is the element of restoration and relaxation, so if you’re

looking to get some peaceful vibes from your living room, try Sherwin Williams Smoky Blue.

Colors that are muted bring about a calmer feeling into a space and connect to the water element

in Feng Shui. Blue is typically seen as a tranquil color, so be prepared to feel ultra-relaxed with a

soft and smoky blue tone.  - Honey Lune Hivery

Incorporate a bright emerald green or bold magenta in your soothing color palette. Choose

abundant emerald green to align with the balancing vibration of nature. In a room with enough

natural light, it will bring sophistication without drama. Let the color of vitality and inspiration

flow over you and invoke love in your heart. Another great color for relaxation is magenta, as it’s

a color that’s welcoming when you get home and can help negative feelings melt away. - Talila

Consulting

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand 7057: Silver Strand is a dynamic neutral color known for

changing depending on the lighting. It's soft, moody, and relaxing, yet far from boring - an ideal

backdrop for both neutral and colorful interiors. We often pair this color with cognac leathers,

walnut wood finishes, or richly hued mohairs to create calm, elevated spaces. - Presmanes

Interiors

Look to Sherwin-Williams Dressy Rose for inspiration. Pink-Grey is a modern take on a

dusty rose that also elevates our favorite new neutral-grey. The energy behind this color is an

overall serenity with just a hint of strength. The darker pink feels peaceful, emanating an aura of

self-love, while the grey foundation holds the color together with a sense of authority and

cleanliness. In a living space, this color promotes family harmony with an undercurrent of

minimalism in both life and space. - Sanctuary Feng Shui

Best soothing paint colors for a serene kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home and naturally serves as a gathering place for meals,

entertaining, or even making important plans. With that in mind, it’s essential to create a soothing

backdrop for the daily hustle and bustle of the kitchen. 

Try nature-inspired hues like bright blues or cozy browns to create a soothing color palette

for your kitchen. Interior spaces should reflect the personality of the people who live in them;

therefore, color selection must be unique to each project. Referring to nature for inspiration for a

kitchen design or any other room is a great way to create a relaxing and balancing environment

as the natural world is brimming with wonderful soothing color combinations. To create a

distinct relaxing color palette, simply capture with photography the calm and relaxing beauty of

the outdoors that best represents your personality; then use any paint manufacturers App tool,

like the Sherwin William Color Snap or the Benjamin Moore Color Capture, to find the

perfect matches and design your dream environment. - Johanne Morin Design

Smokey gray, tangerine, and basil. Much like creating a perfectly delicious dish, the key to

designing a soothing kitchen is to have all the “ingredients” balance. Start with a soft white base

like Sherwin-Williams Shoji White on the walls, and heat things up on the cabinets with smokey

Behr Asphalt Gray. Add a touch of tangerine for a bright twist or accent with fresh basil for a

kitchen that is equal parts exciting and naturally soothing. - Inspired Design Inc

Golden earth tones, pleasant warm whites, and enchanting charcoal blacks. While the best

kitchen paint color differs for every home, these colors are my current favorites. They’re versatile

to support the functions of a variety of kitchens and the people using them. - Much Love Interiors

Terracotta or deep clay. There’s something rustic, warm, and nostalgic about the deep earthy

tones of terracotta. It’s reminiscent of the raw beauty of kitchen traditions the Philippines (and its

Asian neighbors) are well-known for and it can also be versatile enough due to its neutral tones.

Pair it with wooden cabinetry or brick walls or match it with brighter tones like sage green,

sunny yellow, or creamy white to give your kitchen an interesting aesthetic lift.  - IEO Interior

Design and Construction

Use tranquil blue-greens. Being from South Florida, the beach is the first place that comes to

mind, and the shade “Views” from Clare captures that essence perfectly. In feng shui, the kitchen

is a hub for prosperity and abundance, so creating an environment that feels soothing yet vibrant

is a great way to energize this area. To create a calm, serene, and uplifting vibe, the first question

I ask myself is - “what environment in nature makes me feel that way?” - Gina Casbarro

Calming hues inspired by nature are best for the bedroom

The bedroom is your sanctuary to unwind after a long day so you feel rejuvenated by morning.

To create your ideal “zen den”, the color choices you pick for your bedroom should be relaxing

and soothing to create an enjoyable atmosphere. 

Use peach and soft earth tones. Peach tones and soft earth tones accentuate skin color, while

reds and blues can bring in too much energy and movement, interfering with a good night’s

sleep. Color has a profound effect on the energy balance of any room; therefore, choose your

main bedroom color carefully. If you feel peaceful and calm with the color you’ve chosen, you

have made the right choice. - Catherine Dean Feng Shui

Choose colors that evoke serenity and sensuality for a bedroom. I invite you to close your

eyes, get quiet inside yourself, and imagine what colors bring you an experience of peacefulness

and sensuousness. The colors that emerge in your minds’ eye will be wonderful for your

bedroom. - Laura Staley

If you are looking to enhance serenity and relaxation, soft shades of blues and greens are

great for your bedroom. Consider using Benjamin Moore Exhale: AF-515, which is an elegant

and updated soothing shade of blue. We see these colors all around us in the sky and nature,

making them calming and soothing. Your bedroom is one of the most important rooms in your

home because it’s such a personal space. When choosing a color for your bedroom, you should

only consider colors that you love and are attracted to. Your friend might suggest a color that she

loves in her bedroom, but if you don’t like that color, it won’t create a restful and healing space

for you. - Allison Krush

Benjamin Moore Gentleman’s Gray paired with soft ivory textures will soothe your inner

soul. So many clients hesitate to spend money on decorating their bedrooms since “no one sees

it”. However, living in a fast-paced culture desperately in search of mindful wellness means

sleep is crucial. Create a bedroom experience that feels like a luxury boutique hotel layered in

deep colors and rich textures. - Kellie Burke Interiors

Light soft tones such as the light aqua color of the ocean, white sandy beaches, light yellow

shining through the forest trees, green lush forests, and light pink flowers are soothing

paint colors that are both timeless and a reflection of calming natural elements that

surround us. The following are soothing colors to incorporate in your home: Sherwin Williams

Sea Salt, Behr Tide Pools, Benjamin Moore French Canvas, Behr Sand Dance, Benjamin Moore

Bavarian Forest, Benjamin Moore Sunlit Coral, Benjamin Moore Windy Sky. Your home should

provide a sanctuary away from all of life’s stressful interactions. - Designs by Kristy

Create a soothing color palette by utilizing the natural light in your bedroom. In bedrooms

with abundant natural light, my favorite wall color is Benjamin Moore Cloud White; it works

magic to create an ethereal and serene ambiance. On the other hand, if a bedroom is lacking

sunlight, embrace it and go dark. Envelope yourself in a soothing cocoon by painting the ceiling

and walls in Sherwin-Williams Dark Night. - Ritual Home Design

Try Sherwin Williams Shoji White or North Star on the walls and add in accents of

Interesting Aqua. In Florida, all we have to do is look to the ocean to find a sense of calm.

Choose a light blue or soft white as your neutral. Throw in a splash of aqua, as this color means

tranquility and being at peace, encouraging inner healing and enhancing empathy. - Nicole Renee Home