The Best Paint Colors for Small Living Rooms, According to Designers (2024)

Theliving room is often the center of a home, but if your space could use some extra square footage, there are plenty of ways to make a small living room feel larger. Interior designers agree thatpaint has the ability to completely transform a room.You can set the tone, express yourself, update any space, andmake a room look larger with the right selection and execution.

Along with smart paint choices, New York designerElizabeth Robertsand Portland, Oregon, interior designerMax Humphreyboth suggest leaving space between your furniture and the walls to create the illusion of more space. Utah-based interior designerShea McGee recommends focusing on using large-scale artwork, while London designer Sophie Ashby thinks thatutilizing compact essentials in a small space is key. Read on for the best small living room paint colors to try in your home right now, according to these interior designers.

The pros suggest neutral tans, light grays, classic whites, and rich blue-green hues for your walls to make your space appear larger.

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Dark Blue

The Best Paint Colors for Small Living Rooms, According to Designers (1)

"Sometimes small spaces are the best place to make a statement," McGee says. While some argue that bright whites and lighter tones are the only way to make a room feel bigger, this living room makes a case for richer tones. "It's bold and moody without being overpowering because the space itself isn’t overwhelming in size," she explains.

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Off-White

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Roberts suggests trying an off-white paint color like this one in your small living room to make the space appear larger. "It is a bit softer but still gives a clean palette to work with," she says.

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Taupe

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"I love using earthy ochre such as taupe to create a calm atmosphere in a room," says Ashby. Here, a neutral tan paint color contrasts with a lighter gray wall to give dimension to the small space.

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Crisp White

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"We use Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore all the time," McGee says. "It's a crisp white but with just the right amount of softness to it—perfect for a refresh that still feels cozy." It looks even brighter compared to the wood-beamed ceiling in this small living room.

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Silver

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Humphreyrecommends using a lighter gray tone in your living room. "It looks awesome in modern homes as well as traditional ones and can be dressed up or down depending on how fancy (or casual) you get with your furnishings," he says. This is a great alternative to using traditional white or beige paint.

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Light Gray With a White Trim

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"We love using light grays with a white trim because it adds a little bit of contrast while still keeping a light and fresh feeling to the room," McGee says. It's a neutral tone that's just a bit more interesting than an all-white space.

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Super White

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"I recommend sticking with light colors for the walls and even floors," Roberts says. One of her favorite paint colors is Super White from Benjamin Moore, which she sayscan be used on both walls and ceilings. "It is bright, works well with any accent color, and will help bounce natural sunlight around the room."

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Green

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Ashby is a big fan of this shade of light green. "It creates coziness in a small space," she says. Replicate this look with a soft green hue that will still reflectnatural light. It's a nature-inspired, unique look.

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Muted Gray

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According to Humphrey, a gray like this one is incrediblyversatile, making it ideal for a small space. "It can read gray, blue, or even greenish depending on the light," he explains. If your small living room has big windows, a color like this will change with the light throughout the day, creating a dynamic look.

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Cool White

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"Paint color sets the tone of the space," says McGee. "A fresh white will make most spaces feel clean and updated instantly." This small living room looks light and refreshed thanks to the cool white paint and large windows, which both makethe space appear quite large.

The Best Paint Colors for Small Living Rooms, According to Designers (20)

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The Pros Have Spoken: The 7 Best Small-Bathroom Paint Colors

The Best Paint Colors for Small Living Rooms, According to Designers (2024)

FAQs

What is the best color to paint a small living room? ›

Choose a muted white colour palette

White is the ultimate colour for reflecting light, and well-lit rooms always appear more spacious. For this monochromatic look, we recommend using plenty of different soft and reflective textures across your decorating to avoid a flat appearance.

What color wall is best for small rooms? ›

Some very deep colors, such as charcoal and taupe, will allow the corners to fade away from view, visually expanding the space. You can choose high-gloss colors to reflect light in the space. You can also paint one wall a deeper shade that will recede visually, making the space appear larger.

What color paint will make a small living room look bigger? ›

What Colors Make a Room Look Bigger? “Airy blues and crisp white hues are ideal for small spaces,” says Molly Lynch, a Benjamin Moore color expert. “Blues recede, which can give the illusion of opening up a space,” she explains.

What is the most popular paint color for living rooms? ›

Neutrals like white, off-white, and greige are the most popular paint colors for living rooms.

What color for living room in 2024? ›

Green, grey, and blue are the most popular living room colours for 2024.

What is a calming color for a living room? ›

Shades of blue or green are known to have a relaxing effect—perfect for creating a serene feeling at home,” says Nicole Gibbons, interior designer and founder of the paint company Clare. “Everyone has their own preference on relaxing colors, but soft, cooler colors seem to feel right for most,” adds Yeo.

What colors make a room look expensive? ›

6 Paint Colours That Make Your Home Look Expensive
  • Dark grey.
  • White.
  • Cream/Off-white.
  • Green.
  • Pale pink.
  • Red.
Mar 14, 2024

What colors make a room feel cooler? ›

Teal, green and blue-green colors reflect heat and create a cooler feeling than other color hues. Pale yellow also cools the home. Yellow, like light gray, reflects 90 to 95 percent of available light and heat.

What is the color rule for living rooms? ›

It's a classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space. It states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10% should be an accent.

Which two-colour combination is best for a living room? ›

Top 22 Living Room Colour Combinations for Home
  • Classic White with a Twist.
  • Your Most Favourite Colours.
  • Timeless Grey and White.
  • Pastel Pink and Grey.
  • White and Gold Royalty.
  • Pastel Pink and Green.
  • Nifty Shades of Blue.
  • Purple and Blue.

Which color is perfect for living room? ›

Other positive vastu shastra colours for living room include blue (light blue or navy blue), green (light green), and pink (pale pink). Certain warm colour tones such as yellow, orange, red, and terracotta red are also considered auspicious by Vastu Shastra experts.

Should you paint a small room dark or light? ›

In essence, then, small rooms can be painted in dark or light colors, depending on the effect you want to create. Dark colors can make a small room look larger, but so can light colors. Pinks, blues, greens and grays are all good choices for small rooms, but so are off-whites.

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