Bedroom colour ideas taken from 12 masterpieces
Twelve bedroom colour schemes lifted from real paintings, from fresh sage and sky to golden peacock and dramatic black and bottle green.
Every good painting is a finished colour scheme. The painter has already balanced light and dark, warm and cool, and decided which colour should lead. Borrow that balance and your bedroom will feel just as resolved.
Here are twelve bedroom colour ideas, each taken from a masterpiece, in three moods: light and fresh, warm and cosy, and dark and dramatic. Each comes with its palette, so you can take it straight to the paint shop.
Light and fresh
Airy schemes for small or north facing bedrooms.
1. Wang Xizhi watching geese
Qian Xuan, Wang Xizhi watching geese, ca. 1295. Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Qian Xuan painted this handscroll around 1295; Wang Xizhi was said to have learned his flowing brushwork from the necks of geese.
Sage, sand and sky blue.
2. By the Cellar
Carl Larsson, By the Cellar, 1917. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
Carl Larsson painted this summer scene of children at play in 1917.
Cream, sage and a touch of coral.
3. The Frogs Asking for a King
Gustave Moreau, The Frogs Asking for a King, s 1880.
Gustave Moreau painted this scene from La Fontaine’s fables around 1880, for a set of watercolours of the fables.
Ivory, leaf green and slate.
4. Cows Crossing a Ford
Jules Dupré, Cows Crossing a Ford, 1836. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Jules Dupré, of the Barbizon school, painted this pastoral scene in 1836: cattle wade a still stream beneath a wide, pale sky.
Pale sky, slate blue and meadow green.
Warm and cosy
Honeyed, earthy schemes for a snug bedroom.
5. Hinazuru of the Chōjiya
Maruya Bun'emon Kitagawa Utamaro , Hinazuru of the Chōjiya, c. 1802 (Kyōwa 2). Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper. Harvard Art Museums.
Kitagawa Utamaro made this print around 1802.
Cream, moss and coral.
6. The Golden Peacock
Syrian painter, The Golden Peacock, 1315. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Cleveland Museum of Art.
This page comes from a 1315 copy of al-Jazari’s Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, made in Syria.
Ivory, teal, gold and brick red.
7. The Sixteen Luohans
Wu Bin, The Sixteen Luohans, dated 1591. Handscroll; ink and color on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Wu Bin painted this long handscroll of the Buddha’s disciples in 1591.
Rice paper, walnut and moss.
8. Still Life with Jug and Knife
Édouard Vuillard, Still Life with Jug and Knife, 1888–89. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago.
Édouard Vuillard painted this quiet still life in 1888–89, before he became famous for his patterned interiors.
Putty, stone and warm white.
Dark and dramatic
Deep, cocooning schemes for bedrooms that feel like a hug.
9. Comtesse de la Châtre
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Comtesse de la Châtre, 1789. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun painted the countess in 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution.
Black, bottle green and crisp white.
10. Madame Paul Escudier (Louise Lefevre)
John Singer Sargent, Madame Paul Escudier (Louise Lefevre), 1882. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago.
John Singer Sargent painted Louise Escudier in 1882, two years before his scandalous Madame X.
Ink, petrol blue and pewter.
11. Strange Rocks
Gao Yang （）, Strange Rocks, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), early 17th century. Hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper. Art Institute of Chicago.
Gao Yang painted these strange rocks in ink in the early 17th century, at the end of the Ming dynasty.
Charcoal, stone and a blush of pink.
12. Rocky Hill Country with a Bridge
Arnold Böcklin, Rocky hill country with bridge, 1858.
Arnold Böcklin painted this landscape in 1858, early in his career.
Navy, forest green and ochre.
Use the picture’s largest colour on the walls, the second on bedding and curtains, and keep the brightest for small accents. Then hang the painting where you see it from the bed. For more, see calming bedroom colours, bedroom wall art and moody wall art.
Questions
What colours make a bedroom feel bigger?
Light, cool colours like pale blue, sage and soft white, with walls and ceiling close in tone.
What colours make a bedroom feel cosy?
Warm, deeper tones: ochre, terracotta, warm green and walnut, lit by low lamps.
Can I paint a bedroom a dark colour?
Yes. Dark green, navy or charcoal can feel calm and cocooning, especially with crisp white linen and warm light.
How many colours should a bedroom have?
Three is a good rule: one main colour, one supporting colour and one accent.