Best paint colors for a small living room

Since living rooms are known to promote comfort and relaxation, experts have cautioned that some colors may interfere with these effects.

Express.co.uk quoted interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz of Bobbi Beck as saying: "Any color or shade of paint may look fantastic if used in the appropriate situation. The improper setting, however, might make the color selection entirely unsettling and at odds with the mood of that specific space. A living room should be decorated to reflect the space's cozy and comfortable atmosphere.

White should be avoided at all costs, especially if the area already welcomes a lot of light, according to Juliette Thomas, Founder & Director of Juliettes Interiors. The color of your living room will depend on how you utilize it, the woman remarked. Look to the room's natural light if it serves as a gathering place frequently at home. Avoid using an all-white or very neutral color scheme if there is lots of light available because these colors might make the space feel chilly and uninviting.

HomeHow.co.uk's Sylvia James concurred that white should be avoided by households. Brilliant white walls in a living room might make the space feel too cold and sterile to be used for relaxing, she claimed. The expert suggested choosing "off-white" for individuals who want white instead.

The expert advised against choosing a magnolia-colored white for individuals who are considering it. Avoid magnolia since it will make the space appear dated, she advised. Additionally, magnolia emits an unpleasant yellowish color under certain lighting.

One expert even went so far as to advise against using white for the ceilings of living rooms in addition to the walls. The ceiling should always be taken into consideration when choosing colors, according to Emma Bestley, co-founder and creative director of YesColours, the first eco-friendly paint offered in a recyclable pouch in the UK. Make sure the so-called fifth wall receives the same care as the other walls; otherwise, it could feel neglected if left blank.

"Choose full drench, which means that the color was carried from the wall to the ceiling, for maximum impact. Choose a complementary color instead, whether it be a much paler variation or an accent hue to enhance contrast.

Consider a subtle, calming color like a warm neutral, soft pink, or sage green if your area is small. Use darker colors if you want to create a cozy and cocooning atmosphere. Particularly in a living room or bedroom, that increased depth can make a space feel quite inviting.
Interior design professionals recommended that homes stay away from bright colors like yellow, orange, and red in addition to white. Orange is for fruit, not your living room walls, according to renowned interior designer Rudolph Diesel of London. Visitors entering a living room that is brilliant orange will probably assume you are bit insane; instead, you want to calm. In contrast to a living room where you want to calm and relax, bright colors like orange are brimming with vitality and enthusiasm. They may be appropriate for a child's playroom.

Award-winning interior designer Shanade McAllister-Fisher of West London said: "Most colors of yellow are just too distracting; they detract from the rest of the room. Bright yellow is too overpowering of a color for an entire living room, despite the fact that it is a "happy shade."

Paula Taylor, the head stylist at Graham & Brown, echoed the same, saying, "I would steer clear of citrus yellow as it has a tendency to seem quite fluorescent green in the chilly blue northern light that we have in the UK. Any colors that can give the space a frigid appearance should be avoided!"

According to Sylvia, these vibrant colors disrupt the atmosphere associated with living rooms. Bright colors, such as vivid yellow and orange, can dazzle your eyes and ruin any attempts to create a calm environment, she said. Use warm, vibrant colors sparingly while designing the living room if you prefer them.

Shanade claimed that red is the absolute worst color a homeowner could pick for a living room. Your living area should convey peace, not alarm, the woman added. The worst colors for the walls of your living room are any vivid tints of red.

Rudolph suggested avoiding an all-black living room, much like brown. He said that using the shade sparingly is ideal. "When utilized right, black can be a wonderful living room color, for example if you use it for an accent wall," the interior designer stated. An all-black living room, though, is quite unsettling.

"Use the color black sparingly if you want to produce a calming impact in your living room. Too much of it will suck the light and life out of the space and leave your guests feeling melancholy."

Emma advised thinking about the ideal time that families will utilize their living room and working backwards from there when choosing colors for it. "Sample colors you will primarily notice at night with artificial light if you only use it at night," she said. They will get much darker once night falls because of how dark they are now.

For a cozy, private setting at night, deep jewel tones of blue, terracotta, green, and teal are appropriate. Instead, choose softer shades of peach, green, and pink with a muted undertone if your living room is utilized primarily during the day and you want to create a fresh and breezy feeling.

"Here's a pro suggestion for you: never select this color, which is frequently linked to fury or blood. If a visitor is staring at your furious walls in your red living room, you won't ever make them feel welcome.

Emma concurred that red was the worst color for a living room. Red should be utilized with caution in any room of the house, but the living room in particular. We tend to link this color with caution and vigilance, and when it's utilized heavily, it might make people feel agitated. For a calming scheme, try for a deeper plum or a muted terracotta instead of dominant red.

Dark hues should be included to the list of colors that should be avoided in addition to only bright ones. Beige is fine, but once you start straying into brown area, it's time to turn around, said Shanade. Your living area seems dark and uninviting if the walls are brown. Darker brown hues could be OK as accent colors, but you should never make your living room's main color brown.