The 9 Most Amazing Paint Colors for Dark Rooms

Do you have a room in your home that doesn’t get a lot of natural light? Most homes will have a space like this whether it’s the basement or a powder room. Here are the best colors and tips to help make the room bright and make you forget that there is no sunlight in the room.

Before we get into the actual colors, let’s talk about tips-what to do and what to avoid.

Tip 1

You may think that the best strategy in this situation is to paint everything floor to ceiling with a bright white. If you do this, it won’t look terrible but it’s definitely not the best option. Here’s why: since bright white is super reflective, all the shadows in the room will be reflected as well. This will make the room feel shadowy and darker than you want it to. If you do want to go with white, a warmer white may be a better option. 

Tip 2

Don’t shy away from dark colors, especially in a space like a powder room. Dark colors can make the corners of a room blend together which can actually make it feel more spacious. Dark colors can make a small room feel cozy without feeling cramped. Remember that in a low-light room painted a dark color, you’ll need to compensate with interior lighting.

Tip 3

When choosing paint in a low-light room and any room, you must try the color on the wall before committing. Especially in a low-light room, this is crucial. Since paint looks different depending on the lighting, you need to try it out in your exact space to be able to really fathom how it will look. You can go through the whole process of buying paint pots and applying them to your wall. I don’t like this because it’s time-consuming and messy. Also, the existing paint color on the wall can make the paint sample look different.  That’s why I always recommend Samplize. They have peel-and-stick samples that you simply stick to your wall. No painting is required. A lot of times, they can even be re-positioned. Simple and cheap! Right now, you can get 15 percent off with the discount code 15OFF. This code is valid until November 15 with the purchase of 6 or more samples.

Let’s move on to some paint color ideas for your low-light space. Here are some of my favorites!

White Dove

White with yellow undertones. Click here for a post about white paint colors.

Gray Owl

A gray that can sometimes have a greenish tint. Click here for a post about gray paint colors.

Athena

A warm gray that sometimes appears as a warm white.

Swiss Coffee

A green-gray greige. Click here for my free paint guide.

Quiet Moments

A blue-green with warm gray undertones.

Warm Blush

A warm pastel pink.

Teal Ocean

A dark blue-green.

Palladian Blue

A green-blue that tends to read more green.

Newburyport Blue

The perfect blue when you want to go dark. Click here for a post about blue paint colors.

I hope this guide helps you choose a paint color that looks amazing in your space!