6 Tips for Choosing Living Room Colors
How to choose harmonious living room colors: from lighting and wall condition to accent tones and paint types. Real designer tips for a cozy and practical interior.
6 Tips for Choosing Living Room Colors
Color isn’t just a backdrop — it sets the mood, shapes how spacious a room feels, and even affects how much time you want to spend there.
Before picking a palette, take a look around: how much light do you have, what’s the wall texture like, and who actually lives in this space?
1. Watch How the Light Lives in the Room
Color is alive. It shifts with the time of day — warm at sunrise, cooler at night.
If sunlight rarely enters the room, cold tones can make it feel gloomy.
Warm shades — cream, sand, light ochre — add a soft glow even on cloudy days.
In south-facing rooms, daylight is stronger and harsher, so cooler hues like sage, sky blue, or misty beige work better.
💡 Try this test: tape several paint samples to the wall and observe them in the morning, afternoon, and evening. A tone that looks neutral by day may turn pinkish or gray at night — and that can drive you mad later.
2. Evaluate the Walls Themselves
Even the best paint won’t hide uneven walls.
Glossy finishes highlight every bump — especially under side lighting.
If your walls aren’t perfect, go for Matte or Flat paint: it diffuses light and visually smooths out the surface.
If the walls are perfectly leveled, you can try a soft sheen — Eggshell or Satin.
🚧 Before painting, shine a flashlight along the wall. If you see ripples or uneven patches, stick to a matte finish.
And don’t skip prep work — filler, sanding, and primer affect the result as much as the paint itself.
3. Think About Who Lives Here
If the household includes kids, pets, or just everyday chaos, choose washable or scrubbable paints.
Look for durability class 2 or higher — it means the finish can handle a damp cloth or even light scrubbing without losing color.
Acrylic and latex paints are ideal — durable, safe, low-odor, and resistant to fading.
🌿 For families, look for labels like “low VOC”, “odor-free”, or eco-certified — they’re safe to breathe and don’t release harmful chemicals.
4. Build a Neutral Base
Neutral colors aren’t boring — they’re flexible.
Shades of milk, linen, sand, or warm stone create a calm background that works with any style — from minimalist to colorful.
Think of it like a painter’s canvas: simple on its own, but once you add a few accents, it comes alive with depth and texture.
🪶 Tip: in a large room, paint one wall one or two shades darker — it adds dimension.
In a small living room, stick to one light tone to make the space feel larger.
5. Add a Couple of Accents — Then Stop
A good interior shouldn’t look like a paint catalog.
Pick no more than two accent colors and repeat them in small details.
If one wall is deep emerald, let that tone echo in the cushions or artwork.
Natural combinations always win — olive and terracotta, beige and sage green.
Terracotta, from the Italian terra cotta (“baked earth”), is a warm clay-red tone that feels organic and comforting.
It pairs beautifully with natural textures like wood, linen, and stone — cozy, timeless, and never artificial.
🎨 The classic 70/20/10 rule works perfectly:
70% base color, 20% complementary, 10% accents.
6. Always Do a Paint Test
Before painting the whole room, buy a small can and paint a 1×1 m test square.
Watch it for a couple of days: how it looks under daylight, warm light, and night lamps.
If in doubt, pick a shade one or two steps lighter — paint almost always appears darker on the wall than in the sample book.
🧪 To check the existing finish, dab a cotton pad with acetone and rub the wall gently.
If the pad stays clean, the old coating is durable enough to repaint.
This trick works for acrylic and latex paints but not for decorative or enamel ones.
🏠 In the end, color isn’t just about style — it’s about mood, comfort, and how your home feels to live in.
The perfect living room isn’t the one from Pinterest — it’s the one where you want to stay just a little longer.
📸 Photos: Renohacks.com collection
🏷️ Tags: interior design, living room, color, tips, decor