Adding color with paint is a quick and easy way to add style and personality to a guest bedroom, but get it wrong, and you could risk turning a welcoming space into a chaotic nightmare.
When you're looking for guest bedroom ideas for a new look, changing your guest bedroom paint is one of the easiest updates to achieve. However, no one wants to repaint the walls in their spare bedroom only to find out their chosen color will soon be so last year.
Bedroom color (even if you’re using neutrals) should be the first thing to consider when you are designing a guest bedroom. One of the most appealing finishes for bedroom walls, paint is the fastest way to transform even the most boring guest bedroom. The advantage is in its almost limitless choice of colors, allowing you free rein to express yourself, whether your home is period or contemporary, country or modern – and you can always repaint if you decide to update.
Guest bedroom paint colors to leave behind in 2024
Much like with any outdated decorating trend, one of the biggest mistakes is to eschew room colors and color trends altogether for fear that your space will age badly.
Here interior designers reveal what guest bedroom paint colors are going out of style for 2024, and how to approach choosing paint ideas for spate rooms that truly sing, from using the color wheel to help you avoid making disastrous color mistakes to finding paint colors that will make you feel happier at home.
1. Swap dull gray for warming brown
Deep chocolate brown – this confident hue looks delicious as an all-over color yet it's equally perfect for pairing with brights and pastels. Considered a dark neutral, earthy brown is grounding but also has an elegance that is truly sophisticated. Versatile, it can be striking on its own or allow other hues to stand proud.
‘Being polychromatic, brown goes with everything, but in deeper, very rich hues it is particularly good at flattering beautiful, well-drawn patterns,' says Edward Bulmer, interior designer and founder, of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint.
2. Replace clinical white with beige
Gray bedroom ideas have had their time in the spotlight. These days, designers have turned their attention to warmer neutral colors for the bedroom.
There's plenty of debate as to how to define ‘neutral’ colors. We tend to think of them as tones such as white, beige, grey, ivory and khaki that don’t appear on the color wheel. In general, these new neutrals are calming and easy to use – they work with almost every other color, but it’s important to consider how pigments are affected by light.
‘The light in a room is key to deciding whether to choose warm or cool tones,’ says Ruth Mottershead of Little Greene.
There is a difference between warm neutrals (with a green or yellow undertone), which work well in north-facing rooms as they bounce light around, and cool ones (with a bit of pink, violet, or blue). When decorating with neutrals, texture and layering are essential.
A calm neutral base will create a modern look while retaining classic elements. The trick is to turn up the texture to stop the space from feeling flat. Start with sand or taupe bedlinen for a soft feel, teamed with a weighty throw or bedspread in a darker plain. Let accent pieces do the talking, like this end of the bed bench with an earthy tone that echoes the hues of the guest bedroom.
3. Do away with dark blue for serene green
Decorating with blue will always be on our agenda, but we are seeing more and more people move away from cooler colors in favor of warm, earthy greens.
Linked inextricably with the enduring beauty of nature, green bedroom ideas are timeless and versatile. From bold botanical greens and vivid emeralds to soothing sage and refreshing mint, verdant shades have the ability to be invigorating and energizing yet also bring a sense of tranquillity and renewal. With its roots in the natural world, decorating with green will ground and comfort, as well as connect us with the landscape, which is something we crave in changing times.
‘Often used to bring the outdoors in, the color green aids our emotional well-being,’ says Francesca Wezel, founder of Francesca’s Paints. ‘It has a soothing, non-threatening energy, making us feel safe and at peace.’
Used within interiors for centuries, green’s botanical origins mean the color pairs wonderfully with calming neutrals and earthy tones. When used on walls in a guest bedroom, it is also a beautiful foundation shade, ideal for layering printed wallpapers and fabrics, artwork, and decorative pieces as part of characterful, traditional interiors.
4. Switch out deep purple for lovely lilac
While vivid violets and royal purples can be seen as daring choices for guest bedrooms, their softer-toned cousin lilac lends a soothing, gentle feel to a space, and can feel like a breath of fresh air.
‘Soft lilac has an inviting, friendly energy and is great for creating a relaxed feel within a home – perfect for welcoming in visitors,’ says Francesca Wezel, founder of Francesca’s Paints. ‘Associated with sociability and open-mindedness, it helps make people feel at ease. Lilac also has a slight feminine edge, which reinforces the feeling of comfortability.’
If you’re looking to bring delicate color and warmth to a cool, north-facing bedroom, consider a lilac paint with red undertones. Benjamin Moore’s African Violet, would make for a calm and feminine bedroom scheme – finish the look by pairing it with rustic accessories and neutral linens.
5. Go for salmon pink or peach instead of hot pink
Hot, Barbie pink may be the current color of the moment, but come 2024, designers are expecting a shift toward gentler, subtler variations of this popular hue.
Shades of pink are extremely versatile and have been a popular choice in interiors for centuries. Of all the variations, salmon pink and peach have the edge over others as they share orange undertones and warm characteristics.
‘The salmon is called the king of fish for good reason. In all its forms, salmon is a color we have enjoyed on the walls of our homes, just as much as we have on our plates for centuries. The distinctive blush orange color was first described as salmon pink in the late 1700s, and appeared on the walls of the finest houses until the 1940s, where it became widely available to the masses through affordable modern emulsion paints,’ says Marianne Shillingford, Dulux creative director. 'Peach, on the other hand, saw great popularity in later decades. ‘Its warm candlelight glow makes guest bedrooms look expensive and feel cozy and welcoming,’ adds Marianne.
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