7 paint colors for small spaces, from quiet to loud

Washington Post

a day ago

Teensy spaces can still pack a big aesthetic wallop, if you play your paint cards right. Just ask Coco Chanel, whose intimate salon at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris had gold walls dripping in rich girl energy. Or look at Monticello, where the parakeet green walls in Thomas Jefferson's private study give the room the swagger of a space twice its size.
'I love to embrace [small rooms] because they're already somewhat flawed in nature, because they're tiny,' says designer Sara Swabb, founder of Storie Collective, which has offices in Georgetown and in Nantucket, Massachusetts. 'Adding depth [with] a cocoon-like feel is very effective in a small room.'
That doesn't have to be synonymous with dark colors, though. 'There's always some random designer who will say 'Paint it black, it doesn't matter,'' says Christine Tuttle, a designer based in Dedham, Massachusetts. 'And I'm like, 'You know what? It does matter. It doesn't make it cozy just because you're painting it dark.' I think you have to really understand the flow of the house, how the room presents when the door is open … So it depends on the space.'
At the end of the day, it's not about rules — it's about intention: Do you want to make the space feel cozy or expansive? Here, designers share seven colors that can supercharge the style of even the smallest of rooms.
Alison Hammatt, a designer based in Providence, Rhode Island, recently dressed up a client's narrow, low-ceilinged living room with Sherwin-Williams's Aristocrat Peach. The shade, she says, is 'warm and inviting while also still being fresh.' Hammatt removed the recessed lights in the room because they were overwhelming the small space, and she brought in lamps. 'We wanted a color that would feel soft with the lamplight and kind of recognize that this was going to be a cozy, warm room and not like a bright, vibrant one,' Hammatt says.
Alison Hammatt, a designer based in Providence, Rhode Island, recently dressed up a client's narrow, low-ceilinged living room with Sherwin-Williams's Aristocrat Peach. The shade, she says, is 'warm and inviting while also still being fresh.' Hammatt removed the recessed lights in the room because they were overwhelming the small space, and she brought in lamps. 'We wanted a color that would feel soft with the lamplight and kind of recognize that this was going to be a cozy, warm room and not like a bright, vibrant one,' Hammatt says.
Tuttle went with a light neutral, Benjamin Moore's Pale Oak, for the walls of this 'teeny tiny' dark bathroom. 'I know everyone was doing the moody thing last year, but you want it kind of sensible and bright,' Tuttle says. 'We usually do a midtone, but in small rooms it intensifies because the four walls are closer to each other.' Enter the lighter shade, which Tuttle says 'reads darker' when it's used in a small space.
Tuttle went with a light neutral, Benjamin Moore's Pale Oak, for the walls of this 'teeny tiny' dark bathroom. 'I know everyone was doing the moody thing last year, but you want it kind of sensible and bright,' Tuttle says. 'We usually do a midtone, but in small rooms it intensifies because the four walls are closer to each other.' Enter the lighter shade, which Tuttle says 'reads darker' when it's used in a small space.
'Sometimes lighter rooms can make a small room feel washed-out or overly reflective,' Swabb says. That's why she chose Farrow & Ball's London Clay, a richly grounded hue with a lot of depth that absorbs light beautifully without feeling heavy, for a Bethesda, Maryland, powder room. 'The color itself is obviously warm, but it creates this sophisticated drama that works really nicely with the molding and trim detail that we added to the room,' she says. In a compact space, that balance of warmth and depth prevents the feeling that the walls are 'closing in,' while also lending a moody, tailored elegance.
'Sometimes lighter rooms can make a small room feel washed-out or overly reflective,' Swabb says. That's why she chose Farrow & Ball's London Clay, a richly grounded hue with a lot of depth that absorbs light beautifully without feeling heavy, for a Bethesda, Maryland, powder room. 'The color itself is obviously warm, but it creates this sophisticated drama that works really nicely with the molding and trim detail that we added to the room,' she says. In a compact space, that balance of warmth and depth prevents the feeling that the walls are 'closing in,' while also lending a moody, tailored elegance.
Going monochrome — painting the walls and trim in the same color — can trick the eye into believing a small room is larger. This corner space in a home in Georgetown, also designed by Swabb, practically begged for the hygge treatment. The color that got the job done beautifully: Farrow & Ball's Studio Green, which shifts depending on the light. 'It has more yellow undertones when you're looking at it in natural light, but in a dark space, you're not getting a lot of that yellow reflection.' That's when it deepens to a rich, almost blackened green, and 'it can look dark blue,' Swabb says.
Going monochrome — painting the walls and trim in the same color — can trick the eye into believing a small room is larger. This corner space in a home in Georgetown, also designed by Swabb, practically begged for the hygge treatment. The color that got the job done beautifully: Farrow & Ball's Studio Green, which shifts depending on the light. 'It has more yellow undertones when you're looking at it in natural light, but in a dark space, you're not getting a lot of that yellow reflection.' That's when it deepens to a rich, almost blackened green, and 'it can look dark blue,' Swabb says.
Why fight the square footage when you can flirt with it? Marie-Joe Bouffard, principal of JFY Designs in Nashville, selected Sherwin-Williams's Grizzle Gray for the walls and ceiling in this 16-by-17-foot Nashville bedroom. The green undertones 'make the room feel warm and happy, not somber.' Bouffard said in an email. The rich, almost moody color envelops the space. 'I chose that color because it's a teen boy's room and wanted a color that felt masculine and a bit youthful, yet dark and cozy like a hug,' she added.
Why fight the square footage when you can flirt with it? Marie-Joe Bouffard, principal of JFY Designs in Nashville, selected Sherwin-Williams's Grizzle Gray for the walls and ceiling in this 16-by-17-foot Nashville bedroom. The green undertones 'make the room feel warm and happy, not somber.' Bouffard said in an email. The rich, almost moody color envelops the space. 'I chose that color because it's a teen boy's room and wanted a color that felt masculine and a bit youthful, yet dark and cozy like a hug,' she added.
Designer J.P. Horton selected Benjamin Moore's Guilford Green for this laundry room in Charleston, South Carolina. 'It's a gentle green with warm undertones that brightens up an otherwise tiny space,' he said in an email. The sage-y hue also plays well with others. It 'acts as a neutral and was a good choice for a room central to the house and open to other rooms painted in various other colors,' Horton says.
Designer J.P. Horton selected Benjamin Moore's Guilford Green for this laundry room in Charleston, South Carolina. 'It's a gentle green with warm undertones that brightens up an otherwise tiny space,' he said in an email. The sage-y hue also plays well with others. It 'acts as a neutral and was a good choice for a room central to the house and open to other rooms painted in various other colors,' Horton says.
Designer Tracy Morris chose Mineral Alloy, by Benjamin Moore, for a client's office, to match a 'beautiful, beautiful blue' in a Matt Camron rug in the adjacent living room. 'We decided the way to make it the most impactful was to paint the entire space that color,' says Morris, who is based in McLean. 'It's saturated, but it's not suffocating.' The result: a bold yet breathable space that feels like the definition of 'fun size.'
Kathryn O'Shea-Evans is a design and travel writer in Colorado.
Designer Tracy Morris chose Mineral Alloy, by Benjamin Moore, for a client's office, to match a 'beautiful, beautiful blue' in a Matt Camron rug in the adjacent living room. 'We decided the way to make it the most impactful was to paint the entire space that color,' says Morris, who is based in McLean. 'It's saturated, but it's not suffocating.' The result: a bold yet breathable space that feels like the definition of 'fun size.'
Kathryn O'Shea-Evans is a design and travel writer in Colorado.