In decades past, many homes had both a family room and a living room. The family room served as the “casual” heart of the home, while the living room was the “formal” room for company and entertaining. The decor often matched the room’s purpose, as well, with the family room decorated as the rough-and-tumble space and the living room left in pristine condition.
Modern design, however, means more and more homes have one larger open space that serves several functions in the home. This room is the new family room, and it pulls double or triple-duty as an all-purpose entertainment and relaxation space for a family’s private moments and guest-centered activities.
For many families, then, the family room has to be a space that is both cozy and inviting but can also be “dressed up” as needed. Interior wall painting and the right paint color goes a long way in creating this balanced environment. But what is the best paint color for your family room?
Best Paint Colors for Your Family Room
Here are the best colors for painting your family room:
1. Greige
Yes, we talk about greige all the time, but that’s because our clients absolutely love this grey-beige combo for family rooms. It looks good with everything, can go super pale or be deeply saturated, and even looks great as a trim paint color.
Greige is the perfect color to paint your family room to make the room feel cozy. It pops against lighter trim or blends into the background so your art and accessories can stand out. It goes with nearly every color of wood, metal or fabric you can think of, as well. Of all the colors we’ve listed here–some of which are dependent upon your personal style or taste–greige really is the perfect family room color for any home.
Best Greige Paint Colors for Family Room:
Stonehenge Greige–one of our favorites
Whiskers–soft, sepia greige
Stone Castle Greige–brown sugar greige
Stone Harbor Greige–soft millennial greige
2. Blush
Modern blush colors are anything but juvenile. Blush might still read on the softer side, but these dusky colors can act as the perfect backdrop for a sophisticated entertainment and family room space.
Think in terms of “muted” instead of “bright” when you choose a blush color for painting your family room. A great blush fades prettily into the background while letting your furniture and art shine. It’s never fussy and because it’s a very “now” color, it can give your overall style a modern boost.
The one thing we really like about blush is that it helps beautiful trim or woodwork really shine. Try a soft cream on baseboards, or add a wood panel accent wall. Blush still gives you color in the room without pulling too much attention away from furniture or your favorite painting.
Perfect Blush Paint Colors for Family Room:
Just Blush–pale, muted pink
Barely Blush–pale, cheerful pinkish hue
Blush Beige–exactly what it sounds like
3. Natural Tones (with a Twist)
We’re seeing a lot of family rooms take advantage of natural tones like clay, mushroom, mustard (seed, not condiment), wheat and even evergreen. The twist is that these natural tones are taking center stage with deeply saturated hues. The best part is that these colors bring in the outdoors in a tangible way, but still manage to feel relaxing and tranquil.
One of our favorites is a deep, almost jewel-toned deep green. Hunter green was big in the 90s, but was often accompanied by too-dark wood accents or wallpaper borders. This new deep green is incredibly sophisticated and can help find that balance between cozy and formal in your family room. Make it really stand out with glossy white trim, or go ultra-modern and paint trim or doors in the same color.
Great Natural Paint Tones for Family Room:
Sauteed Mushroom–saturated clay beige
Stone Gray–gray clay beige
Evergreen Boughs–dark, shaded green
4. Gray
Gray has been a go-to family room color for well over a decade at this point, and for good reason. It’s a perfect neutral that can swing warm or cool if you need it to. It has a huge range of shades from not-quite-white-silver to moody charcoal.
One trend we’re seeing with gray in family rooms lately is deeper grays with lilac undertones. It’s a balanced color that feels both classic and modern at the same time. And it’s a great background if your design aesthetic is about layering in color with accessories. The purple undertones make accent colors like yellow pop, and also looks great with light wood or metal accents.
Best Grey Paint Colors for Family Room:
Greyhound–soft grey with red undertones
Grey Mauve–midtone, neutral gray
Hush–gray with a mulberry undertone
5. Blue
Blue is an easy color for homeowners to love. It’s versatile because it can be anything you want it to be depending on the shade you choose. Go playful with brighter tones for larger areas. Or for smaller areas and accent walls, a sophisticated with darker or classic navy can work. Your painter may even be able to digitally paint the blue on the wall using software before even picking up a brush.
One blue we’ve been seeing in family rooms is almost a “mist” blue. It’s very, very light and really helps to open smaller family rooms or make larger spaces and great rooms even more spacious. This light blue looks great with cream trim (white can make it look a little too “nursery”), and textured fabrics. It’s the ultimate relaxing family room paint color and still looks formal enough for company.
Favorite Blue Paint Colors for Family Room:
Maiden Mist–light grey true blue
Winter’s Breath–light arctic blue
Dartmoor Blue–light neutral blue
Professional Interior and Family Room Painting
Our professional paint experts are ready to help you paint your family room the perfect color. We offer free consultations and work quickly so you can begin to enjoy your new family room color as soon as possible. Contact us today for a free interior painting quote.