Brown Paint Colors
for Comfortable Walls

They are very adaptable, and work well with any light in any location.

The Key to Working With Brown Color

The color brown is traditionally associated with warmth and comfort, solidity, reliability and gravity.

And what home doesn't need a sense of gravity, of security?

But brown is also probably the easiest color to overdo in decor and end up with too much of a good thing when you're trying to create a comfortable, cozy space.

It's because in addition to a cozy, familiar feeling that brown can create, homes also need brightness and air that it can't provide, and that is why all-brown color schemes usually look drab, depressing and heavy.

So what's the secret to working with brown?

It's this: begin with brown, but don't end there!

But luckily, brown wall colors are very versatile and adaptable to most decorating styles - they can look as traditional or as modern as you choose.

It's all in the mix - in other words, how you dress it up with furniture, art and fabric colors.

For example, brown plus brick red, earthy green or country blue are classic and timeless color combinations.

The same basic color combos can look very hip and trendy if you simply crank up the intensity of the accent colors and use hot pink, lime green or turquoise instead.

Using Brown Paint Colors in a Home

No color suggests hominess more than brown.

This hue can be warm (those shades with reddish and orangey undertones) or cool (gray and green-based browns).

Warm browns look more casual; their strong positive associations with food (such as brown bread, brown sugar, brown eggs, chocolate, coffee, etc) make them a good color choice for dining room areas.

Cooler browns look more strict and formal, and are better suited in masculine decors and spaces.

Lighter, mid-tone brown walls create a cozy atmosphere that seems to hug and protect you without being too dark.

They look restful and give off a sense of well-being.

These shades don't shout their presence and don't dominate the space.

For this reason, they provide perfect backdrops for wall art collections, and work great in living rooms, bedrooms, reading rooms and home libraries.

Dark, rich brown paint colors add drama to a room and have an effect similar to black, but not as harsh.

They work best in small spaces such as powder rooms, on accent walls, or in rooms with little visible wall space (for example, due to oversized wall art or many large windows).

Deep brown walls also require light ceilings, flooring and furniture to look balanced (because it's an inherently heavy color).

But here's a good point to remember:

When working with these hues, it is extremely important to use the right sheen of paint.

First of all, a glossy paint finish will look unnatural for such an earthy color as brown, and will not do any justice to this stable, grounded hue.

Second, shiny brown walls will also reflect the light, closing in the space and making it look smaller.

So for brown paints, always choose flat/matte finishes for a velvety, fabric-like effect on the walls.

And if you want to get your hands on the best 8 shades of brown and save yourself a lot of time on testing, check out the Paint Color Cheat Sheets where the hard work has already been done for you!

Brown Room Projects
From Our Visitors:

Here are some examples of how other people have used brown paint in their homes - take a look and don't forget to leave a comment.

And if you have your own brown room painting project to share, click here and see your name in lights!

Turquoise Blue and Brown Paint Color Scheme 
When we moved into this new house, every single room had wallpaper border. Ugly, old, peeling, dated wallpaper border. We wanted to paint, so the process …

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See Also:

Tuscan Paint Colors

White Wall Paint: It's a Color, Too

Purple Paint: the Mysterious Color

Explore Paint Colours for Your Home

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