There was a 10-year period where everyone (including me) was building black or near-black rooms or walls. These days, we want something moody and romantic, but we want warmth back in our lives. We want the “adult” version of that look. If you want a rich, moody, warm, neutral paint color, brown is your color!
Floor mirror | Floor lamp Leather chair (similar) | CLJ x Lola Blanket | Linen curtains | Blackout shades | Smoke/sand carpet
While we’re seeing beautiful wood tones come back into fashion, we’re also seeing brown paint resurface as an interior paint color scheme. I see a lot of people who want the warmth of wood but maybe don’t want the cost of covering an entire room with panels. That’s when you can choose shades of brown.
And brown works surprisingly well as a color combination! Paint the walls, moldings, and ceiling brown! This is where it really shines.
Where to use brown paint
Shop in our bedroom
Brown is a great backdrop for bedrooms and living areas (it really makes the art pop). I was 18 when I first painted my bedroom brown, and in almost every house since then I’ve returned to painting my bedroom brown (our current room is Farrow & Ball’s London Clay). I would also use it in a powder bathroom or even in the office to evoke that traditional feel that gives a home such character.
Also, I will never go back to the white pantry. Pantries rarely get natural light, and a rich color like brown allows food to pop off the shelves.
How to use brown paint
Store sources
As I mentioned earlier, brown paint is a good candidate for room coloring. I chose a real dark brown—Van Dyke Brown by Sherwin Williams—for the pantry in our former home. I wanted the room to look like chocolate. So I painted the walls, trim and ceiling brown and – oh my goodness – I loved it! It looked like a classic, old-world European staple in my pantry. After that, I became more attached to how this color could transform a space. (If you go over the cap, that might bring the price down a bit, so my recommendation is if you’re going to do it, do it.)
I also love the dark brown painted furniture and cabinets. Especially the back of Farrow & Ball’s Mouse – there are a lot of cabinets painted in this colour. It’s a beautiful dark brown color that applies well in a utilitarian space.
How to choose a paint finish
Darker colors look more sophisticated with a matte finish. A lot of contractors will tell you to choose satin or semi-gloss, so you should know what type of sheen you want before anyone asks you. It used to be that you needed some sheen in your paint for it to be scrubbable, but formulas have gotten a lot better (just do your research)! I love eggshell or satin – I used Farrow & Ball Modern Emulsion on our walls and our bedroom trim which has the slightest sheen (similar to eggshell).
Choose a brown paint color
When I think of the best brown paint colors, I like to think of dark chocolate, milk chocolate or worn leather tones. Brown brings depth that black cannot offer and warmth that gray cannot. It feels romantic and intimate. It has a lot of personality behind it!
Essential bedroom resources
Our bedroom gets a lot of natural light, and for these types of rooms, you can choose the shade you want. If your room faces north, you usually want to choose a warmer paint color. And if your room doesn’t get a lot of natural light, you’ll want to choose a more moody paint color—it should feel more intentionally dark.
Here are my favorite brown paint colors that I recommend to update the spaces in your home:
The return of Farrow & Ball Mouse
Benjamin Moore Whitall Brown
Farrow & Ball Drab Salon
Farrow & Ball London Clay
Benjamin Moore Middlebury Brown
Valspar Bourbon Street
Benjamin Moore Mocha Brown
Benjamin Moore Van Buren Brown
Sherwin Williams Sable
Sherwin Williams Van Dyke Brown
Sherwin Williams Dark Carnation
Sherwin Williams Turkish Coffee
Where will you use brown paint in your home?
