The color brown is back in a big way. Dark and light brown shades are among the most popular neutrals in home design today. Brown is a versatile and timeless color for interior palettes, creating a warm and grounding atmosphere that can transform any home into a welcoming and elegant space. Brown’s natural, earthy tones make it approachable and complementary to a wide range of other colors.
Brown colors are also compatible with a variety of interior styles, including rustic, modern, traditional, and farmhouse. From classic light browns like beige or khaki to deep, rich browns like sable and mahogany, there are brown tones that can be used in every room of the house, both as a dominant color theme and as an accent color. Combined with other neutrals, it can bring depth and texture or be used as an anchoring base to let brighter hues pop. Brown’s adaptability makes it an excellent choice for any room in your home.
Decorate With Brown in Every Room
Using brown as an accent or foundational color in every room is a simple way to create a cohesive and welcoming environment.
Living Room
Brown shades can be used as a versatile color element in the living room, adding to its elegance and warmth. Many decorators are using earthy browns on the walls and ceiling to make the living room feel more inviting and intimate. However, there are numerous other ways to use brown colors in living rooms.
Brown leather or fabric upholstery is a practical and attractive option that is more forgiving than light colored upholstery. Bookshelves painted in rich brown add an earthy texture to a bright living room. You can also choose to accentuate the room’s decor with brown throw pillows, rugs, and curtains to help anchor lighter colors.
Kitchen
Using brown in the kitchen is a simple way to transform this busy area into a more serene feeling space. Brown is one of the ultimate natural colors, and you see brown tones everywhere in the natural world. Brown represents grounding and stability, making it an ideal color for a room that provides nourishment, security, and comfort.
Brown colors, such as taupe and beige, look lovely on painted cabinets and shelves. Even though painted cabinets remain the most popular, we are seeing a return to the trend of wooden cabinets. Brown wood-faced cabinets are a striking choice because they add color, warmth, and texture to the design. Brown can also be used on other kitchen surfaces, such as a countertop, backsplash, or floor, as well as soft textiles like rugs, upholstery, and window coverings.
Dining Room
Brown is a traditional color for dining rooms because it can look formal as well as cozy. Painting the walls or ceiling brown is a bold choice that can transform the look of a dining room, but even if you aren’t ready to dive headfirst into painting your entire dining room, you can incorporate brown in a variety of ways.
A brown wooden dining table serves as a timeless centerpiece, offering both style and durability. Complement any table with brown velvet upholstered chairs to enhance the luxury of the room. Decorative elements like brown colored table linens, vases, and wall art are excellent for adding sophisticated layers to the room.
Bedroom
Paint colors in shades of brown are increasingly popular among homeowners and interior designers who want to give their bedrooms a distinctive appearance. Many are fully embracing the brown trend, using rich, dark brown paint for the ceiling and walls. If you have abundant natural light, this may be a trend that you should consider.
Even if you feel that brown walls will make your bedroom too dark, there are other ways to incorporate brown into the bedroom. Both light and dark brown wood tones are gorgeous for beds, nightstands, and dressers. Adding brown elements to your bedding will create a pleasing contrast with light neutrals or more colorful linens.
Bathroom
In the bathroom, brown hues can evoke a relaxing spa vibe. A brown wooden vanity works well in both modern and traditional bathrooms and complements any color scheme. Brown is also a classic base color that can be used in a variety of styles and designs. Brown tiles on the floors or walls are an unexpected but sophisticated choice that provide the perfect counterpoint to light neutrals or vibrant colors.
Home Office
The home office and brown colors are natural companions. Brown has a calm, no-nonsense demeanor that works well when you want to create a stylish space where you can get things done.
Brown as a background will create a soothing yet productive environment. A brown wooden desk has been the focal point of countless offices and workspaces. Brown wood or painted cabinets are visually appealing and help keep the area organized. Layer in other brown shaded accents, including brown picture frames, desk organizers, lamps, and wallpaper, to give your design depth.
Entryway
Entries or foyers painted or decorated in brown are a strategic choice that sets the tone for your home. A brown wooden console table is ideal for storing all of your essentials and serves as the foundation for an appealing yet functional entryway. A wooden framed mirror, coat racks, baskets, and area rugs are just a few more ways to incorporate brown into the foyer. A unique floor option that grounds the heavily trafficked area and offers a long-lasting surface is brown floor tile.
Best Brown Paint Colors
The popularity of brown paints is reflected in the sheer number of lovely brown paint colors that exist. Here are a few of our favorite options.
London Clay
London Clay (No. 244) by Farrow & Ball is a deep, rich brown with warm undertones. It evokes the dense, earthy tones found in traditional London brickwork. This color exudes elegance and style, and it can instantly bring drama to any room. This is a fantastic choice for both contemporary and traditional designs.
Urbane Bronze
Sherwin Williams’ Urbane Bronze (SW 7048) has long been a favorite among interior designers and home decorating enthusiasts alike. This color combines brown and gray to create a moody hue that reflects the complexities of the natural world. Urbane Bronze has green and bronze undertones, which add depth and complexity to the color.
Weimaraner
Not all light shades of brown are as sophisticated and complex as Weimaraner (AF-155) from Benjamin Moore. This medium dark brown shade features a healthy dose of gray, similar to the Weimaraner dog breed for which this paint color is named. This blend of brown and gray makes Weimaraner an extremely versatile paint color that pairs well with both light and dark color contrasts.
Downing Earth
Downing Earth (SW 2820) is a mid-toned brown shade from Sherwin Williams. Like many of the brown shades listed here, the color has a touch of gray. Gray serves to neutralize the color and make it more versatile and soothing. Downing Earth pairs well with both neutrals and warm colors like terracotta and bronze.
Van Buren Brown
Van Buren Brown (HC-70) is a deep brown with warm undertones. The complexity of this shade gives it a subtle depth and richness, making it ideal if you want to create a warm and inviting space.
Mouse’s Back
The name of this Farrow & Ball paint color comes from the coat of a humble field mouse. This medium brown paint color, like many Farrow & Ball paint colors, contains a significant amount of gray to reduce color saturation. There are strong green undertones in this complex paint color. Low-light rooms will make this undertone more noticeable.
Grandfather Clock Brown
Brown is particularly striking when blended with shades of red or with an undertone of pink. Grandfather Clock (2096-30) by Benjamin Moore is an excellent example of this. Though not dramatically overt, this color has a strong, warm undertone that echoes the rich red wood tones of heirloom grandfather clocks.
Turkish Coffee
Similar to the rich, aromatic brew that this color is named for, Turkish Coffee (6076) from Sherwin Williams is deep, dark, and warm. Turkish Coffee is unusual in that it has a yellow undertone, which will appear more visible when it is paired with other warm hues.
Toasty
Brown is simply a darker shade of orange, as demonstrated by Sherwin Williams’ Toasty (6095). This color seamlessly straddles the orange/brown line, producing a balanced, warm, medium-toned color.
Mahogany
Mahogany (No. 36) from Farrow & Ball is named after the deep, reddish wood tones found in aged mahogany furniture. This paint color has strong red undertones that give it texture and complexity. Mahogany is striking on walls, but it also looks stunning on millwork and cabinetry.
