No-Fail Guest Room Color Palettes

This classic combo results in a room that's gender-neutral, crisp and calming. The bold paint color establishes the palette, allowing complementary white on the wainscoting to extend high up the wall and the bedding to add contrast. Black side tables and picture frames ground the look. Design by Studio Design Group

A rich, dark brown is a surprisingly serene foundation for a guest room when paired with bright pastels. The key to using brown successfully is keeping the trim crisp white, which frames the wall and adds contrast. Photography by Tria Giovan

Mellow yellow walls create a restful, traditional guest room. Classic white trim adds polish to the scheme, while green accents on the headboard and bench at the foot of the bed play off the buttery walls. Symmetrically arranged artwork on either side of the bed adds comforting orderliness. Design by Stephen Mooney Interiors

A surprising color combination is always welcome in a guest room, where guests will enjoy a brief departure from the expected. The key to mixing colors with confidence is to repeat the colors in multiple places in the room. The brown wallpaper is echoed in the sisal rug; the blue repeats in the wastebasket, quilt and lamp; and the red appears on the bedskirt, duvet and sham. Photography by Tria Giovan