No-Fail Guest Room Color Palettes

Make your guests feel welcome with these comforting colors and bedroom design ideas.

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November 25, 2014

By: Lydia Somerville

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Blue-Ribbon Blend

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

Comforting Brown Design

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

Sunny and Serene

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

Fresh Traditional

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

Rustic Romance

With a room as boldly constructed as this log cabin bedroom, minimal color sets off the dramatic building style. Echoing the white plaster between rough-hewn logs, all-white bedding and bed hangings add a note of luxury to the rustic space. To replicate the look of logs without a major remodel, you could use a graining paint technique. Design by Suzanne Kasler; photography by Jeff Herr

Creamy Neutrals

Mix textures of fabrics and textiles to make a neutral palette cozy and welcoming. This large, high-ceilinged room, swathed in creamy paint, called for softening with generous curtains, a waterfall coverlet and a hide rug. Cinnamon-colored pillows add a pop of color and warmth to the serene scheme. Design by Dana Wolter; photography by Jean Allsopp

Colors of the Sea

Sand, ocean and sky inspire a soothing bedroom palette of blues and tans. Grass-cloth walls and linen shades edged in aqua establish the contrast of blue against neutral. Shades of blue repeat in the lamp and pillows, not matched exactly but complementary in the way the colors of water, sky and cloud blend in harmony. Photography by Tria Giovan

Eggshell Hues

Colors of birds' eggs inspired this guest bedroom with subdued blue walls and taupe accents. This combo is a contemporary take on the timeless blue and white bedroom. Wood accents and chocolate lampshades add a masculine touch to the scheme. To reinforce the design inspiration, a collection of birds'-egg antique prints hang over the bed. Design by Tammy Connor; photography by Jean Allsopp

Lemon Zest

A lattice-patterned yellow wallpaper brightens this guest room, extending from crisp white wainscoting up to the crown molding. Chocolate-brown accents root the room in an earthy, natural scheme with wood finishes, a striped rug and botanical bedding. Design by Chris Sullivan Roughan; photography by Tria Giovan

No-Fail Guest Room Color Palettes

Related To:

Shop This Look

Blue-Ribbon Blend

Comforting Brown Design

Sunny and Serene

Fresh Traditional

Rustic Romance

Creamy Neutrals

Colors of the Sea

Eggshell Hues

Lemon Zest

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