Colour psychology: best bedroom colours for sleep

Tranquil navy blue, peaceful forest green and soothing shades of sandcastle yellow – they all have the power to influence our emotions, atmosphere, and sleep.

Understanding colour psychology allows you to design a space that helps you relax and unwind. A happy place. A retreat. A sleep haven. Together, let’s look at the meaning of colour and how to apply it in your own bedroom. With the right palette, you’ll be able to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Let’s ask the experts…

The colour of our bedrooms can make a real difference in how we feel, but why?

Colour psychology experts have found that some hues make us feel relaxed, while others make us more alert. They can be carefully selected to balance our emotions or to create different moods. In fact, temperature, sound, layout, lighting, and colours can all stimulate perceptual and emotional responses when designing a sleep environment.

Professor Anna Franklin, a leading expert in colour psychology, says “colour preference is driven by how colour is encoded by sensory mechanisms in the eye and brain”. Her recent study at the University of Sussex’s school of psychology found that dark blue is the world’s most relaxing colour.

Our 2022 sleep study revealed that 34% of people said stress is one of the main causes of a bad night’s sleep, but stress-busting colours don’t have to be boring. Let’s get creative with our bedroom palette and design a space that’s bursting with relaxation. Here are our favourite calming colours…

Credit: @lorisarah_home

Light yellow

This sunshine tone can help lift your mood and alleviate stress. Yellow is the colour of happiness, warmth, and spring daffodils.

To bring cheerful pops of yellow to your master suite, play around with textiles such as throws, curtains and bedding. Look for muted shades of pastel yellow (such as the ever-so popular butter yellow) as vibrant tones can sometimes stimulate your senses.

Combine yellow with neutral walls to create a French country look or midnight blue for sophisticated drama. Paler yellows, which can be found in the natural shade of the Flaxby Headboard can be contrasted against darker greys and blacks. The variation in tone is daring and bold, building upon a contemporary design.

Blue

Blue, the colour of calm.

Blue is used to lower blood pressure while also slowing respiration and heart rate – it just may be the best colour for your bedroom. Deep shades of navy blue are ever so relaxing for walls, bedding, furniture, and accents. It will help you unwind after a long day and soothe your stress away into the land of nod.

Lighter shades of baby blue will evoke a fresh, airy atmosphere, working particularly well to style a modern space or coastal concept. You can also introduce moments of darker blue without committing to a full wall of colour through accessories such as bedding, blankets, cushions and rugs. Better yet, these design elements can be switched up easily depending on your mood.

Green

Green open spaces make us feel more at ease and connected to the world. It helps shape a sense of calm in our busy lives.

Much like blue, green works well in our sleep space to create a snug atmosphere. With deep shades of forest green and seaweed to lighter shades of pistachio and sage – there’s a beautiful green palette for you to experiment with.

For a regal example, the TheraPur® Shallow Divan Base with matching headboard is a real eye-catcher adding a sense of class and sophistication to a space. The dark pine green twill on this luxuriously upholstered frame will make an alluring contrast to striking white walls, or work in harmony with a feature wall behind it.

Pink

Pink combines the passion and energy of red with the purity of white to form the colour of romance, charm, and sweet playfulness.

From muted soft tones to cooler pinks, near whites to rosy tones, it can fashion a dreamlike space that oozes personality while also lulling us to sleep with tranquillity. It’s also perfectly versatile for accessorising.

For bolder pieces, the Margot Ottoman Bed Frame in fluffy bouclé pink will add a luscious pop of vibrancy to your sleep sanctuary, combining a contemporary design and a cosy, sumptuous feel. Look how it blends seamlessly with the deeper reds, rusts, and crisp whites around the room. Not too feminine, but by no means boring; the perfect balance for your pretty pink boudoir.

Light brown

Browns with orange undertones give a calming, earthy feel to a room. In colour psychology, it’s considered a solid colour, much like our natural world.

Warm shades of brown can evoke a sandy, seaside feel or a rustic, homely countryside vibe. Choose natural tones such as terracotta, fire, and rust to compose a space that’s rich with comfort, aiding your slumber.

Our Delaware bed scene is a prime example of this sandy warmth. Look how the beige walls provide the perfect backdrop for the chocolate brown leather bed frame, complete with orange accessories and greenery.

Alternatively, bring a touch of brown to your bedroom, add wooden texture through furniture, subtle accents, and a feature wall. The Hayden Platform Bed Frame offers a warm yet effortlessly cool, contemporary feel for a Scandi-inspired bedroom design.