Why Beige Walls Work + How To Pick A Shade
Beige walls complement any style and create a warm, inviting space. Their flexibility makes them a go-to choice for home interiors.
If you’re trying to decide between beige and white or looking for the right beige shade for your home, knowing how beige works will help you make the best choice.
When it comes to choosing a paint color, everyone has their preference – white, beige, or something colorful.
Over the years, I’ve tried them all and I keep coming back to beige. It’s hands-down the most versatile and dependable wall color I’ve ever used. Plus, beige walls add warmth in a way that white walls often can’t.
So, if you’re planning to repaint, there are many good reasons to consider using this wonderful neutral color.
Before you think, “Beige is too boring,” let me show you why it’s one of the best choices for any room—especially if you’re looking for the best color for living room walls.
Why Beige Walls Work In Any Room
Beige adds warmth to a room. Have you ever walked into a room with stark white walls and felt it was too cold? Or entered a room with bold colors that seem too intense and take over the space?
Beige Adds Warmth Without Overpowering
Beige creates a cozy, inviting atmosphere, unlike stark white walls. In spaces where you want a neutral backdrop that isn’t cold and stark or too dark, it’s the perfect choice.
Whether in a bedroom, dining room, or a living room where you’re trying to find the best wall color, beige feels light and open while still offering warmth.
It’s Versatile For Every Decor Style
Whether your style is modern, farmhouse, traditional, or eclectic, beige wall paint adapts to its surroundings, which is one of its biggest advantages.
It works well with wood tones, metal finishes and almost any accent color, which makes it easy to switch up your decor without repainting.
It Reflects Light Without Feeling Harsh
The magic of beige wall color is that it reflects natural and artificial light, keeping a soft, inviting look, without the starkness of white.
Even in a room that doesn’t get much natural light, a warm beige shade can make a space feel brighter.
Beige vs White Walls: Which One Is Better For Your Home?
If you’re deciding between beige or white walls, it’s important to consider how each one impacts a space.
Even though both colors are neutral, they each create very different moods in a room.
| FEATURE | BEIGE WALLS | WHITE WALLS |
| Warmth | Always soft, cozy, inviting | Can feel stark |
| Versatility | Works with both warm and cool tones | Best for minimalist or modern spaces |
| Lighting | Softly reflects light, prevents harshness | Direct sunlight can feel too bright |
| Best For | Traditional, transitional, cozy interiors | Bright, airy, modern interiors |
Bottom line – beige is a great option if you want warmth and flexibility, while white might be better suited for a clean, high-contrast look.
How To Choose The Best Beige Wall Color For Your Home
Don’t count on all beige shades being the same – some lean warm, some cool, and some work well in any setting.
Identify The Undertones
Beige paint can be like a chameleon. It can have yellow, pink, gray, or green undertones. The right choice will depend largely upon the lighting in your room as well as the decor.
- Comparing samples to pure white will reveal subtle undertones.
- Testing swatches on the walls in your space, then observing them at different times of the day is critical.
- Match undertones to your existing decor. Warm beige pairs well with wood tones, while cool beige complements gray and black.
Test Paint Swatches On Your Walls Before Committing
Now that you know how beige paint can look different under various lighting conditions, it’s important to test swatches on your actual walls before making a final choice.
- Paint large sections on different walls in the room to see how the color changes throughout the day and at night.
- Be sure to check the swatches in both natural and artificial light. Not only does beige appear different in natural light, it also has a different appearance in artificial light.
- Compare swatches next to your existing (or planned) flooring, trim, and furniture to ensure the undertones blend well.
A Note About Gray
If you have gray furnishings in a room, there’s no need to replace anything. Instead, opt for what I call greige paint colors, a warm beige color with gray undertones.
This is what we did when we remodeled our current home. It was at the height of the gray paint craze, but even so, we opted to use Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige in all of our rooms. All because even though this particular paint color is definitely beige, it also has gray undertones.
A prime example is my family room. When gray was all the rage, the room contained my greige colored couch, a coffee table upholstered with light gray fabric and a pair of gray recliners.
Even though those large pieces were predominantly gray, they still worked well with the paint color in the room, because the paint that we used has gray undertones.
As I’ve redecorated over time, I changed many of the furnishings and accessories in my living room. I still have the greige couch, but everything else has changed and still works great with the beige paint.
Best Beige Paint Colors
Alright, let’s cut to the chase. So, what are the best beige paint colors anyway?
My favorite, which happens to rank at the top of the popularity list is Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige. In fact, the entire interior of my home is painted with it!
No matter which lighting situation I use it in, it doesn’t have any pink, yellow undertones or green undertones.
Want the warmth of beige, but not the intensity? Use this trick. When getting your paint mixed, simply ask your paint store to mix the paint at a 50% (or higher or lower) intensity. Works like a charm! By going lighter, you’ll have a room that hints at white, but still retains the warmth of beige.
If you’re ready to commit, some of today’s popular beige paint colors are:
- Sherwin Williams: Accessible Beige, Natural Linen
- Benjamin Moore: Shaker Beige, Tapestry Beige
- Behr: Blank Canvas, Swiss Coffee
- Farrow and Ball: Ammonite, Skimming Stone
This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but is rather a list of some the most popular brands and their beige paint colors today.
The verdict? The color beige isn’t just any ole color. It takes center stage as the conducer of warmth and versatility.
So, if you’ve been on the fence, beige is the unsung hero. Use it and your walls will tell a tale of coziness, inviting and classic style.
I am trying to come up with a plan for repainting my kitchen. I want to do the cabinets which are now oak and the walls in the same neutral beige to coordinate with the back splash and counters. Have a large eat in kitchen with dining area separated by counter.My dilemma is what do I do about natural wood doors and woodwork throughout the area. The table and chairs are wood as well as a large hutch.The sliding,door to the deck is multi pained wood. Any suggestions?3
Hi Kathy. It’s hard for me to say without seeing the space. I’d be glad to give you some suggestions if you’d like to email me some photos to worthingcourtblog@gmail.com.
Great post! I feel the same way about beige
& now I have reasons why I like beige. I just can’t get into gray! Thanks
Great post! I completely agree, especially with the idea that beige walls just sort of fade into the background and allow your furniture and accessories to be stars. . My last house was a new manufactured home with all white walls and trim and I eventually painted every room in the house different colors. While I enjoyed the color, it made it difficult to change things up because the wall colors were bossy. Some rooms were repainted several times. Two years ago we built a new home and I was determined to find a nice neutral wall color I could live with for years because I was tired of repainting. After lots of research, I chose SW Wool Skein and love it! Our trim and doors are SW Greek Villa and the pale beige and soft white is so calming. I did use a pale soft aqua (SW Windowpane) in the full bathrooms that already have a lot of beige and brown elements in the form of tile and light stained wood cabinets, but it is still nice and neutral and lends a spa like feel. You are so right about undertones! I remember choosing a beige color for my sons from that ended up having a pink undertone, so thankful I tried a sample first!
Thanks for this post! My home has different colors for the walls that were painted by the previous owners. I’ve been wanting to repaint them all the same color for a while now. I’m going to look into the Accessible Beige color and see if it will look good in my home. It appears to be a good neutral color choice.
Love this color!!! Are your walls mixed at a higher or lower intensity?
All of the my walls are mixed at the regular intensity – I didn’t have any changes made to the paint.
Where did you get the recliner in your living room? I’ve been looking everywhere for a nice neutral one that doesn’t look like a recliner. Yours is perfect! Oh, and is is comfortable? Thanks!
Yes, they are very comfortable. My husband is 6’2″ for reference. They came from Havertys. Here’s the link to them: https://www.havertys.com/furniture/recliners/emma-recliner
I did not even realize that was a recliner. My husband wants a recliner and I hate the way they look. We did try a recliner from Bassett that looked like an accent chair and it was so uncomfortable and the fabric did not hold up well at all. I had given up on finding a recliner for him but I’m going to have to check this one out at Havertys.
Edited to add, I accidentally posted this as a reply to someone else, sorry!
Great post! I completely agree, especially with the idea that beige walls just sort of fade into the background and allow your furniture and accessories to be stars. . My last house was a new manufactured home with all white walls and trim and I eventually painted every room in the house different colors. While I enjoyed the color, it made it difficult to change things up because the wall colors were bossy. Some rooms were repainted several times. Two years ago we built a new home and I was determined to find a nice neutral wall color I could live with for years because I was tired of repainting. After lots of research, I chose SW Wool Skein and love it! Our trim and doors are SW Greek Villa and the pale beige and soft white is so calming. I did use a pale soft aqua (SW Windowpane) in the full bathrooms that already have a lot of beige and brown elements in the form of tile and light stained wood cabinets, but it is still nice and neutral and lends a spa like feel. You are so right about undertones! I remember choosing a beige color for my sons from that ended up having a pink undertone, so thankful I tried a sample first!
When we were in the process of building our current home I thought I would go true white walls but as the house neared completion I realised that there was a lot of light in the house and that white would have been blinding. This was especially evident in the front half of the house with the morning sun. Our light here in Australia is especially bright. I chose a paint from New Zealand, Resene Eighth Tea, a neutral beige (despite the name) with no obvious undertones. It is a lovely cool shade and easy to work with. I was careful with the undertones as a previous house had pink beige walls. Never again!! I was never tempted to choose grey despite my daughter thinking I was being old fashioned choosing beige.
You have a beautiful home. I really like the Accesible Beige. I am FINALLY finishing my basement and would like to keep it light and airy. Obviously, lots of recessed light will help, but would you recommend mixing paint at only 50% color. Also, what trim color would you use?
Any help is appreciated.
Hi Brenda. If you want the warmth of beige, but also want a light and airy look, I think mixing Accessible Beige at 50% is definitely a good idea. One of the trends in today’s world is to paint the trim the same color as the walls, but in a differ sheen. For example, flat sheen on the walls and semi-gloss or gloss on the trim. I think it’s a trend that will eventually fade away though. If you prefer a more classic, long lasting look, you can’t go wrong with white. We used Sherwin Williams Extra White in semi-gloss on all of the trim in our house.
Would Accessible Beige work with cherry cabinets (stained a med-dark brown)?
(Meaning Accessible Beige on the walls; sorry that might not have been clear earlier.)
I believe that it would. I have it in rooms where I have cherry, mahogany, pine and more finishes on furniture and it workds just fine. 😀
I have gone with beige in all my rooms except for my master bedroom,guestroom and bathrooms and have loved it. Just replaced our sectional in,our family room and it was really hard to find anything but grey. Finally found a beautiful one in what I call oatmeal which goes perfectly with the walls and rug in this room. As you said I can change my seasonal decor and all colors look great. Right now for summer I have chartruce and deep aqua with lots of texture and interest brought in with accessories, paintings and a large wall mirror. Next month the change over to fall will be easy.
I live in Greensboro N.C. also and hope you are enjoying the cooler air this morning. This summer heat and humidity has been definitely got me looking forward to fall!!
That all sounds very pretty! Yes, it was a nice surprise to walk out with my dogs this morning to the lower humidity and cooler temps!
I agree with you Suzy! I haven’t grown tired of my beige walls near as quickly as I do when we use a bright color. And it just works with every season and decor change.
love your decorating style!! Could you please tell me the color and make of your carpet in your bedroom? love it so much!You are the best!!
Thank you! We installed the carpet 9 years ago, so I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the brand or color name. It came from Lowes though. Maybe you could show them a picture of it from my blog and they could help you figure it out.
I’m so ready to move on from grey. One of my favorite neutral colors is a soft green with n undertone of green. Great must do tips when chosing colors for your home!
I love your deerskin rug. Would you mind sharing where you got it?
Hi Heather. I’m SO sorry for not replying sooner! The rug that you’re asking about was actually made for us by a local flooring store out of carpeting.
Hi Suzy, I love your decorating tips. Where can I purchase the rug that is shown in the first picture of the “Why Beige Is The Best Wall Color To Use On Your Walls” ? Thank you!
That rug is actually a piece of carpeting that we ordered from a local flooring store that was cut to a custom size and bound for us. I can’t give you a link to it, but here are the details. You may be able to contact the store that we ordered from and have one made and shipped to you. Ours came from Carpet One by Henry in Greensboro, NC. It is from their collection called Home on the Range. This particular one is the color sand. It is sold to them by Presitge Mills, who uses lots of different manufacturers. I’ve seen the same carpet on other websites, but I can’t be sure it’s the exact same as this one. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!
What is the color of your house. Love it
Thank you! It’s Sherwin Williams Network Gray.
Suzie,
Can you tell me what kind of blue recliners you have? I’ve been searching for a new one and I’d like to find one like yours.
Hi Lynn. They came from Lazy Boy. Our chairs are the ones call the Collage Wall Recliner.
What is the beige wall paint color of that first living room pictured???
Apologies for taking so long to reply – your comment just appeared. Gotta love technology!
Anyway, the wall color you asked about is Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige.
I’ve always been a beige girl….I like a neutral canvas so I can introduce/change colors easily with pillows, art, accessories. Accessible Beige is nice as well as Tapestry Beige but I’ve always used a Valspar from the Sherwin Williams Collection called Drum Skin. Our home doesn’t have spacious rooms or high ceilings so I need as much light as
possible…. so I chose to paint all the walls in an eggshell finish. I’ve found that it’s much easier to clean, and incoming light seems to bounce off the finish and make the rooms appear brighter and larger. This has been my “go to” for many years, and I’ve never regretted it.
Well said, Leslie!