The Best Paint Colors for Kids’ Rooms, According to Designers

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Okay, I admit I get a tiny bit obsessed when picking out paint colors for my kids’ rooms. But the right shade can bring a whole new (happy) vibe to the space. With my older son’s bedroom, I must have swatched 5, or um, 50 blues before hitting payday with Benjamin Moore Finley Blue, a medium blue that skews warm — think crisp bright blue but *not* like a Mets’ jersey.

If you’re doing a nursery, even better. You’re setting up a crash (and explore) pad for a true VIP. Whether you want your little one’s first room to feel cozy, creative, fun — or all of the above — the right palette is key. To give you some inspo for the baby years and beyond, Cubby asked seven top interior designers to share the paint shades they’re loving in kids’ rooms for 2022. From black to white to guacamole, there’s a new color crush for every type of kid space.

If you want something that’s not-even-slightly cookie cutter, why not think in black and white? That’s what California-based designer Naomi Alon Coe of Little Crown Interiors did with this client’s nursery. “Benjamin Moore Onyx is a dark and bold black, but it’s also a bit soft,” she says. “What I love about this dark accent wall is it gives so much character to the space without overwhelming it.” 

Thinking about taking the plunge with a dark accent wall? “They’re great if you want to go bold but don’t want that color to take over the space,” Coe says. “In a nursery, they can also serve to direct your eye to the crib wall, making the room feel cohesive and interesting.” (Just a word of warning: Black paint works best in a room like this one that has loads of natural light and light furniture.) The shade of white matters too. Coe’s pick with Onyx? Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White — ”a great white with just the slightest touch of gray so it’s not stark.” 

When creating rooms for kids, Washington, DC-based interior designer Zoe Feldman likes to pair serene paint with fun wallpaper. “We often find ourselves using blue, a universally-loved paint color, in kids’ spaces,” Feldman says. “For this room, we chose Farrow & Ball’s Skylight — a soothing blue-ish gray that is more chalky than vibrant — to keep the space feeling calm and not chaotic.” The trim is Farrow & Ball Shadow White (“the neutral, putty tone provides a quieter transition from the blue than a stark white would, while adding warmth”). And that great retro-modern wallpaper is Rebel Murals’ Aero Show. “It’s executed in a mural format meant to inspire curiosity and tell a story,” Feldman says.

A cozy space doesn’t have to look cutesy. When faced with a room with sloping ceilings, Brooklyn-based interior designer Jennifer Morris of JMorris Design leaned into earthy minimalism and created an accent wall painted Benjamin Moore Guacamole. (The rest of the room is Benjamin Moore Super White.) “I loved using this color to accentuate the architectural wonkiness of this room,” Morris says. “I also wanted a shade that would stay relevant as my client’s young son got older and his tastes matured.” Also key: The color is rich and flexible, thanks to its gray undertones. “Oranges, blues, browns would all go great with it — even pinks and some purples,” she says. 

Searching for that perfect navy — not too bright, just enough gray? SoCal designer Raili Clasen of RailiCA Design has two words for you: Hale Navy. “For a kid’s space, Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy is a favorite,” she says. “We love when it is teamed up with white oak” — as it is in this space she designed for a young family’s Newport Beach home. If you’re pairing Hale Navy with white, you can’t go wrong with Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, Clasen says.

As you may know from scrolling designer Insta, white’s super on-trend for kids’ rooms. But it’s a tricky shade to get right. Tiffany Leigh, an interior designer in Toronto, swears by a crisp white — and, hey, it’s another vote for Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace! “We love to use Chantilly Lace to allow all of the other elements to really pop,” she says. “This room reads as a ‘pink nursery,’ even though the walls are white.” Bonus? It makes life easy when you’re ready for an update: “As your baby grows up into a child full of personality and opinions, it will be easy to switch up the decor to repaint in a color of their choosing (no priming necessary!).”

In a child’s bedroom, where personalities continue to develop and trends change, it’s important to find less expensive opportunities to highlight who they are — ones that can evolve alongside them, says MA Allen, an interior designer in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Using paint to tie together the layers of pattern and bold colors is not only effective, but it’s easy to change when the time comes,” she says. Here, her choice of Benjamin Moore Lavender Mist brings a vibrant sophistication to a girl’s room.

For a playful pop of color, interior designer Jessica Davis of JL Design in Nashville is a fan of Sherwin-Williams 6750 Waterfall (it’s the bottom stripe in the room above).  “I love Waterfall,” she says. “It’s such a versatile color that feels fresh, fun, and timeless!”