Close your eyes and imagine you’re in a calming and soothing location. You pictured the beach, right? If you did, you’re among the overwhelming majority of people who instantly visualize the beach or the ocean when they want to relax or meditate. This is, of course, not a coincidence.
The beach has actually been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on our mental well-being, so it’s no surprise that beach-inspired decor is so popular. Here we look at the best beach colors for walls and how they can impact the feel of a room.
Coastal Color Palette
A beach or coastal-themed interior decor look can inspire feelings of calm and relaxation, or it can help boost creativity and make you feel invigorated and refreshed. The type of colors you choose should reflect the atmosphere you want in your space.
A relaxing coastal color palette will focus on more neutral tones with a focus on blue shades, while a refreshing beach-inspired color palette will lean towards more green tones. Read on for some of the best wall paint colors available right now for beach-themed decor.
Blues
When you’re creating a beach-themed space, blue is usually going to be one of your main colors. Blue in beach themed decor can represent the dark blue of the deep ocean, the cool blue of more shallow, tranquil waters, or the sky blue of a clear, sunny day. Your blue shade could also be used to represent the pale blue of weathered siding on a beach hut.
The blue you choose should reflect the atmosphere you want to create. For a bright and cheerful beach-themed room, for example, a child’s bedroom, then sky blue would work well.
For a casual living room decorated in a coastal style, then a muted gray-blue may be a better choice. Blue is well known to be a color that gives off soothing and peaceful energy, though it can also be used to encourage creativity, depending on the shade.
Water’s Edge by Benjamin Moore
This is a crisp and cool shade of medium-light blue that will work well for a classic coastal style. It really pops against white, or you can give it a softer edge by pairing it with a shade of beige.
Light Blue by Farrow & Ball
This is a blue paint which has gray undertones, and is dramatically affected by the type of light in a room. In bright rooms, it will appear more sky blue, while in darker rooms it will take on a silvery hue.
Jet Stream Blue by Benjamin Moore
Jet Stream Blue is a cheerful shade of blue that is simultaneously relaxing and stimulating. It has a creative energy that will be maximized when paired with contrasting colors such as cherry red or bold orange, or you can point a focus on the soothing energy of this color by using it with more neutral tones such as sand.
Caribbean Sea by Glidden
This color is bright and tropical, making it ideal for beach-themed decor which has a more exotic inspiration. Since this shade is already very vibrant, it will work best with other colors that don’t battle against it for attention. Consider using it in a color scheme with white and beige, or add some bright yet small hits of pink to bring out the tropical vibe.
Polo Blue by Benjamin Moore
This medium shade of blue has green undertones that can be lured out by using accents of red. The presence of green in this paint means that it has an energy that is both fresh and invigorating, as well as calming.
Whites
In a beach-themed room, white can represent a white sandy beach, fluffy white clouds, or the white sail on a passing yacht. Many coastal buildings are also painted in white to reflect the sun and help keep them cool, so white could also be used in a beach theme because it is synonymous with the coast.
When choosing a shade of white to use for your walls, you should consider both the type of atmosphere you want to achieve, as well as the natural light that the room receives.
Shades of white can look very different on the wall depending on the time of day, and the aspect of the windows. While a sunny room can make a cool white look fresh and crisp, the same cool white in a dark room might look cold and dreary.
Calm by Benjamin Moore
As the name of this paint suggests, it has an energy that is calming. This is a result of the lilac-gray undertones in the color. In a bright room, this shade will look more like pure white, with a hint of gray, while in darker rooms it may read as a more lavender color. This will be ideal in a contemporary beach-themed room where you want to achieve a crisp and calming feel.
Polar Bear by Behr
This is a warm shade of off-white that will work beautifully with crisp blue colors if you want to create a balance between cool and warm shades. It has beige undertones that will make a space feel welcoming and cozy.
Pure White by Sherwin-Williams
This paint color has warm undertones which are predominantly yellow, but they are so minor that a room painted in this color will read as pure white. The benefit of the yellow undertones is that the room won’t feel cold or clinical, and instead will feel fresh and clean.
Sands
Sand shades can range from oatmeal right through to pale toffee. This color when used in a beach-inspired decor theme will, of course, represent the sand at a beach.
Using this color works well in a room where you want to balance out the cool blue or green tones with a warmer shade, bringing a feeling of comfort to the space. For a cozy beach-themed room, paint the walls in a deep shade of sand and pair this with white sofas, navy blue curtains, and navy blue cushions.
Barcelona Beige by Sherwin-Williams
This is a very neutral shade of beige that creates soft energy in a room. For a beach-inspired space, paint walls in Barcelona Beige and choose white cotton sofas, with navy blue throws draped over the back, and a mix of baskets made from natural materials such as rope or rattan.
This will create a coastal style that feels laidback and comforting. Some people are put off by the word ‘beige’ as it can have negative connotations of being old-fashioned, but this beige color has a good mix of both warm and cool undertones, which means it reads as very neutral. The result is a modern shade of beige that can work in almost any color scheme.
Warm Oatmeal by Valspar
This is a stunning modern shade of sand for more contemporary style coastal themed interiors. It is a shade of greige, or pale taupe, which has both gray and brown undertones to give it a distinctively soft and neutral feel.
This would work beautifully alongside crisp blue colors, making an ideal base for a beach-inspired room.
Touch of Sand by Sherwin-Williams
This sand color comes across as warm and comforting, but it does have some imperceptible gray undertones which prevent it from feeling dated. Use it in a relaxing beach-themed bedroom with white-painted furniture and some pale gray-blue throw pillows.
Greens
In a beach-themed interior space, the most commonly used colors are blue and white, however, green can also work well. Green can be used to represent some of the green tones in the ocean, seaweed, or even coastal palm trees. Green can be used almost as a neutral, but it also gives off refreshing and invigorating energy. Go for a less predictable route for your beach room, and add elements of green.
Hazel by Sherwin-Williams
This is a soft green that would be a great choice for wall paint in a soothing, coastal-inspired room. It has blue undertones which make it feel crisp and cool, yet the predominantly green color means that the room will feel invigorating and fresh.
Choose a pure white trim to go next to walls in this color, and sand-colored soft furnishings to highlight the relaxing vibe of beach life.
Largo Teal by Benjamin Moore
This is a teal shade of green that is named after Key Largo, one of the Florida Keys. The color is based on the glistening oceans that surround this archipelago of islands, and it will instantly transport you to a relaxing frame of mind when used as wall paint for a beach-themed room.
For a deep and intense vibe, paint it on all of the walls, or use it as a color for an accent wall if you don’t want the room to feel too dark. It will coordinate well with soft beige colors, dusky pinks, and burnt orange.
