‘Don’t rule out the darker colors’ – these Benjamin Moore paint shades are perfect for small spaces, from powder rooms to home offices

When decorating a small room, it’s often tempting to go for light paint colors in an attempt to make them feel roomier, but Benjamin Moore is challenging that.

In a video posted recently to Instagram, Benjamin Moore’s color specialist Andrea Magno shares four dark and bold paint ideas that work well in small rooms, encouraging you to lean into these space-restricted spaces and add interest through color.

If you’ve ever wondered whether small rooms should be painted light or dark colors, the following paint shades make the case for embracing deep hues for a sophisticated and moody feel.
1. Midnight Blue 1638

It’s common to reach for neutral paints in entryways. Since they’re the first room upon entering a home, going bolder with dark paints can feel daunting, but they can add much more interest than lighter tones.

For example, Benjamin Moore’s Midnight Blue is an incredibly dark and moody blue paint that Andrea recommends using for entryway color ideas.

‘When you’re welcoming guests into your home this color is sophisticated, it’s rich, it’s a little bit unexpected, particularly when it’s paired with the pop of pink on the front door that brings in some personality,’ Andrea explains in the Instagram video.
2. Slate Teal 2058-20

Andrea also recommends home offices as a good room to incorporate bolder paint colors, such as Benjamin Moore’s Slate Teal which was used here. Again, it can often be tempting to opt for a ‘safe’ color palette of pared-back neutrals in these work zones, but there’s no reason why these functional rooms can’t boast just as much design interest as the rest of your home.

When using a color like this one, Andrea nods to color-drenching ideas that help keep things feeling cohesive, ‘everything is painted in one deep color and it really brings the space together and gives it its own unique personality.’
3. Carter Plum CW-355

‘Powder rooms are another great place to use a dark color,’ Andrea continues in the video. ‘One, because you can close the door, so you don’t have to worry about the color flow from one room to the next, but it’s also a space where you can play with a color that’s a little bit darker, a little bit unexpected.’

Here, Benjamin Moore’s Carter Plum was used, of which Andrea says, ‘it has a higher gloss sheen, it gives it some drama, it feels special. It’s like a jewel box of color which is a lot of fun.’
4. Silhouette AF-655

Lastly, Benjamin Moore’s Silhouette, a grayish brown paint, is another dark paint recommended by Andrea for small living rooms or den ideas.

In this room, the paint color has been used liberally to include the ceiling and woodwork as well as the walls, of which Andrea says, ‘you can see how the corners of the room are kind of blurred – they’re almost obscured which actually gives a sense of endlessness, it makes the room almost feel larger than it really is.’