What Color To Paint a Closet (9 Best Shades To Consider)

Here we share what color to paint a closet with tips for choosing the best shades for accents, finishes, closet doors, and walls.

Are you deciding on which color to paint a closet?  Great news! Choosing what color to paint is much easier than you first thought.  Choosing the right hue and sheen will not only improve the appearance of your closet, but your home will look stunning with those freshly painted doors once again. 

We hope these tips and ideas for the best paint for closets will help make your decision easier.

 

Choose Light And Neutral Colors

Selecting the right closet paint color for a dark wall shade can be a little bit complicated since it is difficult to see the items stored inside because dark shades don’t reflect light very well.

A well-used clothing storage area will tend to show wear and tear more easily.  We recommend choosing a light, neutral shade such as white, eggshell white, off-white, beige, gray , or tan for most applications.

These light and neutral shadeswill work with practically any color scheme and make it easier to reflect light to see better inside the closet.  

Accent Closet – Choosing Colors That Pop

Remember that there are some circumstances in which white or neutral tones are not the best options. Some reasons include maintenance, lack of depth of interest, and aesthetic warmth.

A small space like a closet can be a great way to experiment with louder colors if you want to be a bit more daring without compromising the walls of the entire bedroom. See our closet size design guide here.

Choose The Right Type Of Finish

Satin Paint Finish – For closets, a better option is to use a satin paint finish since this type of finish is highly durable and doesn’t show scuffs and streaks.  The satin finish is also easier to clean; you can wipe away any dirt or smudges on the walls.

Semi-gloss Paint Finish – Using semi-gloss paint finish will provide greater reflective light. This is a better solution to help brighten up dimly lit spaces.

High-gloss Paint Finish – This is the most reflective and long-lasting paint finish.  It is the best choice for rooms that need maximum brightness.

Dark And Intense Colors

Dark colors can be a great backdrop and can have their place in some closets.  A spacious area built with lights can be painted with a dark paint to add sophistication and personality. 

We recommend dark, natural browns, navy blue, and steel gray since these hueswill liven up any roomy area and are sophisticated shades.

Do You Paint Closets The Same Color As Walls?

Typically, painting your closet space that has no doors is to paint it the same color as the room or use a paint tone that is a slightly lighter shade. 

A lighter shade or the same color will help you integrate your storage space into the room and will be less likely to draw attention to what is inside.

However, if your space has doors, we suggest you paint them the same shade as the trim on the baseboards or the same as the door in the room. 

White or light hues are good choices, and choose a semi-gloss paint since it reflects more light. 

Painting the doors the same or lightest shade as the trim will make it more pleasing to the eye and not make your color scheme too busy.

On the other hand, painting the walls to match the room they’re in will create a sense of flow and inclusion rather than separate it. 

Painting the closet the same color as the room can help make the room seem larger and will make more visual sense with the room.

What Color Makes A Closet Look Bigger?

To make a closet look bigger and larger, choose a light color paint, off-white or white paint.  This automatically will brighten the space, making it seem bigger. 

Bright colors are also a great choice for small layouts and those that don’t have a light inside them. A sunny yellow paint can make the design look more spacious.

Light and bright shadescan better catch and reflect the light in the room, improving visibility and reducing your chances of getting those dark and distant corners bright.  A high-gloss finish can help your room look even more vibrant and manageable.

Then again, dark, jewel-toned paints can make closets appear wider, larger, and deeper.  These vibrant colors and rich hues bring bold and beautiful hues back into homes. Hues, which are derived from precious gemstones, add drama and personality. 

Jewel tones include variations of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and because of their depth range from mid-tones to deep, saturated shades, these hues offer a tone that doesn’t feel excessively bright or overwhelming and are a brighter alternative to neutral color palettes.

What Color Should Bedroom Closets Be Painted?

The bedroom is every homeowner’s sanctuary for rest, relaxation, and intimacy.  Calm and soothing colors are best in a bedroom, such as neutral palettes that are always safe. 

Neutral paint colors such as ivory, taupe, black, gray, and white offer a clean backdrop for bedrooms. These shades go well with other bright hues used in bedding, curtains, carpeting, and even artwork.

Pastel colors such as soft blues, greens, pink, rose quartz, and yellow are popular for bedroom closets since they offer a soft, relaxing, and serene ambiance. Check out more ideas in our turning a bedroom into a closet guide.

Best Paint Color For Closets 

Lamp Room Gray by Farrow & Ball – This is a strong hue when used in smaller rooms, but for a larger room with a well-lit space, it has a soft gray touch.

Screech Owl by Papers and Paints – This go-to favorite is in the lilacshade with a “not so sweet” pink hue.

Kittery Point Green by Benjamin Moore – This relaxing tone brings the outdoors in, with this shade of dusty clover.

Oyster Shoal by Valspar – With its soft biscuit shade, this tone adds a layer of warmth to the room.

Calamine by Farrow & Ball – This shade has a light hint of gray balanced with a punchy pink shade, giving your room a fresh finish.

Black Magic by Valspar – This black satin finish pick goes best with vintage hardware and adds depth and drama to the room.

Goodnight Moon by Clare – A soothing shade of deep navy offers a soothing and relaxing feel when winding down for the day.

Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball – This green-blue hue can change from peacock blue to dark sage green, depending on the time of day.

Polar Bear by Behr – A nuanced, warm white paint like the Arctic summer dawn, has a hint of pink that brings a subtle, playful warmth to the space.

Alabaster by Sherwin Williams – With warm, creamy softness, this shade offers timelessness, brightness, and versatility. It’s not a stark white and has a hint of cream, giving a feeling of spaciousness while also a modern, minimalist feel that I really like. I use this hue for one of my bedrooms and add accent shades to add personality.

What Color To Paint Closet Doors

When deciding what to paint your closet doors, we strongly believe that it depends on what color scheme you have in your home.  Take some ideas from your interior design palette and furnishings to decide which one might be a good fit for you. 

There is something fun about painting doors a different shade to contrast your wall paint hue to feature an accent piece.  It just goes to show the power of paint and how a fun color can brighten a room inside the house.

It is best to select a shade that complements the room. Try matching the shade of your door to other room tones; this way, your room will have a coordinated feel. You can use a color wheel to help with this process. Check more ideas about closet door types here.

Monochromatic Schemes

Colors from the same hue naturally complement each other. Choosing different shades from a single hue can make the perfect accent for closet doors.

Cool Tones

Choosing colors with a blue hue is considered “cool.” These calming tones are often used in the bedroom.  

Muted Colors

Subdued tones are also suitable for bedroom closet doors. This gives the room an appealing quality, making it easier to relax and feel calm. 

A muted tone on a door in other rooms won’t take away from the main feature of the room.

Neutral Hues

Usually, the less saturated the intensity of the color, the more neutral it becomes. Browns, grays, and cream colors mix well with others and can allow you to change the room’s ambiance. 

These colors will enable you to see into the closet better, even without an additional light fixture.

See more related designs in our gallery of top luxury walk in closet ideas page.