The walls of your bedroom are most likely the last thing you see as you drift off to sleep and they're probably first thing you see when you wake up. This means that the atmosphere they create should be very personal and enhance these two most vulnerable times of day.
You want to select a color of paint for these walls that does not vibrate too much energy, as it could interfere with your ability to fall asleep. You also do not want to be jolted awake by a color that is harsh and blaring to your eyes.
Your bedroom is a very private and personal area of the house, so many people paint their bedroom walls a shade of their favorite color. This is not just pleasing to their eyes, but subconsciously this color also vibrates positive energy. It is the color that makes them feel at ease and they can identify with. If you are in tune with the color of your surroundings, you may have a tendency to release stress, become calmer and drift off to sleep more easily.
With all this being said, the bedroom should have walls painted in a color that promotes a sense of well being and security. Pastel shades of almost any color are preferable to darker shades of any color. These lighter shades are soothing to the eye and give the room the appearance of spaciousness. You do not feel trapped and confined, you are able to completely relax and ease into sleep.
This is also a recommended practice if you have a rather small bedroom. Paint the walls a pastel color so the room appears larger.
If you insist on painting the walls a medium or deeper shade of color, apply it just to the wall that your headboard of your bed is against. This brings this area of the bedroom to the focal point, but when lying on the bed, you see more of the other three walls than the one behind you. Painting one wall like this adds to the decor of the room but should not interfere with your trying to sleep.
If you have a larger bedroom, you could paint the walls a medium shade of color, but you want to make sure your bedroom set and accent pieces stand out against, instead of blending right into the paint on the walls. A large bedroom also allows the option of painting two areas of it, say the sleeping section and the dressing area two shades of one or two contrasting colors to differentiate between those two separate areas of the room.
Sometimes people run across a certain bedspread or quilt that they love and they would prefer it to be the focal point of their bedroom. In this situation, it would be trendy to paint a wall or walls to match one of the colors in the design. You can actually take the linen or a swatch of the material to your local paint store and they should be able to tint the paint to match the color you desire.
Another option is to use a combination of wall covering, wall paper or fabric on one, several or even parts of the walls, and paint the other areas a contrasting or shade matching one of the colors in the print. This way you could accent the wall behind your headboard with fabric, paint the other three walls in a complementary color, and then apply the same fabric as a window treatment to the painted walls with windows.
Keep in mind that stark white walls give a bedroom the look and feel of a science lab and although white goes well with every color, it would not create the best atmosphere for a bedroom.
You can paint the walls a dark color or even black, but although the darkness of the room may help you fall asleep faster, the room would most likely not be pleasing to the eye, could make you depressed or even worse make you avoid the room altogether.
Even though red is a sensual color, and may be a seductive choice for creating an atmosphere of passion, the brightness of the color itself gives off too much energy to aid in proper sleep.
Painting a bedroom for a child can be kept similar to painting a bedroom for an adult. Most often nurseries or bedrooms intended for smaller children should be in soft pastel colors. As the child ages it would be appropriate to use a brighter or darker shade of a color. Just remember to keep it cheerful and not too overpowering. They also require an environment that induces relaxation and proper sleep. The paint should be durable and one that can be kept clean with a simple soap and water solution.
If two children share a bedroom you might consider painting each half of the room a different coordinating color thus giving each child their own separate space. Accent the room with matching accessories that complement both halves of the room.
Most woodwork and trim looks best in the natural wood finish or painted white. There is the option of painting it in a darker shade to that of the color on the walls. If you are using wallcovering or fabric as the focal point of the room, you could also paint the walls to match one of the lighter colors in the print and the woodwork to match one of the darker colors in the print.
Remember paint dries to a darker shade than that on the paint swatch. so select a lighter shade of the one you really like. After all is said and done, if you really do not like the color you selected or you want to remodel your bedroom after several years, you can create an altogether different atmosphere for the room by simply applying a completely different coat of paint to those walls.
These are the simple rules to keep in mind when choosing a color to paint your bedroom. The main thing is the general flow of the color you select and what you accent it with. They should complement each other and be pleasing to the eye. The room should reflect your personality as your space where you can retreat to, relax and get the sleep you need so you can wake up refreshed and in a pleasant mood.