18 Paint Colour Pairings To Steal From The Pros
REBECCA HUGHES
Grey Blue & Warm Taupe
We paired a cool, heritage-inspired blue with a warm taupe in this children’s bathroom in Norfolk. Tongue-and-groove panelling brings a touch of classic country charm, while the soft blue walls and elegant freestanding bath create a calm and restorative feel. The combination of the two has a timeless, classic quality – blue and white is an enduring pairing that never goes out of style.
Walls & Ceiling: ‘Parma Grey’, Farrow & Ball
Woodwork: ‘Joa's White’, Farrow & Ball
Pink-Toned Neutral & Off-White
In this Kensington townhouse drawing room, we wanted to create a soft, neutral backdrop that would complement the room’s more colourful and characterful pieces, from the vibrant pink sofa to the deep blue rug and leopard-print armchairs. The aim was for the space to feel light and open, while still having a sense of warmth and grounding. The walls are painted in a warm, pink-toned neutral that brings a subtle softness to the room. The ceiling, cornicing, and woodwork are painted in a selection of warm off-whites, creating a layered, tonal scheme that allows the furniture and artwork to take centre stage.
Walls: ‘Hammock’, Little Greene
Ceiling & Cornice: ‘Not Totally White’, Papers & Paints
Woodwork: ‘Quiet White’, Papers & Paints
Sage Green & Dusky Pink
In this primary bedroom, we turned the threshold between the bedroom and en-suite into a feature in its own right, creating an arched bookcase surround around the doorway in a sage green. Beyond it lies a grand bathroom drenched in a warm, dusky pink. After years of all-grey and all-white minimalist interiors, this whimsical pairing feels joyful, characterful, and full of personality, while still retaining a sense of balance. The earthy green tempers the sweetness of the pink, giving the scheme a more grown-up feel and stopping it from veering into overly pretty or nursery-like territory.
Bookcase Doorframe: ‘Bancha’, Farrow & Ball
Walls: ‘Temple’, Farrow & Ball
SCARLETT HESSIAN
Soft Yellow & Rich Mauve
A creamy yellow, somewhere between French butter and faded sunshine, brings a gentle warmth to this kitchen. Set against a deep, dusky mauve, the combination feels unexpected yet timeless, giving window frames and trims a quiet presence within an otherwise light and airy space.
Kitchen Units: ‘OC-148 Montgomery White’, Benjamin Moore
Window Frames: ‘SW0005 Deepest Mauve’, Sherwin Williams
Dirty Blue & Purple Brown
A hazy, atmospheric blue against a deep purple brown feels like fading evening light against dark timber. Soft yet moody, the pairing has a quiet richness that feels both timeless and a little unexpected.
Walls: ‘Ethereal Blue’, Edward Bulmer
Shutters: ‘Brasserie Brown’, COAT
Deep Blue & Crisp White
A deep, inky blue against a chalky white has the freshness of sea and sky, with a crispness that feels both classic and quietly striking. The softness of the white lifts the richness of the blue, creating a pairing that feels clean, timeless and beautifully balanced.
Walls: ‘De Nimes No.299’, Farrow & Ball
Ceiling: ‘Slaked Lime No.105’, Little Greene
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ANNA HEWITSON
Green Grey & Warm Stone
In this bedroom, the subtle green undertones on the panelling sit beautifully alongside the warmth of this warm neutral on the walls above, creating a gentle contrast that brings depth and definition to the space. Together, they provide a considered backdrop for layering pattern, texture and antique pieces, resulting in a scheme that feels restful yet full of character.
Panelling: ‘French Gray’, Farrow & Ball
Walls: ‘Stone III’, Paint & Paper Library
Deep Beige & Warm Stone
A warm neutral with real nuance brings richness to a room without overwhelming it. Paired with a lighter neutral, its earthy undertones are balanced, creating a subtle contrast that feels both warm and considered. The combination works particularly well in spaces where you want to introduce depth and warmth while retaining a sense of calm, and provides a versatile backdrop for layering colour, pattern and texture.
Walls: ‘Clove’, Edward Bulmer
Woodwork: ‘Stone III’, Paint & Paper Library
Earthy Brown & Warm Stone
Pairing beautiful earthy richness with the softness of a warm neutral always works. The contrast between the two adds warmth and depth to a scheme, with the neutral providing a lighter, more understated counterpoint to the stronger colour. It's a pairing that allows you to be confident with colour without compromising on balance.
Panelling: ‘Estruscan Brown’, Edward Bulmer
Architrave: ‘Stone III’, Paint & Paper Library
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LAURA STEPHENS
Grey Blue & Salmon Pink
If you combine a soft, slightly greyed blue that has a cool, airy quality with a subdued salmon/rose complete with earthy brown-red undertones, it works so well. They sit on opposite sides of the warm-cool spectrum, so there’s enough contrast to make each colour noticeable but their shared greyed, low-saturation character keeps the combination sophisticated rather than sugary.
Walls: ‘Parma Gray’, Farrow & Ball
Ceiling: ‘Dead Salmon’, Farrow & Ball
Earth Red & Sage Green
This warm and earthy red and soft sage green work so well together because they are complementary colours but both are muted with warm undertones. The rich red makes the main room feel warm and enveloping, while the lighter, cooler green creates a sense of calm and depth beyond the doorway. Repeating the green across the door, panelling and staircase makes the contrast feel deliberate and cohesive. Small touches of red (such as the stair runner) and warm timber in the hallway then connect the two spaces, making the overall palette feel balanced rather than contrasting for contrast’s sake.
Walls: ‘Terre d’Egypt’, Farrow & Ball
Woodwork: ‘Salvia’, Paint & Paper Library
Warm Beige & Grey Blue
The warm, earthy clay walls create a soft neutral base, while the French blue cornice and striped ceiling introduce a cooler, stronger contrast, drawing attention upward and emphasising the architecture. Both colours are muted rather than overly bright, so they feel harmonious despite the contrast between warm and cool tones. The blue is also repeated subtly throughout the room, in the textiles, artwork, furniture and floor, which connects the cornice back into the wider scheme and makes it feel intentional.
Walls: ‘Clay’, Little Greene
Ceiling & Cornice: ‘French Blue’, Edward Bulmer
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SEAN SYMINGTON
Warm Blue & Dusty Yellow
We loved the pairing of blue and soft yellow in this cottage, which backs onto a beautiful garden. The fresh contrast of these colours feels classic without being too traditional and works beautifully with so many other palettes. A combination that feels equally at home in the country as it does in a more contemporary setting.
Joinery: ‘Stone Blue’, Farrow & Ball
Panelling: ‘Hay’, Farrow & Ball
Subtle Pink & Period Green
A soft and serene pairing we love especially for a primary bathroom. These delicate tones create a wonderfully calming atmosphere, with just enough colour to keep spaces feeling fresh and pretty.
Walls: ‘Lilac Pink’, Edward Bulmer
Vanity: ‘Granite Green’, Edward Bulmer
Panelling & Woodwork: ‘Slipper Satin’, Farrow & Ball
Grey Blue & Dusty Yellow
We love the pairing of blues, yellows, and reds. Here, we wanted to keep things fun and fresh for a children’s bathroom while creating a scheme that could grow with them over time. The addition of red gives a little punch and personality to the palette, while the mix of colours leaves plenty to play with as a room evolves.
Vanity: ‘Oval Room Blue’, Farrow & Ball
Panelling: ‘Hay’, Farrow & Ball
Bath: ‘Rectory Red’, Farrow & Ball
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HENRY PRIDEAUX
Earthy Pink & Bright Green
A firm favourite – and, admittedly, one we’re slightly obsessed with – pink and green is a combination we’ve used in our own home. In the entrance hall, we paired two harmonious shades of pink with a lively green to create a warm, welcoming feel. The half-height dado rail allowed us to use the darker colour on the walls and skirting below, which is more practical for everyday use, while the lighter pink above helps maximise the natural light. We then picked out the doors and architraves in a deeper pink to highlight the architectural details.
Walls: ‘Sap Green’, Farrow & Ball
Walls: ‘Earthy Red’, Farrow & Ball
Door & Architraves: ‘Naperon’, Farrow & Ball
In the living space, we used a soft yellow-pink with warm beige undertones on the walls, creating a gentle, welcoming backdrop. A series of framed botanical prints, hand-painted in an enticing olive green, echo the green used in the entrance hall and create a natural focal point. Through the glazed pocket doors, the adjoining snug is painted in sage green, with matching joinery and window frames creating a cosy, intimate space for watching TV.
Walls: ‘Jonquil’, Edward Bulmer
Frames: ‘Sap Green’, Farrow & Ball
Pale Blue & Bright White
There’s something particularly elegant and timeless about the combination of pale blue and white. It works well in all kinds of spaces, but especially when the white is used to highlight architectural details such as wall panelling, cornices and ceiling roses. For the primary bedroom of this country house project in Buckinghamshire, we chose a pale aqua for the walls, with a fresh white ceiling and creamier white raised panelling, all by Farrow & Ball. The skirting and architraves are painted in a stronger vintage blue, adding a punch of colour and giving the scheme a little more depth.
Walls: ‘Pale Powder’, Farrow & Ball
Ceiling: ‘Pointing’, Farrow & Ball
Panelling: ‘White Tie’, Farrow & Ball
Skirting & Architraves: ‘Dix Blue’, Farrow & Ball
Bold Red & Strong Yellow
The downstairs loo is another space where we love to be bolder with colour and the guest WC in our London Bridge project gave us the perfect opportunity to embrace primary shades. We used ‘Morning Room Yellow’ by Paint & Paper Library on the ceiling to create a warm glow, with the walls painted in ‘Very Well Red’. To add even more drama, we introduced Dinosauria wallpaper in Turmeric by House of Hackney, turning the smallest room in the house into a space that’s guaranteed to make you smile.
Ceiling: ‘Morning Room Yellow’, Paint & Paper Library
Walls: ‘Very Well Red’, Paint & Paper Library
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