Need A Furniture Refresh? These Are Paint Colors That Top Designers Recommend (2024)

"This is a soft, muted lavender with a bit of blue in it. I'd put it on a reproduction Louis XVI chair, in high gloss, because that's what makes it modern, and I'd find a fabric for it in exactly the same shade—shiny, like a cotton chintz or vinyl," says NYC-based interior designer, Bruce Bierman.

"I have a big, hugely functional Georgian Revival lawyer's desk in tired dry mahogany. I painted it this pale gray-green in an oil-base stain finish, cleanable, very calm, but not so pale that it dies. The gimmick is the old-fashioned desk in an unexpected color. It catches light and makes for a more interesting surface," says Carey Maloney, founder of interior design group, M.

"I found this chair in Florida on the Dixie Highway and fell in love with the high fretwork back. In brown it looked dreary, so I painted it pomegranate red. It turned out so well I'm going to reproduce it," says Los Angeles-based designer Ruthie Sommers.

"Find a piece that has good lines and trick it up. I've taken a plain pine chest of drawers from a junk shop and done a simple, cottagey finish with milk paint. Start with a base in Swedish blue-gray and lightly brush over it with white, pulling back with steel wool in spots to reveal more color," says Brian McCarthy, NYC-based designer and founder of Brian J. McCarthy, Inc.

"Unless you have beautiful antique wicker with the original stain, you have to paint it, and Essex Green just looks right. It's rich and dark, as dark as you can go and still come off as green, and it works with any fabric. It's instant class, elegant, uncontrived," said William Diamond, the New York designer famous for his wild, bold colors.

"In a guest room that seems a little staid, paint the bed. This is a Ming yellow like you see in Chinese silk robes, with a little lemon and mustard in it, which gives it more dimension," says Kim Alexandriuk, Santa Monica-based interior designer.

"I'm always having old dining room chairs stripped and painted—so light and airy, rather than the heavy thud of old brown wood. Or just buy new ones at the Door Store and paint them this lovely pale yellow, like the inside of a banana," said the Prince of Chintz, Mario Buatta.

"One of those inexpensive, gaudy mirrors with a lot of carving can actually become quite beautiful with paint. I like this deep, muted teal because it's mysterious. You can't quite figure out if it's blue or green. Colors like this with a little gray in them take you to the next level of sophistication," says Molly Luetkemeyer, founder of M. Design Interiors.

"I'd paint the base of a sofa, if it's a framed sofa with maybe just a strip of wood along the bottom and tapered feet. Paint all the wood this pretty, fresh Chinese red. It's an easy thing to do, and that little detail will really make it snap," says Katie Ridder, the designer behind Katie Ridder Home.