Experts at Lick reveal the colour not to paint the bedroom – and it's not to do with sleep

Love is evidently NOT blind when it comes to interior choices

The colour experts at Lick have conducted some research into which colours give us the ick. Lick's paint professionals have revealed that the worst mood killer is... brown.

A significant 56% of people (and 63% of women) said they would be put off if they found out a romantic partner opted for this earthy neutral in their bedroom colour scheme. Let's take a look at the worst colours to paint the bedroom and those deemed more 'attractive.'

bedroom with bedside lamp

(Image credit: Lick)

The colour not to paint your bedroom

The research showed that ick-inducing brown is the number one colour not to paint your bedroom. Brown is a grounding colour made by mixing primary colours red, yellow and blue. But it certainly wouldn't be our first choice.

In the survey, it was closely followed by unpopular bedroom ideas, black and orange. Instead, people preferred a fresh and uplifting white bedroom, while others were tempted by the idea of a luxurious and sultry purple room that reminds us of our bedrooms of the 90s.

Love certainly isn't blind when it comes to how we decorate our homes more generally, as 70% said a partner's home decor could turn them off. 42% of people surveyed think that home decor is actually a better indicator of someone's personality than how they dress.

bed with pillows

(Image credit: Future PLC/Annie Sloan)

Natasha Bradley is the Head Colour Specialist at Lick. She is a colour psychologist with years of experience in interior design, helping clients to create spaces they love.

'How we style the interiors of our homes and ourselves are really good indicators of who we are,' comments Natasha. 'So it makes a lot of sense that colours also play a part in the dating world.

'Often, couples who have similar interior styles and attitudes to their home can find more harmony in their home life,' Natasha adds.

bedroom with frame

(Image credit: Lick)

Other findings included that nearly a third of people (28%) admit to no longer wanting to date someone if they didn’t like their interiors. Over half also said that being house proud is an attractive trait.

Decorating our homes is about expressing ourselves and creating a space that makes us happy. If you love it, you can't go wrong (but we'll certainly steer clear of brown).

Millie Hurst
Senior Content Editor

Millie Hurst was Senior Content Editor at Ideal Home from 2020-2022, and is now Section Editor at Homes & Gardens. Before stepping into the world of interiors, she worked as a Senior SEO Editor for News UK in both London and New York. You can usually find her looking up trending terms and finding real-life budget makeovers our readers love. Millie came up with the website's daily dupes article which gives readers ways to curate a stylish home for less.