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Summer paint colour schemes

Summer in paint means colours franker than spring's — sea and ultramarine blues, ochres, grass greens, coral — on lime whites, in rooms the sun passes through. They are worn in contrast rather than as a family: a blue and an ochre, a green and a terracotta, a coral and a green. Eight palettes, from the kitchen to the conservatory, with the materials that go with them — linen, bleached wood, terracotta, rattan.

Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France colour team

Bathroom with mid blue-green matt walls, warm white ceiling and woodwork, bath, terracotta tiles, linen towels, window open onto a garden — Bridge Blue No.222: the sea on the wall, and the window open

Understanding

What a summer colour is

Summer light is high, white and long: it washes out pastels and can take confident colours. Summer colours are therefore more saturated than spring's — the blue of the sea rather than the April sky's, the ochre of the fields rather than the primrose's yellow, the green of grass rather than the bud's — and they pair by contrast: a blue and a yellow, a green and an earth red, two opposites that bring each other to life.

Summer's white is not a pure white but a lime white, tinted, matt, which absorbs the harsh light instead of returning it. And the materials do half the work: linen, washed cotton, bleached wood, rattan, terracotta, ceramics. Our page Shades of summer days makes seven shades into a season; this one makes eight palettes. For the complete style, the guide to Mediterranean style.

Eight palettes

Summer, room by room

1. Sea blue and lime white: the bathroom

A mid blue-green on the walls, a warm white on the ceiling and woodwork, terracotta on the floor: the bathroom of a seaside house. The blue-green stands up to damp in Satin on the woodwork.

Walls · Bridge Blue No.222 Ceiling & woodwork · Whitehall No.9

2. Ochre and deep blue: the kitchen

A golden ochre on the walls, a deep blue on the units in Satin, cream white on the ceiling: sun and shade. The frankest summer palette, calmed by a wooden worktop.

Walls · Haymarket No.47 Units · Proper Blue No.67 Ceiling · Lots Road No.24

3. Clear green and terracotta: the conservatory

A grass green on the walls, a terracotta red on the floor or a bench, green-white on the ceiling: the garden coming in. Outside, the same green in Masonry Paint on a courtyard wall.

Walls · New Lime No.149 Floor or bench · Crayfish Party BH.19 Ceiling · Syon Park No.13

4. Yellow and white: the morning bedroom

A golden yellow on the headboard wall only, the other three and the ceiling in a cream white, white linen: the sun coming in through the wall. A north-facing bedroom gains a sunrise.

Headboard wall · Golden Square No.131 Walls & ceiling · Lots Road No.24

5. Blue-green and wood: the sitting room

A greyed blue-green on the walls, woodwork in a warm white, lots of pale wood and rattan: the holiday house, calm. The wood warms the blue, the blue cools the wood.

Walls · Notting Hill No.213 Woodwork · Holland Park No.5 A door · Burlington No.216

6. Coral and green: the dining room

A soft coral on the walls, a deep green on the chairs or a sideboard, rosy white ceiling: the bougainvillea and its leaf. The most cheerful summer palette.

Walls · Coral Orange No.277 Chairs · Pleasure Gardens Green No.214 Ceiling · Kensington Rose No.22

7. White and stripes: the child's or guest room

Lime-white walls and a single wall, or a headboard, in wide vertical blue and white stripes with tape: the beach hut. See Colour blocking.

Walls & light stripe · St James No.40 Stripe · Boathouse No.33

8. Green and blue: the hall

An olive green on the walls, a clear blue on the front door and skirting: neighbours on the wheel, confident. The hall of a holiday house that smells of the garden.

Walls · Stockwell Green No.203 Door & skirting · Boathouse No.33

Kitchen with golden ochre matt walls, deep blue satin units, cream ceiling, wooden worktop, tomatoes and basil on the table, harsh light — Haymarket No.47 and Proper Blue No.67: sun and shade in a kitchen

Reference

The Mylands summer shades, by family

Family	Light	Mid / clear	Deep
Sea blues	Morning Blue No.32	Bridge Blue No.222, Boathouse No.33, Enamel Blue No.78	Proper Blue No.67, Ultramarine Blue FTT-018
Ochres and yellows	Cavendish Cream No.120	Haymarket No.47, Golden Square No.131	Freegrove Mustard
Clear greens	French Green No.187	New Lime No.149, Stockwell Green No.203	Pleasure Gardens Green No.214
Coral and earths	Peach Flesh Pink No.268	Coral Orange No.277, Lolly Pop No.275	Crayfish Party BH.19
Lime whites	Lots Road No.24, St James No.40, Holland Park No.5	—	—

All in Marble Matt Emulsion on the walls: matt absorbs the harsh light. For outside — shutters, façade, garden furniture — see Using exterior paint colours.

To avoid

What turns it into a holiday let

Blue and pure white everywhere. That is a logo, not a house; summer white is tinted, and the blue sits next to an ochre or a green.
Bright turquoise. It reads as swimming pool; take a greyed blue-green.
Satin on the walls. Summer light reflects in it; matt reads as lime.
Two confident colours in equal measure. An ochre and a deep blue: one on the walls, the other on the units, never half and half.
Forgetting winter. A frank summer palette in the main sitting room can look raw in January; keep it for the kitchen, bathroom, conservatory, or go through accents.

Conservatory with grass-green matt walls, green-white ceiling, a bench painted terracotta red, potted plants, doors open to a garden — New Lime No.149 and Crayfish Party BH.19: the garden coming in

Frequently asked questions

Your questions, our answers

Does a summer palette hold all year?

In a kitchen, a bathroom or a conservatory, yes: those rooms can take frankness. In a main sitting room or a bedroom, prefer the greyed version — Notting Hill rather than Bridge Blue, Haymarket rather than Golden Square — or go through accents. See A colour palette for every season.

Which white for summer?

A lime white: creamy, stone or warm — Lots Road, St James, Holland Park — in Marble Matt Emulsion. Brilliant pure white reflects the harsh light and dazzles.

Do these colours work outside?

Yes: the blues, greens and earths go onto shutters, a door, garden furniture in multi-surface finishes, and onto a façade or courtyard wall in Masonry Paint. See How to update outdoor spaces.

How do I cool a south-facing room that gets too hot?

With a greyed blue-green or a clear green on the walls, a lime white on the ceiling, and matt materials: linen, wood, terracotta. A cool colour does not lower the temperature, but it gives the impression it does.