What Colors Make Brown? How to Create Custom Brown Paint (2024)

You might have noticed that the past decade has been all about cool shades of gray when it comes to interior design. But recently, trends have shifted, with warm beige and brown tones popular once again. What colors make brown that will add a cozy and soft feel to a space or add moodiness and drama? From lighter hues that create an inviting feel to darker tones that make a dramatic statement, brown provides endless design possibilities and inspiration.

What Colors Make Brown?

There are countless shades of brown, from light, sandy beige to dark mahogany. Mixing a specific shade of brown can be complex as some browns lean warmer and others cool, while some brown colors have a red, yellow, or green undertone. There are some basic color rules that you can follow, however. The fundamental answer for what colors make brown is the three primary colors—red, yellow, and blue.

Varying the amounts and ratio of each primary color will alter the shade of brown you get. Secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors. For example, if you combine blue and yellow, you get green. In addition to primary and secondary colors, there are also complementary colors. These are two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

Keeping these principles in mind regarding what colors make brown, you can also combine a secondary color with its complementary color. When looking at the color wheel, combining blue and orange will give you brown, and purple and yellow will do the same. Each of these browns will look slightly different; brown mixed from blue and orange will provide you with a brown with a green base, while brown mixed from purple and yellow will be warmer with a yellow tint.

How to Make Light Brown Paint Colors

Light brown colors like taupe and tan are popular neutrals that work well as an overall paint color for every room in your home. Professional home stager and stylist Barb Perez often recommends tan paint colors. "Many clients I work with are looking to paint their interiors with a main color that is classic and timeless, yet warm and inviting," she says. "I often recommend a tan or greige (combo of brown and gray). These colors are the perfect backdrop for allowing clients' artwork, personal collections, and/or furniture to be the star of the show."

The method for how to make brown that's a light color, is to mix the three primary colors and then add some white. The amount of white will depend on how muted you want the brown to be. There are countless shades of light brown, and the amount of each primary color you add will alter the shade you get.

A popular light brown color is taupe, which has pinkish undertones. To make the color taupe, mix the three primary colors, add in some white to get the desired lightness, and then little by little, mix in a bit more red. If you want to create a tan color, follow the same steps, but instead of adding in extra red, add in extra yellow.

How to Create Dark Brown Paint

Dark brown is a timeless, elegant wall color choice, whether you're painting a formal dining room or updating a home office. It works with many different design styles, from traditional to midcentury modern, and as the primary paint color or an accent color. This rich, neutral color packs a punch and adds sophisticated warmth while creating an intimate atmosphere.

The general rule for how to make brown that's a darker shade is to add black. Just as you would add white for a lighter brown, black can be used to darken it. There are countless shades of dark brown, from rich mahogany to warm caramel, and the specific tint of brown will depend on how much red, yellow, or blue you use. To add warmth to your dark brown, add more yellow; to make it cooler, add more blue.

How to Make Brown Work With Other Colors

Because brown is a neutral, it pairs with many other colors as long as they share a similar undertone. For example, a warm brown will go beautifully with a butter yellow that leans more sunny than a cooler, greenish shade. Use red with light brown (taupe) for a sophisticated combination, and add white trim to make it a crisp, clean look. Brown and pink is a blend of classic and trendy you can use in a child's room or a living room. The key to this pairing is to use the pink sparingly as an accent to keep it from reading too sweet or juvenile.

Green is possibly the easiest color to use with brown. If colors work together in nature, they'll work in interiors, and there's no more perfect or pleasing combination than brown and green. Likewise, brown and blue is a timeless color scheme that works in any style of home.