There is something incredibly dramatic and intriguing about dark wood flooring. However, choosing the best furniture colors to pair with darker floors can be intimidating. Not to worry, as we did some careful research and have some beautiful ideas to share with you.
Complement beautiful dark wood floors with furniture in the following colors:
- Sage
- Dusty Rose
- Gray
- White
- Greige
- Purple
- Blue
- Yellow
- Brown
When you have darker flooring, it's natural to lean toward equally dark-colored furniture. However, that can risk making a room look too dark. Instead, we offer a range of brighter, light colors in pastel tones and darker earthy or jewel-tone colors for an elegant space. Read on to discover fantastic, curated furniture and flooring ideas.
Pairing Furniture with Dark Wood Floors
Let's look at some different photo examples of furniture in various colors paired with dark wood floors. Find inspiration and choose colors that will either amplify or tone down your flooring, creating plenty of visual appeal.
Should Furniture Be Darker Or Lighter Than Floor?
When placing furniture in a room, there are a few rules to follow. First, delicate pieces of furniture in a light color work well with darker flooring. Ideally, you should choose lighter furniture with a darker floor for contrast. However, there's nothing wrong with pairing darker-colored furniture with an equally dark floor.
One thing to focus on is to choose furniture that is a few shades lighter than the floor but still within range. Explore mixing dark and light-colored furniture within the same color family so that a room won't feel overbearing, stressful, or boring.
1. Sage
Move over jewel-tone greens like emerald or a brilliant grassy shade. Pastels are in fashion paired with darker colored floors. Think about how a soft sage or mint green couch, ottoman, or accent chairs add a bit of toned-down pop to a room with very dark floors.
Adding an area rug, throw pillows, and other accessories in colors that tie the dominant furniture and flooring creates a balanced, cohesive look. Keep the mood deliciously earthy, and opt for brown, cream, and gray accent pieces for emphasis.
2. Dusty Rose
Red is an expected color choice for furniture in a room with dark-colored floors, perhaps because it is bold and shocking. However, there is something alluring about furniture that is a more pastel form of red, via dusty roses, pinks, and corals.
Even though this photo example is relatively dark and dramatic, something about the soft pink sofa makes a striking statement. The pink color of the couch cuts through the drab darkness and cleverly juxtaposes the overall mood as a comforting space to sit and a focal point.
3. Gray
Keep things tastefully modern, minimalist, and metropolitan with gray furniture in a living room with rich, dark flooring. Sticking to a neutral palette with light shale to medium gray tones works very well, especially in contrast to bold dark floors and bright white walls.
Pairing modern art that is grayscale and throwing in some accent pieces in white ensures the room stays visually balanced but interesting.
4. White
Embrace a clean, rustic style and stick to tried and true white shades for furniture. Imagine the loveliness of eggshells, cream, linen, and bright white colors for the bed, a standing closet, and a vintage end table. When you mix and match different intensities of white for furniture in a space, it adds a unique interest when placed atop dark floors.
5. Greige
Do you have a love for earthy, muted colors like beige and gray but can't decide on only one color for a room? Choose a combination of both to satisfy your need to decorate your home in style. Greige is a beautiful, modern option for a clean, attractive room, especially when paired with dark wood floors.
Greige is nice and soft for starters, but it still gives off a bit of visual interest because it isn't exactly beige or gray but a balanced combination. When choosing greige furniture for a style boost, don't skip out on adding texture. Neutral is never boring when you have greige in a room.
6. Purple
Give a room with dark wood floors the royal treatment, but don't limit yourself to using deep jewel-tone purple hues for furniture. Consider a room's unique look and feel with lilac, mulberry, or a festive plum color for drama and a chic look.
Make your room feel more expensive than it is, using velvety plush furniture, or adding paint in a gradient on vintage finds. Look at this understated living room with a deep, berry purple that pops out against the white walls and dark floors.
7. Blue
It doesn't have to be springtime to embrace pastel hues for furniture. Check out this excellent example of a modern, retro-inspired sofa in a lighter blue shade. The throw pillows emphasize the color of the couch while uniting the furniture and floors.
The metallic gold on the coffee table and end table is a beautiful touch that accents the space and balances out the contrast of the blue and dark wood floors.
8. Yellow
Shake up the mood in a dark living room with a stark wall treatment. Bring on the fun with a sunny, mustard yellow color for an accent chair, ottoman, or sofa.
Yellow is an unexpected color choice that brings a burst of colorful energy to keep you on your toes and liven up the vibe. Be brave enough to try a shade of yellow for the furniture in a room with dark wood flooring. The contrast is electric and intriguing.
9. Brown
Think again if you consider earthy, brown color furniture a typical, safe choice next to using white, black, or gray in a room with darker colored floors. There are so many wonderful browns to create a unique look for a space, including caramel, camel, sand, cinnamon, and bark.
Don't forget to keep things interesting by choosing a mix of wood, leather, and fabric furniture in different shades of brown. All the furniture in a space does not have to be the same color, style, or material to work well visually.
What Does Dark Flooring Do To A Room?
It may come as a surprise, but dark flooring doesn't automatically make a room feel cramped or small. A room with dark flooring may often look more open and brighter than expected, especially with a lighter color wall treatment and high ceilings. Lighting and color have a significant impact on how a space is perceived.
Usually, it is when a room with dark flooring has very dark wall treatments, low light, and dark furniture and accessories that it seems small or overly cozy. Unless you love a room where everything is as dark as can be, strike a visual balance and harmony by mixing light and dark colors in a room.
How Do You Brighten A Room With Dark Wood Floors?
The best way to brighten a room with dark wood floors is to use a bright, cheery color for the wall treatment or stick to a neutral bright white color. Also, choose furniture that is a light color or has a vibrancy to it, like an electric purple, neon yellow, or brilliant blue.
Follow your sense of aesthetics and experiment with a mix of different colors, textures, and styles in a similar range for interest. Last, don't forget how lighting impacts how bright or dark a room feels. Open your windows and let natural light shine through or illuminate the room with floor lamps, table lamps, and ceiling lighting.
Are Dark Wood Floors Going Out Of Style?
If you were worrying if dark wood floors are outdated and going out of style, you couldn't be more wrong. Darker flooring presents many opportunities to style your space, using colorful furniture, accents pieces, lighting, and wall treatments.
Bring out the best qualities of your darker flooring to add a sense of drama, brighten up a room, or maintain a modern, sophisticated allure. Work with your dark wood floors to get the look you want for your home.
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed our suggested color pairings for furniture with dark wood floorings. Focus on creating a cohesive look that suits your personality, budget, and lifestyle. You can't go wrong choosing brighter, lighter colors for furniture, or creating an intense mood using richer, darker tones.
Made it to the end? Why not make time to read the following related posts.
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