The Best Hardwood and Wall Color Combinations

The whole look and feel of each room will be different. Natural wood floors create a sense of warmth and can be much more inviting than other types of flooring like tile or carpet.

However, it’s important to get the most out of this new investment in your home by choosing the right paint for the walls, new furniture, and even the window coverings. Now that you think about it, it may seem a little overwhelming. By following the steps and tips below, you can ensure you get the exact look you desire for the interior of your home.

4 Steps to a Beautiful Room

Many homeowners that are looking to make interior renovations such as installing hardwood floors start with choosing the paint colors. In fact, when looking to change the entire look of each room in your home, you should start with the flooring. Let’s go over the steps involved:

Step #1: Choosing the Flooring
While there are hundreds of hardwood floor species, installation design, and finish options, there are still fewer options than there are for paint type and color. This means that starting with the flooring will be less limiting than if you chose the paint first and try to find the right wood for your floors to go with it.

Step #2: Picking Out Furniture
Once you know the wood flooring, you can move on to the furniture. If you are keeping the existing furniture, you may want to alter the look of it to match better with your new décor. Slipcovers, fabric furniture protectors and even new throw pillows can do a lot to change the feel of a room.

Step #3: Selecting the Perfect Window Treatments
Window treatments should be chosen to complement or contrast with the fresh look of your furniture. You’ll want to keep in mind that allowing a lot of natural light into the room can make the wood flooring look very warm and inviting.

Step #4: Paint Shopping
Now is the time to choose the paint that goes best with all the other interior decorating choices you’ve already made for the room. Be sure to consider painting an accent wall that brings attention to the main focal point. This could be a fireplace, the bed, a diverse collection of framed photographs, and many other things.

Decorating with Light Hardwood Floors

Light hardwood flooring is usually the most popular choice. Not only can it bring a light, open feeling to the room, it is also easier to keep looking clean since it doesn’t show as much dirt. You will also have many more options for paint colors when you go with lighter floors.

Put several pieces of the new flooring together to get a sense of the undertones in it. If it has a grey or ashy tint, then choosing a grey paint with a slight undertone of another color can look relaxing and inviting. If there are shades of blue in the flooring, a grey-blue or pastel blue can really make the floors pop.

Many light hardwood floors simply have brown undertones. Painting the walls an off-white or a darker tan can keep the room looking crisp and clean as well as warm and inviting. With lighter hardwood flooring, painting the trim in the same color can help create clean lines, just be sure to paint them in a semi- or high-gloss finish so they are more durable.

Beautifying Cherry Hardwood Floors

Cherry floors are quite popular. It may be due to the elegance they offer but cherry flooring also opens up many options when choosing paint colors. White walls with a slight undertone that matches that of the cherry wood can make those floors the focal point of the entire room.

However, if you are looking for a wall color that will be just as eye-catching and intense as your flooring, green is a natural option. It contrasts with the cherry which makes them both stand out and can create an inviting space. When choosing green paint, it’s important to stay away from those with yellow undertones.

It’s certainly possible to choose red for the wall colors even with cherry floors. If that seems to be a bit too much, however, you can even choose pastel colors, such as blue. Grey is also a popular choice, especially with blue undertones. The blue helps to create a calming environment in the room.

Highlighting Dark Hardwood Floors

When shopping for new hardwood flooring, those darker colors really stand out and might catch your eye. However, there are several things to consider before choosing a very dark wood for your floors, especially with those that are almost black in color.

Your floor is a large part of the room and such a dark color can be overwhelming when you consider it in a big space. However, with a lot of natural light coming into the room, it can feel very comfortable. In fact, in homes with very open floorplans, dark hardwood floors can help to make the space feel smaller and a bit cozier.

Cool blues and greens can help to lighten the room and add to the calming and relaxing feel of it. Grey and light beige also work well, especially if you choose a paint that has the same subtle undertones as the flooring you’ve chosen. To further lighten up the room, painting the ceiling in a bright white can help reflect the natural light back onto the floor.

Enhancing Oak Hardwood Floors

Solid oak hardwood flooring is popular for many reasons. One, of course, is the beauty of it, especially with such defined grain patterns. Oak floors can also stand up much longer than other types of wood floor choices because it is hardwood by nature. While any wood floor can last decades with proper care and maintenance, oak floors can stand up even longer.

Red oak brings very warm, red tones to the room. Choosing the right paint color can help to bring that out even more. Pastels can help to lighten the room while deep reds can be complementary. Bright colors such as those in the family of aquamarine and yellows such as apricot can create a bright and stimulating atmosphere.

White oak can sometimes look like it’s been bleached and be much lighter than you expect once it’s installed in your home. It’s important to keep this in mind when choosing the proper paint color. White paints with just a hint of undertone can bring that color into the room very subtly. However, going with a rich, dark color can bring out the beautiful oak. These colors include charcoal, cinnamon, navy, dark green, or even plum.

Make Your Interior Space Truly Your Own

The Painting Company can help you envision your room or home with many color choices based on the wood flooring you choose. They can also help you narrow down those colors to those that match the space and your personality the best with our color consultants. Contact us a call today before choosing that color and we can make sure it’s the perfect one for you.