Choose upholstery fabrics wisely Instead, choose colours that are a shade lighter or darker than your wall colour, so furnishings work well together and maintain their timeless appeal.
In fact, matching the wall colour to your sofa is really a pretty good strategy as a base for a pretty living room. But it will look very plain and uninspired if you stop there. Remember to keep going and layer the room with more colour and decor.
So, what colors make a room look bigger? For an optimum effect, go with soft tones like off-white, blues, and greens, and always remember that brighter rooms feel bigger and more inviting.
The best wall paint colors that go best with dark furniture are neutral colors like white, cream, beige, and grey or bright colors such as yellow, blue, pink, green, and teal which add an interesting look to the color scheme.
Painting your walls the same color as your furniture, but using a darker or lighter shade, is a great way to pull a room together. For example, if you had a navy-blue couch, you could paint your walls a pale blue; it would look very coordinated while not being all one shade.
If you have a dark brown sofa or other furniture, the best way to complement them is with mid-tone walls. Think warm golden yellow, soft medium blues, restful grayish-greens, creamy tans or soothing greys.
Thankfully, the consensus seems to be that there's no need to choose between light or dark colors in a room because, done right, they complement each other beautifully. We'll show you simple ways to mix light and dark colors to give your room a chic, balanced look.
White. White is, of course, always a good paint choice, because it feels elegant, fresh and clean. Plus, Gibbons says, “black and white are the most timeless colors you'll find anywhere and the most timeless color combination.”
Greens, greys, whites and beiges are no-brainers. Warmer colours, like orange, brown, rust and red, work too, but the deeper tones of these colours work best.
Dark furniture can be a good choice when you have a large, spacious room that feels too big to be comfortable. It helps shrink that room, making it more intimate and more inviting. If you have a small room, however, furniture in darker tones may appear to shrink it even more, so that it feels stifling or overcrowded.
Cool Gray. A great alternative to a white paint color is a light cool gray, which can feel fresh and bright without the starkness of pure white. Cool colors feel fresher and brighter than warm ones, so it helps visually create the appearance of more space.
While mixing wood tones is perfectly acceptable—and in fact, we encourage it—it always helps to pick a dominant wood tone as a starting point to help you choose other pieces to bring in the room.
The short answer is no, you don't need to match your furniture in your living room, and matching it all won't necessarily make it better. Want the long answer? Then keep reading! By the end of this article, you'll know how to create a cohesive space in your living room.
Some Colors Never go out of Style
These classic hues include neutrals (blacks, creams, beiges), navy blue, and darker shades of green. These timeless interior design colors just never seem to go out of style, and are very safe choices for an ageless look.
Darker sofas are generally admired for their durability and the cosy feel they bring to the room. If you have pets, mischievous children, or love to indulge in a decadent wine whilst watching your favourite shows, a dark sofa would be the best option.
Clear beverages like vodka, gin, and white wine contain less congeners than darker drinks like brandy, whisky, rum, and red wine. Mixing the congeners may increase stomach irritation.
Shades of Light
After several years of dark grays and white washes, the natural warm colored light woods are taking their turn in the spotlight. Light wood finishes are trending all over the place and look exceptional when teamed up with darker colors like black and navy.
Dark wood can make a room feel smaller and usually requires less furniture. Light wood opens a room up and makes it feel larger. It also typically does better with wear and tear. That's why light flooring is an excellent choice for those with small kids or a dog.
Lighter paint colors like off-whites, light neutrals, pales, and pastels give the illusion of larger, brighter rooms.
Here's the good news: Unlike some interior design trends, brown will be in “forever,” Sikes says. Concludes Colding: “It is one of those colors that will always be back. And that really is what design is about—as much as we talk trends, the real mastery is in the ability to create spaces with staying power.”