When considering the best colors to go with brown in your home, yellow should be at the top of your list. You could opt for a lively shade of yellow to give you a needed pop of color, or consider a rich shade of golden yellow. Pairing brown with yellow creates a contemporary vibe in a bedroom or sitting room.
Neutral Dark Brown Combined With Black and White
Black and brown work great together as textile patterns. Keep brown complementary colors such as green or orange (depending on the undertone of brown) in mind when using these three colors as a base, as they can work great as pops of color in the form of décor.
One way to balance it is with lots and lots of white, black accents and some gold finishes. Another way to balance brown wood is with deep, rich colors.
Along with mid-century-inspired curved furniture, the brown tones of this period are also poised to make a major comeback in 2023. This natural color—particularly its darker varieties—creates a sense of earthy stability, says Claire Druga, an interior designer based in New York City.
Here, designers, decorators, and color experts reveal why beige is replacing gray for 2023, and how to decorate with beige for a beautiful scheme every time.
Warm and Calming Neutrals
“In the living room, we are seeing warm, calming blues, peach-pinks, and sophisticated neutrals like sable, mushroom, and ecru—these are really catching my eye for 2023,” she says.
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.
“Brown is a classic, timeless, and neutral color, and it works so well with other colors,” Catherine Staples of Aspen & Ivy says. “Chocolate brown sofas, especially dark ones, are practical and neutral. Brown sofas warm up an all-white room, and we know how popular white walls are.”
Generally speaking, the opposite of brown is blue or bluish-grey. The complements of brown differ greatly based on the exact color as it is common for browns to be tinted with red, yellow and greens. The following colors are optical complements of browns.
When grey and brown are combined, they're anything but ordinary. This flexible color palette adapts to even the most unique of personal styles, making it a foolproof choice. With two neutrals that can create any space you imagine, you have endless options for your grey and brown living room project.
So, you can combine them to create a monochromatic palette that feels both varied and dynamic. Layer your coziest beiges with your deepest chocolate browns, and watch as your space becomes a nuanced landscape of rich, textured browns. “I love that beige gives a room a warm and cozy feeling,” Morgan says.
Brown furniture is renowned to work well with white room ideas, but for an enhanced feeling of warmth, opt for a shade such as cream, instead; perfect for neutral room ideas.
"To keep a natural palette throughout your space, add an ivory, gray, or cream-colored rug to complement your brown couch," says. Angela Harris, principal & CEO of TRIO and Bode & Well. Cook agrees, adding, "You can't go wrong with textural neutrals with any shade of brown."
Dark Wood. “Light wood has been trending for a long time—it will be refreshing to see a new twist on dark in 2023, especially because it can feel nostalgic and classy. When done well, it can have a commanding yet refined impact on a space.
Pick a Warm Gray
“Warm grays are my go-to neutral to pair with rich brown furnishings," says designer Allison Knizek, who is particularly drawn to Benjamin Moore London Fog. "It's like a soft blanket of gray haze, but rather than having a black base, it possesses a subtle, warm undertone," she adds.
White, off-white, and cream white rugs are all excellent accents to any brown sofa. Plus, white appears in a variety of styles like vintage, boho, modern, contemporary, and many others, so your personal aesthetic is sure to be found within white area rugs.
To create a sense of energy in your space, pair brown furniture with warm tones. Grace Hoffend suggests utilizing terracotta and forest green, as they're some of her favorite tones. “But if you like a neutral style, start with vibrant brown tones and pair with a really warm light gray or white.”
Do grey and brown go together? Of course, they do! It's one of the classic combos.
The top sofa colours in 2023 are grey, green and neutral-toned sofas. However, there are still other colours out there that offer something really unique to your living room. For example, a yellow sofa is great for those who want to add an extra pop of colour to their room, yet it still has a sophisticated look.
Next year's outlook is rosy, according to color forecasters—from bright fuchsias to delicate, neutral-leaning pinks. On the subtle end of the spectrum, Sherwin-Williams inaugurated Redend Point, a serene gray-pink, as its 2023 Color of the Year.
Digital Lavender, Luscious Red, Sundial, Tranquil Blue and Verdigris are the color names for 2023. Who chooses the names of the new colors? Names are selected by the WGSN and Coloro color team, before being verified by our in-house Equality Vision Team to ensure a proper translation on a global scale.