Many home experts agree that the floor color should be darker than the walls. The rule generally applies because lighter walls and a dark floor make the room seem larger. Most homeowners prefer a spacious looking interior. However, the rule can change with low ceilings.
The perfect way to make sure that your wood floor tones, furniture, molding, and home accessories match with your walls is to opt for a neutral shade of paint. Irrespective of whether the wood floor has orange, gray, or yellow undertone, they will coordinate well with neutral walls.
Decorating Tips for Color
Light and bright colored walls are more reflective making a room feel open and airy, and maximizing the effect of natural light. Dark colors, on the other hand, absorb light, making a room look smaller. Soft/bright color tones tend to make a room not only look bigger, but also more inviting.
A dark floor combined with light walls and a light ceiling creates a contrasting effect. The human eye finds it easier to focus on contrasts, and this will make the room appear more interesting.
With dark hardwood floors, you'll enjoy: Long-lasting color: Its color makes dark hardwood prone to absorbing sunlight, while light hardwood reflects it. Over time, you'll find that your dark flooring results in less sun damage, retaining its dark sheen for longer.
Both dark and light floors work very well, and only you can choose which is best for you and your home. Dark floors tend to be more stylish and hide imperfections while light floors tend to show dirt less and last longer.
Dark floors will not automatically make your room look smaller. While overloading a small space with dark colors will absorb light and make the space feel even smaller, dark floors can actually help to open a space up, if done correctly.
Dark brown hardwood floors in particular never seem to go out of fashion, they are always trendy and still in style. There's something about the contrast between dark wood floors and bright, light walls, white kitchen cabinets, furnishing etc. that epitomize a sophisticated and upmarket style.
You may be surprised to learn that dark wood flooring can help to make your room look bigger too. Darker flooring offers an inviting feel and opens up a space. Whether you choose rich colours or softer dark colours, they both have their advantages when it comes to expanding the appearance of a room.
If so, you might be wondering, Should wood floors be lighter or darker than cabinets? Luckily, there is no right or wrong answer here. Light-color hardwoods look excellent with dark wood cabinets, and vice versa. On the other hand, matching the colors isn't out of the question, either.
Laying your floors diagonally is one of the most effective ways to create a larger space. Diagonally laying floors tricks the eye into seeing the pattern in a different perspective, which also creates more visual interest.
To match your gray flooring to your walls select a flat gray paint that is the same shade or lighter in color for best results. This will help avoid the space from appearing too dark. Other wall colors that work well with gray flooring are sand, honey, light green and pale yellow.
Lighter floors inherently make a room feel larger. If you're hoping to carry that feeling through the space, choose wall colors that are bright, neutral and light in color. If pure white is too harsh, go with a grey or white paint with an undertone of a different shade.
A choice of timeless hardwood floor colors
Brown Maple floors have hues of rich gold, amber and brown. Cherry floors feature a burnished auburn color that will darken over time. Hickory offers hues from lighter blonde sapwood to cocoa brown and beige heartwood. Red Oak comes in deep, salmon tones.
Grey floors are easier to keep clean than dark brown hardwood floors because they show less dust. Lighter gray floors can make a room feel open and airy, while darker gray stains can visually reduce the space.
Light color flooring tends to brighten up a space and make it feel larger.
The way you decorate and the colours you choose for your floor and walls, will all have a huge impact on the atmosphere in the room. Light colours will give the space a sunnier, happier feel. Shades of yellow stand for optimism and fun, while white and light beige will give the room a sense of openness and purity.
Dark wood flooring with lighter walls offers a dramatic contrast in a room's aesthetic. It's bold yet as classically modern as Edison lights, brass accents, and hand-crafted furniture. Bottom line—it's trend that's not going away any time soon.
However, if you just can't decide, you can't go wrong with the versatile look of a dark wood floor. “If you are going for a timeless look, a darker wood tone will always be applicable,” says designer Kia Weatherspoon, president of D.C.-based Determined by Design.
Choose Dark Flooring
Unless the room is also small, going with dark flooring can actually draw the eye away from the low ceiling. Why not go with an espresso stained hardwood or a Brazilian Walnut? Add a fun area rug to draw even more visual interest to the floor.
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. And here's another hack: Try painting your wall trim and moldings in a lighter color than your walls.
#5: Ground big spaces: In an especially large or expansive room, dark floors can help ground it and make it feel less cavernous. #6: Flexible style: Dark hardwood floors can be used in a variety of design styles.