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.
Which do you prefer – light or dark hardwood? 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.
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.
The question of whether your floors should be a darker or lighter color than your walls all depends on your style and the mood you want to create in the space! It also depends on the color of your floors. A general rule of thumb to follow is to go for whichever combo has the most contrast.
1) Light and dark flooring
Choosing lighter coloured flooring to compliment your furniture can expand the perceived size of any room and can open the space right up. Think cream carpets, natural and neutral toned tiles and whitewashed wood flooring.
Dark-colored floors can make rooms seem darker and smaller. If a room doesn't receive a lot of natural light, a dark floor can make it appear gloomy and uninviting. When space is limited, as it often is in condos and apartments, dark floors can give the illusion of even less space.
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.
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 gray or white paint with an undertone of a different shade.
Consider the size of the room: If you're putting a new floor in a large or wide room, going with a darker color will make a sprawling space feel somewhat smaller and cozier. In contrast, a lighter color such as beige or cream can help “open up” cramped living areas and make them seem bigger.
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.
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.
To Wrap Things Up
Among the options we saw, white, tan, gray, blue, and green walls all work well if you have brown floors. When it comes to designing brown flooring, try to keep your walls lighter in color to make your room feel open and inviting.
A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to "open up" the space above. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors.
Light color flooring tends to brighten up a space and make it feel larger.
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.
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.
Gray flooring, particularly gray wood, has grown exponentially over the last decade and has quickly become the most popular trend, not just for flooring, but for homes in general. In addition to looking chic and trendy, gray floors set the tone of a cool, contemporary home.
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.
Neutral wall colors allow for a subtle backdrop for bold furniture and wall décor and, depending on the undertone, match well with wood floors. Modern décor considers gray walls with wood floors a long-standing staple in interior design.
Place a paint chart against the floor if it has multiple shades. Look at the chart, and identify the two most predominant colors in the floor. Choose a paint color that belongs to the same family as one of the predominant floor colors and doesn't clash with any of them.
Big floral patterns make a room appear larger. Install wallpaper with horizontal stripes to make a room seem wider, or commit to vertical stripes to stretch the room visually and raise the ceiling. A busy pattern featuring chevrons, simple geometric designs, or a texture that mimics marble can make a room seem bigger.
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.