Some would say that brown furniture is dull or ordinary. Well, not me. There’s nothing better than the deep, earthy brown tones if you ask me. Well, at least when it comes to furniture.
Brown is a very versatile, warm color. It can make other, bolder colors pop and be the perfect “backup dancer” to their stardom. However, it can also be a real star. So if you’re a lover of brown just like I am and are in the midst of redecorating, you might be wondering what color walls go with brown furniture.
The answer to that question will be music to your ears. Almost all colors go swellingly with brown furniture. However, some simply make better pairings than others. Let’s take a look, shall we?
How Much Brown Is Too Much Brown?
My first suggestion might seem odd to some, but here it is — brown furniture, especially wooden furniture, goes great with brown walls. However, there are a few tricks that will make all the shades of brown pop.
When mixing brown furniture and brown walls, you have to be careful. If you go too dark, you might end up feeling as if you’re living in a mud hole. On the other hand, if you go too light, you’ll turn your room into a sepia nightmare. When combining brown tones, the trick is in the balance.
Play Around With Shading
If you have dark brown furniture, then I don’t have to tell you that dark brown walls won’t be your friend. Of course, that all depends on the type of space you’re redecorating. The dark-on-dark theme might look good if you have a huge area and are going for that “cigar-bar-in-the-prohibition-era” type of vibe.
But if you have a regular old living room (or bedroom, or any other room), like most of us do, go for a bit of contrast. Light brown or even beige tones will make the dark furniture pop. What’s more, these won’t be too overbearing or make the room appear too dark or closed off.
You Can Never Go Wrong With White
White isn’t the most exciting suggestion — I’ll give you that. However, crisp white walls often look the most gorgeous. What’s more, they make the entire room look more spacious, light, and comfortable.
White isn’t hard on the eyes, and it’s the perfect choice to enhance those deep, rich, and luscious tones of your brown furniture. Furthermore, the white-brown combination creates a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. It’s the traditional charm at its finest!
To make your room even more beautiful, consider incorporating brown details on your white walls. Big, sturdy, full-wood shelves or natural brown leather (or pleather) details will only enhance the rustic vibe.
Royal Blue With Crisp White Trims
This choice is one of my personal favorites. It’s an ideal combination for big rooms that feel empty. However, it’s also a good pick for smaller rooms, as long as they have a lot of natural light.
This elegant combination will get even better if you spruce it up with some fancy artwork that has gold hues. Gold frames or gold details throughout the room (like a pair of cute, fluffy throw pillows) will pull the entire look (and feel) of the room together.
Forest Green and All Its Friends
Is there anything that goes as well as green and brown? Probably not. These two colors are the ones that are most represented in nature. Therefore, they are massive hits in interior design. Rooms with green walls and brown furniture exude that organic, natural vibe that’s relaxing and stimulating at the same time.
If you’re a fan of green, you can go one of two ways — light or dark. Much like my dark blue suggestion, dark green with colder undertones will make the atmosphere pleasant and relaxing. However, be careful not to go too dark, especially in a small room.
Light green is energetic, lively, and vibrant. It meshes perfectly with both light and dark brown furniture, especially if you throw in some dark green accent details.
Go Boldly Where Only a Few Dare to Go
Bold, bright colors make great accents — we all know that. But these colors, such as bright orange, fuschia, and turquoise, can also be fantastic choices for your walls. Yes, they are loud and radiant and might even be overbearing at times. However, they can still be used as wall paint colors if you balance them out.
Consider using decorative wallpaper that has a combination of bolder and more subdued tones of fuschia, turquoise, or orange. You can do all four walls or pick one of them to be an accent wall while you paint the rest in a more low-key tone.
Either way, looking at a room decorated with bright colors combined with brown furniture will leave the impression of luscious springtime fruit trees. Imagine a glorious peach three with its dark brown bark and bright pink, orange, and purple flowers (or, even better, fruits!). Is there anything more aesthetically pleasing?
You Are My Sunshine (Yellow)
Warm, pleasant, and sunny yellow will make any room look brighter, roomier, and more comfortable. Yellow walls are ideal for small, dark rooms, as they give the illusion of natural light. Therefore, this might be the perfect choice for you if you’re redecorating a room that doesn’t get enough sunshine.
Most people would be afraid to put brown furniture in a small, dark room. Of course, there’s a significant risk of making the place look even more ominous and dungeon-like. Well, that’s simply not a possibility with bright sunny walls.
Bright yellow is pure. It reminds us of innocence and happiness. It’s also the perfect juxtaposition to the brown. However, if you think light yellow isn’t bold enough for your inner interior designer, you can always go with the deeper shades like mustard and medallion yellow.
Luxury in Royal Purple
Purple and brown is a potent combination. However, it can also be a winning one if you play your (sample color) cards right.
Not every shade of purple will work. In fact, only a few of them will give you the desired luxurious, exquisite effect you’re probably going for. Bright purple or lavender will never accentuate brown as well as plum purple will. Plum is deep and plush, just like brown, so the combined effect will look like pure opulence.
This combination is especially suitable for small, frequently used spaces like powder rooms. Why go the boring route when you can have a plum brown bathroom, right?
Powder Rose Femininity
If you think that purple and brown are too intense or loud for you, I don’t blame you. That particular combination can sometimes be overwhelming. That’s why my next suggestion is a mellower version, the younger sister, or even a distant cousin of the powerful purple-brown combination — powder-rose and brown.
Powder rose is a soft color that exudes femininity. It’s innocent, inconspicuous, and yet elegant and luxurious at the same time. Much like lavender or any of the pastel colors, powder rose gives out that romantic old-time vibe of a lady’s chambers.
Although some might classify this combination as too girly, I think that’s a great injustice. Powder rose is pleasant to the eye and ideal for bedrooms, as it’s not too harsh or too bland.
Embrace the Latest Trends
If you haven’t hopped on the “mint” train that first came into our lives back in 2015, maybe now is a perfect time. Mint is a fantastic shade that beautifully complements brown furniture, which is why it found its way on my list.
A colder tone by nature, mint is refreshing and natural-looking. What’s more, it is an ideal balance between masculine and feminine colors, given that it’s a more refreshing tone while also being gentle.
You can go for a more greeny mint or one that’s bluer. Either way, the brown furniture will be almost overshadowed by this fantastic color. Since it’s an attractive shade, mint walls and cozy brown furniture make an ideal combination for both living rooms and bedrooms.
Opulence in Copper and Gold
Copper and gold are rich, luxurious colors that are also whimsical and magical. I know that’s a lot of attributes, but gold and copper sparkle and shine, especially when paired with deep, chocolate-like brown furniture.
Aside from bringing a bit of much-needed sparkle in your life, gold and copper (which you can even use as individual colors or combine them for a more powerful “wow” effect) are also bold. A room with gold walls and brown furniture is no ordinary room — it’s a statement — a masterpiece if you will.
If you opt to paint your walls in these colors, I also recommend making them a bit textured. You’ll add dimension and depth to the room, and the brown furniture will stand out even more (if that’s even possible). Of course, you can always go for the toned-down version of this combination and paint just one or two walls while making the others more subtle.
A Few Parting Words
Of course, there are many more colors and shades that go swimmingly with brown furniture. These are just some of my personal favorites that please my inner interior designer. No matter which one you choose, always remember to swatch the paint (or paints) on the walls and see what it looks like both in daylight and during the night. That’s the only way to know if the color you’ve chosen is the perfect fit for the room you’re redecorating.
