If you have brown furniture and want to redecorate, you need to know what wall colors go best with your furniture. We have done some research to put together suggestions based on the shade of brown you have in your decor.
Brown furniture is available in a wide range. Furniture in your kitchen, dining room, living room, or bedroom could be in various hues of brown. The style, type, and furniture location influence your wall color choice. Below is a list of wall colors that complement brown:
- Green
- Brown
- Blue
- Gray
- Yellow
- Orange
- White
- Ivory
Read on to learn more about complementing brown furniture, including some insight into color choice. We also covered some answers to commonly asked questions.
Paint Colors
When you talk about brown furniture, it may include wood pieces like tables, storage pieces, or even a bedroom suite. You could also include your couch, loveseat, and chairs.
Some colors pair well with brown, making them an excellent option for wall colors when you own brown furniture.
Green
Green and brown are both colors of nature, so they instinctively work well together. Earth tones lend a natural, healing feel to a room. If this is your vibe, you probably enjoy the Japanese aesthetic of Shibui.
However, brown and green can also be bold. Use brighter greens like lime and neon to add a bright color pop to a room with brown furniture. Mint and turquoise are two additional shades that pair well with dark brown.
The only way to go wrong with green and brown is to mismatch your undertones. Whatever shade of green you choose, make sure your brown has the same undertone to avoid clashing.
Brown
Brown includes a wide range of hues, including tans, beiges, and taupes. Plus, you have darker tones like camel and chocolate, but these are only the tip of the brown color iceberg. There are so many shades of brown to choose from, so there is one that will coordinate with your brown furniture, no matter what kind.
Brown always works well with itself as long as you find the right shade. You probably don't want to paint your walls a dark brown if you have dark furniture, but a light shade of brown would create a nice neutral look for the room. Using light walls helps prevent dark furniture from dominating a space.
However, dark walls can achieve a cozy feeling, especially when trimmed in white or cream, if you have lighter furniture.
When you have neutral walls in your room, you should add colors and patterns to your decor and accent pieces to provide something for the eye to settle on. Otherwise, your room can look flat.
Bringing outdoor elements inside is a great way to add textures and naturally blended hues into a design when you love the rustic feel.
Blue
There is a natural harmony between blue and brown based on color theory. Therefore, this is another color that is hard to go wrong when paired with brown furniture.
The coolness of lighter blue shades pairs well with dark browns. When using a darker shade of blue, you have an excellent opportunity to introduce accents of bright colors or lighter shades of brown. White also provides a contrast that keeps the room from being too dark.
Gray
Gray can work with brown if you choose the right shade. Brown and gray are neutral colors, but each can have shades with cooler or warmer undertones, so keep your undertones complementary.
If in doubt, take cues from nature and notice how the colors exist in the outdoors. You will find various hues blended, and you can do the same in your design to add depth and keep the room engaging. Otherwise, consider an accent color to break up the room's neutrality.
Yellow
Yellow is sunny and vibrant and brings positivity into a room. This contrast works well against dark brown furniture. Think about a sunflower and how the colors create beauty together. However, yellow works well with various tones of brown furniture, not just darker pieces.
While you often see yellow in kitchens and dining rooms, it doesn't have to be limited to those two rooms. Yellow looks great in a living room with cognac leather.
If you aren't a fan of the vibrance of yellow, consider using it as an accent wall or pair it with green accents to tone it down. Do this because both colors go well with brown furniture.
Another option is to think about using darker shades like mustard and golden yellow tones if you don't like bright yellow. These deeper shades give a luxurious feel when paired with dark browns.
Orange
Brown and orange work well together, and you can incorporate them into a room design without ending up with a throwback to the Seventies. Use crisp, bright shades of orange to offset dark furniture for a cheerful look.
However, if you like richness, use deep shades of orange with coordinating accent colors and various textures throughout the room to create an unconventional but charming bohemian look.
If orange walls are too much for you, consider doing an accent wall with orange accent pieces to pull the room together in a balanced way.
White
White is a traditional wall color that can make an impact when paired with brown furniture. Its crispness lends a stark contrast to the richness of dark brown, bringing the feeling of luxury to a room.
If you want a more modern look, add another design layer featuring lighter colors of brown. With subtle accents of color throughout, you have an impressive look.
Ivory
Ivory against brown gives contrast like white except softer. Using ivory instead of white on the walls gives you the perfect opportunity to introduce multiple shades of brown into your room. When doing so, focus on adding some textures into the room to complement your brown furniture and give the eye something to focus on.
Is Brown Coming Back In Style?
To some, a brown color seems dated for furniture, but it's making a strong comeback in the design world.
Many people think of dark, heavy wood pieces that can overwhelm a room when you mention brown furniture. So in recent times, the trend has been more toward light-colored furniture like grays and white or natural wood. However, designers are incorporating brown back into interior design models.
Brown furniture can add depth and give a feeling of comfort and belonging. So, you don't have to be afraid of brown furniture in moderation. If you have a brown, vintage piece that you adore, add it to your overall design.
However, limit the number of brown pieces and mix up the finishes and textures. Also, choose your accents carefully. Bring lighter accents to the room when incorporating darker brown furniture tones to balance the space.
Is Dark Brown Furniture Old-fashioned?
If you like modern, sleek furniture, you might consider some dark brown furniture old-fashioned. However, there is a growing appreciation for vintage pieces.
Some people want to incorporate these pieces for nostalgia or even sentimental reasons. Others value the quality because older pieces are often solid wood and sturdy, while the architecture appeals to many designers.
The key is not to overwhelm a room with too many brown pieces. The real problem with old, dark, heavy, brown furniture is when too much of it is in one room. If you inherited your grandmother's brown furniture, disperse it as conversation accent pieces throughout your home rather than keeping them all together in one space.
Finally, if you have a vintage piece that you don't find attractive that isn't valuable, don't throw it out yet. These pieces are great candidates for refinishing or repurposing into something new. With a bit of effort, creativity, and paint, you can have something unique that fits your style.
What Is A Complementary Color To Brown?
While brown is officially not on the traditional color wheel, more contemporary color wheels include brown as the darkest shade of orange. When considering brown as a hue of orange, blue would be the complementary color to brown.
Let's take a quick look at how we get brown to help us better understand it. Brown is a composite color because its creation comes by combining different color pigments. From an RGB perspective, it comes from red and green. However, mixing yellow, red, and black or orange and black to yield brown is more typical.
How Do You Make A Brown Sofa Look Modern?
You can achieve a more modern look through accents if stuck with a brown sofa. Here are a few quick tips:
- Add accent pillows and a plush throw to draw focus away from the sofa.
- Surround the brown couch with bright colors and patterns through curtains, rugs, pictures, and decor pieces.
- Offset the sofa with accent chairs and unique furniture pieces to draw the attention away from the couch.
- Add houseplants and greenery for layers and texture while also incorporating the cool greens of nature to offset the brown.
- Paint or wallpaper a bold accent wall to pull the eye away from the brown.
In Conclusion
Brown furniture has earned a reputation that it doesn't deserve. Using the right paint colors and design techniques can make brown furniture look modern and stylish.
For additional suggestions, also read 13 Best Living Room Color Schemes With Brown Leather Furniture.
If you also need some inspiration for furniture placement, you might find 15 Great Couch And Two Chairs Living Room Layouts interesting.