Dark wood floors are a practical and dramatic choice, and there are several wall paint colors which will accentuate the natural color of your wooden floors.
There are several benefits to having dark hardwood floors inside your home. The warmer, rustic look and dramatic contrast that darker wood gives can be used to create a beautiful interior design for your home.
Moreover, dark wood floors are durable and will keep this elegant look over time.
In order to take full advantage of the drama and contrast which dark wood floors have, it is important to choose the right wall paint colors to go alongside your hardwood floors.
However, before you choose the right paint color, it is important to consider the undertones of your wood, the lighting in your space and the other design and décor elements in your home, to ensure that the paint color you choose complements all the other interior design elements and helps to pull the entire design together.
The advantages of dark wood floors
Dark hardwood flooring is a popular choice for flooring, as it can add a certain deep, rich color to your home.
Floors with darker wood can have a dramatic look, especially in larger homes, or homes that have an open floor plan. These darker colors help to anchor these larger rooms and make them feel grounded.
Usually, dark wood floors are made from ebony, mahogany or cherry wood, but other wood types can also be stained to give a darker appearance.
Homeowners usually prefer darker wood floors over the lighter wood floors, because the darker wood absorbs sunlight better and will keep their deep, rich colors for longer. The darker color also tends to hide dirt for longer than a lighter wood would.
These benefits are also what make darker hardwood floors a good option if you are planning on reselling your house in the future, as potential buyers are likely to look for these characteristics in the house that they purchase.
Darker wood flooring also usually has a more pronounced woodgrain look, and creates more of a contrast than lighter wood floors and this creates a very natural and rustic feeling within your design.
The pattern of this wood grain can also add some texture and visual interest to your interior design, which can make for a more interesting and unique design throughout your entire house.
The wall paint colors you choose to pair with your darker wood floors can make or break your entire interior design style
What to keep in mind when selecting your wall paint color
Dark wood flooring can add a natural warmth and striking contrast to your entire interior design. However, it can be quite tricky to choose the other design elements in your house to complement and accentuate these features in your dark wood floors, and to not create an overall design which feels too dark and dull.
Choosing the right wall paint can be the first step in ensuring that your rooms do not feel too dark and small, and there are a few factors to consider when you are choosing your wall paint.
The most important consideration when you are choosing your wall paint colors is the undertones of your hardwood flooring.
Designers agree that colors with similar undertones usually look best together, therefore, if your hardwood floors have warmer undertones, warmer wall paint would look better and cooler paint would look better when paired with floors with cooler undertones.
The lighting in your room can also have an effect on the way that colors appear within your room. This is why it is important to swatch your paint colors in the room that you are planning to use the paint in.
So that you can examine how the lighting in the room will affect the look of your floors and your paint, so that you can ensure a harmonious and coordinated look.
It is also always important to consider other elements that you have already selected for the room or rooms which you want to paint.
How to match wall colors dark wood floors
In this case, it is important that your paint colors go with furniture, artwork or other established design elements as well as your dark wood floors in order for you to have the best possible interior design at the end of the process.
White and off-white paint colors for dark wood floors
White and off-white colors are classic choices for interior walls. When paired with darker wood trims, white and off-white paint can create a stark contrast and help to bring some brightness back into your space.
White and off-white colors also make good trim colors, as this light neutral color can help you to neutralize some of the stronger undertones in your wood and also ensure that you have clean, crisp lines throughout your design.
Some of the best white and off-white colors to pair with dark wood floors include:
1. Atrium White by Benjamin Moore
Atrium White is a very bright white color, which can create a lot of contrast when placed next to darker wood floors, which will create a graphic look within your design.
2. Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore
Decorator’s White is a very clean, white color. The slight gray undertones of this color can help to prevent the color from being too stark white.
This color will also work well on baseboards and doors, to bring added brightness to any room with dark wood floors.
3. White Dove by Benjamin Moore
White Dove color is a very soft white color, which certainly brings a lot of brightness to any room.
This color reflects a lot of light and will also reflect some of the warmer wood tones that can be found in your floors, which makes for a very harmonious overall look.
4. Alabaster by Sherwin Williams
Alabaster is a very popular and versatile soft white color. This color will mirror some of the warmer tones from the natural wood tones in your floor, which makes it the perfect color if you would like to accentuate your wooden floors, but still create a bright and airy space.
Gray paint colors for dark wood floors
Gray is a popular color to add to the interior of your home. If you already have dark wood floors installed, it is always best to go for slightly warmer or beige-leaning gray colors.
These warmer undertones in the gray paint should coordinate well with the warmer undertones in natural wood colors, which should give you a harmonious and neutral color scheme.
However, you can also juxtapose the warmer tones in your wood next to a cooler gray color, which should create some contrast and visual interest, but this look can be difficult to pull off.
There are several tried and tested, cool and warm gray paint options for you to consider:
5. Silverpointe by Sherwin Williams
This is a very light steely, gray color, which adds brightness but is still very neutral. This color looks especially good when paired with very dark cool-toned wood, for an ultra-modern look and feel.
6. Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams
Repose Gray is a very neutral to warm gray color, which creates a very calming and welcoming ambience within a room.
7. Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore
Revere Pewter is a lighter gray option, which still has a bit of warmth to it. This color – much like dark wood floors, works well in large, open spaces.
Blue paint colors for dark wood floors
Adding blue paint to a room with darker hardwood floors, can create some much-needed contrast and help you to create an interesting and appealing room design.
Blue is a very calming color, which makes it the ideal choice, if you want your house to feel like an oasis away from the outside world.
8. Celestial by Sherwin Williams
This is a good cool-toned blue color to contrast with the warmer undertones in your wooden floors.
9. Mysterious by Glidden
This is a very dark navy shade, which makes it the perfect accent color to add depth to your design.
10. Parma Gray by Farrow and Ball
This is a subtle, lighter blue color. The gray tones to this blue make it a good neutral yet brightening base to your design.
Final thoughts
Dark wood floors are popular for a reason. These floors add drama and are easy to clean, keep their appearance over time and can add considerable resale value to your home.
It is important that you choose the right wall paint color, which matches the undertones in your dark wood floors, looks good in the actual room and goes with all your other furniture and artwork in order to ensure that you truly make the most of your beautiful dark wooden flooring.
There are several white, off-white, gray and blue colors which would work for an interior design scheme with darker wooden floors.
Furthermore, these colors ensure that you create enough contrast to give every piece of your design its own space to shine, but still make all of these pieces work together to have a coordinating and coherent design style within your home.
