Finding wall colors to coordinate with wood floors requires some persistence. Choosing a paint color is not an exact science---there is no formula for this process. Light and color interplay, and a color that looks good in the morning may not look good at dusk. However, knowing the color of the wood can provide a starting point from which to make some educated decisions.
Work With the Wood
Identify the color of the wood floor as either yellow, red or brown. Yellow includes golden tans, whereas red includes a more orange or dark red-brown undertones; brown can run the gamut between a grayish brown to a dark brown. Yellow, red and orange-toned wood floors work better with warm colors. Warm colors are vivid, in the red, yellow and orange family and tend to advance toward the eye. Browns and some red-browns require cooler color tones. Cool color tones are refreshing and calm, generally falling into the blue, green, pink and purple color range. These cooler shades tend to recede to allow the floor to become more dominant visually. When choosing a neutral paint color, find one that has the appropriate cool or warm base to work with the wood floor. For example, a brown walnut floor will look better with a blue-based off-white than a buttery off-white.
Ignore the Wood
Ignore the fact that the floor is wood and simply treat it as another color. Start by finding a paint color that matches the floor color (this helps distract the mind away from preconceived ideas about the floor). Use the sample to find paint colors that work with the floor. Create or find a larger sample of the paint color representing the floor (tape several small samples together for a larger one if the dealer cannot provide one) and use a paint fan deck (these can be purchased from a paint dealer) for quick reference to the full spectrum of paint color choices. Purchase small sizes of the final choices and paint 12 by 12-inch foam board (found at art supply stores) samples of each. View each one against the floor color by placing them around the room at various times of the day.
Choose an Era
The architecture or furnishings in your home may reflect an era or time span that used particular colors and floor finishes. Locate a paint swatch book that provides samples of color schemes from the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Find themes that will work with the wood floor color, and match the older colors with modern paint colors. Match the wood floor color with a paint sample found within the swatch books, then consider the other colors in the scheme as possible paint colors. Books like "Choosing Colors: An Expert Choice Of The Best Colors To Use In Your Home" by Kevin McCloud are good places to begin this process.
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