Use Contrasting Hardwood Floors and Wall Color

Matching hardwood floor tones with wall color can be a real challenge when trying to select the right color or contrast combination. It might be one of the most frustrating decisions you have to make during renovation of an older space or building a new home. A hardwood floor vibe can break you out of that rut by reaching beyond the usual and the norm into a more vibrant and contrasting mix of hardwood floors and choice of wall paint.

Just selecting from the large array of hardwood floors alone can be a daunting task with the numerous variety of hardwood floor wood species to choose from. Add to that the color available in hardwood floors ranging from light to dark and multiple different shades of color tones and you could go crazy trying to narrow it down. Tying that into matching a paint color for your walls and you might want to give up before you begin. But there is a solution and Simple Floors Portland has a way to help you pare that decision down to only a few of your hardwood floor favorites, whether you decide on laminate hardwood floors, bamboo floors, engineered flooring or any other hardwood floor type, we can help you make that final pick!

 

Highlighting Architectural Details Of Your Hardwood Floor

Separating the fine details of ornate baseboard molding, a restored historical fireplace or vaulted ceiling detail with your hardwood floor and walls might be a great example of how contrast design can add interest to your rooms. Just by choosing a soft or light wall color to offset the richness of dark or medium toned hardwood floors can satisfy a contrasting design style. This juxtaposition of hardwood floor and walls with light and dark colors will pull the details of those architectural elements into focus as people enter the room. The idea behind this effect is to keep the colors far enough apart in shade that they are on opposite spectrum in tone (light vs dark).

Stand Out Rather Than Blend In With Your Hardwood Floors

The stand out high contrast design concept focuses on using contrast in its best representation, resulting in a more dramatic outcome. Obviously the highest value of contrast would be black against white, but pulling that into a more neutral color palette will bring an elegance to your final hardwood floor contrast design. Dark grays for example might be a perfect choice to match against soft off-whites. You might have a tendency to want to match your hardwood floors with a stain already used in your furniture or cabinetry, but for a more dramatic design effect try a contrasting look to create more impact within your room.

High Contrast Minimalism For Hardwood Floors And Walls

The trend to downsize and keep things simple is an extremely popular movement right now. People are picking tiny houses over standard square footage, removing clutter out of their lives, and basically moving from more to less. So, why not take the contrast of hardwood floors and wall color into your room design in a minimal way?

You can try this approach by using a deep rich color for your wall paint (colors like; dark slate gray, passion purple or a deep vibrant currant) and then add in a rich dark hardwood floor like walnut, mahogany or hickory. Contrasting the hardwood floor and wall intensity with a bright white wainscoting or custom built-in will make them pop! A few minimal accessories and the look is complete. Inviting and satisfying without the added clutter or use of a busy color palette that fight for visual attention.

Contrast in Your Kitchen or Bathroom – Dark Hardwood Floors and White Countertops

When you decide that you want to upgrade your kitchen or bathroom, one of the first things you look for is the type of countertop. You may want to match it with a similar color palette, by keeping it in the same color values as the cabinetry and hardwood floors. But you could be asking, “How can I design my kitchen or bath with more style?”.

High contrast design is your answer! To get this look, here’s an idea you can start with. Select your countertops in one of these two color palettes; whites or cream/tans, then choose your kitchen cabinets, but in a darker wood or painted finish. Next select your hardwood floors to compliment this design,also in a dark hardwood floor finish, which matches the cabinetry. (or can be a shade or so darker for more variance)

The final finish choices will make the countertops become the centerpiece that shows off whatever you would like displayed on your counters, similar to an artist’s canvas. While the hardwood floors act as the frame to your masterpiece and grounds everything in the room through contrast.

Overall contrast is a way of introducing texture into your home design. The more definition you put into selecting your contrasting hardwood floor, wall color and decorative accessories, the more interest you will have in your finished designed space. The finishes you select can also make a difference, so moving towards using contrasts in those choices will give your design a great vibe. Unique and adventurous just like the essence of Portland itself.

Interested in seeing contrasting samples firsthand? Whether you live in Portland, Vancouver or the entire Metro area, hardwood floor, countertop and tile samples can be hand selected directly at our Portland area flooring showroom. We are happy to help you understand contrast design with hardwood floors and kitchen/bathroom countertops that might make the best decision for you and your family. We keep the process simple and provide the best flooring prices in Portland.