Dark wood floors are an interior decorators dream. They lend a sense of warmth to a room and allow for experimentation with soft palettes and spread-out furniture arrangements. Dark wood floors also show off subtle color combinations that would otherwise be lost against a pale or carpeted floor - in particular rugs and soft furnishings. Easily the most versatile flooring option, dark or black wood floors open a playground of ideas.

What color furniture goes best with dark wood floors?

There are no hard and fast rules as to what furniture goes best with dark wood floors, as it all depends on:

  • the effect you want to create, and
  • the purpose of the room.

However, if you are looking for a truly contemporary living-room look that maximizes the room's volume, giving an impression of space, you will want to look at lighter or medium colors set off with lighter-color or brightly colored rugs, cushions, lamps, and light fittings.

What color cabinets will work best with dark wood floors?

Wooden furniture should complement the color of the floor, being either a lighter or darker shade, or a contrasting varnish. Painted cabinets should be lighter: you can play with contrast to your heart's delight as long as you avoid a glaring, shiny white.

What color walls will work best with dark wood floors?

Red or amber walls could be a dramatic option: they will create a very modern, eclectic, and warm bedroom space. As a rule, light colors such as off-white and eggshell work best - particularly for living rooms. The contrast created by the light walls and dark floors creates exactly the right kind of interplay between dark and light, heighten and enlarges a room, and you are all but limited in your choice of furnishings against this combination.

Contact us for more tips and ideas on how to decorate with dark wood floors and the different types of dark wood floors to choose from - from solid wooden to laminate flooring.