In the interior design world, a gray wall is seen as a neutral and subtle backdrop for bold decor and furniture. But most often, we tend to overlook the color of the wood floors.
In modern interiors, gray walls are often the preferred choice with wooden floors thanks to the many undertones of gray.
If you’re wondering what color wood floor goes with gray walls, we’ve put together a helpful guide and color pairing ideas to show you how to coordinate your gray walls with wooden floors. Let’s delve into it now to discover the best color pairings!
Warm or Cool Gray Undertones
Gray walls give us the choice to blend a number of color schemes as this neutral color has underlying tones that determine whether the gray is cool or warm.
Just like other cool and warm colors, gray can have red (warm) or blue (cool) hues. This is how you can determine the best wooden flooring color based on the undertone of your gray walls in order to keep the design consistent.
With gray wall paint, the hue can actually change when paired with light or dark wooden flooring. There is no denying how elegant and classic gray looks in any room, and since it leans more toward cool than warm hues, it goes with most wooden floor colors.
In fact, gray is a cool version of warm cream or beige. But it is important not to make your room appear gloomy or dull just because you like the idea of painting your walls gray.
This can be avoided by introducing a warm shade of wooden floor color to add character to your home.
There are many shades of gray that differ in tone. Some lean more toward black and white with some basic undertones such as:
- Platinum
- Silver
- Steel
- Marengo
- Graphite
The above neutral shades are pure gray without any color pigments. It is, therefore, important to determine the right shade of gray that goes with the rest of your home’s decor and flooring. For example, a medium shade of gray for the walls paired with dark wood flooring changes the way we see the gray, thus making the wall appear lighter.
If the same shade of gray is paired with light wooden flooring, it will make the wall appear darker.
So the shade of the gray wall determines the color you can choose for your wooden flooring. To give you some ideas, keep reading for examples of wooden floor colors paired with light and dark gray walls.
Best Wood Floor Colors that Go with Gray Walls
Light Brown
Light brown wooden floors perfectly match the gray walls. From walnut and pine to oak, no matter what type of wood you choose, a light brown wood floor combined with dark gray walls creates a natural and flawless look.
Light wooden floors can either have a warm or cool undertone. The cool tones are those that lean towards gray or taupe.
The warm tones consist of yellow, red, or orange hues. If you prefer light brown wood floor colors, you may opt for oak, maple, or ash. The warm tones are beech and hickory to name a few examples.
In formal living rooms with dark gray walls, you should opt for warm wood tones in light colors to complement the warm tone of the dark gray.
In this example, the sophisticated dark gray wall has a blue undertone, which works perfectly with the rest of the furniture and the light brown wooden floor.
Whether you decorate your room with a traditional or modern theme, this color combination should not be ruled out, even if the wall color is in very dark gray.
Medium Brown
If you’re not keen on light brown wooden floors and prefer a darker version, how about a medium-toned brown color? This idea works with both light and dark gray walls.
Two of the most popular mid-toned wooden floors are oak and birch.
This color combo works best in high-traffic rooms as the medium-toned wooden floor hides dirt or dust much better than light brown wooden floors.
Dark Brown
When we mention dark brown wooden floors with dark gray walls, some people might think their rooms will feel small and cramped with this color combo.
However, in a room with tall walls and ample natural lighting, a bluish-gray shade for the walls and dark brown wood floor can actually make the interior feel classy and elegant.
Since the dark gray and dark brown wood create a lot of contrast, this color combo is best used in formal dining rooms just like the example shown here.
We love the high ceiling and tall window of this formal dining room, which proves how dark gray can work with dark brown wooden floors in open and airy spaces.
Gray
A medium shade of gray works perfectly with light gray. You can use this combination for your walls and wooden floors for a cohesive look. For contrast, use bright-colored furniture to make your modern room more elegant.
Whether you go for a dark shade of gray for the walls and light gray wooden flooring, gray with gray will work perfectly in a small or large room.
Gray walls can be used to pair with different cabinet colors, and furniture colors.
White
The next wooden floor color that works very well with gray walls is bright white. This neutral color is a popular choice in low-traffic areas.
If your room is on the small side, opt for white wooden floors and light gray walls. The use of white helps make the room appear brighter and more spacious. This classic color goes well with a versatile wall paint color like gray.
Black
Since gray is a neutral color that goes with white, it can work just as nicely with black wooden floors.
Some people prefer installing black wooden floors in high foot traffic rooms as this dark color hides dirt and dust. Keep in mind that if you want to use black for the flooring, you must paint the walls a light shade of gray as the color combo may look overwhelming.
Neutral colors reflect natural light, thus light gray makes a great choice with black wooden floors. And as for the furniture, go with white or beige in order to prevent the room from appearing too dark or dingy.
Bold or vivid colors aren’t the best idea in a room with black wooden floors and gray walls. Stick to white, cream, or beige for the accessories and furnishings.
Cherry Wood
Cherry wood is a striking color for flooring. In a modern living room, this flooring color highlights the gray walls without clashing with the rich undertones of gray.
To bring out your cherry wood flooring’s beauty, pair it with a bluish-gray wall paint color.
This will make the white furniture stand out as shown in this example. When deciding on the right cherry wood flooring tone, you may opt for red or a tinge of yellow as both are warm undertones that work well with gray.
Does Light Wooden Floor Make A Room Appear Bigger?
Light-colored wooden flooring doesn’t necessarily make a room bigger. It depends on the height of the ceiling and how dark the wooden flooring is. Dark floors make a room appear smaller while lighter ones can have the opposite effect.
When you pair your light wooden floors with light gray walls, you can effectively create the illusion of more space. However, you must also pay attention to the lighting and furniture as too little lighting and a cluttered space can make the room appear small and cramped.
Conclusion
A gray wall can serve as a subtle backdrop to a variety of wooden flooring colors. Because gray is such a diverse color, it is not hard to coordinate it with the perfect wood floor color.
Some great colors include white, black, and cherry wood, which are elegant and inviting options for bedrooms and living rooms.
Keep in mind that you can always stain the wooden flooring a different color if the shade you’ve chosen doesn’t quite work with your gray walls.
But regardless of the stain color, you choose for your wooden floors, the combination must complement the rest of the room’s decor. For small living rooms, we recommend picking a light color wooden floor, and for large rooms with tall walls, a darker shade will work with the gray walls.
The easiest way is to refer to our above examples with images to decide on the best wooden floor color that works with gray walls.
