What Color Rug Should I Use For Dark Wood Floors?
Dark wood floors are all the rage these days. Not only are they elegant, but they have a charm to them that adds warmth to any floor in a home while concealing dirt unlike any other type of flooring. However, choosing the right accessories for dark wood floors isn’t easy. You have to take color into consideration to create some uniformity in the room. A home isn’t complete without a rug. So, what color rug should I use for dark wood floors?
Light colored rugs can actually be a great choice for dark wood floors because the contrasting nature of these colors brings out the best in each other. The problem with dark colored rugs is that they blend in with the floors to the point of barely being noticeable. Your rug should be of a darker and richer color than your floors. In this way, it acts as an accent to the dark wood floors.
I’ve scoured the internet and consulted with some interior decorating enthusiasts to compile a list of what color rug you should use for dark wood floors. You won’t go wrong with any of these options; that’s my personal guarantee.
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How To Use Light Colored Rugs With Dark Wood Floors
Despite the fact that light colored rugs are significantly different from dark wood floors, they can be paired together stylishly. It all depends on the shade of color between the light colored rugs and the dark wood floors.
What we know is that the high contrast of a light rug with a dark wood floor is considered attractive by home decor experts.
Rather than repel each other, the light color rugs work as an accent to essentially accentuate the darkness of the floors.
If what you want is to draw attention to a specific area of the room, then it is preferable to use light colored rugs.
11 Rug Colors For Dark Floors
1. White
I have a love-hate relationship with white rugs, mainly due to their lack of ability to conceal dirt and stains.
Regular maintenance and cleaning is a must if you want to show off a beautiful ice white carpet in your home.
All that aside, I would be a liar if I didn’t admit to absolutely loving the bright, stark, and contrasting effect of a white rug with dark wood floors.
The manner in which it creates a zone of brightness and exuberance where it lies in an otherwise moody and dark setting is unmatched.
Bright rugs paired with dark wood floors bring out the very best elements in each other and will liven up any room, irrespective of what color walls, curtains, or floors it’s paired with. This is why white is one of the best colors you should use with dark floors.
2. Cream
As much as cream is light and almost as bright as white, its undertones are quite subtle and relaxing, making it a good fit for dark wood floors that lean towards a deep brown.
Cream is perhaps the safest and most common color used in home decor due to its warmness and underwhelming nature.
Rather than draw attention to itself, cream has the ability to soften a dark and contrasting room, allowing you to show off other elements of the room, especially the furniture.
Its earthy nature brings a sense of softness to any home, and the availability of cream rugs is second to none.
3. Jute Brown
By nature, most dark wood floors are brown, but that doesn’t negate the possibility of pairing these floors with a brown rug.
What you want to attempt is combining a different and contrasting shade or tone of brown with your dark wood floors.
For example, a sandy brown rug would look phenomenal with a deep brown, dark wood floor.
Perhaps my favorite type of rug is jute due to its texture, styling, and eco-friendliness. But, it’s also the type of rug that looks best in different shades of brown.
4. Red
Correct me if I’m wrong, but most dark wood floors have the ability to make a room appear moody, darker, and smaller.
For some people, that’s what they want. I would be remiss not to factor in how elegant and stylish dark wood floors appear.
But, it can be dull if you don’t have anything to brighten up the room.
This is when I recommend red rugs for dark wood floors.
Red is known for stimulating feelings of passion, energy, love, vibrancy, and excitement. When you use a red rug as a statement piece, it drastically livens up a dull room with dark wood floors.
5. Grey
Grey is one of those colors that easily complements darker shades. It adds a bit of contrast against dark wood floors, but not enough to be overwhelming or too eye-catching.
Rather than being a statement piece, grey rugs bring out the subtle and deep tones of dark wood floors.
The color grey is naturally occurring.
What I mean by this is that the color grey is earthy and found in the ground. Stone, cobble, cement, and other forms of sand appear grey in nature. Combining earthy colors in your home mimics what occurs in nature.
6. Yellow
Home decor isn’t just about what looks good indoors. There’s a degree of personal influence that is of paramount importance in home decor.
Your house should feel like “your” home.
Parts of your personality should be reflected in the color and style of your home.
I’m someone who has shades of introversion mixed with a great degree of bubbliness and loudness.
It turns out, combining a bright, bold, and vibrant color with dark wood floors perfectly represents the marriage of two different vibes.
Yellow is incredibly warm, uplifting, vibrant, joyful, and energizing. To add some life, excitement, and passion to an understated room, opt for a yellow rug with dark wood floors.
7. Blue
In general, dark wood floors are advised for most home or business owners who want to create an intimate, elegant, and warm vibe.
Interestingly enough, certain tones of blue are known to do the same.
For example, deep dark blues like midnight blue are associated with royalty and elegance.
Paired with dark wood floors, deep and dark blue rugs make a room look more exquisite and rich.
However, what you want to remember is that your wall colors cannot be light if you are using dark wood floors with dark color rugs.
The contrast is too explicit. Get a matching color to paint your walls.
8. Pink
If you want to make a bold and vibrant statement, pair a pink rug with dark wood floors.
It’s tricky to find the right tone but under the right circumstances, they can contrast each other enough to create a fun and flashy environment.
If you can, accessorize the room with pink curtains, cushions, and/or flowers to complete this look.
9. Green
Just like in nature, brown is usually associated with green.
Whether it’s grass on the ground or leaves on a tree, these two colors complement each other.
Dark wood floors are best paired with dark leafy green rugs.
If your walls are either made of wood or you’ve utilized paint colors like cream, brown, grey, or brown, you’d add some life to the room with a green accessory.
See also: What Color Rug Goes With a Green Couch? (Best Colors)
10. Multicolor
If you really want to be risky but bold and courageous, find a colorful rug for your dark wood floors.
The key here is to pair a minimalistic room decor with one feature piece that is colorful, detailed, textured, and bright.
So, everything else should be understated, including the wall color to draw all eyes onto the multicolor rug.
It should be large enough to cover a wide area of the floor and be unobstructed by a big table or furniture.
11. Black
An overlooked way of bringing out the best details of dark wood is to pair it with an even darker color.
And there’s nothing darker than a beautiful black rug.
Black is quite the versatile color and when you use a black rug on your floor, it highlights those deep streaks of brown within dark wood.
A close second is charcoal grey but if you can opt for a black rug, please do because it conceals dirt and stains unlike any other color on this list.
Final Thoughts
I hope that by following this list, you’re able to select the perfect color rug for your floors.
Take inspiration from the suggestions above but ultimately, select a color that looks good to you.
Your home decor should inspire you to feel whatever you desire. It should also reflect your preferences and personality.
So, with that being said, I hope you enjoyed this article on what color rug you should use for dark wood floors. For more ideas like this, check out this list of articles below:
1. What color rugs go with grey floors?