7 faultless tricks for matching your walls to your furniture

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Any interior designer will be in a rush to tell you that for a properly beautiful and cohesive home, you need to think about aligning your wall colors and furniture choices. It makes sense, when you think about it, but then, the panic sets in! How exactly DO you match colors and furniture styles? If you've ever looked at your home and thought to yourself I have brown furniture, so which color do I paint the walls?, this really is the article for you, as we are about to explain everything!

We've taken a look at the most popular styles of furniture right now and have discovered which wall colors will work best with them and don't worry; we aren't ignoring spaces such as your kitchen! Come with us now and let's discover how we should be decorating, together. As we could use some tips just as much as you!

1. Stainless steel furniture.

Let's start in the kitchen, with stainless steel cabinets. They never go out of style, always look beautiful and are a natural fit for a room that needs to be hygienic, rather than warm and cozy, but how can you go about combining wall colors and furniture, to offset a little bit of the coolness of brushed metal?

As it happens, we think stainless steel goes with just about any wall color, from cool grays through to warm terracotta, as seen here, on the floor. For a modern and chic aesthetic, stick to pale colors and really empahsize the stark vibe, but to add in a little more warmth,choose something with some depth. The only color we would recommend avoiding, in a small kitchen anyway, is black!

2. No furniture.

What about those spaces in your home that actually have no furniture? Well, don't forget to consider architectural installations, such as your staircase, as a piece of furniture that needs to be accounted for! In the case of wooden staircases, such as the one seen here, we think that you can really up the cool tones. Gray walls and brown furniture are a match made in heaven and really balance each other out, to create a natural and understated look. White and other neutrals would also work well.

3. White furniture.

White is the most adaptable furniture out there in that it can be blended with ANY wall color and can be used to create literally any vibe that you want! For a minimalist look, white walls are a great choice, whereas a rustic vibe could be achieved with wooden wall cladding. Simultaneously cool and warm, classic and modern, white furniture is the best of every world!

4. Shabby chic furniture.

Don't mistake shabby chic furniture for tatty or broken items, as that is very much NOT what the look is about! Characterized by imperfect finishes, vintage paint effects and a homey, cozy aesthetic, shabby chic furniture is lovely and because it has such sweet connotations, we don't think you can go wrong by pairing it with pastel wall colors! 

Anything along a baby blue, violet, rose pink or even sandy beige vein will be the most perfect choice for walls that are going to play host to some shabby chic furniture and, if you want to tie everything in together a little more, you could give your furniture a matching pastel wash!

5. Natural wood furniture.

You might think that natural wood furniture will match well with anything, given that it is so uncontrived, but in actual fact, we think it should be reserved for rooms with a soft and enveloping color on the walls. 

With the right lighting, white could be a notable exception here, but in general, we suggest pairing wood furniture with creams, beiges and even soft browns. A warm ochre yellow, which is one of the most popular colors this year, could also work really well!

6. Metal furniture.

Dark metal furniture will often be found in houses that are seeking to tap into a more industrial aesthetic and with that in mind, you will want to balance the heavy and overbearing material with something a little lighter and more gentle on your walls.

Given that metal isn't a delicate material, pastels won't quite work, but we think that cooler neutrals, such as white and gray are ideal, as they will work well within a more pared back and industrial scheme.

7. Retro furniture!

Who doesn't love a bit of retro furniture here and there? Chic sideboards, statement chairs and amazing light fixtures all add a wealth of character toa home, but you can amplify the effect by choosing suitably dramatic wall colors as well! 

We think that retro furniture can handle some serious hues, which is why we recommend deep jewel tones, such as burgundy, emerald green and even dark sapphire blue! Technically, these sophisticated colors are fairly traditional, but balanced with some striking vintage furniture pieces, we think they will pop like brand new shades!

For more color tips, take a look at this article: 10 Ways to add color and patterns to your home.

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