In a room that is very bright or light, the dark floor can actually make the lighter shades stand out, and even make the room seem bigger. The only time it definitely makes the room seem smaller is in small, dim rooms, particularly those without natural light.
Choosing lighter coloured flooring to compliment your furniture can expand the perceived size of any room and can open the space right up. Think cream carpets, natural and neutral toned tiles and whitewashed wood flooring.
A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to "open up" the space above. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors.
It's a misconception that dark wood floors constrict our sense of space. Paired with the right combination of wall color, trim, and molding, darker species like walnut and exotic Brazilian cherry can, in fact, make a room look bigger.
Lighter colors help brighten up a room, making it feel bigger. The amount of natural light in the room: If you love natural light, and your home gets plenty of it, you may want to opt for a darker wood floor as it tends to fade less quickly than lighter flooring options.
#4: Light Neutral Colors
Another top flooring trend in 2023? Light and neutral flooring. Modern grey wood flooring continues to be popular, as are light floor colors like blonde and beige. A great way to add these lighter flooring shades to your home or business is to use bamboo flooring.
Neutral shades such as light brown, gray, and black are timeless classics that will look good for years to come. These hues make a great backdrop for any room in your home, so you can easily accessorize the space without worrying about the color clashing with your floors.
Contrast is one of the core rules of any style or décor, making it one of the most important tips for matching wood floors with furniture. Darker wood floors can make lighter wood furniture pop and look extremely satisfying. Alternatively, lighter wood floors provide the perfect balance for darker furniture pieces.
In most cases, you'll want your floors to be darker than your wall color with a flat white ceiling. As a rule of thumb, go at least 3 shades lighter on the walls than the floors. However, there are instances when you can add accent wall colors or paint in darker shades.
Light wood flooring has a versatile appearance that fits in well with many decors and styles. A light wood floor can really brighten a space, as well, giving it a fresh new look to the interior design.
Greige and white oak are two of the most popular choices for hardwood flooring when it comes to house resale. They provide timeless elegance and neutrality, making them ideal for any home. Greige is a mixture of gray and beige, creating a subtle tone that can fit into any color palette or design style.
If you'd like to feel less cramped in a smaller room, try breathable light colors to create openness. For a sunny, happy feel, try a floor color with shades of yellow. If you'd like a relaxing, peaceful environment, try light gray or light-toned wood. To emulate class and elegance, black or red are great options.
Selecting wide floor planks is one of the easiest and most effective ways to make a room look bigger. Instead of thin strips, go for boards at least seven inches wide. Longer planks (four or more feet in length) can help as well.
Dark wood-look flooring creates a warm ambience and can make even large rooms look cosy. It can create a beautiful contrast when combined with light walls and accessories, or an authentic feel when paired with rustic furniture.
Warmth and ambiance: Dark floors bring richness and contrast to a room. This adds a layer of warmth that will make your furnishings stand out more, especially if they are lighter in color. Less prone to fading: Dark flooring, especially dark hardwood flooring, is less prone to fading than lighter floors.
Even when the dark hardwood trend ends, dark hardwood flooring never goes out of style and is considered a timeless classic. Dark hardwood floors also hardly show dirt or scratches. This is ideal for families with children who might track in dirt from time to time or pets that might scratch up the floors.
Pairing a dark floor with a light wall creates a distinctive and attractive contrast. Consider this ultra-modern kitchen above that showcases a dark gray and brown floor with a complementary kitchen backsplash and white wall.
We're huge fans of dark wood floors paired with white walls. It's not only a great way to help a small space look larger, but the white walls also help art and accent furniture stand out &mdash you can't beat a great pop of color. Here's a roundup of white walls & dark floors to help inspire you!
Keep Things Light
Olma Fuentes, the founder and principal of New Jersey-based Deni + Dove Interiors, recommends using lighter neutrals such as variations of cream, whites, taupes, and beiges. “This will have a dual effect—the dark wood will stand out more and your lighter furnishings will seem brighter,” she says.
Some of the most popular colors for furnishing homes with dark wood floors include light shades such as white, light gray and light woods. These bright and airy hues will help to create a sense of openness in your space, while drawing attention to the natural beauty of your flooring.
Furnishings can get lost against the backdrop of a similarly toned wood floor. Break up the monotony by pairing light furniture with flooring that has a darker stain—as we did here—or vice versa. We anchored this room with a light wood sideboard and mixed in a few accent chairs using a variety of upholstery finishes.
For the most harmonious look, choose wood furniture that matches the warmth of your floors but is a few shades lighter. For instance, pair grayish or black wood floors with pale, weathered woods, and pair warm, rich floors (like the ones shown here) with warm medium- to light-toned woods like cherry or maple.
As more and more people turn toward timeless, traditional design (a la the grandmillennial or maximalist looks), classic, mid-toned brown floors are a big trend. This flooring color truly never goes out of style. It's not going to be the trendiest color on the color wheel, but it's timeless and enduring.
Finally, given the tone of light floors, they tend to appear cleaner longer. Light-colored flooring often shows less dust, debris than do dark floors and pesky, inevitable scratches and damage will be less obvious.
If you're looking for cool shades for your hardwood floors in 2023, look no further! Light tans, and browns with hints of grey or white will be popular as well as whitewashed finishes. Meanwhile, yellow-toned shades are moving out of favor.