Choosing the Right Floor Color

(An Essential How-To Guide)!

 

1. Consider the size of the room

The size of your room is a crucial factor when choosing flooring, as it can significantly impact the perception of space. Here's how to pick flooring that complements the dimensions of your room:

Maximizing small spaces:

• Light colors: Option for lighter colored flooring, like light grays, light beiges, or light browns. Light colors reflect more light, making a small room feel more open and airier.
• Wider planks: For wood or luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring, choose wider planks. Wider planks create a sense of flow, which can visually enlarge a small space. Avoid narrow planks, which can make a small room feel even more cramped.
• Minimalist patterns: Stay away from busy patterns or strong contrasts in the flooring. Simple and subtle patterns will create a more cohesive look and won't visually overwhelm a small space.

Flooring for large rooms:

• Darker colors: Darker browns, deep reds, or even black flooring can add sophistication and can work well in large rooms. Dark colors create a sense of intimacy and can help to balance out a large space.
• Bold patterns: Large rooms can handle bolder patterns in flooring. Consider geometric patterns, stripes, or large squares. Just be sure the scale of the pattern is appropriate for the size of the room.
• Variety in plank widths: You can mix wider planks with some strategically placed narrower planks to add visual interest in a large room.

Additional tips:

• Consider the overall look: Think about the style you're trying to achieve in the room. If you're going for a modern look, lighter colored flooring with clean lines might be a good choice. If you're going for a more traditional look, you could go with a darker wood floor.
• Sample, sample, sample: Always order samples and see how they look in your space before making a final decision. This is especially important for considering the effect of floor color on the size of the room.

 

2. Type of lighting

Lighting plays a big role in how your flooring will look and feel in a space. Here's how to consider lightning when choosing flooring:

Natural Light:

• Amount of light: North-facing rooms receive cooler natural light. Opt for lighter or warmer wood tones (think honey or golden hues) to counteract the coolness. South-facing rooms bathed in warm sunlight can handle cooler grays or darker browns that might appear washed out in a north-facing room.
• Sun exposure: Consider how much direct sunlight the flooring will receive. Sun can fade some materials, especially light-colored woods. If fading is a concern, look at engineered woods or laminates that are more resistant.

Artificial Lighting:

• Bulb type: The type of bulb you use can affect how the floor appears. Incandescent bulbs cast a warm yellow glow, whereas LEDs tend to be cooler and more neutral. Choose a floor color that complements the bulb type. A cool gray floor might look too blue under harsh LEDs, while a warm brown floor could appear overly yellow under incandescent bulbs.

Overall effect:

• Light and openness: Lighter colored floors, like light beiges or light grays, reflect more light and make a space feel open and airy. This works well for smaller rooms or rooms that don't get a lot of natural light.
• Warmth and drama: Darker colored floors, like deep browns or blacks, absorb light and create a more intimate feel. This can be a good choice for larger rooms or for creating a dramatic effect.

Here are some additional tips:

• Bring flooring samples home: See how the flooring looks in your space under different lighting conditions, both natural and artificial. This will give you a better idea of how the final product will look.
• Dim the lights: Pay attention to how the flooring looks under dim lighting conditions, as this is how it will appear for a significant portion of the day.

 

3. Wall color

Wall color plays a key role in creating a cohesive look with your flooring. Here's how to consider wall color when choosing flooring:

Matching Undertones:

• Identify the undertones: Both flooring and paint colors can have warm (red, yellow) or cool (blue, green) undertones. Look for flooring with undertones that complement your wall color. Warm wood tones like oak pair well with warm paint colors like beige or cream. Cool grays or whites with blue undertones work well with cool-toned floors.

Creating Contrast or Harmony:

• Balance with contrasting undertones: For a more dynamic look, choose flooring with undertones opposite your wall color. For example, cool gray floors with blue undertones could be balanced by warm-toned beige walls.
• Harmony with similar undertones: To create a more unified feel, select flooring with similar undertones to your wall color. Light gray walls with cool undertones would be complemented by light wood floors with a hint of coolness.

Light Reflection:

• Light walls, dark floors: Lighter colored walls can brighten a space, and dark floors can add drama and ground the room. This combination is great for larger rooms that get ample natural light.
• Dark walls, light floors: Dark walls can create a cozy feel, and light floors can help keep the space from feeling too closed in. This works well in smaller rooms or rooms with limited natural light.

Here are some additional tips:

• Sample both together: It's crucial to see how the flooring and wall color interact in your actual lighting conditions. Get samples of both and hold them up against each other in the room at different times of day.
• Consider the mood: The combination of flooring and wall color can influence the mood of a space. Light and airy for a beach vibe? Opt for light floors and light walls. Dark and sophisticated? Consider dark floors with rich-colored walls.

 

4. 4. Furniture and other decor features

Coordinating your flooring with furniture and decor creates a cohesive and stylish look in your space. Here's how to consider these elements when choosing flooring:

Furniture Style and Color:

• Match or complement: For a unified look, choose flooring that matches the undertones of your furniture. Light woods and light upholstery pair well with light-colored floors, while darker furniture can be balanced by mid-tone or darker flooring.
• Contrasting for drama: If you want your furniture to be the focal point, opt for contrasting colors. For instance, dark furniture can pop against light-colored floors.

Consider Furniture Material:

• Wood furniture: Wood floors are a classic choice, but ensure they complement the wood tones of your furniture. Avoid clashing undertones – for example, cool gray floors wouldn't work well with warm cherry furniture.
• Upholstered furniture: Lighter colored floors can make a room with a lot of upholstered furniture feel more open and airy. However, if you have pets or messy kids, darker floors might be more practical.

Think About Area Rugs:

• Large, open spaces: If you plan on using large area rugs, your flooring can be more neutral. The rug will add color and pattern.
• Smaller spaces or bare floors: If you're using smaller rugs or no rugs at all, your flooring needs to play a more prominent role in the overall design. Choose a floor color and style that complements your furniture and decor.

Matching Decor Accents:

• Metal accents: Cool-toned floors like grays or light browns can complement metallic furniture or lighting fixtures.
• Warm accents: Warmer wood floors pair well with natural elements like woven baskets, earthy tones, or pops of color.

Additional Tips:

• Consider the overall style: Are you going for modern, rustic, traditional, or something else? Choose flooring that complements the overall aesthetic you're trying to achieve.
• Sample, sample, sample: This is especially important when coordinating flooring with furniture and decor. See how everything looks together in your lighting conditions before making a final decision.

 

5. Mood Projection

You can choose colors that project a variety of moods. If you’re going for sunny and fun, consider a floor with a yellow shade. If you want to create a peaceful, laid-back environment, choose gray. If you prefer class and elegance, black is the best option.

 

6. Similar or contrasting colors

Do you have flooring in several connecting rooms in your home or an open floor plan? You’ll need to decide whether you want the same flooring color in every room or throughout the area. Making them alike creates a sense of flow that has a unifying effect. However, choosing a different color floor for each room or area helps to establish separate living zones.

 

7. Create a harmony

When deciding on a floor color, think about the color of your furniture.

While matching colors can feel too uniform, colors that are too contrasting might be harsh on the eye or create a cluttered feel. It’s important that your flooring complements the color of your decor and you strike a balance between other colors and features in your room.

If you need flooring in several connecting rooms in your home, decide how you’d like each room to combine through color. Using the same floor color can create a sense of flow and unify the rooms. Choosing a different color for each room can establish separate living spaces.

Think of the bigger picture in terms of your home’s layout as you pick a color.