What Colors Go With Orange Hardwood Floors?

Shades of Orange

• Orange is a highly visible color that warms an environment. You can maintain the warm feeling by painting walls with shades of orange, such as tangerine, soft marigold, blood orange, pumpkin, squash or pale daffodil. To really heat up the mood of the room, use rich reds. Leaning toward lemon or shades of pale yellow work with certain oranges. Visit a paint shop or search interior design and architectural magazines to get ideas for mixing these colors.

Browns

• Go with dark brown for the deep feel of an old world library. A light tan, light brown and various shades of beige can also work. Browns are among the "earth tones," which also include reds and greens. Green may be a poor choice in wall paint or furnishings, depending upon the tone of the orange hardwood and the shade of green. When choosing colors at paint and furniture shops, take along a sample of the actual flooring -- or a good 8-by-10 inch color print of it.

White and Black

• White is often the easiest choice. It brightens a room and brings an element of purity. You can also mix white with trim colors from the orange or brown groups. Cream or ivory are options, too. Black is not the best for wall color in most situations; however, it can be a good accent for wood trim, such as crown molding, baseboards and door frames.

Taking Risks

• Blue is the complementary color to true orange. Some very artistic combinations can arise from combining these colors, either in the paint scheme, furnishings, drapery, framed art and detail pieces. This combination could also backfire if not properly balanced. Purples, lavenders are violet are riskier choices when combined with orange. Use caution if these are your favorites. Once you determine the mood and impact you want to create in a space, you can select orange-supporting colors with ease.