What Paint Colors Go With Forest Green Carpet?

Neutral Paint Colors

• Neutral paint colors are the safest and most subtle with forest green carpet. Avoid pure white unless you're planning to hang large-scale artwork full of bold color. Otherwise, pure white looks too stark with your carpet. Softer whites with barely detectable undertones of yellow, blue, green, peach or pink will work fine, though you may still have lots of contrast between the walls and floor. For a softer look with less contrast, consider light neutrals, such as ivory, butter cream, parchment beige, bisque or light gray. Medium neutrals that work with forest green carpet include ecru, oatmeal, taupe, khaki, caramel and cafe au lait.

Monochromatic Paint Colors

• You can use green paint with forest green carpet for a monochromatic look, but use a light green. Even with medium greens, you risk overkill -- it could look like you've covered the walls with grass. For a true monochromatic color scheme, find a paint chip that matches your carpet exactly, and then lighten it by adding lots of white. You can also get the monochromatic effect by using other pale green paint colors. Choices include silvery sage, light leaf green or pale mint.

Warm Paint Colors

• For a cozy look, pair your forest green carpet with warm colors. Light options include lemon yellow, peach, peachy-pink and apricot. For more intensity without going too dark, consider sunny yellow, gold, amber, tangerine, coral, terracotta or pumpkin. Avoid warm reds unless they have strong brown undertones. If the eye sees red, your room will look like you've decorated for Christmas.

Cool Paint Colors

• Calming cool colors also complement forest green carpet. For a pale cool look, try pastel pink, lilac, mauve, periwinkle or pale blue-green. Medium color options for a cool palette include steel blue, cerulean, indigo, grayed turquoise, violet and rose. The blues on the list work best with forest green when you tie the blue and green together with another element in the room, such as a patterned fabric or piece of artwork containing both colors. To avoid a year-round holiday look, steer clear of cool reds and burgundy.