Cool colors are those you might expect to see near a cool mountain stream. Shades of blue, green and lilac are all considered cool. Cool colors usher a sense of calm and serenity into a space. The color blue has been associated with an increase in concentration while shades of lilac have been shown to stimulate the part of the brain associated with decision making. If you want your maple cabinets surrounded by colors that inspire peace, look to cool shades.
Warm colors bring energy, excitement and vitality to a room. These are the colors you associate with the sun: red, yellow and orange. Red and orange have both been shown to stimulate appetite while babies who are surrounded by bright yellow tend to fuss more. Still, each of these colors is associated with fun, laughter and positive experiences. If you're looking for a room full of high energy, surround your maple cabinets with a warm tone.
If you wish to decorate a room with maple cabinets with traditional decor, begin by introducing analogous colors, which are found directly next to each other on the color wheel. Because each analogous color shares a base color with the shade next to it, the colors tend to create simple, harmonious palettes. For example, midnight blue and mustard yellow are analogous to olive green because green is a product of mixing blue and yellow together. Salmon, pink and lavender are another example of analogous colors, with pink and salmon sharing a tint of red and pink and lavender sharing the color blue. Choose one shade for your walls, and introduce furnishings and accessories in one of the analogous colors for a traditional look.
A contemporary decor can be jump started by pairing complementary colors. These are shades found directly across from one another on the color wheel. For instance, red and green are complementary as are rust and midnight blue. Because they have nothing in common in terms of root colors, pairing these shades makes a loud and dramatic design statement. Contemporary fabrics are often printed with variations of contemporary colors that would stand out in bold contrast to the calm of your neutrally colored maple cabinets.
Because maple cabinets are neutral, you can easily use them in a room with a modern decor. One way to achieve a modern color scheme is to layer in differing shades of the same color, which is referred to as monochromatic decorating. For example, dove gray walls may lead to a silver-gray ceiling. Pewter gray furnishings may accentuate the room while a steel-gray area rug anchors it.