Paint Color Ideas for Walls With Cream Windows and Aqua Curtains

Sea and Sand

• Aqua is a signature color in tropical color schemes. Draw colors from nature to create the soothing warmth of an island beach. If the cream woodwork has an undertone of yellow, choose a warm gold or honey tone for the walls. A hue that's a few shades deeper than cream is pale enough to be neutral and rich enough to make the aqua curtains pop as an accent. Match the remaining woodwork to the window frames, or choose a deep shade of teal to frame the walls and anchor your color scheme with a darker tone.

Wings and Sky

• Warm a cool, spacious room with the unexpected spark of copper. Aqua and copper are complementary colors, two colors located opposite each other on the color wheel. Complementary color schemes can be jarring if you choose two colors directly opposite each other. A lighter or darker shade of the complementary color reduces the contrast and makes it more comfortable on the eye. With aqua curtains, choose a rich shade of bittersweet orange or pale copper for the walls and match the baseboards and woodwork to the cream window casings. In a smaller room where the darker colors are too intense, choose pale peach or cantaloupe to warm the room without overpowering the senses.

Quirky and Sophisticated

• Aqua was a mainstay in the color schemes of the Art Deco period, often used in combination with silver, gray, black or brown. The neutral colors of the period often had an underlying metallic sheen that accentuated the contrast with popular super-saturated hues, such as bubblegum pink, seafoam green, lilac and peach. Chocolate brown provides a rich contrast for both the cream windows and the aqua curtains. Invoke the whimsical sophistication of the era and lighten the impact of the brown with a broad aqua stripe that starts in one corner and wraps to the center of the adjoining wall. Round the end of the stripe and draw it down to the floor, bisecting the wall and adding architectural interest.

Considerations

• While aqua may seem like the color to coordinate or match, the real challenge is choosing a wall color that works well with the cream on the window. Pure neutrals, such as white or gray, may make the yellow undertone of the window paint look dirty. Colors with a hint of yellow, such as brown or peach, will balance the cream and make it feel cleaner and lighter.