9 Wall Colors to Consider for Gray Floors


Gray floors are all the rage…but how do you find the correct wall color to match them? Keep reading for some tips and ideas.
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Over the last decade, sophisticated gray flooring has grown fairly popular. They’re lovely in an understated way, adaptable, and good for hiding dirt. However, if you are unfamiliar with tones and the color wheel, it might be difficult to mix gray floors with appropriate wall colors.

How to Choose the Perfect Complementary Color for Your Floors

Evaluate Undertones

When selecting a wall color, keep the tone of your floor in mind. Not all grays are the same. Do you prefer an earthy, warm tone or a sharper, cool tone?

Unless you want to contrast your floor, keeping your tones on the same wavelength will give you the most consistent, comfortable sensation.

A color identifier software can help you determine which undertone your flooring has. Make sure to check the undertone in appropriate lighting circumstances, ideally during the day.

Warm Color Tones

Colors like orange, red, and yellow go well with the warm undertones in your flooring.

When considering the warm hues on the color wheel, it may be useful to consider the colors found in a sunset or sunrise. Those are, in general, warm hues.

Choose a warmer color if you want the vitality and charm of the daylight. These colors are frequently utilized in bustling, lively rooms such as kitchens and common living areas.

Cool Color Tones

Blues, greens, and purples are examples of cool hues.

On an overcast day, cool hues are what you’d expect to see. They provide a sense of serenity and tranquillity. As a result, these colors are frequently found in bedrooms and baths.

Light gray wood strip floor pattern against dark walls bedroom.

Neutral Tones

Neutral tones can be fantastic choices for wall colors, and many of them look great with gray carpeting.

If you’re a color person, you might be put off by the thought, but if resale is a consideration, basic wall colors are the way to go. There’s also a wide range of colors to choose from, ranging from dazzling white to darker browns.

Resale Considerations

While you should consider your personal preferences when creating your room, you should also consider home market value and how long you will live in your existing home when painting.

The reasoning is straightforward. Nobody wants to buy a new house only to be met with color schemes they despise. After all, it won’t matter how great your gray floors are if potential buyers can only see the paint.

Having saying that, do whatever makes you happy. After all, you’ll be the one who sees the colors on a daily basis.

9 Wall Ideas to Consider Matching with Your Gray Flooring

1. Gray With Gray? Yes.

Yes, you can coordinate a gray floor with gray walls. Of course, using the exact same color isn’t recommended unless you want to make a dramatic statement, but this color scheme leads to a certain pleasant continuity.

Use darker grays to create a moody, upscale feel and lighter grays with yellow undertones to create an airy, open feel. 

Living room with coordinated tones of gray for floor and walls.

2. The Calmness of a Dark, Rich Blue Room

Blue rooms are known to be calming and peaceful. Studies show that being in a blue room can even lower blood pressure. Be aware, though, that they can also feel a little cold if left too bleak.

Coastal themed dining space with a rich blue paint.

3. The Clean Feel of a Light Blue Room

Light blue also lends itself to a calm feel. However, instead of forcing your eyes to be drawn to it, it calmly sits in the background and allows your furniture to take the spotlight.

Often, light blue walls will make a space look crisp and clean. 

Fresh and calm light blue room.

4. Use Textures Instead of Colors 

Instead of only using colors to create an interesting wall, consider using different textures.

Walls that showcase bricks, wooden paneling, or even tiles can create unique accent walls that add warmth through their textures.

Creatively personalized common room with incorporated textures.

5. Let Your Décor Speak with a White Wall

There are more ways to let your taste shine besides wall paint! One excellent method for using your favorite colors in your design without putting your resale value at risk is to use less permanent methods to bring out your personality. 

That bright orange throw and pillow set would go excellently with gray carpet. Perhaps art with your favorite color splashes is the way to go. Colorful rugs and signature furniture are also fun ways to bring pizazz and warmth to your space without compromising your walls.

A simple chair with bright orange pillow looked like a decor against a plain white wall.

6. Consider a More Monochromatic Color Scheme

You can use neutral-colored furniture to draw attention to the black objects in the room. If you use a more monochromatic color scheme, subtle colors, like the pink pillow in this picture, can also be featured in ways that it otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do so. 

A monochromatic gallery wall as a decor piece.

7. Cream with an Accent of Blue

If you want to be daring, consider painting a single accent wall your favored color. For instance, if you go with a neutral color for the bedroom walls, it could be fun to paint the wall behind your bed your favorite light blue hue.

The contrast that an accent wall provides can be quite drastic and can make a bold statement. 

In addition, transitioning from a colorless gray floor to a vibrant wall can seem too drastic. You can use walls with less color to help ease the transition and one wall as an accent. 

This cream wall with a muted blue accent wall is a perfect example. Notice that the walls also have some molding to create a more interesting look.

A blue accent wall in contrast with cream bed and gray floor.

8. Remember that You Can Use Your Curtains to Add color

In addition to the color of your walls, you can also let floor-to-ceiling curtains carry the color that is seen against your wall.

In this example, creamy-beige curtains help create an airy feel to the room. 

Creamy-beige curtains complements light gray floor.

9. Pink. Warm Or Cool?

There are colors that could fall in either the warm or cool category depending on their exact position on the color wheel and exactly whose color theory you’re following. 

For instance, some deeper pinks will lean towards warmness, while light shades of pink will tend to be cooler. You’ll find this coincidence toward the outer edges of the warm and cool color spectrums. Regardless, pink looks great with gray.

Warm pink and gray for a sophisticated room aesthetic.
Teresa Burns
Teresa Burns is a design specialist who has been in the business for over 20 years. She has seen design trends change from traditional designs to more simplistic modern designs. She not only has seen it all, she understands it all. She has a large collection of articles to help spread her love for design.
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