Color Guide: How to Work With Brown
It's all over nature and the decorating world too. From light latte to dark walnut, there's a brown for everyone
Browns are an extremely popular decorating choice. They're rich and neutral and warm. They can add drama to smaller spaces or help add coziness to larger ones.
Brown is a mix of orange, red, rose or yellow with black or gray. In value it starts near beige and ends near walnut or espresso, and its hues can range from almost gray (I like to call it "grawn") to nearly orange. It's all over the place in nature; think animal fur, bark, dirt, dry leaves. A great way to add brown to a room is by using natural wood.
Darker browns always look great with bright white. Brown also looks good with aqua, teal, light blues, oranges and pinks. It usually doesn't usually work well with royal blues or purples (but every rule has exceptions).
Here are 14 examples of brown done right.
Brown is a mix of orange, red, rose or yellow with black or gray. In value it starts near beige and ends near walnut or espresso, and its hues can range from almost gray (I like to call it "grawn") to nearly orange. It's all over the place in nature; think animal fur, bark, dirt, dry leaves. A great way to add brown to a room is by using natural wood.
Darker browns always look great with bright white. Brown also looks good with aqua, teal, light blues, oranges and pinks. It usually doesn't usually work well with royal blues or purples (but every rule has exceptions).
Here are 14 examples of brown done right.
A soft mushroom brown with bright white. This shade of brown adds to the fluffy, light feeling of this room. It keeps it cozy and light.
Between the walls, the furniture and the accessories, this room has a lot of different browns going on. It works because they are all in the same family and they are brought together by neutral creams.
Choosing a satin instead of a flat finish can make brown walls seem to glow. Flat brown runs a risk of looking a bit ashy.
Ask your local painter to recommend the right finish for your space
Ask your local painter to recommend the right finish for your space
A dark brown is perfectly fine for a small space. A white ceiling along with white trim and finishes keeps everything crisp and bright. Doesn't this look cheery?
As long as there is plenty of light and some nice, crisp whites, a very dark brown can look fresh, rather than closed in. This is a lovely, traditional room, but it is not a bit stuffy.
The very definition of "grawn."
A dark, warm brown with light blue, a classic combo.
More brown and light blue. The nice bright pops of coral orange are the perfect complement to both colors.
Dark brown cabinetry looks awfully dated these days, unless it is done with clean lines and paired with a nice, crisp white. This is warm and modern at the same time.
A cabinet pro can help update your dated brown cabinetry
A cabinet pro can help update your dated brown cabinetry
Browns, beige, cream, gray and orange. Proof positive that it can work.
Wood panelling used to be the provenance of ‘70s rec rooms, but it has come back in all sorts of modern and fresh ways. A few tips: Don’t cover every wall in wood, or it will look like a sauna. Consider horizontal lines rather than vertical ones. Oh, and it should go without saying that you use real wood.
Find a carpenter in your area
Find a carpenter in your area
Even very dark paneling can look fresh and modern as long as it's balanced with light.
Nice orange-brown wood panelling paired with grays and whites and lots of light. It's rich and warm, but not oppressive.
Benjamin Moore Ben Paint, Davenport Tan HC-76
A nice light grawn. It looks beige here, but it reads as light brown on a wall.