We’ll be decorating our new extension soon, and painting the older parts of the house to refresh them. One of the main rooms we’ll be doing is the living room – and we’re having a hard time picking colors to go with our couch.
Color theory explains how colors can be used in a complementary way, and this can heavily influence the look, feel and use of your rooms. Choosing complementary wall and couch colors in the living room is no exception.
Let’s have a look at which color walls go with different color couches, (while I try and dissuade my wife from buying that zebra couch she just discovered online!)…
What Color Walls Go With a Grey Couch?
A grey couch is a super versatile choice that goes with lots of wall colors. Grey is the new beige. It’s a neutral, sophisticated and versatile color that can be used in rooms with styles from farmhouse to modern. With a grey couch, your wall color can be subtle and classic or vibrant and bold.
For a classy look, pair a dark or light grey couch with light grey, cream, off white or beige walls. For a warmer look, try a grey couch with blush pink, coral, burnt orange, red-orange, tangerine or buttery yellow walls.
Soothing, cooler colors that pair with a grey couch are teal, lilac, light blue, steely blue, forest green or sagebrush green. For more vibrant choices, choose mustard yellow, construction orange, bright red, magenta, lime green and hot pink.
What Color Walls Go With a Beige Couch?
Sorry, beige, but you’ve been bumped to #2 for the most versatile couch color (by grey).
Besides white, a beige couch will go with all shades of brown, lighter or darker beige, soft green, sage or olive walls. Mauve walls work well with a light beige couch.
If subtle isn’t your style, try your light beige sofa against blue jeans blue, brick-red, mustard yellow, dark pink, lime green or dark green walls.
What Color Walls Go With a Yellow Couch?
A bold yellow couch is a sunny and bold statement. Behind your statement piece, try beige, light grey, dark grey, creamy yellow, sagebrush green, forest green, or denim blue walls.
If you have a light yellow sofa, you can pair it with other neutral colors, like cream, light or medium grey, bright white, steely blue, soft green, or beige.
For folks with a mustard yellow couch – wow! Here are some bold wall colors to try: black, bright red, light pink, hot pink, dark grey, dark blue, bright white, and forest green.
Here’s video proof of the versatility of mustard yellow.
What Color Walls Go With a Zebra Couch?
Zebras are basically black and white – in a fun pattern. Black and white are easy to pair.
Keep the focus on your zebra couch with neutral colored walls, like buttery yellow, dusty pink, off-white, light grey, sagebrush green, light blue or a dark beige. For a bolder look, try bright red, hot pink, lime green, mustard yellow, forest green, burnt orange, lemon yellow, teal, or royal blue.
What Color Walls Go With a Brown Couch?
Brown is an earthy, elemental color. The colors that will complement your brown couch are also earthy neutrals. Try beige, sagebrush green, dusty rose, buttery yellow, denim blue, light grey, creamy ivory, brick-red, emerald green, deep teal, or more browns.
If you think brown is boring, think again. Here are 18 ways to decorate with a brown sofa.
What Color Walls Go With a White Couch?
White is the ultimate elegant, sophisticated, and classy neutral color. To pair your white sofa with some clean, classy and neutral wall colors, consider light and dark grey, light blue, lilac, darker white, dusky pink, light yellow, warm mocha brown, taupe or sage green.
More vibrant colors to try are deep red, teal, turquoise, emerald green, sapphire blue or amethyst.
For the owners of a white couch, a toddler and/or a dog, here are some excellent cleaning tips.
What Color Walls Go With a Black Couch?
A black couch goes with – everything. For a simple, classy style, choose any white, light grey, beige, soft mocha brown, light blue, buttery yellow, or sagebrush green.
If you want more vivid walls, try hot pink, mustard yellow, bright red, brick-red, lime green and gold.
What Color Walls Go With an Orange Couch?
Orange is another warm, earthy color. To keep the room warm, pair an orange couch with creamy white, beige, pale yellow, rusty red, earthy browns, or lighter (than the sofa) orange. Both light grey and dark grey walls will look good with an orange sofa.
For a bright contrast, choose one of orange’s complementary colors: denim blue, bright blue, forest green, navy blue or teal.
What Color Walls Go With a Burgundy Couch?
On the color wheel, burgundy sits between red and purple. To highlight your burgundy couch, keep the walls neutral.
Neutral walls that will go well with a burgundy couch are light grey, creamy white, bright white, beige, light brown, light purple, taupe, deep grey walls with white trim, light olive green, and light blue.
For some eye-popping contrast, try burnt orange, lime green, teal, gold, navy blue and dark brown.
What Color Walls Go With a Green Couch?
Green is the color of nature. Whether your green couch is sage green or dark green you can’t go wrong with neutrals. Choose a soft, creamy white or light beige paint for your walls.
If your couch is sage green, choose colors from the grey and brown family. Taupe, light brown, light grey, denim blue and beige will all look great.
For a dark green couch, besides neutrals, try some darker wall colors like dark grey, gold, slightly lighter green, burnt orange or navy.
What Color Walls Go With a Blue Couch?
Blue is a cool, calming color. Most blues – denim blue, dark blue and even teal – are pretty versatile shades. Any shade of blue couch will go well with neutrals like cream, bright white, silvery grey, beige, tan and taupe.
If you like your walls to pop, then try some contrasting colors, like burnt orange or forest green. If your couch is dark blue, dark green and dark grey go well. For denim blue couches, construction orange or lime green may be good choices.
What Color Walls Go With a Tan Couch?
Tan is a popular color because it doesn’t show stains and it’s a versatile color.
Lean into tan with natural, neutral walls. Creamy white, beige, bright white, taupe, a lighter or darker tan, light yellow or light orange walls will go well with a tan couch.
For a more colorful but calm room, consider lavender, light steely blue, olive green, or dusky rose. For a bold look, a tan couch will look great with turquoise, navy blue, black, burnt orange, dark gold, cranberry, burgundy, or brick-red.
What Color Walls Go With a Teal Couch?
A teal couch is a statement piece. Teal is a rich, calming, classic color. According to most experts, teal was always a classy color, but today is a rising star.
For calming, neutral walls, try a creamy white, light grey, taupe, tan or sunrise pink paint. For something a little bolder, try burnished gold, dark grey, burnt orange, brick-red, slightly darker or lighter shade of your teal couch, and khaki green.
For teal couch owners with decorating questions, here’s an excellent resource.
What Color Walls Go With a Taupe Couch?
The color taupe is halfway between brown and grey. With a taupe couch, you can go with neutral or bold walls.
Warm colors that go well with taupe couches are mauve, tan, creamy white, bright white, beige, rose, almost all greys, light brown, olive green, and light yellow.
Bold wall colors that go with a taupe couch are burgundy, mustard yellow, dark blue, grey blue, purple, teal, lime green and brick red.
What Color Walls Go With an Ivory Couch?
The color ivory is described as warmer than bright white, with shades of beige or warm yellow. With ivory, you can go classy or bold.
Classy, neutral wall colors that will go with your ivory couch are colors like beige, tan, light grey, buttery yellow, dusky pink, lilac, peach, sky blue, light green or sage green. Bolder wall colors are chocolate brown, black, forest green, brick red, gold, navy blue, bright red, tangerine and lime green.
Summary
I hope this blitz of wall and couch color matches gives you some inspiration – I know we’ve got some!
I just need to persuade my wife against getting a zebra couch now – she’s going crazy for one! 🦓
Homeowner and property investor Larry James started Castle of Mine to bring you the best articles on home improvement, based on his years of experience in homemaking projects. Read more >
