The Best Paint Color to Go With Gold Fixtures

Plumbing and electrical fixtures that are finished in gold are beautiful, of course, but you need to give consideration to surrounding paint colors in the room to show off all that gold to its best advantage. This is particularly true in bathrooms with gold fixtures at the sink and bath areas. Gold bath fixtures sell for premium prices, so they need to make a visual statement to earn their keep.

If you use a lighter colored background in the room, the gold finish on fixtures will not be as noticeable. Gold fixtures tend to disappear against white, yellow and other pastel countertops and walls.

For the most glittering and dramatic effect, offset gold fixtures with very dark colors. If gold fixtures are used in a bathroom sink, for example, dark paint and dark granite or composite counter and sink finishes will provide the most contrast. When gold fixtures appear in bathtubs or in electrical fixtures, dark backgrounds in wall paint, tiles and other wall treatments will provide the same effect.

Because it offers the highest degree of contrast, black walls, tiles or counter tops will always make gold fixtures stand out most dramatically. Gold fixtures against black counters also offer a touch of “warmth” against cold, black granite.

Test this theory at your local home improvement store: carry a gold and a silver vanity sink fixture into the counter-top sales area, and compare the looks against black countertops. The gold fixtures will always appear richer and warmer against black, compared to cold silver or pewter fixtures.

The same holds true with black wall paint. But if painting walls black seems impossible, consider using wallpaper instead with a design that contains a large proportion of black and a secondary color like gold.

Midnight Blue or Prussian Blue backgrounds are a compromise if black is too strong a statement for your room. You will find many decorating accessories available in this blue-and-gold color scheme as well, including towels, bath curtains and other accessories. Dark Royal blues look great with gold fixtures and call back to the Federalist or Colonial periods.

The strong neutral color of dark chocolate continues to be very popular in 2010. Dark chocolate is certainly dark, but it also has a hint of warmth to it and goes well with other neutral colors like off-white and tan. Gold fixtures look doubly warm against rich, dark chocolate.

While the appeal of Hunter green is waning in 2010, newer, more neutral shades like Dark Pine green contrast against gold fixtures very effectively. Like chocolate, darker greens introduce a hint of yellow warmth into a room’s decor. Dark Olive can also be effective.

Red is a popular Feng Shui color, representing Life and Achievement. It is a naturally lively and warm color. Unlike other deep colors, red can make even a small room like a powder room hum with energy and seem more open. Gold and red have been matched together successfully for centuries. Shades like Black Cherry red and Fire Engine red can make gold fixtures pop.