What Color Paint Would Go With Burgundy Furniture?

Burgundy is a standard furniture color that can bring a touch of elegance to almost any room. Develop a coordinating color scheme around your burgundy-toned pieces that shows off your decorating style and personal preference. Look to existing furnishings in the room to help you choose complementary paint colors for the walls, ceiling, doors and trim.

Consider the room's primary use -- entertaining, business, relaxation -- and your desired atmosphere. Light-colored walls make any space look larger and more spacious. Beige, gray, blue and green are soothing hues that pair well with burgundy. For a cozier atmosphere, choose a darker shade. Earth and jewel tones suggest a casual elegance. Bright colors, such as yellow and gold, promote cheerful design energy. Choose a paint color that you like and can live with for a long time.

Choose from a variety of white paint tones to enhance your burgundy pieces, as well as almost any decorating style and color scheme. White can visually open up a room, making it appear bigger and brighter than it actually is. White-toned walls also create a striking design contrast against rich burgundy furniture. Avoid "hospital white" paint on the walls and trim, as it can appear stark and unimaginative, shows dirt easily and gives a "rental" look; however, you can use bright white paint for the ceiling to create the impression of a taller room.

It is virtually impossible to successfully match burgundy paint to burgundy furniture. Burgundy hues are available in a wide variety of color depths, absorbing light at different angles and creating a variety of shades at once. While the paint square may match the fabric swatch at the store, your home lighting sources are much different than the illumination in a paint store, resulting in mismatched, clashing hues, creating a visual decorating nightmare.

Choose a complementary paint hue for the baseboards, window frames and door trim to show off your burgundy-colored furniture. In addition, select a paint tone to accent the existing furnishings in the room, such as throw pillows, lamps and carpet to create a coordinating color theme. If you have light-colored walls, choose a darker paint hue for the trim to create an impressive color contrast. White paint provides a neutral color option for windows, doorways and baseboards.

Paint stores typically have sample paint cards with suggested color groups called collections available in their store. The coordinated color clusters are designed to use together in a single room or throughout the entire interior spaces of your home. After choosing a base paint color for your walls, look to the other selections in the group to select a paint hue for the trim, an additional color for a single accent wall and a coordinating shade for the ceiling. If you don't like the ready-made color collections, you can develop a custom color combination on your own or consult an interior designer for assistance.