How to Match Colors from a Rug
10/21/2008 12:25 PM by Gretchen Schauffler
Colorful rugs are a great platform to pull colors from for your walls, not just for one room, but for an entire house! The problem is that most people match the wall color from a rug so closely that they end up with wall colors that overpower the rug itself. Lets take it from the top, or bottom I should say…
Here is a perfect example of a rug that has great “wall” color possibilities. These colors are in proportions that make this rug balanced. It has a light yellow neutral (10%), a mossy green (25%), rich blue (20%) and red (45%). It is a rug that most people looking to decorate with yellows, golds, blues, and reds would be happy with.
If you were to take and match the same light yellow neutral color in the rug, it could end up looking anemic and washed out. The neutral in the rug is 10% of the overall colors. While it pops in the rug, it dies on the wall.
A better choice is to take the same yellow neutral and look for a richer version to paint on the walls. For this look, try Devine Peanut, Devine Oat, Devine Oak, or devinegreen: Chicken. These make the rug look more neutral.
You can take the yellow and make it more of a statement to energize the reds and blues and makes the rug colors sizzle! For this look try Devine Straw, Devine Gold, or devinegreen: Poppy.
Painting the walls in the blue will make the red and blue equal in proportion and you could end up with a red and blue political fight. Red will be winning but not looking pretty, just loud.
The same thing happens when you match the red. Too much of the same red makes the rug lose it’s balance. The blue thinly stands out. For some reason, people always feel that they have to match reds in a room. Au Contraire… If you want red for this rug, a better red would be one that pulls out a little of the blue. In this case, Devine Bordeaux, devinegreen: Clover, or Devine Cabernet will make the red and blue more balanced.
Finally, while the green unifies colors in the rug, as a wall color, it would make the rug tense. The red and green kill the blue, and bring out the yellow so you end up with a lot of visual orange.
If you are looking for another neutral choice, use a color like Devine Cafe, Devine Mocha, or devinegreen: Persian. They take the warmth of the red into consideration.
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Thanks, Gretchen. That is so true. So many times the painting advice is take something you love to the paint store and they can match it. And as you pointed out, that just doesn’t work. I have some red pieces in my kitchen that I love BUT I do not want that bright glossy red surrounding me on my walls!! I choose Cayenne for the soffits above my cupboards, and love it. I figure that nature didn’t try to perfectly match all the colors (look at all the greens) and yet all the variations work very well together.
— Donna De Vries 10/22/2008 05:31 AM #
Hi Gretchen, Any color suggestions for a Southwest facing living room in the Mediterranean color palette that won’t make the room too warm? The rug in the room has two main colors purplish blue and bright red. Thank you for any suggestions! Mary
— Mary Collins 03/09/2009 09:37 PM #
Mary:
I totally understand about not making the space feel too warm.
There are wonderful “kaki” greens and yellows that allow you to bring in lots of orange, red-orange, mustard yellows and so on in your fabrics, accessories, and art but keep the walls cool and compliment the blue. See Devine Oat, Peanut, Olive, Pecan, Hazelnut…you get the drift. Now, how brave do you feel? Want to do a MAMA MIA!???? How about colors like Devine Date, Reflection, or Pool?—that could really be beautiful and feel like a Mediterranean villa..just asking!
— gretchen Schauffler 03/10/2009 01:03 PM #
I need help? i have a green rug in my bedroom, and i don’t know what color to paint the walls, any ideas?
— Jeanette Lopez 07/09/2009 09:59 PM #
Jeanette:
Green is a flexible color. Almost too flexible, you can do anything and everthing. I can suggest tons of great color combinations but its a little like taking a stab in the dark. I rather you try our approach and see what combinations appear before your eyes and then I can make suggestions based on your narrowed selections! If you don’t have our Trend-Proof Paint Palette, get one right away and start working.
Our color palettes make it so you can have personal color combinations that make you love everything in your home. The question is which direction to go. Get our Trend-Proof Palette, follow our PROCESS, and then narrow down choices.
— gretchen Schauffler 07/11/2009 06:14 PM #
Great advice Gretchen for area rugs but I have a light taupe carpet with a grey, brown, pink hue and want to decorate with warm autumn colors do you have any suggestions? I also have golden oak wood cabnets to add to the mix. Please help!
— Janice 10/20/2009 09:52 AM #
Janice:
It sounds neutral enough to me to give you many options. Take a look at Devine Pecan, Filbert, Siamese, and Impala to start. Follow up with Devine Cafe, Lion, Bison, Ginger, Blush, Orangutan, and Cabernet. You can pull beautiful grays like Devine Buffalo, Fog, or Rain. Really, your home can be a beautiful palette of rich color. I tell people all the time we have a philosophy that arms you with the information you need to take amazing & fantastic risks with colors that turn out beautiful every time if you get the Trend-Proof Collection and follow our wise Process! Once you see how many possibilities there are to fall in love with, I can help narrow down your choices or ideas.
When you go through our Process with our Trend-Proof Color Collection: you can work with the colors at home, and follow them like a roadmap. Seeing them among your own things, in your space, and interacting with each other will allow you to see how some are perfect with your natural surfaces, wood stains, fabrics, and accessories and others are not. You can then understand how many ways you can go, pick the way you love the most. If you need further assistance, we have Virtual Colorization’s for rooms. We take over and give you visual advice. Either way, we are here to HELP! But first, empower yourself with Devine Color’s smart Trend-proof Paint Palette and go through our wise process.
Don’t forget our sheens make the color harmonize with your fabrics and surface sheens. See SHEENS
— Gretchen Schauffler 10/24/2009 12:57 PM #
Hi, I have been greatly enjoying learning so much about color from your site! It LOVE how color affects me so deeply- but I am terrible at picking the colors that make me ‘feel great’! I have a particular challenge in creating a color scheme for my home that I do not see addressed on your site, and I am hoping you can give me a bit of direction. My husband, a carpenter, has been slowly renovating (gutting) our home for the last 8 years. Everything except the oak floor in the dining room is being redone. All our furniture is hand-me-downs in disrepair that I do not want to base my color scheme on. We don’t even have pictures on the walls because they are bare sheetrock- I gave up long ago trying to decorate. How do I pick a color scheme using my favorite fabrics and permanent household accents when I don’t have much to go on? All I know is this: All the trim in the house will be a clear-coat knotty pine (my husband has a love affair with wood); oak floor in dining room; I have a light maple country table I love, an antique dry sink in a very dark stain, a rocking chair with neutral tan/olive/mauve floral fabric and reddish wood- and a favorite rug. This rug is the only piece of furniture I have ever bought and I love it beyond measure. It is a tibetan rug, all in very rich colors:dominant cranberry red with a jade/sea green border and lots of orangy golds, tans and a pale green accenting the richer green. Should I set my whole palette based on this one rug I love? Are there other things I should take into consideration to figure out what sort of colors will feel good to me? I have also always thought of painting a kitchen or bathroom in a rich cobalt blue color. But our only bathroom is super super tiny… Does any of this go together? All our flooring, decorating, etc. are still up for debate- even the kitchen cabinets. Any help you could offer me would be so greatly appreciated! thank you for such an informative site!
Anne
— Anne Chase 11/15/2009 07:24 PM #
Anne:
Promise me, promise me, that you will do the following: Buy the Trend-Proof Palette along with my book (very quick read). Our colors don’t match, they coordinate. I created them to coordinate not just your rug colors, but all the colors in your home, (granite, wood, the fabrics) and my color philosophy helps you put them together. You need to arm yourself with the right information to lead the color way for you and your husband! We have so many great ways to go with what you are describing. Yes, Cobalt Blue may be stunning in the bathroom, but what if there was a better choice? You have to start somewhere and the rug seems a perfect place to start. I can certainly give you a ton of suggestions that may, or may not, strike your fancy. As you can see, we have lots of pictures and blog articles about what to do. We also have a PICTURE GALLERY that shows you even more possibilities. I want you to make this home, your home. Get our Trend-Proof Color Collection. When you go through our PROCESS, with our Trend-Proof Color Collection at home, you work with all the colors “at home”, and can follow them like a roadmap. Seeing the entire Trend-proof Color Collection among your own things, in your space, and interacting with each other will allow you to see colors that are perfect with your natural surfaces, such as wood stains, granite, fabrics, and art. The Process guides you there. You will understand how many color combinations are possible and pick the direction you love the most. I can then help you narrow down the many great choices you have at your finger tips. promise me?
— Gretchen Schauffler 11/16/2009 02:58 PM #
Hi, I have a couple of questions I was wondering if you could help me with. I live in a small apartment. I had to down size from a 3 bdrm home. The kitchen is small and the dining room is right off the kitchen, the kithen is open and connected to the dining room. The whole apartment is wall to wall very light beige carpeting and the walls are white, except in the dining room and living room shaped like a L shape joined together, they have one whole wall in each room, painted like a light sage green color in the dining room and one in the riving room too. So, If you could imagine it, I’m lost on how to decorate it. I want to add some color to these rooms, I’m looking for rugs now and I don’t know what I’m looking for. The kitchen is open right next to where the dining room starts, the cabinets are dark walnut and you can see them when looking into the dining room, so I have dark walnut from the cabinets, and the appliances are black and white, the carpeting is very light beige, and one wall is white and the other is sage green. Remember, at the end of the dining room, the living room starts. So, I’m not trying to confuse you, I’m just trying to give you an idea of the layout and the colors that are here. I can’t paint the walls, I don’t think they’ll let me paint the dining room, or living room over the sage green, but I don’t like the sage green, I’m not a green person. I do like the darker colors though. I’ve been looking at a lot of different rugs, colors and styles, but I want to make the dining room appear larger, not smaller, and I would really love to add some color in this place, but I’m lost as to which type of rug to purchase. I would like to get a large rug that covers most of the floor in the dining room, because there is a sliding glass door that leads out to the patio and yard and it’s becoming a high traffic area and this light carpeting they have here is getting dirty too fast. and that’s why I’ve been thinking about covering up most of the area too with a larger carpet, because I don’t like the light beige carpet either. Okay, so could you please give me some advice on what colors in a rug that would help me out with this, or what I should even be searching for? I like shag rugs, I was thinking maybe a large shag rug or a design rug with colors, I appreciate all your input that you
— Barbara roesch 11/23/2009 09:29 PM #
Barbara:
Color will not only make the space personal, it will help express your new beginning in a beautiful way. Choose a solid rug with lots of texture or color, or both. Add pattern in art, pillows, and accents. Play off the dark walnut by taking a couple of plain canvases. Paint one of them a beautiful Devine Cocoa, Devine Truffle or Devine Bison. Then coordinate other painted canvases on other walls with colors like Devine Sangria, Blush, Tempest…you get the picture. Color on walls you can move around. Keep it simple and the color strokes broad. Follow fabric ideas….so think of painting a canvas with a stripe pattern or a paisley. You are only one brush stroke away!
— Gretchen Schauffler 11/30/2009 10:39 AM #
from me
— deb 01/14/2010 11:51 AM #