So you love your beautiful, new dark wood floors you just put in. Now you’re wondering what furniture goes with dark wood floors. Will dark furniture make the room too dark? Will light wood furniture look out of place? Will white furniture look too stark? Will gray furniture make the room too gray?

Dark wood flooring makes a room look darker for a couple reasons. The first reason is that dark colors in general make rooms look darker because there is less light reflected back to our eyes. It’s almost as if the light were absorbed by the dark color and just doesn’t bounce back to us.

The second reason this happens is because of contrast. Our brain picks up on different areas of contrast in our environment and we use them to gauge distance and depth in an area we are looking at. For example, a wall with a window next to it looks farther away than one with no window next to it because we see two areas of contrast (the wall and the window).

The truth is, you can make almost anything work. You just have to find the right combinations that appeal to your taste and using contrast is your secret weapon, a tip that came in courtesy of Steve at Homefly.co.

We put together some decorating solutions that will make your dark wood floors look even better!

Add Some Furniture with Colour!

If you’re going for a more modern aesthetic with your dark wood floors, you’ll definitely want to add a few pieces of furniture with just a bit of colour. That way, your dark wood floors will stand out, but you’ll have a few pops of colour throughout the room. Of course, you don’t need to go overboard, but a few colourful pieces of furniture will look great with your new floors. Another option is to add a few bright throw blankets to your furniture. That way, you’ll have some colour, but it’ll be much less obvious than if you added bright furniture pieces.

Dark Wood Floors And Dark Furniture

If you have furniture with a dark finish, you may want to think twice before bringing it into the room with your new dark wood floors. That’s because dark furniture can make the room feel even darker and more cramped, which isn’t ideal. Dark wood floors are already a pretty dark colour, so you definitely want to be careful about adding even more darkness to the room. Of course, you don’t have to get rid of all of your dark furniture. You can simply mix it up a little bit by adding a few lighter pieces of furniture. Add a couple of lighter tables and coffee tables, as well as a lighter-coloured sectional couch.

If you have dark floors and dark furniture, there is another simple solution. A light colored area rug is the answer. The contrast of the light rug on the dark floors will add some pop and separates the dark furniture so it doesn’t just blend into the floor.

Contrasting Colors for a Luxurious Look

If you want to add a bit of a luxury feel to your room, you can pair your dark wood floors with other dark furniture. But instead of choosing all dark furniture, you can add contrasting pieces of furniture with a darker finish. For example, you can add a darker-coloured sofa with a lighter-colored coffee table. You can also use dark wood for accent pieces like side tables or even a coffee table. That way, you can have a mix of dark furniture that still contrasts with your dark wood floors. Keep in mind that you can also add lighter-coloured pieces of furniture if you decide to go with contrasting furniture. You can even choose neutral furniture that doesn’t look too different from your dark wood floors.

Dark Wood Floors With Neutral Furniture

If you’d prefer to go the more neutral route with your dark wood floors, that’s perfectly fine too. You can simply choose light furniture with a neutral fabrics. You can also use lots of white furniture or furniture with light or neutral tones. That way, you can still get a neutral look while also making your dark wood floors stand out. You can also mix and match light and neutral colours. For example, you can use white furniture with a light grey couch. You can even add in some colourful accents like throw blankets or pillows for even more variety.

Dark Dining Room Furniture with Dark Wood Floors

You may have a dark wood dining room set and you’re concerned that the room will just be too dark. It probably would look overwhelmingly dark but again a lighter colored area rug is an easy solution to this problem.

The Bottom Line

If you want to really bring out the beauty in a dark hardwood floor, then you’re going to want to make sure that you add the right pieces of furniture. Simply choosing a dark-coloured table or couch will leave your floors looking a bit dull and lifeless. Instead, try to add a few pieces of furniture with a light or neutral finish. That way, you can create a room that is both elegant and inviting. Add contrasting rugs or furniture pieces that they will enhance the beauty of your dark wood floors.