Choosing Wall Colors with White Oak Floors

White oak is one of the more popular hardwood floors on the market today. Unlike red oak, it has a blue/gray cast to its undertones, which makes it a cooler-toned choice than the creamy pink and red of its cousin. It’s a good choice for small rooms, therefore, where the cooler tone helps to open up the room visually. Paired with the right wall colors, it can make a striking addition to many homes.

Complementary Colors

One of the best ways to choose a color that will work with another is to use complementary colors or tones. Complementary colors sit opposite one another on the color wheel, like red and green. Because white oak has a slight blue/gray undertone, a natural wall color choice would be to use a very light, creamy yellow. This provides contrast to the floor, softening it and warming up the room slightly. Accent colors can then be in multiple shades of blue, gray, yellow, tan, and brown as well as white to create a complete palette for the space.

Analogous Colors

Another popular way for choosing colors to pair together is through the use of analogous colors. Analogous colors sit next to one another on the color wheel, and create a more subtle palette that can include many more colors in it. With the blue/gray undertones of white oak, natural color choices would be in the green and purple categories. This can range from deep tones like hunter green and plum to lighter colors like sage and lilac. Because you can keep adding analogous colors, you can keep expanding the palette of the room, moving from sage to gold and lilac to red, creating a plethora of accent colors that blend together into one, cohesive design.

Strengthening the Floor Colors

Depending on the lot of white oak that you get, you may want to find a minor tone within the floor and lift this color for the walls. This can create a very subtle palette that really opens up small rooms. Just choose either complementary or analogous colors for your accents to complete the design.