Coordinating curtains with your wall colours
- Written by Lisa NolanRussells Consultant
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Given that walls and window treatments sit side by side, it’s imperative the colours harmonise with each other to achieve that beautiful, cohesive, professionally decorated look.
Choosing colours will be very personal and technically there’s no right or wrong, it all comes down to what you want your home to look like to make you happy. But here are some tips to guide you along.
Repeat the wall colour
Either go for the same shade, blending the walls and curtains together and making your room feel much bigger. Or choose a pattern in which the wall colour features. Going this route will also give your variety and choice when it comes to other accent colours in the room. Now, when we say “the same shade” you can actually go one or two (but no more) shades lighter or darker; the eye will see it as virtually the same colour.
Go monochrome
Lately “monochromatic” has been associated with black and white, but if you break it down it actually means ‘one colour’. Patterns tend to fall out of fashion faster than a colour, so for a classic look that will stand the test of time, choose solid coloured curtains in a noticeably lighter or darker shade the same colour as your walls. For example, mint green curtains with forest green walls.
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Complementary colours
These are the colours directly opposite of one another on a colour wheel. In this instance we’d recommend choosing a pattern that features a complementary colour to your walls as the contrast of the two is quite great and solid colour curtains could be quite intense. For example, yellow’s complementary colour is purple. Having fully purple curtains against yellow walls wouldn’t look as appealing as a fabric that merely featured purple. Alternatively, you may have patterned wallpaper in which case a solid colour curtain in a complementary colour would be ideal.
Embrace the versatility of neutrals
Neutrals work well with almost every colour and with other neutrals too, regardless of whether it’s a block colour or pattern but you need to ensure you have multiple shades happening around the room in the form of furniture and other accessories or you risk a very stark look. Neutrals also work well to tone down very strong colours.
Choosing curtains for blue walls
Blue is one of the few colours that looks really good with black and very dark greys. Vibrant blues like a Royal blue go well with other vibrant colours such as red, orange and yellow but not so well with purple or green. Light blues work best with dark, cool colours or other colours of a similar shade.
Best options for green walls
Green is a great colour and offers a much wider visual range than others. To choose the right curtains to go with your green room you must first determine whether your green is warm or cool. And as always, neutrals never fail. Plus, it means you can redo the walls at a later date and your curtains will still be relevant.
Medium-warm greens range from yellow-greens to dark olives and work well with charcoal grey curtains. For contrast try a pattern featuring a complementary colour in the violet spectrum.
Light and dark warm green walls have a fresh look. Lighter shades can accommodate a variety of different colours whereas darker greens benefit from something lighter to brighten them.
Medium cool greens have blue undertones and can vary into the aqua or teal realm. A great match for these shades are colours with red tones.
Light and dark cool green walls range from mint green to a deep forest green. Lighter shades pair well with dark and medium warm grays. Darker shades look fabulous with orange tones such as peach or salmon.
To choose curtains for grey walls please read our detailed guide here.
To choose curtains for white walls please read our detailed guide here.
To choose curtains or blinds for black walls please read our detailed guide here.
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