All you need to know about choosing your living room wall colour
03.2022
The colour of your living room walls can make an enormous difference to the décor and your mood
How to choose wall colours for your living room
The living room is the heart of the home, the centre of conviviality and family and social gatherings, so it needs to be an inviting, pleasant space. If you are going to be spending plenty of time in a room, you want to feel at ease, and wall colour is one of the most influential factors in creating mood and atmosphere.
The big question, of course, is which colour to choose and, as always when it comes to interior design, there are several factors to consider. After all, colour has an incredible capacity for altering our perception of a space, so it’s important to choose the perfect colour scheme.
To help with this, we take a look at the key guidelines to ensure you find the ideal wall tone, and also share 4 examples of gorgeous Salvatori-style living rooms.
3 key rules for choosing a wall colour
The starting point to any decision about living room colour is taking a look at 3 fundamental aspects:
- the room’s dimensions
- floor and furnishings
- style
The most important of these is the size and shape of the room. If we are talking about a small space, pale colours will help amplify it, whereas dark tones work best if you are lucky enough to be decorating a larger environment.
Then, of course, whatever colour you choose for the walls needs to work with the floor and, if you’re not planning on changing out the furniture and furnishings, these too. Ideally, you should be aiming for a colour scheme that complements them, particularly if you have any designer pieces.
Wall colour can totally influence the look and feel of your home, so you need to think about the style you want to create. For example, if you are looking for a rustic lounge, think about soft, warm shades, whereas if you have your heart set on a modern living room look, bold, intense colours, even black, are called for.
Living room wall colour categories
So, if style is a determining factor in choosing your living room colours, what options do we have when it comes to the walls?
- Pale or light colours
- Modern colours
- Contrasting colours
- Classic colours
Light colour walls are often the safe, fallback option, with pastels, beige and white the most common choice because they foster that sense of conviviality and relaxation that is so key to a living room environment. The cool white tones of Bianco Carrara marble or the creamy warmth of Crema d’Orcia limestone fit the bill perfectly.
If you are a fan of modern décor, dark grey and black are popular choices and even if you decide to use them on just one or two walls of your lounge, you will add definite character to the entire home.
On this note, contrasting colours can be a winning solution. Whether you opt for one dark feature wall combined with three in a lighter shade or vice versa, you will certainly liven up the décor.
Another alternative is to choose classic colours, but add interest by playing with the tonality or texture. An example of this is our Romboo which can really bring a wall alive, adding depth and transforming a room.
With that said, let’s take a look at an example of each in practice, with 4 sophisticated living rooms designed in true Salvatori style.
A living room with light-coloured walls
This elegant and comfortable living room plays with pale shades, with the greige tones of Silk Georgette® setting the mood and providing the perfect backdrop for the furnishings and accessories that range from white through to taupe, for a wonderfully inviting and harmonious space.
The warmth of the walls, echoed in the floor in a honed finish and the discreet beige rug, contrasts beautifully with the cool white tones of Bianco Carrara marble, seen in the Curl chaise longue and low, round Dritto coffee table. The Ikona stool in Giallo Egiziano, a lovely muted yellow marble, blends perfectly, and even the Pietra L11 scent diffuser respects the colour scheme.
Adding a hint of dark drama are the pair of Intarsi wall panels in natural stone and another side table from the Dritto collection, this time in Pietra d’Avola.
Contrasting wall colours in the living room
This living room is the perfect example of how to give a classic, older home a stylish contemporary makeover through artful use of colour and texture.
The contrast between the white of the windowed wall and the dark, chocolatey brown tones of the rest of the room not only draws the eye to the view, but also amplifies the natural light and has the effect of making the entire space seem larger and airier.
The Pietra d’Avola walls in our Plissé texture add character and depth, while the same stone on the floor, but this time in a simple honed finish, anchors the room and lending it a feeling of warmth. Furnishings are kept to a minimum, but are perfectly chosen to create a comfortable living room that is conducive to socialising or simply stretching out on the sofa and relaxing with a good book or stimulating article.
The Ikona stool makes another appearance, in Giallo Egiziano, while the vibrant green Verde Alpi marble of the side table from the ‘Love me, Love me not’ collection and the black and white combination of the Proiezioni table introduce splashes of bold colour that are in keeping with the theme of contrast.
A living room in modern colours
A popular trend in modern living rooms is to choose darker colours for the rooms, and grey is the perfect choice, as it comes in many shades and works with almost any furniture and décor style.
Perhaps seen as an industrial boring colour in the past, grey is now associated with elegance and sophistication in the world of interior design, and it’s easy to see why when you look at this example which features a wall in our Tratti texture in Gris du Marais®. The warm grey of this unusual but gorgeous marble, exclusive to Salvatori, is paired with gold-coloured metal accents, introducing a touch of understated glamour to the space.
The combination of grey on the walls with the soft cream tones of Crema d’Orcia Stone Parquet on the floor creates a luxurious but inviting atmosphere.
A living room in classic colours
While classic colours such as white, cream and beige are popular wall colours because they are a neutral, relatively safe solution, that is also the reason some people prefer not to use them, thinking they are bland and unoriginal. This striking living room, however, demonstrates how that doesn’t have to be the case when you play with texture and tone and combine them with the right furnishings.
Silk Georgette® limestone is the hero here, with its greige tones enlivened by the extraordinary waves of natural veining. On the walls we see it in CNC, while the floor is in Stone Tatami, accented with narrow strips of dark Pietra d’Avola, creating a soothing, tranquil atmosphere that evokes the design approach of the Far East, for a sophisticated modern living room that is anything but standard or boring.
Cascais is the perfect blend of traditional and modern. Take a peek inside a home that seamlessly captures the sophisticated, elegant atmosphere of this vibrant Portuguese coastal town.
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