Coordinating curtains with your wall colours
- Aria Jansen
- Consultant
In short
Because walls and curtains sit side by side, coordinating their colours is what gives a room that cohesive, professionally decorated feel. There are no hard rules — you can repeat the wall colour for a seamless look, go monochrome with a lighter or darker shade of the same colour, or add contrast with a complementary tone. Whichever way you lean, neutrals are always a safe, flexible choice, and your local Russells consultant can help you match fabrics to your walls.
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.
Table of contents
Should you 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.
What does going monochrome mean?
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.
How do complementary colours work?
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.
What are the best curtains 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.
For colour-specific advice, read our guides on choosing curtains for a grey room, curtain colours for white walls, and blinds and curtains for dark walls.
Ready to find the right curtains for your home? Request a free in-home consultation and one of our local consultants will bring the samples to you, measure up, and give you a no-obligation quote.
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Guides
Choosing the right curtains for your home
Not sure which curtains will suit your home? Find out everything you need to know with this free guide.
Frequently asked questions
Should curtains match the wall colour exactly?
They don’t have to. Matching the wall colour blends the two together and makes a room feel larger, but you can go one or two shades lighter or darker and the eye will still read it as virtually the same colour. A pattern that simply features the wall colour is another easy way to coordinate.
Should curtains be lighter or darker than the walls?
Either works — it comes down to the mood you want. For a classic, monochrome look, choose solid curtains in a noticeably lighter or darker shade of the same colour as your walls, such as mint green curtains with forest green walls.
What colour curtains are the safest choice?
Neutrals never fail. They suit almost any wall colour, keep a room feeling calm and cohesive, and mean you can repaint later without needing to replace your curtains.
How do I coordinate curtains with patterned wallpaper?
With a busy or patterned wall, a solid-colour curtain usually works best, ideally picking up a complementary colour from the wallpaper. This balances the pattern without competing with it. Your local consultant can help you find a shade that ties the room together.
Expert advice at home
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