When it comes to interior design and decor, color choices can make or break the feel of any given room. Certain colors give off a cool and clean kind of feeling while others create an ambiance that is warmer and inviting. The first thing to consider when choosing color combinations is the desired effect that you want the colors to create within the room. Some colors are easy to identify a good color pair for while others are a bit more on the challenging side.
Taupe is generally one of the more challenging colors to find a good combination for. Taupe is one of those colors for which the exact hue is often hard to pin down. Originally, the French word “taupe” referred only to the color of a mole – which, given that animal’s pigmentation, reduced it to a limited range of grays and browns.
The definition expanded in modern times to include most warm grays, lavender-browns, or any warm mixture of gray or brown with a soft pastel – especially pink, yellow, or occasionally, green. Some people confuse taupe with greige, which is a beige and grayish color. While they might look similar, taupe and greige have different undertones that put them into different color categories.
Warm Palette Options
If you’re looking to create a warm and inviting space using taupe, consider its tan-brow tones. As an essentially warm color, the tan-brown tones of taupe pair well with other warm colors, particularly soft yellow, pink or olive tints. When using a warm taupe for walls or large furnishings such as sofas, add interest with a variety of yellow, pink or pastel patterned pillows, and through similar coloring for small furnishings such as lampshades, throws, and rugs. Furnishings of natural wood or pieces with warm, light- to medium-toned stains work well with this color scheme.
Cool Palette Options
Unlike other colors that are generally locked into a warm or cool palette, taupe can easily play both sides of the palette field. Taupe is amazingly versatile, and pairs as well with a cool palette as with warm. For this scheme, choose a somewhat cooler, grayer-toned taupe with blue, blue-violet, or green hints as to the base color. Mate it with accessories and small furniture pieces featuring those same cool pastels. Mint-green, sky-blue and pale lavender are especially good choices. White-painted wood gives this scheme a cool, refreshing crispness and a cottage feel.
Neutral and Modern Color Options
Combining taupe with certain materials can also contribute to the room’s overall vibe. Furniture pieces made of wood combine differently with taupe than furniture made out of metal. When you change your furniture style from wood to metal, cool taupe palettes give your home an ultra-modern feel. Minimal styling with chrome and black leather against blue-gray tinted taupe walls and flooring looks functional and clean as an effective scheme for a home office, where distractions are costly. Stick with black, white, and similar cool taupe shades to keep the decor neutral and understated.
Bold Taupe Color Options
Though taupe more often shows up in a softer overall palette, the color police won’t ticket you for using bolder color. If you want to take a more bold approach to your decor, you don’t have to leave the taupe behind. Think extremes when choosing your base shade of taupe – either very deep or very pale shades of brown or gray-base taupes rather than medium-depth colors. For accessories and textiles, choose bolder hues of the same basic warm or cool palettes, but instead of pale pastels, go for mustard, coral, plum, pumpkin, or teal for unexpected color. Cushions, rugs, and throws in spirited stripes, florals, or polka-dots add a casual pop to the overall decor. To avoid a cluttered look, keep the background neutral so bolder colors stand out clean and sharp.
What Colour compliments taupe?
Colors That Go With Taupe? Taupe combines well with soft pastels, including yellow, pink, and even olive shades. It’s basically a warm color but thanks to its versatility you can pair it with a cool color palette too. Combine it with sky-blues, pale lavender, or gentle violet shades.
