Choosing what color flooring to put in your living room can be tough. After all, flooring isn't something that can be as easily changed as paint color, for example. Dark wood floors are known to create an elegant and welcoming environment. They are also less likely to show imperfections than their lighter counterpart.
You also have to consider whether it will pair well with your furniture, and this can be hard to imagine without a visual example. If dark wood flooring is something you're considering, you've come to the right place for some inspiration.
We've collected 15 great examples of living rooms with dark wood floors to help you imagine how the flooring might look in your space. Hopefully, you'll leave this page with a good idea of what may work for your home. Let's begin!
1. Modern And Contemporary
It can sometimes be risky pairing dark floors with dark walls because you pose the risk of making the room feel gloomy and cave-like. However, this room's large windows offer an abundance of natural light which helps make the room feel more welcoming.
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The designer also counteracts the dark walls and floor by using light-colored furniture. Potted plants are also a great way to bring the outside in and liven up a space.
Click here to see this large potted plant on Amazon.
2. Light And Airy
Here's an example that's quite the opposite of the previous one. While the other room used a cooler shade of dark wood floor, this designer opted for a warm brown that, when paired with the light-colored walls and furniture, creates a comforting and airy space.
3. A Pop Of Color
You don't have to stick with neutral colors when it comes to designing your room. A number of other colors will pair well with brown.
In this example, the designer chose to accent the room with blue which gives the home a Mediterranean vibe. Some other colors outside of neutrals that pair well with brown are green and yellow.
This is also one of the few examples without an area rug. Area rugs can be a great addition to a room but are not always necessary as this example shows.
4. Neutral But Glamorous
If a pop of color isn't your thing, take a look at this living room that projects elegance with its use of a neutral color palette. Neutrals don't have to be boring.
You can bring excitement to the room by way of texture instead of color. This room has a number of different textures in play. Texture can be added through rugs, pillows, and other furniture items.
5. Dark And Decadent
This room has elements from most of our other examples. Pops of blue, potted plants, a neutral rug, textured pillows, and tiled charcoal walls all come together in harmony in this dark but decadent living room.
This room is a perfect example of how you can tie pretty much anything together with the right accessories. The area rug pulls hints of blue from the sofa and neutrals from the chairs in order to make the two work together.
6. Play On Wood
Wood has always had a place in interior design, and why stop with wooden floors? You can continue the theme, as this design has, with a wooden console table, woven lampshade, and armchair, which all together create a natural, pleasing space.
The jute area rug also adds a burst of contrast and texture to the wooden floors, adding another exciting element to the design.
Click here to see this jute area rug on Amazon.
7. Coastal And Cozy
Love the idea of a coastal theme throughout your living room? You don't have to opt for a sand-colored floor to pull this off. Even with a dark wood floor, this room pulls off the light and airy coastal theme. Hints of gray, blue, and gold complete the look, and the seating area makes the room cozy and inviting.
8. Masculine Loft
If you're looking for a more masculine look for your living room, try pairing your dark wood floors with a leather couch. The beams and light fixtures give off an industrial vibe while the light wooden furniture pieces help soften the overall look.
Adding some elements to soften the harshness of the industrial theme can make the room feel cozier and more inviting.
Click here to see this wooden side table on Amazon.
9. Shades Of Gray
Sometimes brown and black can be too overpowering and harsh together, but that doesn't mean you can't pair brown with black's lighter shade, gray.
A number of shades of gray are used in this design, from the light fixture to the rug, to the furniture. This shows that there are a number of ways to incorporate a color scheme into a design.
10. Contrasting With White
If you have children or pets, then this one might not be a good option for you. Otherwise, pairing stark white with a warm brown wood floor can make the room feel modern and luxurious.
Creating contrast between two colors within an interior design can make the room more visually appealing. In this design, large white rugs are used to break up an otherwise empty area.
Click here to see this large white area rug on Amazon.
11. Rug Defined Space
The dark wooden floor doesn't have to be the center of attention. As you can see in this luxurious space, the floor is mostly covered by large area rugs.
The floor still offers a dramatic border for the living room, but using area rugs to cover it can allow you to match your other furniture to that instead. Rugs can add a lot of texture and warmth to a room.
12. Victorian Era Inspired
If you've been binge-watching some of the recent period dramas on Netflix recently and feeling inspired by their decor, this example is for you. As you can see, highly patterned fabrics and warm earth tones can create a classic space that makes you feel like you've taken a step back in time.
Click here to see these patterned yellow curtains on Amazon.
13. Cool And Contemporary
Here's another example of using patterned fabrics in a living room with dark wood, but this time they are used to create a contemporary living space.
The brown flooring adds warmth to the otherwise cool decor, and inklings of yellow add some color to the room. The shag rug in a dark color adds comfort to the area while not detracting from the floor itself.
14. Warm And Inviting
If you choose a dark wooden floor with warm undertones as this homeowner did, you can play off that and pair warm yellows and oranges with your decor to create a homely and inviting living room.
The large use of fabric in this room adds even more warmth and showcases another example where you can use a large area rug to dictate the rest of your design.
15. Green, Modern, And Retro Vibes
Here's a design that's pretty different from the rest of our examples, but we promised we'd show you some variety, and here it is!
Green was a popular color choice in the 1970s, but this living room adds a modern twist with the style of furniture it has. The white helps create positive contrast between the green and brown.
If green isn't really your style, you can switch it out for another fun color instead and still achieve the same overall aesthetic. However, if you're still not feeling certain about what color furniture goes well with dark wood floors, we have a whole other blog post on the topic here: What Color Furniture Goes With Dark Wood Floors?
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these 15 examples have left you feeling inspired. As you can see, there are endless possibilities for living rooms with dark floors. Dark wood floors can work with any design aesthetic from coastal and airy to dark and masculine.
We even showed some examples of Mediterranean, Victorian and retro-inspired living rooms to truly show their range in the design world.
If you need more inspiration or some ideas on what color to paint your walls when you have dark floors, check out one of our other blog posts on the topic here: What Wall Colors Go Best With Dark Wood Floors?
For even more reading on the topic of flooring, take a look at these blog posts:
Dark Vs Light Laminate Flooring – Which To Choose?
What’s The Best And Most Durable Finish For Hardwood Floors?