Brown and Teal Ideas for a Living Room Design
The color brown pairs beautifully with green and blue, which combine to make the color teal. An earthy color palette of brown and teal brings balance to a living room with both warm and cool tones. Choose the big-ticket items in the living room first when putting together a brown and teal color scheme. Upholstered furniture and large area rugs can be pricey, and it’s much easier to coordinate paint colors with the room’s furnishings than vice versa.
Furniture Ideas
Chocolate brown upholstery on sofas and chairs looks rich and inviting and makes a wonderful complement to the deep, reddish-brown tones of wood furniture with a cherry or mahogany finish. Teal accent pillows with a lustrous sheen bring in a bold splash of color. Repeat the accent color with a smaller upholstered chair in teal, draped with a caramel-colored throw.
For a modern, eclectic or bohemian feel, a teal sofa sprinkled with sari pillows in pink, orange and red infuses the living room with vibrant colors. Layer in various shades of brown with a pair of shiny copper Moroccan poufs and walnut-toned end tables.
Chairs upholstered in teal leather make a striking combination with a light brown leather or beige sofa and brown wood coffee table. Mix in other upholstered pieces in neutral colors of cream, white, black or gray to depart from an overly matched look.
Window Treatments
Enhance an eclectic or contemporary living room with fabric window shades featuring an ikat pattern in teal. Roman shades with a teal Moroccan trellis pattern offer a stylish alternative.
Teal drapes contrast beautifully with dark wood furnishings and upholstered pieces in brown leather or chocolate brown microfiber, suede or velvet. For a lighter, airier feel in a casual living room with upholstery in beige, cream or camel and lighter toned wood, go with a teal pattern on cotton curtains or sheer panels in teal.
Dark brown plantation shutters offer an upscale look in a traditional living room or a design with a tropical theme. Woven wood or matchstick blinds lend a casual feel with rustic organic texture. Beige or cream drapes or curtain panels provide a soft, neutral backdrop for furniture and walls in practically any color.
Accents and Accessories
Glass bottles with a teal green tinge make striking vases for twisted branches or displayed as is on a mantel, bookcase or shelf. Teal art glass vases or sculptures brighten a living room with brilliant blue-green color.
Ceramic lamp bases in teal add snazzy style to a modern brown console table or cabinet. An artfully crafted teal pendant light or translucent teal shade covering a chandelier brings in an unexpected pop of color. A chevron or geometric fretwork print in teal on drum-style lampshades looks fresh and up to date.
Teal and brown pair wonderfully in an area rug. Use a floral, circular or block-patterned rug in both colors to emphasize the teal and brown palette. If more brown is needed to balance the room, sisal or jute rugs provide a good neutral base with earthy texture.
Wall Color
Once your furnishings and accessories are in place, focus on wall colors that complement the surroundings. Determine whether the dominant color in the room is teal or brown -- important even when choosing white for walls. If you’ve chosen a teal sectional and teal ikat shades, for example, go with a cool white with blue or gray undertones. In a room with dark wood furniture and chocolate brown upholstery, on the other hand, a warm white, cream or beige wall color complements those colors and keeps the room from feeling too dark.
A burnt orange or rusty red accent wall enhances the blue-green tones of teal accessories, as orange and red reside opposite blue and green on the color wheel. For a cozy feel with teal or beige upholstery, try chocolate brown on walls. If the living room has only a few teal accents such as pillows, bring in more of the color with a teal accent wall. Make teal the primary wall color in a living room furnished in brown, tan and beige.
An alternative neutral wall color option for a teal and brown living room is the color gray. Gray has undertones of blue, green, purple or brown, which all coordinate with teal and brown.