What Goes With Purple Walls?
Make a plum wall come alive with art, warm metals, ivory, chartreuse, natural wood — and at least one wild card
It’s easy to fall for a rich plum paint color — this hue can be warm, welcoming and sophisticated, and it works in nearly any room. Because purple is made by mixing red and blue, it can read as either cool or warm, which makes it a surprisingly versatile hue … but that also means it can be challenging to decorate around. If you’ve been struggling to work your purple wall color into the rest of your decor, these ideas for color and material pairings should help.
Gallery wall. Rich plum makes a stunning backdrop for eclectic, gallery-style art. Start your arrangement in the center of the wall but don’t be afraid to hang artwork low and high — in fact, the more of the wall you can cover, the better!
A Gallery Wall for Every Personality
A Gallery Wall for Every Personality
Warm metals. Emphasize the warmth of plum walls with warm metals, like gold, copper, bronze and brass. Here a copper side table brings out the warmth in bookcases painted deep plum and softer purple walls.
In this dining room, a brass bar cart and a brass mirror bring a vintage vibe to plum walls and white wainscoting.
Paint: Purple Basil, Martha Stewart Living
More great ideas for bar carts
Paint: Purple Basil, Martha Stewart Living
More great ideas for bar carts
Ivory and celadon. Pure white trim can look too stark against purple walls, whether it’s a deep plum or a soft lavender. Try ivory trim instead. If your purple walls are lighter, as shown here, also consider adding a deep plummy-purple rug to ground the space, and pale celadon-green accents.
How to Bring Out Your Home’s Character With Trim
How to Bring Out Your Home’s Character With Trim
Wild card pairing: red. Since purple actually contains red, this is not as challenging to pull off as it might appear. The key is to choose a red that matches the tone of your purple. For instance, here a bold iris purple is paired with clear red. For plum walls with brown undertones, spiced-apple red might make a better pairing.
Wall paint: Royal Raisa 013-6, Mythic Paint
Houzz guides to working with red
Wall paint: Royal Raisa 013-6, Mythic Paint
Houzz guides to working with red
Soft gray and natural wood. Warm purples can really warm up a sleek, modern space. Pair a plummy accent wall with soft dove-gray walls, white trim and plenty of natural wood.
Pick a painter to finish your accent wall
Pick a painter to finish your accent wall
White, natural fibers and a bit of red. Deepest, darkest plum can actually look almost like black. Unlike true black, dark plum is rich and warm, and it changes with the light in lovely ways. It is, however, really dark, so unless you are doing a very small room (like a powder room or study), it’s probably best to lighten things up with white. Here the white ceiling and wainscoting and large natural-fiber rug lighten up the space considerably. A touch of red trim on the bedding nods to the warm walls.
Browse bedding
Do you have purple walls? How do you decorate around them? Share your photos and tips in the Comments!
See more suggestions for color and finish pairings
Browse bedding
Do you have purple walls? How do you decorate around them? Share your photos and tips in the Comments!
See more suggestions for color and finish pairings
How to work with chartreuse
Oriental or kilim rug. A really rich wall color can stick out like a sore thumb, particularly in a space with light-colored floors. An Oriental or kilim rug in shades of red and plum will tie in with the wall color for a more cohesive look.