Whether you're renting or recently bought your home, chances are you're faced with gray wood floors. An ever popular choice for flooring, the color gray is just neutral enough to blend in, yet still makes a statement. And while that makes gray wood floors an interior design classic, they can be quite difficult to design around.
That's why interior designer Jordan Samson, principal and founder of Jordan Samson Design, took to social media to share his top tips for curating a room around gray wood floors. Delving into common design mistakes and the best ways to make gray flooring ideas shine, Jordan has proved once and for all that this common choice for flooring doesn't have to be boring. Here's what to know about working with your gray wood floors.
Expert tips for designing around gray wood floors
'If you're struggling with your gray floors, keep on watching. We're going to transform these gray floors with designer pieces, minus the designer price tag, all from The Home Depot,' Jordan says in his video delving into gray flooring mistakes.
While it may be tempting to lean into the gray theme when designing around gray-stained wood, Jordan warns against this monochrome strategy. The more gray that you layer into a space, especially one defined by similar-colored flooring, the less room you'll leave for brighter, more interesting hues later on.
'A common issue is thinking that adding more gray is the answer. As soon as you add any accent color, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb,' he says.
Instead, Jordan suggests layering warmer colors atop the gray wood floors. Though he chooses an earthy jute rug to do the trick, warm hues on the walls, furniture or accessories could just as easily do the trick. There's a near endless selection of warm, neutral shades to choose from, but Jordan advises sticking within one color family: beige.
'The missing link is a warm transition color like beige – always reliable, and never boring. So for this space, we're gonna start with an off-white paint and layer this abstract rug over top this jute rug to act as our transition between all the gray,' he says, showing digital mockups of the products he's selected.
After selecting your room's main shades, it's time to move on to the accents, and Jordan offers 'green, pink and brown' as tried-and-true complements for gray wood flooring. In his virtual room design, he opts for a dark green, 'English-style velvet armchair' from Home Depot that grounds the space with warm, earth-inspired color and texture.
'Then we can pull in some browns with this fluted coffee table, which is the perfect dupe for pricier alternatives,' he says.
These natural, sophisticated colors come in all shades, so there's something available for every design style. By pulling in brighter pops of color that remain grounded in earthy influence, you'll be left with an inviting and elevated design scheme that will last for the long term. Decorating with earthy colors has never looked better, anchored by classic gray wood floors.
'Now, we can't ignore the gray entirely so for lighting I've opted to mix a warm brass reading lamp with this gray stone table lamp as a reference to the floors. We can then layer in some decorative accents within our color palette, and we've officially transformed this living room from this to this,' says Jordan, showing off the final look, an elevated and eclectic living room fit for the whole family.
With Jordan's considered tips, you won't be left with a stale, all-gray design scheme, or be baffled by what to do with your unique shade of wood flooring. Select a warm transitional color and layer in the earthy accessories, and your living room design will only benefit from gray wood flooring after all.
