How to Create Warm Rooms with the Color Brown
Welcome Fall! Today is officially the first day of a new autumn season. This time of year is great for creating warm rooms in your homes and the colors of brown, tan, and dark beige are just the ticket to do so. I think what first started my love affair with brown tones is when I stumbled across the Randolph Cottage by Bret Franks Construction. Here’s the living room from the house that started it all. I love the warmth and texture of this space.
Photo by Bret Franks Construction, Inc.
Another farmhouse living room injects the color of rust in the form of a love seat. Natural wood on the ceiling and doors add warmth and texture.
Is there any upholstery richer than supple brown leather? I would love to have a leather chair in my home but fear my kitties would tear it up. Leather furniture is such a classic decorating staple. In my humble opinion, the more worn it is, the better.
Photo by Jennifer Grey Interiors Design & Color Specialist
Create warm rooms with rustic beams! We have wooden beams in our kitchen but the ceiling is low and the brown beams felt claustrophobic. I painted them white to “lift” the ceiling. Plus they’re fake wood and didn’t look that great after the previous owner splattered plaster on them.
A cozy and darling sitting nook provides a comfy place to curl up with a good book and warm beverage. I love the brown-patterned chairs. White walls and ceiling really set off the gorgeous wood tones in this space.
Photo by Brittany Stiles Design
In the kitchen, warm wood adds interesting shades of brown. I’ve always wanted a kitchen with wood counter tops and a wood floor. I know many of you love my green tile kitchen floor, but I’d really enjoy wood floors someday.
Rustic wood creates interesting textured lines in this country kitchen. The striped window valances add a nice shot of color. And honestly – who can resist that supersized farmhouse sink with its soft skirt? Love!!
Photo by Kelly and Abramson Architecture
Gray-brown cabinets add rich warmth to a more traditional kitchen. Brown cabinets are a sure way to warm up your rooms. This pretty kitchen makes me feel like I could actually switch from my white cabinets.
Here’s a great example showing how brown tones can instantly warm up a mainly white room. A lot of people think white kitchens are cold, but add a touch of brown and you’ve got instant cozy appeal. Do you like the striped pendant school lights? I’ve been looking for new light fixtures for the kitchen. These are cute!
Mmm – I love this kitchen too. Putty brown cabinets pair beautifully with the owner’s copper cookware collection. My grandmother had copper pots and pans and I remember how she diligently scrubbed them clean with every hand washing. She never owned a dishwasher.
Photo by deulonder arquitectura doméstica
Classic wing back chairs gather ’round to hug a small game table. A honey-wood floor adds warm to the space.
Textured brown baskets, a solid wood table, and an antique chair all come together to warm up a cozy dining spot. If you don’t want to paint a room or invest a lot of money, natural baskets are a great way to lend the coziness of brown to any room – whether you hang them on the wall or set them on a tabletop.
Tan and light brown stripes create an interesting wall treatment in this dining nook.
Lucky is the guest who gets to sleep in this farmhouse-style bedroom! The natural wood ceiling creates a snuggle-friendly sleeping space. I recently purchased a pretty, light brown matelassé coverlet for my bed. It’s perfect for fall.
Photo by Dalgleish Construction Company
Here’s a dark brown coverlet in the bedroom. I love this look too.
I don’t know why I’m attracted to the color brown these days, but it’s really tugging at my heart strings. Maybe as I get older I’m feeling the need to create warm rooms that feel like they’re giving you a big hug.
What do you think about warming up your rooms with the color brown? Is it boring or rich and appealing?
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I like browns as well, my bedroom and master bath have taupe walls and dark brown furniture and my sitting room has brown leather furniture. It does bring warmth to a room and there are many accent colors that you can use -blues, greens, whites, creams, taupes all look nice with brown.
I also like brown especially in warm wood tones – which I am seeing again in newer design pics. I live in a part of the country that can have long gray winters, and warm woods help cozy up the home interior and it can be a classic look. I also love the colors that Terry above mentioned work well with brown – it is easy to add color when working with warm tones. I have lots of blues and creams with my browns. Great inspiration pics!
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My family room is painted in a light taupe and the room has wooden beams and mantle. I love using real wood furniture with a cream and brown rug. The sectional is a dark taupe and a large leather chair is cream. Accent colors come in pillows, throws and artwork. Great room for seasonal changes and it is especially great in the fall my favorite season.
I love wood tone furniture with gray neutral walls. I’m not a fan of brown textiles other than leather, but like you mentioned, have had a problem with kitties loving to sharpen claws on leather. While I’ve painted my oak kitchen cabinets white, my 47 year old trestle dining table, which serves as a table and a prep island in my kitchen has been left it’s original dark wood finish in order to warm the room of white cabinets and backsplash. I cannot decide what I want to do about countertops. I’ve considered wood – again for warmth – and also some of the stone-look laminates but have still not come to a conclusion. I’m on a strict budget, so granite, marble, soapstone, etc are not an option. Long story short – I agree that brown can be very warming in a home full of neutrals.
I have been a brown/ tan fan for a long time. My adult daughter thinks brown is depressing. I told her Teddy Bears were always brown for a long time and they were warm & cuddling. That seemed to change her opinion. I bring the brown throws and pillows out in fall. I have white sofas and have way before they were popular. Bought my first sectional in the 1980s.
With all my blue and white, i have some brown. I use it a lot in the Fall and Winter, it makes everything seem cozier.
I love brown as well and have always used it and did not go the trend of grey. Even though I liked it, I just didn’t want to change out my tans and browns for grey. I like it because it has a natural element to it, it gives you the feeling of wood in a space, even if it’s not. I recently had a wood Ikea kitchen counter put into my white kitchen (finally) and I did the sealing. It was pretty easy to do and budget friendly. So I would do that Jennifer if you really want to. I also have off white and brown diamond tiles on the kitchen floor. I think it looks classic, but not harsh, like black and white can.
Yay for brown! Yay for Fall!
I like the brown, warms up the look in so many ways!
I find brown very appealing. In fact, my walls are a brown color. It does warm up the house.
You presented some wonderful examples of homes with brown accents. I enjoy color and have been adding some brown in my home. My next step will be some curtains. Great inspiration here!
Love the Randolph Cottage. I followed the link and enjoyed all the other photos as well, including that large hanging dried floral arrangement. May have to make that.
The Randolph cottage is quite appealing. Enjoying many of the elements as well in the other homes. I think you would like our home, I love a sort of rustic european farm house style. Many of our furnishings are getting older. I bought very good mostly custom pieces and add in new things here and there for a change. Lately I am feeling that so much decor has become cookie cutter as a result of hgtv and many blogs. I love the photos you send out of more interesting homes with color and wood tones and creative design.
Thank you for these lovely rooms. I have pine furniture (light and dark) in several rooms of my home and still love it all after many years. Two bedrooms and a bathroom have beige walls. Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan in a bath and White Sand in two bedrooms. They are lovely colors and I can put anything with them from blue to red to green etc. So tired of white and gray on many blogs.
LOVE BROWN!
Brown is my favorite color and has been for a number of years. I’m really happy taupes, tans and beige are trendy again, along with natural wood. I love a room that has a mix of painted and natural wood furniture. I have a major love affair with all the chocolate colors!