You may have been warned off of designing your living room using a brown and cream color combination. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers! Brown and cream don’t have to be boring.
It has just as much decorating power as any other color scheme. There are tricks to make it interesting and we have a list of brown and cream living room ideas you can try to make your design dreams come true.
- What colors go with a brown living room set?
As with all types of interior decorating, look to nature. The beautiful oranges and reds of a sunset or the reflective blues of a lake create a harmonious picture with everything from light brown sand to dark brown tree trunks. You can’t go wrong with the clay colors in terracotta or pale blues. The color combination will depend a lot on the style of your living room furniture and home decor in general.
- Is brown color good for the living room?
Brown is a great color for the living room. It’s warm and inviting. It also gives a sense of calmness that will help you unwind at the end of the day. It’s also great for a home office, especially if you’re in a profession such as law, science, or education.
- What colors brighten up a brown room?
Choose window treatments that let in as much natural light as possible. Change up the color by introducing golden colors that pick up on the yellow undertones in the palette. You can also add furniture in contrasting colors.
1. Pale Blue Accent Furniture
When you’re working with a brown color scheme, it’s important to connect the different shades throughout the room.
We see the curtains have the same lighter shade as the brown couch piping and wood beams. The wood stain is all the same color on the furniture.
2. Add The Right Lighting
It isn’t just a matter of picking the right brown shades of color, you also need to consider your lighting as another design element.
Not just about the types of lamps or sconces, but you also need to pick the right color bulb. Here, we see the bulbs are all in the yellow range, giving a golden glow to the entire space.
A geometric pattern on the accent chairs uses both of the lighter tones of the color palette.
3. Use Red, White, and Blue
When designing your brown and cream room, don’t forget that white can also be used as a trim color.
It helps define spaces where otherwise darker color could end up making the room feel too harsh or dramatic. Look for the blue and red accent colors in the accessories.
4. Gray Accent Color and Live Edge Mantel
Gray is a fantastic neutral color that can be used in a brown and cream room. It blends in well with the area rug and the chairs.
The combination is also seen with the live edge fireplace mantel that extends to become a shelf. It’s a stunning contrast to the fireplace.
via Design Harmony
5. Warm Brown with Dramatic Lighting
A medium shade of brown creates a dramatic appearance with the use of lighting and placement.
By using it at one end of the room and bringing it out to the coffee table, it adds the right amount of weight to the light room.
6. Play with Textures
The cue to take away from this brown and cream design idea is the use of texture. The deep dark rich club chairs add a richness to the area near the accent wall.
The plush area rug is a great contrast to the white, smooth leather couch. It’s a way to achieve a modern look without the room feeling cold.
via Cantoni
7. Modern Boho
A trendy blend of Boho and Mid Century modern styles work to create a living room that looks contemporary while feeling timeless.
The patterns, textures, plants, and Moroccan pouf add the organic touches that are so loved in the Boho style. The uneven color of the wood flooring brings rustic charm.
The Sputnik chandelier, floor lamp, and accent chairs are all from the Mid-century modern style. This is a look that is very renter-friendly.
via Amber Malloy
8. Dark Brown Walls with Cream-Colored Ceiling and Floor
The walls of this living room are painted in a deep, rich brown. A lighter feel is achieved by painting the ceiling a creamy beige and mirroring that color in an area rug.
Keeping the furniture light is also key in helping keep this an airy, relaxed living room.
9. Create a Focal Point and Accent with Patterns
Pops of color aren’t unheard of in a formal living room with a brown and cream color scheme. The dressers are reimagined as side cabinets.
The art over the fireplace looks a little out of place, but the abstract design creates an interesting focal point in the room. The patterns in the room are subtle and are a perfect color match.
via gr home
10. Stick to a One Bold Element
The bold, branch-like design of the area rug here in brown and cream makes a statement that carries throughout the room.
The white couch is the unexpected element here. Instead of the room working around the white, the couch blends in with the moldings and door.
via Jace Interiors & CreateGirl Blog
11. Try Orange Accents
You’ll find orange is a common color to add when developing brown and cream living room ideas.
It’s the yellow undertones that bring the entire room together, so you’ll see this often in contemporary living rooms.
12. Use an Area Rug with a Pattern
The pale blue in the area rug brings just the right amount of color to support the brown furniture in this room.
The lighter color of the fireplace lets it stand apart from the cream-colored walls.
13. Try a Monochrome Fireplace
A substantial fireplace is balanced with a light colored couch.
A glass coffee table and accent chairs with thin legs allow more natural light to flow through.
14. Use a Gray Base
A long brown leather sofa sits against a two-tone striped wall.
Using a dark gray base accent color in the floor, chair, lamp, and curtains makes the couch seem brighter by comparison.
via Highbury Homes
15. Brown and Cream in Mid-Century Modern Living Room
Mid-century modern is a great way to explore brown and cream living room ideas. Brown curtain panels break up the white wall.
Even as the extended couch takes up most of the space, the Arne Jacobsen leather egg chair steals the show. The yellow Arco floor lamp and orange throw pillows are the pops of color needed to bring cohesion to the room.
via Tanya Design
16. Brown and Cream in a Traditional Style Living Room
A traditional style living room gets a huge boost from the slate blue full length curtains.
The wall color is broken up by the ceiling color and the cream colored area rug.
17. Brown and Cream Ideas in a Lodge Style Room
An expansive room gets a brown and cream colored treatment. Doors and window frames are painted dark brown, as is the large cabinet next to it.
The fireplace is in cream as are the main sofas. The accent chairs are dark brown. The floors are unfinished planks and mirror the dropped soffit ceiling above.
via Absolute Design
18. Brown and Cream in An Eclectic Living Room
It’s the gold tones that elevate the look of this brown and cream living room. A medium brown tone will often reveal its undertones in natural sunlight.
The dark brown and cream in the area rug from the anchor of the room. The eclectic white sectional sofa shows off the palette with patterns in the throw pillows.
via Bart Goldstein Interior Design
19. Play Up Architectural Details
It’s the architectural details that highlight this transitional living room. Dark handrails against the cream colored stair stringers and balcony area at a striking geometric pattern.
Moldings going halfway up the wall over the couch also create a point of interest in the room. The addition of color in the shades of blue also brings interest to the room.
via W.B. Homes
20. Brown and Cream in a Sunny Room
The dark brown rug defines the living area in this open-concept home.
The distressed coffee table would look right at home in any style from Contemporary to Modern Farmhouse.
21. Contemporary Living Room Ideas
An oversized sectional sofa, coffee table ottoman, and cane inset accent chairs are the highlights of this contemporary living room.
Casual pleated Roman shades in a semi-light reed weave and cream carpeting help to capture plenty of natural light.
22. Use Uniquely Designed Brown Furniture
Hollywood Regency multi cutout accent chairs are surprise elements in this living room. A cream colored cocktail ottoman and brown storage ottoman stay in touch with the color scheme.
The dusty rose couch is an idea of how to step away from feeling obligated to include a chocolate brown sofa in your interior design.
23. Take Your Colors From a Painting
Rich red undertones in brown furniture create a different mood when combined with creamy white walls and ceiling. It’s the finer details that make this room unique.
The molding and medallion around the Spanish chandelier have a Mediterranean feel. The accent pillows in bright blue also had a personal touch to the couch.
The cabinet is large enough that it can be considered a brown wall when planning the living room decor.
24. Light Brown Furniture
The long vertical windows are the only wall decor in this living room. The walls on the perimeter were painted in a light cream.
This means every statement in this room is made with the furniture. Most everything from the sofa to the rug is light brown. Notable differences are the gray cushion ottoman and log side tables.
Also, notice that the log side tables are the only wooden furniture in the room. The only other pieces in the room above the couch’s sight line are the three-panel metal art sculpture and arc floor lamp.
25. Try a Brown Accent Wall
Brown living room ideas do not have to rely solely on paint color. Textures and gloss are the keywords in this living room.
Grass cloth wallpaper is used to create a brown accent wall, a smooth creamy leather finish on the accent chairs and coffee table are just the start.
The high gloss modern TV stand and shiny finish to the brown couch all contribute to this high-end contemporary room.
