Living Room Ideas With Teal & Burgundy

Blue-green teal works well with burgundy.

Teal, a dark blue-green, and burgundy, a dark red, are complementary colors. Although they may not seem an obvious partnership, their position opposite each other on the color wheel means that they work in harmony. Both are dark colors, so use them sparingly in small or dark rooms and team them with pale colors to keep the effect from becoming overpowering. Experiment with touches of color in lamp shades, frames and ornaments to warm up a cold decor.

Planning Your Room

You can use teal and burgundy together in any living room, but you need to take several factors into account. Consider the size, quantity and placement of the windows, and the amount of natural light in the room. Also consider the size of the room itself. If the room is too small to use a dark color palette throughout, use teal or burgundy on one wall only to create a feature, or use only small touches of the colors for a lighter effect.

Soft Furnishings

Soft furnishings are a good way of trying out a color palette. Use flowing curtains of burgundy-colored damask for an elegant, sophisticated look, and trim them with teal-colored hems and headings. Use teal-colored cord hung with tassels to tie the curtains back, and pick up the color in cushion piping. As both these colors are strong, pick one to be the base color, using it for large areas like sofa coverings and the curtains themselves, and use the other for trimming.

Walls

Burgundy and teal are both rich colors with overtones of romance and luxury. Create an intimate, cozy atmosphere by painting walls in burgundy paint, or covering them with textured wallpaper or fabric. For a lighter effect, create wall panels and hang them on pale-painted walls. Make the panels from sheets of plywood covered in batting and burgundy and teal fabric, and hang them on the walls at intervals. The panels can be simply re-covered when you want to change the decor.

Accent Colors

If you want to experiment with teal and burgundy color schemes without too much commitment, use them as accent colors. Paint photograph frames in teal or burgundy, and use throw cushions, rugs and colored glass accessories. Lamps covered with a dark red shade will cast a warm glow over your living room. To avoid a claustrophobic effect, keep the walls and floors a pale, plain color. Break up any large blocks of color with silver accessories and large mirrors to soften the effect.

References

• Color Matters: The Color Wheel
• Color Interior Dezine: Red Color Schemes