How to Pick Paint to Match Your Wallpaper: 5 Expert Tips

A wallpaper pro shares five tips for picking the right shade.

Choosing the right wallpaper for your space is one thing, but finding a matching paint color is a whole new challenge. Should you color-match an exact color from the wallpaper? Choose a lighter hue from the wall covering? And how do you go about finding a paint color to go with a grasscloth wallpaper that doesn’t necessarily have a pattern or distinct colors to pull from?

To take the confusion out of finding a paint color to complement your chosen wallpaper, we turned to Carol Miller, trend expert at York Wallcoverings. She shares five practical tips for how to select a paint color based on the look you want to create.

Related: The 8 Best Wallpapers of 2024 to Add Visual Flair to Any Room, According to Our Testing

Expert Tips for How to Pick Paint to Match Your Wallpaper

The paint color you choose depends on the aesthetic you’re going for. For example, match the primary color from the wallpaper and you’ll achieve visual harmony that’s soothing to the eye. But extend that paint color to all the walls, ceilings, and trim for a color-drenched effect, and you’ll create a much more dramatic design statement.

Miller also offers tips for picking a paint color to match a textured grasscloth wallpaper and explains how you can highlight a wallpapered accent wall with a complementing paint color. If you found a wallpaper pattern that you absolutely love but are stuck on picking a paint color to match, we’re breaking it down with Miller’s five expert tips.

Related: 8 Wallpaper Trends You’ll See Everywhere in 2024

1. Match the Primary Color from the Wallpaper

For a seamless transition between the wallpaper and painted walls, Miller recommends matching your paint with the primary wallpaper color. “Matching the primary color from the wallpaper will blend the paint with the pattern,” she says. It ensures the wallpaper is fully integrated into the room’s design and creates visual balance by distributing the key wallpaper color throughout the rest of the space. It establishes visual harmony and, “[the] solution is soothing to the eye,” Miller adds,

2. Color Drench the Room with the Key Wallpaper Color

If you want to make a bold design statement, take Miller’s advice and color drench the entire room with the key wallpaper color. “For a contemporary approach, match the key color of the pattern but put that color everywhere: ceilings, millwork, and open wall spaces for a color drenching effect,” she says. While it may be a bold move to extend the key color to all the surrounding walls and trim—especially if it’s a dark and moody paint color—color drenching can actually have a surprisingly calming effect. It visually encloses a room and creates a cocoon-like feel that makes a space extra cozy and inviting.

3. Choose a Secondary Color from the Wallpaper Pattern

“Choosing a secondary color from the pattern for companion paint will pull that color forward to provide more depth to the walls,” Miller says. If there is more than one secondary color to pull from the wallpaper, your choice depends on the aesthetic you want to create. “Choosing lighter hues offers an open, airy feel, while darker shades add sophistication and warmth,” she explains.

Related: 52 Wallpaper Ideas for Every Room and Style

4. Highlight Grasscloth Wallpaper with a Matching Paint Color

With a grasscloth wallpaper, it’s the texture rather than the wall covering’s color that makes the biggest impact. “Natural grasses have unique features such as hand-knotting and non-matched panel edges that confirm authenticity”, Miller explains. When it comes to choosing a paint color, she suggests picking one that matches the grasscloth wallpaper to highlight its texture. “The grass itself dictates that the paint color should blend well with one of the colors within the grass”, Miller says. “This way, the eye rests on the artistry, highlighting the signature textural beauty of the weave to its best advantage”.

Related: 37 Beautiful Bedroom Wallpaper Ideas

5. Choose a Lighter Paint Hue to Turn a Wallpapered Wall Into an Accent

Wallpaper is one of the best ways to create an accent wall that serves as a stunning focal point in a room. Highlight the wallpapered accent wall by picking one of the lighter hues from the wallpaper pattern, or by taking one of the dominant colors and picking a paint color that’s two shades lighter. You will achieve visual harmony while emphasizing the wallpaper. “A lighter hue will help to define the wallpapered area as an impact wall,” Miller says.

Related: 8 Common Wallpaper Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

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