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Holiday decor 101: The best Christmas color palettes for every wall color

While traditional Christmas color palettes tend to be filled with luscious evergreen, bright and vibrant red, snowy white, and the occasional glittery silver or gold, these colors can sometimes clash depending on your home’s current design. If you’re struggling to pull off the traditional color scheme, maybe it’s time to rethink how you deck the halls.

In this article, we’ll help you curate the best Christmas color palette for your room, no matter what color your walls may be.

For neutrals, go for red and white

If you have a neutral color on your whiles like beige, cream, or grey, you might find that red and white decorations look best. White will make your neutral room feel brighter and more exciting, while red will hone in the holiday theme. Grey rooms, in particular, look stunning adorned with red and white checkered pillows and stockings and a tree with white, red, and gold decorations.

A good tip for decorating with neutrals is that if your walls have cold undertones, adorn the place with more red and gold pieces. If your room has warm undertones, lean heavier on the whites and silvers. Either way, nearly all neutrals look great with red and white decor, from blankets to garlands during the Christmas season.

white living room with red christmas decorations and a tree

For white walls, go with green and red

If you have plain white walls, don’t decorate with white or silver. These colors will blend into the background, leaving your design feeling empty and cold. Instead, use traditional greens and reds to decorate your space. For example, an evergreen garland on the mantle can bring new life to the fireplace. And red bulbs and ribbons on your evergreen tree can be warm and inviting.

Additionally, if you want to get more creative, gold decor and warm yellow lights will look beautiful against the white backdrop of your walls. Black accents are also an excellent addition for white rooms, especially when used on stockings, tablecloths, and blankets.

For earthy tones, choose green and silver

If your room adheres to earthy tones like warm browns, dark greens, or green-grey, you’ll do better to decorate with green and silver. If you have a light to medium green room, a dark evergreen will look natural and charming in the space. Use plenty of evergreen garlands and silver adornments to accentuate the earthy appeal of the room. You can use pops of red and gold to bring out the warmth of the palette.

Light to medium browns also look stunning when decorated with evergreens and silver. The evergreen decorations bring new life to the space, while the silver creates a cool accent. Pine decorations on dining tables or coffee tables also help transform the space for an ultra-earthy and natural look.

White and gold look great with blues

If you have blue walls in your home, white and gold will be the perfect addition to your Christmas color palette. White is a cool color that looks great with both pastel and rich blues and creates an icy wonderland dream during Christmas time. Hang white and blue stockings by the fireplace and use a white and gold table cloth in your dining room. Don’t be afraid to add more blues to your design as well. Blue pairs fabulously with different shades of itself and can help you create a stunning decorated room.

To offset this snowy white and icy blue palette, add a few gold ornaments and statues. Cold platters and dishware will be perfect for family gatherings. Or, add some gold-painted pots with white poinsettias for a lovely holiday arrangement. You can also use gold candelabras and a white tree with gold tinsel and bulbs for a sweet, wintery aesthetic.

dark dining table with gold and green christmas decor

Dark rooms look beautiful with white and green

If you have a dark room like slate grey, rich black, deep green, or coffee brown, it’s best to decorate with white and green decor. Red can clash with some colors, so be careful when considering it in your design. In some homes, traditional Christmas red can still be used as an accent color. Alternatively, many homeowners with dark wall colors opt for yellow and russet orange instead of classic red. This creates a rustic, cabin-like aesthetic for the holidays that diverges from the norm.

However, it’s best to use traditional evergreen for dark rooms. Garlands draped on mantels or adorned atop dining tables look natural and appealing. Pair this with plenty of white accents like poinsettias, pearly bulbs, sheer ribbons, and white dishes for a romantic and moody holiday look.

This year, it’s okay to break away from traditional red, white, and green Christmas color palettes. You can experiment with a few of these colors to curate a design that suits the aesthetic of your home. Be sure to balance your cool and warm tones, and don’t go overboard with any one color. Dispersing these colors across the decor of a room can help you create a space fit for the holidays and plenty of family gatherings to come.

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Amelia Wilson
Amelia Wilson (author pen name Amelia J. Wilson) is a content writer in Greenwood, IN. She often enjoys topics on…
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