What Colors Go With Cherry Wood Bedroom Furniture?

Jessica Vaillancourt
by Jessica Vaillancourt

Designing your bedroom with cherry wood furniture is a worthy investment. Cherry wood comes from the cherry fruit tree. This hardwood material is highly esteemed for its beautiful, smooth grain and color. The premium prices of cherry wood furniture will buy you many years of durability and elegance.

Because cherry wood often has a distinct reddish-brown color, it doesn’t match with everything. You might be wondering what colors go with cherry wood bedroom furniture.

Colors that go with cherry wood furniture include:

  • Beige
  • Off-white
  • Red
  • Gold
  • Yellow
  • Blue 
  • Green
  • Gray

Cherry wood bedroom furniture is usually a dark reddish-brown color. For a soothing atmosphere that gracefully highlights the wood, paint your walls off-white, beige, or gold. To make the cherry color really pop, add blue or green accents for some contrast.

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What Color is Cherry Wood?

Cherry wood comes in a range of colors, from a light blond or pink to a dark reddish-brown. This really depends on the tree and stain used, and the age of the furniture. Cherry wood is used to construct cabinets, floors, ornately carved chairs, and other items. But when it comes to bedroom furniture, the dark reddish-brown shade is most common.

Cherry wood, whether blond or a rich reddish-brown, is considered a “warm” color. It helps to think back on your high school art class here! Based on the color wheel, warm colors include reds, oranges, yellows. As opposed to warm colors, cool colors include blues, purples, and greens.

Knowing that cherry wood falls under the “warm” color category will help your color search. Warm colors compliment other warm colors well. On the flip side, cool colors paired with warm colors create a bolder contrast.

Benefits of Cherry Wood Furniture

Cherry wood is one of the most expensive and sought-after woods on the market. While cherry wood furniture tends to cost more than oak or cedar, it has many benefits. Its grain is fine and straight, giving it a smooth texture. Cherry wood is durable because it is hardwood, but it’s soft enough to carve and design.

It stains well, but the wood itself has a beautiful rich color that doesn’t require finishing. When freshly cut, the wood tends to be blonder in color. Over time as the wood oxidizes, it becomes a richer reddish-brown. Cherry wood is also quite resistant to mold and rot. Cherry wood bed frames, dressers, and bureaus are great additions to any bedroom.

Colors That Go With Cherry Wood Furniture

Cherry wood is fairly versatile for pairing with other colors. Your choices will depend on personal style, and how much you want the furniture to pop. The options range from warmer dominant paint colors, to cooler accent colors.

The dark reddish-brown tone of cherry wood will be the “supporting” color in the bedroom. This means the color you choose for the walls will be the “dominant” color. The dominant color is usually found on the floors, walls, and ceilings.

In general, these subtle “dominant” colors always pair wonderfully with cherry wood furniture:

  • Off-whites
  • Beiges 
  • Lighter yellows and golds

Off-white or beige walls and floors are tried and true when paired with cherry wood. It makes the furniture front and center, without making it look gaudy. The room will appear soothing and blended, but still prioritize the cherry wood.

Interested in bolder dominant colors that will create a more dynamic bedroom? These colors will go with your cherry wood, while creating either a starker contrast or a seamless blending:

  • Reds (to blend the cherry wood in more)
  • Grayish green-blues
  • Light blues
  • Bright whites

Color Schemes that Highlight Cherry Wood Furniture

Hopefully you’ve decided whether you’d like to blend your cherry wood furniture, or make it pop. The colors you choose for the flooring, walls, and accents will really depend on this.

There are general rules of thumb to remember. Earthy, light colors that dominate the room will help your cherry wood stand out more. They also create a soothing effect. Gold or red walls will make the cherry wood blend in more, while creating a bolder overall room. And cool colors on the walls or accent items will really make the furniture pop.

Option 1: Classic Light, Earthy Walls, and Floors

Cherry wood, with its rich reddish-brown colors, has a luxurious depth to it. It stands out in a room when decorated and paired with the right colors. Do you want to make your cherry wood furniture stand out, without being too overpowering? Opt for lighter, earthy “dominant” colors.

A room’s dominant color occupies about 60% to 70% of the visual eyespace. You can achieve this by applying your dominant colors to the ceiling, walls, and floors. Off-whites and beiges are really great wall and ceiling color choices. They bring out the darker cherry wood, while also creating a soothing and elegant effect. And brown wood flooring, or off-white carpeting are good floor colors.

Here are some mix-and-match ideas to help you achieve a light, earthy color scheme:

  • Paint the walls a shade of off-white or beige.
  • Paint the ceilings off-white or white. 
  • For the bedding, pick a white, off-white, or beige color.
  • For the floors, add off-white or beige carpeting, OR darker brown wood floors for a bolder look. 
  • Play around with yellow or red accents, which give these earthy tones a pop of color.

Option 2: Majestic Golds, Yellows, and Reds

Maybe making the cherry wood pop out in your bedroom isn’t your desired effect. But you still want to have a unique color scheme with presence that looks majestic and elegant. A yellow, gold, or red dominant color scheme might be exactly what you’re looking for. This combo creates a low-contrast room.

Yellows, golds, and reds go well with cherry wood, as they are all warm colors. But they are also a closer match to cherry wood on the color wheel than off-whites and beiges. This means the cherry wood will blend into its surroundings more. The closer the dominant color is to your cherry wood color, the more it will blend.

Here are some ideas and tips to help you pull together this majestic gold or red color scheme:

  • Use a red, gold, or yellow paint color on the walls only (not the ceiling or floor). 
  • Paint the ceiling a lighter off-white color. Dark ceilings will make the room appear smaller.
  • White, off-white, beige, or light yellow bedding pairs well with red or gold walls.
  • Flooring can be a darker wood paneling to add intensity, or a lighter earthy color to emphasize the reds and cherry wood.
  • Keep the accents lighter, earthier colors. You want to avoid overwhelming the room with dark colors. 

Option 3: Boldly Contrasting Blues or Greens

To create a really unique blend of colors, pair the warm cherry wood color with cool colors. The best cool colors to accent with cherry wood are blues, greens, and blue-green grays. A warm color paired with a cool one makes them complementary colors, which is a pleasing match.

For a bold look that makes for a noteworthy bedroom, paint your walls blue or blue-green. This will really make the cherry wood pop. For a more subtle complementary color scheme, paint the walls a softer blue-green gray. You can also add bold blue or green accents that won’t overwhelm the room, leaving the furniture front and center.

Here are ideas to help you execute the bold contrasting blue or green color scheme:

  • Paint your walls with a dark or light blue, or a bluish green.
  • Paint your walls with a lighter bluish or greenish gray. Pair this with darker floors.
  • Your ceilings should remain white if your dominant color is blue or green.
  • Lighter wood flooring with darker blue-green walls, or darker wood flooring with lighter blue-gray walls are great combinations.
  • White bedding with light gray accents looks great with blue walls and dark cherry wood.
  • If you opt for lighter gray walls, pick out bold blue or green accent pieces. These can be bedding, lamps, curtains, etc.

Does Cherry Wood Darken Over Time?

When picking out your bedroom colors, keep something in mind. Natural cherry wood darkens over time (when it’s not painted or stained). Was your custom furniture piece blond or pink in color when you first purchased it? Cherry wood oxidizes over time from UV light exposure, darkening it by multiple shades.

In just one year, cherry wood furniture can turn a few shades darker. Over various years, a once-blond cherry wood exposed to sun will become a dark reddish brown. So whatever color scheme you choose should accommodate the potential for a darker wood in the future.

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Related Questions

Is cherry wood sustainable?

Not only is cherry wood a durable, beautiful hardwood, but it’s a fairly sustainable option. Furniture sourced from cherry wood lumber instead of rainforest lumber prevents the degradation of biodiverse ecosystems.


Is cherry wood good for smoking meats?

Cherry wood is used for more than just constructing furniture. Cherry wood chips are popular for smoking various foods. They give meats like poultry, beef, and pork a mild, fruity smoke flavor.Related Guides

Jessica Vaillancourt
Jessica Vaillancourt

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