What Colour Goes With Burgundy? Pairings and Decor Ideas

What colour goes with burgundy? Soft neutrals that calm it (cream, beige, off-white, grey, taupe), natural tones that warm it (camel, terracotta, olive or sage green) and a few smart contrasts (navy, teal, black, gold). The rule: a deep burgundy needs a lighter colour or a material that catches the light, so it can breathe.

Burgundy never goes unnoticed. Deep, warm and elegant, it gives a room character straight away. Sitting between red and purple, it creates a rich, enveloping mood, ideal for decor that is both cosy and refined. One of its strengths is its range: it suits very different styles and works with a great many colours and materials, whether you use it in small touches or as the centrepiece. Warm metals suit it especially well, and our gold chandeliers are a safe bet above a burgundy sofa or dining table. This guide gives you the colours that go with burgundy, room by room, and the way to light it.

What colour is burgundy?

Burgundy is described as a purplish dark red, and it takes its name from the red wines of Burgundy in France. As a colour name in English, it was first recorded in 1881. It is not one single shade but a family of deep reds, close relatives of maroon, wine red and mulberry.

Burgundy, maroon, wine: the shades

• Classic burgundy: a deep red, neither too purple nor too brown.
• Wine or plum burgundy: leans clearly towards purple.
• Brownish burgundy: closer to maroon and chocolate, and in need of plenty of light around it.
• Brick burgundy: more orange, it makes the link with terracotta and earthy tones.

This variety explains why the same pairing advice does not give the same result everywhere: a purplish burgundy calls for greys and cool pinks, a brownish burgundy calls for camel, beige and olive green.

What colours go with burgundy in a room?

Pairing burgundy with other colours can create very different moods, from timeless classic to modern. Here is how to combine it, playing on contrast and harmony, with a concrete example for each pairing.

White, cream or beige: balance and light

This is the safest answer. For a clean, elegant room, choose a burgundy velvet sofa, warmed by a soft beige rug and off-white walls. Add cream cushions and a few gold accessories for a refined, timeless look. Prefer an off-white or a cream to a brilliant white: their slight warmth links better with burgundy. If you want something softer than cream on a large wall, a warm greige colour does the same job.

Grey: modern and understated

If you like contemporary rooms, pair a burgundy wall with charcoal grey furniture, such as a minimalist sofa or a metal coffee table. A pale grey rug and matching curtains balance the intensity of the burgundy while keeping the look sharp. Grey suits burgundies that lean towards purple especially well. To pick the right grey for your room, see our guide to the colours that go with grey.

Blush pink: soft and romantic

Create a cosy, gentle mood by mixing burgundy with blush pink textiles. A nude or dusky pink sofa goes perfectly with burgundy cushions and a textured cream rug. Add a few brass pieces for a precious, romantic touch. This tone-on-tone works because pink is nothing but a much lighter burgundy.

Gold or brass: rich and sophisticated

Burgundy and gold make a glamorous, intimate pairing. Picture a brass side table in front of a deep burgundy sofa, with a gold pendant above. Over a dining table, our refined 3-lamp gold pendant chandelier makes the burgundy glow without weighing it down; on the wall, a gold Art Deco style wall light in metal and glass carries the idea on. Our gold wall lights offer many more ways to do it.

Navy: depth and elegance

Burgundy and navy create a refined, enveloping room. For a hushed atmosphere, choose a navy velvet sofa against a burgundy wall. Add a beige or cream rug to bring in light, and touches of brass or dark timber for a sophisticated note.

Terracotta: warm and welcoming

For a warm, sunny mood, burgundy works beautifully with terracotta. Try a terracotta wall with a burgundy sofa in linen or velvet. Add a jute rug and ceramic accessories to bring out the natural, welcoming side.

Black: drama and character

For a dramatic and very smart style, combine burgundy with black. A deep burgundy wall with black metal furniture and a black leather sofa gives a bold, modern effect. To keep the room from getting too dark, add white marble or gold touches. For the light, our modern smoked glass and metal pendant light stays in tone while giving out a warm glow.

Teal: a bold contrast

For original, lively decor, dare to pair burgundy with teal. A teal sofa on a burgundy rug, surrounded by pale timber furniture, gives a room that is both modern and cosy. Beige or cream curtains soften the whole.

Taupe: soft and neutral

Ideal for a cocooning feel, this pairing brings softness and elegance. A burgundy sofa on a taupe rug, with ecru cushions and textured throws, creates a warm and restful room.

Olive, sage or emerald green: natural contrast

Red and green face each other on the traditional colour wheel, so each makes the other stronger. For a gentle version, choose olive or sage, greyed and natural, which suit a brownish burgundy very well, as they suit the calm palette of Japandi style. For a more striking effect, emerald velvet next to a deep burgundy gives a room real character, to be balanced with plenty of neutrals.

Camel and cognac: autumn warmth

Camel, cognac and natural leather share the warmth of burgundy. A cognac leather armchair, a camel throw and an ecru wool rug around a burgundy sofa make a welcoming autumnal room, as at home in a classic sitting room as in a club-style interior.

Colour	Effect	Style	Where to use it
Off-white, cream, beige	Balance, light	Classic, clean	Every room
Pale grey or charcoal	Understated	Contemporary	Sitting room, home office
Blush pink, nude	Softness	Romantic	Bedroom
Gold, brass	Glow, luxury	Glamour, Art Deco	Sitting room, dining room
Navy	Depth	Elegant	Sitting room, bedroom
Terracotta	Warmth	Earthy, sunny	Sitting room, kitchen
Black	Character	Modern, dramatic	Sitting room, dining room
Teal	Contrast	Bold	Sitting room
Taupe	Neutrality	Cocooning	Bedroom, sitting room
Olive, sage, emerald	Natural contrast	Nature, character	Sitting room, dining room
Camel, cognac	Warmth	Club, autumnal	Sitting room, study

What colour goes with dark burgundy?

The darker a burgundy, the more light it absorbs. With dark burgundy, start with light colours: off-white, cream, beige, linen, pearl grey. They give back the light it takes. Warm metals, brass and gold, and shiny materials, velvet or glass, also make it come alive.

Avoid surrounding a dark burgundy with other dark colours and nothing to balance them: dark burgundy, navy and black together quickly make a heavy room. If you love that mood, keep a pale ceiling, a pale floor or large ecru textiles, and pay close attention to the lighting.

What is the complementary colour of burgundy?

On the traditional painter’s colour wheel, red sits opposite green. For burgundy, a dark red, the complementary colour is therefore a deep green: bottle green, forest green or emerald. Complementary colours placed side by side give the strongest possible contrast. In decor they are rarely used in equal amounts: a large burgundy surface with a few touches of green, or the reverse, is enough to make a room sing.

How much burgundy to use in a room

Burgundy offers three levels of commitment. Choose yours according to the size and brightness of the room.

1. In touches: cushions, a throw, a vase, a lampshade or a frame. It is the easiest way to try the colour, and the easiest to change.
2. On a piece of furniture: a burgundy velvet sofa or armchair becomes the centrepiece of the sitting room. Surround it with neutrals.
3. On the walls: one burgundy wall, behind a bed or a sofa, adds depth. Painting a whole room burgundy is best kept for large, bright rooms, or for small rooms you deliberately want to feel enveloping, such as a study or a snug.

Room by room: in the sitting room, burgundy works with a gold or glass living room chandelier; in the dining room, a dining room pendant light above a dark timber table reinforces the rich mood; in the bedroom, a burgundy wall behind the bed and warm bedroom wall lights create a real cocoon.

How to light a burgundy room

Because it is a dark colour, burgundy absorbs a lot of light. A room where it dominates needs more light sources than a white room, and above all well chosen light.

• Warm light. A warm white of 2,700 to 3,000 K brings out the depth and warmth of burgundy. A cool white makes it duller, even purplish.
• Good colour rendering. The colour rendering index, or CRI, shown on the bulb box, tells you how faithfully colours look under the light. For deep reds, a bulb with a high CRI shows the true shade.
• Several sources. Combine a main light, wall lights and a lamp to avoid dark corners.
• Materials that reflect light. Brass, gold, opal glass or smoked glass make burgundy shine, where a dark, opaque shade dulls it.

Colours that go with burgundy: frequently asked questions

Sources

• Burgundy (color), encyclopaedia article: definition of the colour, origin of the name and first recorded use in English in 1881. Wikipedia
• Complementary colors, encyclopaedia article: complementary pairs on the traditional colour wheel. Wikipedia