• Natural colors usually look best up against wood grain.Modern asian inspired hallway with bamboo floors image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  Typically speaking, the best paint colors to match wood are colors found in nature. These colors may stand in contrast to the color of the wood, or they may closely resemble the wood. It all depends not only on the colors themselves, but also on the type of wood. Wood grains vary in hue from light and warm to dark and cool.
  
  

Cream

• Cream really does work with just about everything. Especially in the case of dark cherry floors, cream creates a sense of light airiness that is often lost in a room with dark hardwood floors. Cream works against floors that are cool or warm in tone. Cream trim also works to accent walls with other colors on them, like blue and green.
  
  

Country Blue

• Country blue makes an exquisite contrast when placed against honey blond hardwood floors. These two colors, warm yellow and medium blue, are near opposites on the color wheel. Thus these colors produce a relationship that works.
  
  

Gray

• Gray, although generally a cool neutral, works nicely against both warm-toned and cool-toned hardwood floors. This classic paint color opens up the decor of the room to include nearly anything. In other words, it really matches almost everything to create a look of sophistication when paired with hardwood.
  
  

Sage

• Sage is the ultimate natural color. The color of grass and living plants, sage quite naturally pairs well with earth-colored hardwood floors. If you're concerned that hardwood floors and sage green walls will darken your room, consider trimming the walls with a light color, like ivory or cream.