Teal — that elusive shade of blue-green that’s not quite turquoise blue or light blue, and still different from aqua or sky blue. Teal blue manages to be its own color and still come in a variety of its own shades, whether they are more teal greens or more cloudy, dark teals. A timeless color that can be seen in artwork as old as that of the ancient Egyptians, the color teal is making a major comeback.
With its ability to act as both a cool, soothing, complementary color, or to stand out as a beautiful, rich accent color, teal is trending as one of the most popular hues to use for painting, and a variety of other interior design elements.
That just leaves the questions: What colors go with teal? And how can you incorporate teal into your home's color palette to create a stylish, unified look? Let’s take a look at some simple teal pairings to bring this beautiful color into your home décor.
Teal and Gray
As a hue with a fair amount of blue in it, teal is a calming color tone that you can bring into almost any space you’re looking to imbue with a regenerative, soothing vibe. As such, it’s a great color for a living room, bedroom, bathroom, or anywhere you’re looking to relax in style. Pair teal accents up with a cool gray shade in your bathroom for a sophisticated look befitting a chic beach house or cottage.
The bold contrast of this rich color against gray is guaranteed to add some easy drama to your room while keeping the space calm and restorative. Use pieces of teal room décor like wall art, frames, or towels against gray painted walls to take advantage of the beautiful pairing of the respective bluish tones in these two cool colors. For example, this teal and grey combination looks both comfy and super modern.
Photo by Photographee.eu on Shutterstock
Teal and Tan
Tan is a neutral color that works well with teal. As a neutral shade, tan or cream colors can bring some warmth to a space while also acting as the perfect backdrop for some rich teal accents. Patterned or solid teal pillows or a knitted throw against a tan couch creates a beautiful look for your living room or bedroom. Incorporate other teal design accents — an area rug, vases, or curtains — to tie together the entire room with your chosen color scheme.
With the neutral backdrop, the teal touches will draw (not overwhelm) the eye.
Teal and Pink
This combination of colors is another pretty way to make teal stand out against a soft background. Perfect for a girl’s room or anywhere needing a feminine touch, teal has enough hints of green color in its base to make teal and pink a more complex, unexpected pairing than the more classic navy and pink, often seen together at summer weddings.
Keep the pink light enough to let the teal color do the talking, and play on the vintage nature of this color combo with touches of gold, nostalgic pieces of times past, and delicate tea-themed or dessert pieces. This hip rug adds just the right amount of pink to pop underneath this retro-style chair.
Photo by Jodie Johnson on Shutterstock
Teal and Black
Some people might be afraid or shy away from pairing teal and black, as the contrast is quite striking, but those people would be wrong. Teal and black play perfectly off one another, sort of in the same way there would be no light without a bit of darkness. This color combination would work even better yet at a beach house or summer home.
Painting with black can be tricky, as you don't want to make the room look like a dungeon, which is why teal is the perfect choice if you have your heart set on painting some part of your walls black.
Photo by Photographee.eu on Shutterstock
Teal and Gold
Gold adds a tad of regality to the equation when combined with teal, and perhaps surprisingly, these two are seamless colors to pair. When done in small areas (like the kitchen or bathroom sink) a splash of gold comes across more as classy, rather than tacky, which is sometimes associated with the color.
A little gold goes a long way and adding a dash here or there can really take your home's ambiance to another level.
Photo by P A on Shutterstock
Teal and Red (or Ruby Red)
Another play on the teal and pink combination is to add a bit of gray to the pink and incorporate a ruby red into your design scheme. Somewhere between gray and pink, ruby red is the perfect pairing for teal because of the way it’s slightly more than a neutral, allowing the rich tones of the teal to be warmed up by the splash of red in this pairing.
For even a little bit more warmth, take it to the next level and add a few more ruby red accent items, such as a coffee table or maybe an ottoman. You could even opt for a full sized sofa if you aren't a fan of vintage armchairs. There are many playful things that can be done with this bold color combination.
Photo by StudioByTheSea on Shutterstock
Teal and Chartreuse
Emphasize the blue notes of teal by pairing it with the green notes of a beautiful yellow-green like chartreuse. The web color of chartreuse is dead center between both green and yellow; it is a bold color combo not for the faint of heart. These two hues are a lovely pair that can work in almost any interior design scheme, especially when the two are set against a warm neutral.
Incorporated sparingly (with pieces of wall décor, comforter sets, and drapery), you don’t need much to allow these two colors to liven up a room with the way they both complement and contrast each other.
Teal and Copper
Lately, teal and copper have become a trend we are seeing more and more in bathrooms. The bathroom is a perfect place to try and take risks with your interior decorating, and for proof, look no further than this gorgeous copper bathtub with teal accents. The rustic looking nature of copper adds a real contrast to the colorfulness of the blue, making this mysterious pair all the more charming.
This sort of pairing really works best when the teal accents are sprinkled in, like framing the bathroom mirror, end tables, or even as simply the color choice of the bathroom towels.
Photo by archideaphoto on Shutterstock
Teal and Cream
When using teal and cream together, it's often best to use teal as the highlight detail. The neutral nature of cream is perfectly balanced with a bit of teal, and since cream is a popular couch and wall color, this combination could work great in any living room. Honestly, this soothing color pairing would work wonderfully in any high traffic rooms in your home.
Without the teal mixed in to give it some pop, this couch would look awfully bland on its own. A few well-placed teal pillows can really do the trick, turning a plain living room into a seriously stylish one.
Photo by Jodie Johnson on Shutterstock
Teal and Brown
Teal goes remarkably well with brown and leather tones, and this pairing has long been a classic for homeowners. Of course, teal always brings a vivid pop, but when it teams up with brown or leather you get a more mature, grownup feel to your home decor.
Teal looks great as an accent on everything from headboards to end tables. Even better, try sprucing up an old desk or armoire with a fresh coat of beautiful teal paint, your furniture will achieve that modern/retro look much desired in interior design.
Photo by JasminkaM on Shutterstock
Finally, no matter what color combination you choose to bring different teal tones into your home, you’ll love the feel this gorgeous hue brings to just about any space. There is no shortage of options when looking to experiment with teal.
Just remember that a room’s lighting can dramatically affect how you see the color, so go ahead and test your chosen teal in different spaces in different lights throughout the day to find what you like best, and get ready to love the transformation you see.
