Fallen in love with a print? Here’s how to choose the wall colour around it

Most decorating advice tells you to start with your walls. But when you find canvas wall art that genuinely moves you, that’s your starting point. Here’s how to choose the wall colour that makes it shine.

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For warm-toned floral wall art prints in burgundy or orange, choose cool walls in eucalyptus, celadon or dusty blue for contrast. For cool canvas prints in teal or navy, warm white or soft ochre walls add the energy the print needs. For multi-coloured floral or abstract prints, pick out the background tone or the quietest accent colour and take that to the wall. Every Pattern & Pixel design comes in three colourways, made to order in the UK.

In fashion, no one tells you to buy a wardrobe full of clothes and then find shoes that match. You fall in love with something. Then you build around it.

Decorating works the same way. When you find canvas wall art that genuinely moves you—a floral wall art print, a bold abstract, a graphic pattern—that’s your starting point. Not your wall colour. Not your sofa. The art.

Sarah spent twenty years as a print designer applying exactly this principle. Find the design that excites you. Find the colourway that works for your space. Build the room around that decision.

Read the dominant colour in your print first

Every canvas print has a dominant colour—the one that leads. In a floral wall art print it’s usually the background tone or the largest bloom. In an abstract print it’s usually the ground colour. Before you think about walls, identify it. Is it warm or cool? Light or dark? Rich and saturated, or soft and muted? Once you know that, you have a direction.

You’re not trying to match your wall to your canvas wall art. You’re trying to create a conversation between them.

Want help understanding what different colours do to a room? Visit our Colour & Mood guide at patternandpixel.co.uk/pages/colour-and-mood

Warm-toned prints: what walls let them breathe

A floral canvas print with warm dominant tones—oranges, scarlets, deep reds, burgundies—carries a lot of energy. The wall’s job is to receive that energy, not compete with it.

Cool, soft walls do this beautifully. Eucalyptus, celadon and dusty blue create the kind of contrast that makes a warm floral wall art print look more considered than it would against a neutral. Warm white also works—it steps back quietly and lets the print take the lead.

Pattern & Pixel tip: What to avoid - walls that are close in hue to your print’s dominant colour. A scarlet floral print on a deep red wall loses itself entirely. The tones merge and the canvas wall art stops being a focal point.

The wall should make your canvas wall art look like it was made for that exact spot. That only happens when there’s enough contrast for the print to breathe.

Cool-toned prints: walls that add warmth

Cool canvas prints—in teal, navy, smoky blue or lilac—are calm and considered. They work brilliantly as wall art for a bedroom or home office. But cool prints on cool walls can tip into feeling flat. The answer is warmth.

A warm white—slightly creamy rather than stark—will ground cool floral and abstract canvas prints gently. Deeper warm tones like soft ochre make them glow. For drama, a deep charcoal wall behind a cool-toned print creates genuine contrast—the canvas becomes a statement wall art piece rather than decoration.

Cool prints on warm walls feel like morning light. The contrast is gentle and lifts the whole room.

Pattern & Pixel tip: Our teal, navy and smoky blue colourways sit beautifully against warmer wall tones. If your room already runs cool, a warm white or soft ochre wall might be the change that ties everything together.

Multi-coloured prints: find the one colour that matters

Floral and abstract canvas prints often contain five or six colours. So which one do you take to the wall? Look for the background tone first—the ground colour of the print is usually the quietest and most versatile. A wall that echoes it will make the canvas print feel like it belongs.

Alternatively, pick the accent colour—the one that appears least in the print but gives it life. Pulling that onto the wall turns a small detail into the whole room’s story. What you’re not looking for is the loudest colour—matching your wall to the most dominant element in a floral wall art print creates competition, not harmony.

The most powerful wall colour is often the quietest one in the print. Pull out the background or the accent and the room finds its character.

The swatch test: one practical step before you paint

Once you’ve chosen your canvas wall art, hold a paint swatch next to the print in natural light. You’re looking for harmony—the wall and the print feel like they belong to the same world—or contrast, where the wall gives the floral or abstract canvas print room to lead. What you’re avoiding is competition, where neither can breathe.

If you’re unsure between two wall colours, choose the one that makes you look at the canvas wall art first.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose a wall colour to go with a floral canvas print?

Read the dominant colour in your floral wall art print first. If it’s warm—burgundy, orange, scarlet—choose a cool wall in eucalyptus, celadon or dusty blue to create contrast. If it’s cool—teal, navy, smoky blue—a warm white or soft ochre wall adds the energy the print needs. The goal is conversation between the wall and the art, not competition.

What wall colour goes with an abstract canvas print?

Find the background or dominant tone in your abstract canvas print and either echo it softly in your wall colour for harmony, or contrast it with the opposite temperature for impact. Cool abstract prints in teal or navy suit warm white or ochre walls. Warm abstract prints in orange or coral suit eucalyptus or celadon walls. Pattern & Pixel’s abstract prints come in three curated colourways to help you find the right fit.

Can I choose my wall colour after buying canvas wall art?

Yes—and it’s often the better approach. Choosing your canvas wall art first gives you a clear colour anchor to build the room around. Use the swatch test: hold a paint swatch next to the canvas in natural light and look for either harmony or contrast. Avoid combinations where the wall and the print compete for attention.

What is the best wall colour for a bedroom with canvas wall art?

For wall art in a bedroom, the goal is warmth and calm rather than high contrast. Cool floral canvas prints in teal, smoky blue or lilac suit warm white or soft ochre walls—the wall adds gentle warmth without competing. Warm-toned floral prints in coral or burgundy suit neutral or cool walls that give the print space. The swatch test in natural light is the most reliable guide.

Why does Pattern & Pixel offer canvas wall art in three colours?

Because the same design reads completely differently depending on the colour around it. Sarah’s twenty years as a print designer taught her that every print needs multiple colours—because colour transforms a design. We apply exactly the same thinking to canvas wall art, so you can find the colour that genuinely works with your room rather than settling for the only option available.

→ Browse our floral and abstract canvas wall art

Starting from your wall colour? Read part one: ‘What your wall colour is telling your art’ → View blog

Pattern & Pixel · patternandpixel.co.uk · Floral and abstract canvas wall art, made to order in the UK. Free delivery.