Understanding Undertones: Beyond Just Brown

When faced with selecting a color, many people start with a name—”Brown,” for instance—and the family they think it belongs to. But here’s the truth: the name is the least useful part. Brown, by itself, isn’t truly a color. Brown with a red cast, brown with a green cast, and brown with a gray cast are entire worlds apart. Choose the wrong one next to a floor or a countertop, and it can make a room feel subtly off in a way that’s hard to pinpoint.

Let’s take this into the realm of stain, which is where my hands really come alive. When building a cabinet stain, I mix it myself. And I always have a piece of the client’s actual flooring right beside me. Why? Because I want to see those color variations, those undertones, in the wood grain. But let’s be clear—I am not trying to match the stain to the floor exactly, because that’s when things start to look flat or, as I like to say, matchy-matchy. What I’m aiming for is a relationship between the two woods, where they clearly belong together but aren’t trying to pretend they’re the same thing.

This principle of undertones doesn’t stop there. Whether it’s paint against stone or tile against cabinets, even every white used in a house carries this logic. I’m constantly asking myself what a color is carrying underneath, and crucially, whether it complements what’s beside it or fights against it.

Here’s where you can breathe easy—you don’t need to see all of this yourself. That’s precisely why I’m here. What helps most is for you to tell me what you’re naturally drawn to. I’ll work out the why behind it, and more often than not, it comes down to those undertones.

If you’re planning a home and this resonates with you, I would love to talk more about your vision. Let’s make sure every inch of your home feels just right. Head to the contact page on heather.living, and let’s start a conversation.